Proverbs 23:4 kjv
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Proverbs 23:4 nkjv
Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease!
Proverbs 23:4 niv
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.
Proverbs 23:4 esv
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
Proverbs 23:4 nlt
Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit.
Proverbs 23 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 6:19-21 | Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... | Prioritize heavenly treasures over earthly. |
| Matt 6:33 | But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. | Focus on God's kingdom; His provision follows. |
| Luke 12:15 | "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." | Life's true worth is not material wealth. |
| Luke 12:20-21 | "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you...'" | Riches are fleeting and useless in death. |
| 1 Tim 6:9-10 | Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap... For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. | Desire for wealth leads to sin and destruction. |
| 1 Tim 6:17-18 | Command those who are rich... not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain... | Don't trust in uncertain riches; do good works. |
| Ecc 5:10 | Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied. | Material pursuit leads to perpetual dissatisfaction. |
| Ecc 2:26 | To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth. | God blesses the righteous; riches are for God's purposes. |
| Pro 10:2 | Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death. | Unjust wealth is futile. |
| Pro 11:28 | Those who trust in their riches will fall, but righteous people will thrive like a green leaf. | Trust in riches leads to downfall. |
| Pro 28:20 | A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. | Rash desire for wealth leads to penalty. |
| Pro 28:22 | The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them. | Hastily pursued wealth can lead to poverty. |
| Jas 5:1-3 | Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted away... | Warning against hoarding wealth unjustly. |
| Psa 37:16 | Better the little that the righteous have than the great wealth of the wicked. | Contentment with little is better than wicked wealth. |
| Psa 49:6-7 | Some trust in their wealth and boast in their abundant riches, yet they cannot redeem themselves or pay their own ransom to God. | Wealth cannot buy redemption or life. |
| Psa 49:10-12 | For they see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, and leave their wealth to others. | All die, leaving riches behind. |
| Pro 3:5-6 | Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. | Lean on God, not self-understanding, for guidance. |
| Jer 9:23-24 | This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have understanding and know me..." | Do not boast in human wisdom or riches, but in knowing God. |
| 1 Cor 1:19 | "For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.'" | God confounds human wisdom. |
| 1 Cor 3:19-20 | For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight... The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile. | Worldly wisdom is foolishness to God. |
| Pro 23:5 | Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. | Emphasizes the transient nature of wealth. |
| Heb 13:5 | Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." | Be content, free from love of money, trusting God's presence. |
Proverbs 23 verses
Proverbs 23 4 Meaning
Proverbs 23:4 issues a dual warning: firstly, against the obsessive, exhaustive pursuit of material riches; and secondly, against relying on one's own human cleverness or cunning in that pursuit, urging a cessation from such self-reliance. It encourages individuals to prioritize their well-being, spiritual peace, and trust in divine wisdom over the relentless and often ethically questionable accumulation of wealth.
Proverbs 23 4 Context
Proverbs is a book of practical wisdom for living a godly life, often expressed in concise, memorable sayings. Chapter 23 belongs to a section known as "Sayings of the Wise" (Pro 22:17–24:34), characterized by direct admonitions from a mentor figure to a "son" or disciple. This specific verse (Pro 23:4) is embedded in a passage that addresses various temptations and proper conduct, particularly around food, wealth, and moral choices. For example, Pro 23:1-3 warns against overindulging when dining with a ruler, which conceptually links to the theme of controlling one's appetites and ambitions. Immediately following Pro 23:4, verse Pro 23:5 dramatically illustrates the fleeting nature of wealth, which underscores why the obsessive pursuit warned against in verse 4 is futile. The cultural context would have been an agrarian society where wealth was tied to land, livestock, and stored produce, but the underlying human desires and pitfalls are timeless. The passage implies a contrast with the self-reliant, often cutthroat methods used in the ancient world to accumulate riches, urging instead a reliance on God's ways.
