Proverbs 6:30

Study note

Setting — The wisdom teacher addresses a listener between the warning about adultery in Proverbs 6:29 and the restitution penalty in Proverbs 6:31. The observation is placed within a sequence of proverbial contrasts regarding human behavior and its consequences.

The words — יָב֣וּזוּ (ya.Vu.zu) means "despise" or "scorn," and נַ֝פְשׁ֗/וֹ (naf.Sh/o) literally means "appetite" or "soul." The text states that people do not despise a thief who steals to fill his appetite.

The thread — The hunger motif runs to Job 38:39, where God questions the ability to satisfy the young lions' hunger. The verse also anchors the immediate context of Proverbs 6:29–31, which contrasts human empathy with legal justice.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that desperate need can reduce social contempt, yet it immediately pairs this with a fixed penalty. The reader must hold both the observation of human compassion and the stated requirement of restitution without contradiction.

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.