He who pampers his servant from youth will have him become a son in the end.
Parallel translations
- KJV He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.
- BSB A servant pampered from his youth will bring grief in the end.
- NKJV He who pampers his servant from childhood Will have him as a son in the end.
- NASB One who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be rebellious.
- NLT A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel.
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
Indulging a servant from childhood spoils him, so that he presumes on privileges he has not earned.
Overview
The exact sense of the rare Hebrew word is debated, but most read it as a warning that overindulgence breeds ingratitude and entitlement rather than maturity. Unchecked pampering corrupts character, whether in a servant, a child, or anyone under our care. Godly love disciplines as well as provides, mirroring the Father who lovingly trains those He receives as sons.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 29:21 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.