Proverbs 3:30 (YLT)

Passage

Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 3:28 Say not thou to thy friend, `Go, and return, and to-morrow I give,' And substance with thee.

Proverbs 3:29 Devise not against thy neighbour evil, And he sitting confidently with thee.

Proverbs 3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, If he have not done thee evil.

Proverbs 3:31 Be not envious of a man of violence, Nor fix thou on any of his ways.

Proverbs 3:32 For an abomination to Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> the perverted, And with the upright <FI>is<Fi> His secret counsel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "strive", "without", "cause", "done", "thee", and "evil". 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 against thy neighbour evil And..." into verse 31's "Be not envious of a man of...", 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.