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Proverbs 30:10

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Proverbs 30:10 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.
Proverbs 30:10 — American Standard Version

Context — Proverbs 30

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
7Two things have I asked of thee; Deny me [them] not before I die:
8Remove far from me falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is needful for me:
9Lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And use profanely the name of my God.
10Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.
11There is a generation that curse their father, And bless not their mother.
12There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, And [yet] are not washed from their filthiness.
13There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.
← Proverbs 30:9Proverbs 30:11 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Accuse not--Slander not (Psa 10:7). curse . . . guilty--lest, however lowly, he be exasperated to turn on thee, and your guilt be made to appear.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Accuse not a servant - The prayer in Proverbs 30:8 does not shut out, sympathy with those who are less favored. Even the slave has a right to protection against frivolous or needless accusation. Others, however, render the words Make not a slave to accuse his master, i. e., Do not make him discontented with his lot, lest he afterward curse thee for having made it worse than it was. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Accuse not - Without sufficient cause: for otherwise, in some cases this may be a duty. Curse thee - Desire God to punish thee. Guilty - By God, who is ready to plead the cause of the afflicted. Proverbs 30:11”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Accuse not: Heb. Hurt not with thy tongue, Pro 24:23; Deu 23:15; Sa1 22:9, Sa1 22:10, Sa1 24:9, Sa1 26:19, Sa1 30:15; Sa2 16:1-4; Sa2 19:26, Sa2 19:27; Dan 3:8-18, Dan 6:13, Dan 6:24; Rom 14:4 lest: Pro 11:26, Pro 24:24, Pro 28:27; Deu 15:9; Ch2 24:22-24 Proverbs 30:11”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“10 Calumniate not a servant with his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou must atone for it. Incorrectly Ewald: entice not a servant to slander against his master; and Hitzig: "Make not a servant tattle regarding his master." It is true that the Poel לושׁן (to pierce with the tongue, lingu petere) occurs twice in the sense of to calumniate; but that הלשׁין means nothing else, is attested by the post-bibl. Hebrew; the proverb regarding schismatics (בּרכּת המּינים) in the Jewish Schemone-Esre (prayer of the eighteen benedictions) began with ולמלשינים, "and to the calumniators" (delatoribus). Also in the Arab. âlsana signifies pertulit verba alicujus ad alterum, to make a babbler, rapporteur…”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification