Proverbs 17:13 (WEB)

Passage

Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

Proverbs 17:12 Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

Proverbs 17:13 Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

Proverbs 17:14 The beginning of strife is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention before quarreling breaks out.

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "for good", "whoever", "rewards", "evil", "shall", "depart", and "house". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "for good" and "whoever", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Let a bear robbed of her cubs..." into verse 14's "The beginning of strife is like breaching...", so "for good" and "whoever" 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 "for good" and "whoever" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.