Proverbs 23:4
in Proverbs 23Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.
KJV
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
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This verse in Proverbs 23
Commentary
7 notes on this verseLabour not to be rich - Let not this be thy object. Labour to provide things honest in the sight of God and all men; and if thou get wealth, do not forget the poor, else God’s curse will be a canker even in thy gold. Cease from thine own wisdom - בינתך binathecha, thy own understanding or prudence.
This site's exposition
Do not wear yourself out
on Proverbs 23:4-5
"Do not wear yourself out to get rich" sets the limit, and "be wise enough to restrain yourself" names the discipline that keeps it. Wealth "makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky." The warning falls on the striving heart.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
Do not labor to be rich. He signifies the riches of knowledge, which we are forbidden to seek beyond the measure of our capacity.
But set bounds for your wisdom. Namely that which is said above: Do not transgress ancient boundaries, which your fathers have set; that is, the boundaries of faith given by the fathers.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They have a real existence in nature and are the real gifts of Providence, but in the kingdom of grace they are things that are not; they are not a happiness and portion for a soul, are not what they promise to be nor what we expect them to be; they are a show, a shadow, a sham upon the soul that trusts to them.
Labour not to be rich,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Cease from thine own wisdom - i. e., “Cease from the use of what is in itself most excellent, if it only serves to seek after wealth, and so ministers to evil.” There is no special contrast between “thine own wisdom” and that given from above, though it is of course implied that in ceasing from his own prudence the man is on the way to attain a higher wisdom.
The words behind it
5 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּיגַ֥ע | tiga' | you labor | H3021 → | |
| לְֽהַעֲשִׁ֑יר | lehaashir | to gain riches | H6238 → | 17 times |
| מִֽבִּינָתְךָ֥ | mibinatekha | from understanding your | H998 → | 38 times |
| חֲדָֽל׃ | chadal | cease | H2308 → | 58 times |
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּיגַ֥עyou labor
tiga'H3021 →
לְֽהַעֲשִׁ֑ירto gain riches
lehaashirH6238 →17 times
מִֽבִּינָתְךָ֥from understanding your
mibinatekhaH998 →38 times
חֲדָֽל׃cease
chadalH2308 →58 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 3:5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
it leads to
- Psalms 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.
- Jeremiah 17:7–8
But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.
- Proverbs 28:26
He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.
- Psalms 37:3
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
- Psalms 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- Psalms 37:5
Through
Hebrews 13:5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
- Joshua 1:5
No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
- Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- Deuteronomy 31:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.