Proverbs 20:22

Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Say	תֹּאמַ֥ר to.Mar	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal jussive, 2nd person masculine singular
recompense	אֲשַׁלְּמָה 'a.sha.le.mah-	H7999	to be safe (in mind · verb, piel infinitive construct, 1st person common singular
evil	רָ֑ע Ra'	H7451	bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) · adjective, masculine singular absolute
on	קַוֵּ֥ה ka.Veh	H6960	to bind together (perhaps by twisting) · verb, piel imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
LORD	לַֽ֝יהוָ֗ה la.Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · preposition + proper noun, a title
save	וְיֹ֣שַֽׁע ve.Yo.sha'	H3467	properly · conjunction + verb, hiphil jussive, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Romans 12:17-19 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
Proverbs 24:29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.
Proverbs 17:13 Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
1 Peter 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit…
Deuteronomy 32:35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that…
1 Peter 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 20:22

Those that live in this world must expect to have injuries done them, affronts given them, and trouble wrongfully created them, for we dwell among briers. Now here we are told what to do when we have wrong done us. 1. We must not avenge ourselves, no, nor so much as think of revenge, or design it: "Say not thou, no, not in thy heart, I will recompense evil for evil. Do not please thyself with the thought that some time or other thou shalt have an opportunity of being quits with him. Do not wish revenge, or hope for it, much less resolve upon it, no, not when the injury is fresh and the resentment of it most deep. Never say that thou wilt do a think which thou canst not in faith pray to God t…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 20:22

(Compare Psa 27:14; Rom 12:17-19).

John Gill on Proverbs 20:22

Say not thou, I will recompense evil,.... With evil; do an injury to one that has done one to you; private revenge is not to be taken, but should be left to God, to whom vengeance belongs, Deuteronomy 32:35; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee; commit thyself and cause to God; leave it with him to avenge thy wrongs; wait upon him in the way of thy duty, and wait his own time to do thee justice; he will at the proper season, and in his own way, save thee from thine enemy, and make a righteous retribution to him.

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 20:22

22 Say not: I will avenge the evil; Hope in Jahve, so will He help thee. Men ought always to act toward their neighbours according to the law of love, and not according to the jus talionis, Pro 24:29; they ought not only, by requiting good with evil (Pro 16:13; Psa 7:5, Psa 35:12), not to transgress this law of requital, but they ought to surpass it, by also recompensing not evil with evil (vid., regarding שׁלּם, and synon. to Pro 17:13); and that is what the proverb means, for 22b supposes injustice suffered, which might stir up a spirit of revenge. It does not, however, say that men ought to commit the taking of vengeance to God; but, in the sense of Rom 12:17-19; Pe1 3:9, that, renouncing…

The Church Fathers

A brother who was hurt by another brother went to the Theban Sisois and said, 'I want to get back at a brother who has hurt me.' The hermit begged him, 'Don't do that, my son, leave vengeance in the hands of God.' But he said, 'I can't rest till I get my own back.' The hermit said, 'My brother, let us pray.' He stood and said, 'O God, we have no further need of you, for we can take vengeance by ourselves.' The brother heard it and fell at the hermit's feet, saying, 'I won't quarrel with my brother any longer; I beg you to forgive me.'
— Desert Fathers, The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Malice · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Retaliation · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Revenge · Instead of taking, we should: Trust in God — Instead of taking, we should: Trust in God
Strife · Saints should: Submit to wrong rather than engage in — Saints should: Submit to wrong rather than engage in
Waiting Upon God · They who engage in: Shall be saved — They who engage in: Shall be saved

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 20:22

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 20:22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 20:22

John Gill on Proverbs 20:22

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 20:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 20:22

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 20:22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 20:22

John Gill on Proverbs 20:22

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 20:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 20:22

Rashi on Proverbs 20:21