A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good.
Parallel translations
- WEB A man of violence entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.
- KJV A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.
- NKJV A violent man entices his neighbor, And leads him in a way that is not good.
- NASB A person of violence entices his neighbor And leads him in a way that is not good.
- NLT Violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A violent person lures a neighbor into a harmful path. It matters because the wicked seek to draw others into their evil ways.
Overview
This proverb warns of the violent man who entices his neighbor down a way that is not good. Sin is not content to corrupt one person but seeks to spread. It calls for discernment about the company and influences we follow, and points to the contrasting call of Christ, who leads into life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 2:12–15to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,
- Prov 12:26A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.
- 2 Pet 3:17Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing.
- Prov 3:31Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;
- Prov 1:10–14My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.
- 1 Sam 22:7–9Then Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds?
- 1 Sam 19:11Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”
- Neh 6:13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
- 1 Sam 19:17And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away and he has escaped!” Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’”
- 1 Sam 23:19–21Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 16:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.