Bible Strands
Proverbs 3:31
Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The book of Proverbs addresses a learner, placing this command between a warning against groundless accusation and a declaration of God’s preference for the upright. The words — תְּ֭קַנֵּא (Te.ka.ne') means "you be jealous" or "envy," paired with חָמָ֑ס (cha.Mas), literally "violence" or "oppression." The thread — This prohibition against envying the wicked appears in Proverbs 24:1 and Psalms 37:1, both warning against coveting the prosperity or methods of evildoers. Why it lands — The text commands readers to reject both the desire for a violent person’s success and the adoption of their methods, grounding the instruction in the surrounding contrast between divine approval of the upright and rejection of the perverse.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 24:1 Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;
- Psalms 37:1 Of David. Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong.
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
- Galatians 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
- Proverbs 23:17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the LORD.
- Proverbs 12:12 The wicked desire the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.
- Proverbs 24:19 Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked.
- Psalms 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.
- Proverbs 1:15 my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path.
- Proverbs 2:12 to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,