Proverbs 3:30 (DBY)

Passage

Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

Nearby Context

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.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "strive", "without", "cause", "done", "thee", and "harm". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "strive" and "without", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 29's "Devise not evil against thy neighbour seeing..." into verse 31's "Envy not the man of violence and...", so "strive" and "without" 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 "strive" and "without" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.