Proverbs 29:19

A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he will not answer.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
servant	עָ֑בֶד 'A.ved	H5650	a servant · noun, common masculine singular absolute
corrected	יִוָּ֣סֶר yi.Va.ser	H3256	to chastise · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
words	בִּ֭דְבָרִים Bid.va.rim	H1697	a word · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute
understand	יָ֝בִ֗ין ya.Vin	H995	to separate mentally (or distinguish) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
answer	מַעֲנֶה maʻăneh	H4617	a reply (favorable or contradictory)

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

Job 19:16 I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.
Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.
Proverbs 30:22 For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 29:19

Here is the description of an unprofitable, slothful, wicked servant, a slave that serves not from conscience, or love, but purely from fear. Let those that have such servants put on patience to bear the vexation and not disturb themselves at it. See their character. 1. No rational words will work upon them; they will not be corrected and reformed, not brought to their business, nor cured of their idleness and laziness, by fair means, no, nor by foul words; even the most gentle master will be forced to use severity with them; no reason will serve their turn, for they are unreasonable. 2. No rational words will be got from them. They are dogged and sullen; and, though they understand the ques…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 29:19

A servant--who lacks good principle. corrected--or discovered. will not answer--that is, will not obey.

John Gill on Proverbs 29:19

A servant will not be corrected by words,.... Not by them only, especially one that is of a servile, surly, and untractable disposition; otherwise a good servant, and well disposed to his master, and willing to serve him, and promote his interest, a word is sufficient for such an one; when he is bid to go, he goes; or to come, he comes, Matthew 8:9; or if he has done wrong, and his fault is told him, he will amend another time; whereas a rough ill natured servant will not regard words, but must have blows to correct him; for though he understand; what his master says, and what is his will, and knows he has done wrong, and ought to do otherwise, which is an aggravation of sin: he will not a…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 29:19

From the discipline of the people this series of proverbs again returns to the discipline of home: 19 With words a servant will not let himself be bettered; For he understandeth them, but conformeth not thereto. The Niph. נוסר becomes a so-called tolerative, for it connects with the idea of happening that of reaching its object: to become truly bettered (taught in wisdom, corrected), and thus to let himself be bettered. With mere words this is not reached; the unreasonable servant needs, in order to be set right, a more radical means of deliverance. This assertion demands confirmation; therefore is the view of von Hofmann (Schriftbew. ii. 2. 404) improbable, that 19b has in view a better-dis…

The Church Fathers

In saying that "the servant will not be corrected by words," [Solomon] did not order him to be left to himself but implied an admonition as to the means whereby he ought to be corrected. Otherwise he would not have said, "He will not be corrected by words," but without any qualification, "He will not be corrected." For in another place he says that not only the servant but also the undisciplined son must be corrected with stripes, and that with great fruits as the result. For he says, "You shall beat him with the rod and shall deliver his soul from hell," and elsewhere he says, "He that spares the rod hates his own son."
— Augustine of Hippo, THE CORRECTION OF THE DONATISTS 6:21

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

Servants · Characteristics of wicked servants: Will not submit to correction — Characteristics of wicked servants: Will not submit to correction

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 29:19

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 29:19

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 29:19

John Gill on Proverbs 29:19

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 29:19

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 29:19

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 29:19

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 29:19

John Gill on Proverbs 29:19

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 29:19

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 29:19

Rashi on Proverbs 29:19