Proverbs 30:10

10 Accuse thou not a servant to his lord, lest peradventure he curse thee, and thou fall down.

Proverbs 30:10 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 30:10

Accuse not a servant unto his master
Wrongly, rashly, and without any foundation, nor for any trifling thing; unless it be in a case of moment and importance, when his master's business is sadly neglected, or he is injured in his property by him: especially care should be taken not to calumniate a servant, to abuse him with the tongue, as the word ^F7 signifies; the circumstance he is in should be considered, as a servant; and how severe masters are apt to be towards them, and therefore little matters should be hid from them; and much less should they be aggravated, and least of all should falsehoods be told of them. So Doeg the Edomite accused David to Saul, and the Pharisees accused the disciples of Christ to their Master, ( 1 Samuel 22:9 ) ( Matthew 15:2 ) ; the apostle's advice is good, and agrees with Agur's, ( Romans 14:4 ) ; lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty;
or, "and thou shouldest sin" ^F8; that is, afterwards; and so the curse come upon thee he has wished for: or the sense is, lest he should curse thee before men, and hurt thy character and reputation; or imprecate a curse from the Lord, which he may suffer to come upon thee for sin. Aben Ezra interprets this of a servant, that flies from Heathen countries to the land of Israel, to be made a proselyte of; who should not be discovered, and returned to his old master.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 (Nvlt la) "ne crimineris lingua", Montanus.
F8 (tmvaw) "et delinquas", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Gejerus; "q. d. peccabis", Vatablus.

Proverbs 30:10 In-Context

8 Make thou far from me vanity and words of leasing; give thou not to me begging and riches; but give thou only necessaries to my lifelode; (Make thou far from me emptiness and futility, or uselessness, and words of lying, or lies; give thou not to me begging or riches; but give thou only the necessities for my sustenance;)

9 lest peradventure I be full-filled, and be drawn to deny, and say, Who is the Lord? and lest I be compelled by neediness, and steal, and forswear the name of my God. (lest perhaps I be filled full, and be drawn to deny, and then say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be compelled by neediness, and steal, and forswear the name of my God.)

10 Accuse thou not a servant to his lord, lest peradventure he curse thee, and thou fall down.

11 (There is) A generation that curseth his father, and that blesseth not his mother. (There be people who curse their fathers, and do not bless their mothers.)

12 (There is) A generation that seemeth clean to itself, and nevertheless is not washed from his filths. (There be people who seem clean to themselves, yet nevertheless be not washed from their filths.)