¶Do not weary yourself to gain wealth; Stop dwelling on it.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t weary yourself to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint.
- KJV Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
- BSB Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.
- NKJV Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease!
- NLT Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.
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
Do not exhaust yourself striving to get rich; show wise restraint.
Overview
Proverbs commends diligent work but warns against the anxious, all-consuming pursuit of wealth. True wisdom restrains the craving for riches, recognizing its emptiness and danger. Jesus warned plainly that one cannot serve both God and money, and that life does not consist in abundance of possessions (Matt. 6:24; Luke 12:15).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Heb 13:5Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”
- Prov 28:20A faithful man is rich with blessings; but one who is eager to be rich will not go unpunished.
- 1 Tim 6:8–10But having food and clothing, we will be content with that.
- Matt 6:19“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
- Prov 3:5Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.
- John 6:27Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”
- Prov 15:27He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.
- Rom 12:16Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits.
- Isa 5:21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
- Prov 26:12Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- Prov 3:7Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil.
- Rom 11:25For I don’t desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won’t be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 23:4 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.