Proverbs 3:30 (LSB)

Passage

Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has dealt you no harm.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 3:28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When it is there with you.

Proverbs 3:29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you.

Proverbs 3:30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has dealt you no harm.

Proverbs 3:31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways.

Proverbs 3:32 For the devious one is an abomination to Yahweh; But His secret council is with the upright.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 29's "Do not devise harm against your neighbor..." into verse 31's "Do not envy a man of violence...", so "contend" 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 "contend" and "without" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.