Bible Strands
Proverbs 30:10
Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The text addresses a general audience within a collection of practical sayings, following immediate warnings about the spiritual dangers of wealth and poverty. It functions as a direct instruction on interpersonal conduct.
The words — תַּלְשֵׁ֣ן (tal.shen) means you slander, and אֲדֹנָ֑י/ו ('a.do.no/v) translates as master or his. The phrasing links the act of malicious speech directly to the authority figure who holds power over the accused.
The thread — The warning parallels Ecclesiastes 7:21, which cautions against ignoring every spoken word lest you hear your servant curse you. It also aligns with Romans 14:4, which questions the right to judge another’s servant, noting they stand or fall before their own master.
Why it lands — The verse demands restraint in reporting a servant’s faults to their owner, recognizing the speaker will inherit the resulting curse and guilt. It requires readers to weigh the consequences of their words before acting on grievances.
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
Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
Cross-references
- Ecclesiastes 7:21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
- Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
- 2 Samuel 19:26 “My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me,
- 2 Chronicles 24:22 Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”
- Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
- Daniel 3:8 At this time some astrologers came forward and maliciously accused the Jews,
- Daniel 6:13 Then they told the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, shows no regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed. He still makes his petition three times a day.”
- Daniel 6:24 At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
- Deuteronomy 23:15 Do not return a slave to his master if he has taken refuge with you.
- 1 Samuel 22:9 But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.