Proverbs 3:27 (ASV)

Passage

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh:

Proverbs 3:26 For Jehovah will be thy confidence, And will keep thy foot from being taken.

Proverbs 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

Proverbs 3:28 Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give; When thou hast it by thee.

Proverbs 3:29 Devise not evil against thy neighbor, Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "withhold", "good", "power", and "hand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "withhold" and "good", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "For Jehovah will be thy confidence And..." into verse 28's "Say not unto thy neighbor Go and...", so "withhold" and "good" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "withhold" and "good" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.