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Red coals banked under gray ash on a clay hearth in a dark room, a clay water jar beside them and a thin thread of smoke rising.

Hezekiah’s collection

Proverbs 29

Anyone can lose their temper. What does it take to hold it back?

27 verses≈ 3 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

  1. 1–7The father's talksWhy the book exists, then a father to his son
  2. 8–9Wisdom callsHer house and Folly's
  3. 10–22:16Solomon's sayingsTwo lines at a time
  4. 22:17–24The sayings of the wiseThirty sayings, and a few more
  5. 25–29Hezekiah's collectionMore of Solomon, copied out laterChapter 29
  6. 30AgurNumbered sayings from a weary man
  7. 31LemuelA mother's words, and the noble wife

The Flourishing of the Righteous

A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof

will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Sayings

A land, a house, a neighbor

  1. Kings

    Rejoice or groan

    When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice,

    but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

  2. Family

    Joy to his father

    A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,

    but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

  3. Kings

    Justice steadies a land

    By justice a king brings stability to the land,

    but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it.

  4. Words

    A net for his feet

    A man who flatters his neighbor

    spreads a net for his feet.

  5. Temptation

    Caught by his own sin

    An evil man is caught by his own sin,

    but a righteous one sings and rejoices.

  6. Justice

    The cause of the poor

    The righteous consider the cause of the poor,

    but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.

At dusk at the edge of a hill village, a dry thornbush just catches from a scatter of coals by a stone wall, the first small flames leaning toward the roofs.

Mockers inflame a city,

but the wise turn away anger.

If a wise man goes to court with a fool,

there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.

Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man,

but the upright care for his life.

A fool vents all his anger,

but a wise man holds it back.

0:21

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Reflect

Take it home

What sets your temper off? What would holding it back look like this week?

A shepherd’s short wooden rod with a worn knob leans at rest on a sheepfold wall beside a coiled cord, a father and his boy mending the wall out of focus behind.

A rod of correction imparts wisdom,

but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

When the wicked thrive, rebellion increases;

but the righteous will see their downfall.

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;

he will bring delight to your soul.

Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the Law.

Sayings

Household and temper

  1. Family

    Words alone won’t correct

    A servant cannot be corrected by words alone;

    though he understands, he will not respond.

  2. Words

    Speaking in haste

    Do you see a man who speaks in haste?

    There is more hope for a fool than for him.

  3. Family

    A pampered servant

    A servant pampered from his youth

    will bring grief in the end.

  4. Anger

    An angry man

    An angry man stirs up dissension,

    and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

  5. Pride

    Pride brings him low

    A man’s pride will bring him low,

    but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

  6. Justice

    A partner to a thief

    A partner to a thief hates his own soul;

    he receives the oath but does not testify.

Question

Quick question

Verse 18 is often quoted on its own, but it has two lines. The second one tells you what the first is about.

According to 29:18, what steadies a people?

On a stony hillside in morning light, a fowler's snare hidden under a scatter of grain, a cord loop and a light wooden spring-stick, with a few sparrows coming down to it.

The fear of man is a snare,

but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.

Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the LORD.

An unjust man is detestable to the righteous,

and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.

Pray

Say it to Him

LORD, make me slow to anger and quick to hold it back. Where I have feared what people think, teach me to trust You. Set me securely on high, and let Your opinion be the one that runs my life.

You’ve experienced

Proverbs 29

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A verse to carry with you

The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.

Proverbs 29:25

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