Proverbs 29

General context

He who is often reproved and hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed without remedy. When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice, and when the wicked rule the people mourn. The king establishes the land by judgment, but he who receives gifts overthrows it. A flatterer spreads a net for his neighbour's feet. The righteous considers the cause of the poor; the wicked does not care to know it. Scornful men bring a city into a snare, but wise men turn away wrath. A fool utters all his mind, but a wise man keeps it in till afterwards. If a ruler listens to lies, all his servants are wicked. The poor and the deceitful man meet together, and the Lord lightens both their eyes. The king who faithfully judges the poor has his throne established for ever. The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame. Correct your son and he will give you rest and delight. Where there is no vision the people perish, but he who keeps the law is happy. A man hasty in his words has less hope than a fool. A man's pride brings him low, but honour upholds the humble in spirit. The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Many seek the ruler's favour, but every man's judgment comes from the Lord. The chapter ends with a double abomination: the unjust man to the just, and the upright to the wicked.

Cited passages: Proverbs 29:1, Proverbs 29:2, Proverbs 29:3, Proverbs 29:4, Proverbs 29:5, Proverbs 29:7, Proverbs 29:8, Proverbs 29:9, Proverbs 29:10, Proverbs 29:11, Proverbs 29:12, Proverbs 29:13, Proverbs 29:14, Proverbs 29:15, Proverbs 29:16, Proverbs 29:17, Proverbs 29:18, Proverbs 29:19, Proverbs 29:20, Proverbs 29:21, Proverbs 29:22, Proverbs 29:23, Proverbs 29:24, Proverbs 29:25, Proverbs 29:26, Proverbs 29:27

Proverbs 29 (KJV)

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Historical context

This is the last chapter of the proverbs that 25:1 assigns to Hezekiah's copyists; 30:1 opens a new heading with a new name. No person or place is named here. The Lord is named in verses 13, 25 and 26. The king and ruler of verses 4, 12, 14 and 26 are general figures, and "the land" and "a city" are unnamed. "Vision" in verse 18 is not explained by the chapter, and "the law" in the same verse is not identified. Verse 13 restates 22:2, with "the deceitful man" in place of "the rich" and the Lord lightening eyes rather than making. Verse 20 uses the sentence of 26:12, "there is more hope of a fool than of him", now of a hasty speaker. Verses 15 and 17 speak of the rod and correction of a son, and verses 19 and 21 of a servant, one who is not corrected by words and one brought up delicately who becomes as a son; the text states these as outcomes and gives no case. Verse 3 names harlots as the company that wastes substance. Verse 27 is symmetrical, each side calling the other abomination, and the chapter does not resolve it.

Cited passages: Proverbs 25:1, Proverbs 30:1, Proverbs 29:13, Proverbs 29:4, Proverbs 29:18, Proverbs 22:2, Proverbs 29:20, Proverbs 26:12, Proverbs 29:19, Proverbs 29:21, Proverbs 29:3, Proverbs 29:27

Literary context

The "but" pair remains the main form, and the chapter opens and closes on hardness: the neck that hardens under reproof (verse 1) and the mutual abomination of the unjust and the upright (verse 27). Rulers recur at intervals, verses 2, 4, 12, 14 and 26, and are judged by their effect on the people and the poor: rejoicing or mourning, a land established or overthrown, servants made wicked by a ruler who hears lies, a throne established by judging the poor. The poor are considered in verse 7, judged in verse 14, and set beside the deceitful man in verse 13. Snare and net images run through verses 5, 6, 8 and 25, the last making "the fear of man" itself the snare. Correction of a son and of a servant is paired: the rod and reproof (verse 15), "Correct thy son" (verse 17), the servant not corrected by words (verse 19), the servant raised as a son (verse 21). Speech is weighed in verses 11 and 20, the fool who utters all his mind and the man hasty in words. Verse 25 and verse 26 close the argument together, the snare of fearing men against trust in the Lord, and the ruler's favour against judgment from the Lord.

Cited passages: Proverbs 29:1, Proverbs 29:27, Proverbs 29:2, Proverbs 29:4, Proverbs 29:12, Proverbs 29:14, Proverbs 29:7, Proverbs 29:5, Proverbs 29:6, Proverbs 29:8, Proverbs 29:25, Proverbs 29:15, Proverbs 29:17, Proverbs 29:21, Proverbs 29:11, Proverbs 29:20, Proverbs 29:26

Key moments

1. Hardening the neck (Proverbs 29:1). The one often reproved who hardens his neck is destroyed suddenly and without remedy.
2. The righteous in authority (Proverbs 29:2). The people rejoice under righteous rule and mourn under the wicked.
3. The cause of the poor (Proverbs 29:7). The righteous considers the poor's cause; the wicked does not care to know it.
4. Uttering all his mind (Proverbs 29:11). A fool says everything in his mind; a wise man keeps it in until afterwards.
5. Where there is no vision (Proverbs 29:18). Without vision the people perish, but the keeper of the law is happy.
6. Pride brings low (Proverbs 29:23). A man's pride brings him low, while honour upholds the humble.
7. The fear of man (Proverbs 29:25). The fear of man is a snare, but trusting in the Lord brings safety.

For reflection

Verse 25 says the fear of man brings a snare, and verse 26 says many seek the ruler's favour while judgment comes from the Lord. What, by the chapter's account, is a person afraid of when he seeks a ruler's favour?