Proverbs 3:31 (ASV)

Passage

Envy thou not the man of violence, And choose none of his ways.

Nearby Context

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

Proverbs 3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, If he have done thee no harm.

Proverbs 3:31 Envy thou not the man of violence, And choose none of his ways.

Proverbs 3:32 For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah; But his friendship is with the upright.

Proverbs 3:33 The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked; But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "envy", "thou", "violence", "choose", "none", and "ways". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "envy" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "Strive not with a man without cause..." into verse 32's "For the perverse is an abomination to...", so "envy" and "thou" 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 "envy" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.