Proverbs 3:29 (DBY)

Passage

Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Nearby Context

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 neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee.

Proverbs 3:29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, 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 not the man of violence, and choose none of his ways.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "devise", "evil", "against", "neighbour", "seeing", "dwelleth", "securely", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "devise" and "evil", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 28's "Say not unto thy neighbour Go and..." into verse 30's "Strive not with a man without cause...", so "devise" and "evil" 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 "devise" and "evil" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.