Proverbs 23 4 Word analysis
- Do not wear yourself out: From the Hebrew ʾal-tiyga‘ (אַל־תִּיגַע), an imperative form of the verb yaga‘ (יָגַע), meaning "toil," "labor," "grow weary," "exhaust oneself," or "struggle." The prohibition emphasizes avoiding excessive, self-draining effort. It is not a call against diligence in work but against the all-consuming, health-destroying drive that neglects all else for gain.
- to get rich: From the Hebrew lehaʿashir (לְהַעֲשִׁיר), the causative infinitive of ʿashar (עָשַׁר), meaning "to become rich," "to cause to prosper," or "to acquire wealth." This highlights the purpose or goal of the exhaustive labor. The focus is on accumulating abundance as the ultimate aim.
- do not trust in your own cleverness: This phrase is rendered differently across translations, providing richer nuance.
- King James Version: "cease from thine own wisdom."
- Hebrew: mibbinatəkha chadāl (מִבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָל).
- mibbinatəkha (מִבִּינָתְךָ): "from your understanding," "from your discernment," or "from your insight/wisdom." Binah (בִּינָה) generally refers to human understanding, insight, or intellectual shrewdness. This term distinguishes it from chokmah (חָכְמָה), which often carries a broader connotation of divine or godly wisdom. Here, it refers to human reasoning, ingenuity, or perceived cleverness that might lead one to believe they can achieve wealth through their own devices, perhaps by unscrupulous means, bypassing godly principles, or at the expense of others or their own well-being.
- chadāl (חֲדָל): An imperative, meaning "desist," "cease," "refrain," "stop," or "abandon." It's a strong command to halt or turn away from a course of action.
- "Do not wear yourself out to get rich": This group of words emphasizes the misguided intensity and idolatrous focus on wealth acquisition. It speaks to a pursuit driven by greed and material desire rather than sustainable livelihood or charitable gain. The implication is that such a pursuit is not only futile but harmful, leading to exhaustion, spiritual poverty, and potential ethical compromise.
- "Do not trust in your own cleverness" / "cease from thine own wisdom": This second phrase is crucial. It connects the excessive toil to a misplaced reliance on human intellect and scheming, rather than divine wisdom or God's provision. It warns against a "self-made" mentality that rejects dependency on God or His moral guidelines. It could also imply a reliance on unethical "clever" schemes to get rich quick, as opposed to honest labor and patience. This kind of "wisdom" often deviates from God's righteous path.
Proverbs 23 4 Bonus section
The Hebrew term binah (understanding/discernment) when used here with the command chadāl (cease) carries the strong implication that the human "cleverness" in view is one that deviates from God's righteousness. It's not general intellectual capacity, but rather insight applied in a way that prioritizes personal gain above ethical or spiritual principles. The verse points to a deeper spiritual principle: our toil and our trust must ultimately be directed towards God. An unholy ambition for wealth can lead to physical detriment, spiritual decay, and a reliance on self that bypasses divine wisdom, often leading to a downfall. The warning echoes throughout the Scriptures: genuine prosperity, whether material or spiritual, stems from faithfulness to God, not from personal cunning or relentless striving detached from godly principles.
Proverbs 23 4 Commentary
Proverbs 23:4 offers a profound lesson on stewardship, contentment, and faith. It warns against a fundamental misdirection of human energy and trust. The counsel is not against honest work or responsible earning, but against the all-consuming pursuit of wealth, where accumulating riches becomes life's paramount goal. Such a goal invariably leads to physical exhaustion, mental strain, and moral compromise, eroding spiritual vitality. This verse strongly implies that reliance on one's own cunning and schemes to achieve wealth is an act of foolishness, contrasting with the wisdom that trusts in God's provision and guidance. True wisdom dictates a balanced approach to resources, understanding their transient nature (Pro 23:5) and recognizing that genuine security and contentment come from God, not from a bulging bank account or clever maneuvers. This proverb is a call to align priorities with God's will, focusing on righteousness and reliance on Him, rather than being enslaved by the deceptive promise of self-acquired riches.