Proverbs 3:30

Pro 3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.

Ver. 30. Strive not with a man without cause.] If men’s hurts were not bigger than their suits, there would not be half so many. It is a fault to go lightly to law, but especially with such as have done thee no harm. Zuinglius renders this text thus: Ne temere litem cum quoquam suscipias, quominus superior factus, malum tibi retribuat; others, sim mendax, nisi rependat tibi malum. How Cardinal Wolsey, when he became Lord Chancellor, paid home Sir James Paulet, for setting him by the heels, when as yet he was but a poor schoolmaster, is well known. {a} How much better Archbishop Cranmer, of whom the proverb passed, "Do my Lord of Canterbury a shrewd turn, and you shall have him your friend for ever after." And Robert Holgat, Archbishop of York, of whom it is recorded {b} that in the year 1541 he obtained a benefice in a place where one Sir Francis Askew of Lincolnshire dwelt, by whom he was much troubled and molested in law. Upon occasion of these suits, he was fain to repair to London, where being, he found means to become the king’s chaplain, and by him was made Archbishop of York, and President of the King’s Council for the North. The knight before mentioned happened to have a suit before the council there, and doubted much of hard measure from the Archbishop, whose adversary he had been. But he, remembering the rule of the gospel, to do good for evil, yielded him all favour that with justice he might, saying afterwards merrily to his friends, he was much beholden to Sir Francis Askew, for that had not he been, he must have lived a hedge priest {c} the days of his life. {d}

{a} Life of Card. Wolsey.

{b} Acts and Mon.

{c} An illiterate or uneducated priest of inferior status. (contemptuous.)

{d} Godwin’s Catalog., 625.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro_3:30

Strive not with a man without a cause.

Strife

I. As a principle inherent in the soul. There is a battling instinct in every human mind. Man is made to antagonise. The principle is intended to put us into antagonism--

1. Not against existence, but against the evils of existence.

2. Not against God, but against the enemies of God.

II. As a principle liable to perversion. (D. Thomas, D.D.)

Negative goodness

Here we are called to do good negatively. The strife-loving disposition is fatal to culture, solidity of goodness, and every instinct of beneficence. Where strife is, God is not. Where there is cause of strife be careful to ascertain its true quality. It must be a cause so evident and so righteous that there can be no dispute about it. Some minds are ingenious in creating causes of strife, and they justify themselves by blinding themselves. Strength is itself a temptation. Who can be strong and yet civil? Unjust contentions degrade their authors. False accusations need further lies for their defence and support. Whom we begin by ill-treating we end by hating. (Joseph Parker, D. D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 3:30-32. Strive not — Either by words before the magistrate, or otherwise by thine actions; with a man without cause — Without just and necessary cause; if he have done thee no harm — Whereby it is clearly implied, that, in case of injury, a man may, by all lawful means, defend himself. Envy thou not the oppressor — For his impunity and success in his wicked designs, and the wealth which he gains by unrighteous practices; and choose none of his ways — For what men envy in others they seek to obtain for themselves. For the froward — Or, perverse, who walks in crooked and sinful paths, as the oppressor last mentioned, opposed to the upright man, who is called right, or straight, Pro 29:27; is an abomination to the Lord — And therefore, sooner or later, must be miserable. But his secret is with the righteous — They are his friends and favourites, to whom he familiarly imparts, as men use to do to their friends, his mind and counsels, or his secret favours and comforts, to which other men are strangers.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_3:30

UNLAWFUL STRIFE FORBIDDEN

I. Strife is unlawful when no good can come from striving. The purpose or end of the strife must be the test as to whether it is right or wrong. Mere assertion of our rights or material gain is not the highest good. If Abraham had pushed the quarrel between his herdsmen and those of Lot there can be no doubt that Abraham could have established a lawful claim to a choice of the land. But the good to be gained by striving was not worthy to be compared with the harm that would have been done, and therefore Abraham nobly forbore to insist on his rights.

II. Causeless strife is a self-infliction. A man can hardly be involved in lawful strife without mental agitation, how much more when he strives without cause. When the four winds of heaven seem to meet upon the sea, the waters foam and toss in ceaseless agitation. The winds must cease to strive before the calm can come. A man involved in an unlawful quarrel is like such a troubled sea. Reason and passion, heaven and hell, contend within him for the mastery, and while the battle lasts he must be miserable.

III. Strife rarely ends with those who begin it. Man’s relationship to his fellows renders it impossible for the result of his good or evil deeds to remain with himself alone. If the head of a family enters into a quarrel, the children will probably imbibe the spirit and suffer from the consequences. If kings and rulers involve a nation in unnecessary war, they bring needless suffering upon thousands of innocent people. This consideration alone ought to make men beware of entering into a quarrel.

IV. Causeless strife in the children of God gives a false representation of their Father’s character. They are God’s representatives upon earth, they are expected to fashion their lives upon the Divine model (Mat_5:48). God is a God of peace (1Th_5:23). His contention is only with sin, and its end is the establishment of peace upon earth by righteousness.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

3:30 While it is impossible to avoid all conflict, we are not to pick a fight.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 30. Strive not with a man] Do not be of a litigious, quarrelsome spirit. Be not under the influence of too nice a sense of honour. If thou must appeal to judicial authority to bring him that wrongs thee to reason, avoid all enmity, and do nothing in a spirit of revenge. But, if he have done thee no harm, why contend with him? May not others in the same way contend with and injure thee!

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Strive not with a man without cause, Either by words, in a wrangling, quarrelsome, and contentious way, for mere trifles; when there is no foundation for it, no just reason given to form a complaint, or pick a quarrel upon; or by deeds, by lawsuits, when there is nothing to proceed upon; or it is so trifling, that it is not worth while to litigate it or contend about: such, who strive either way, are far from following the example of Wisdom or Christ, and from taking his advice, Mat 12:19;

if he have done thee no harm; no real hurt to thy person, nor injury to thy substance; if he has not abused nor defrauded thee, nor taken any thing from thee by force or fraud, nor withheld from thee what is thy right and due. But otherwise the laws of God and man ought to take place; right may be sought for, and justice should be done.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Cause. We may defend ourselves; but herein great discretion is necessary. (Calmet) --- Cum pari contendere anceps est: cum superiore furiosum; cum inferiore sordidum. (Seneca, Prov.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Strive not; either by words before the magistrate; or otherwise by thine actions.

Without cause; without just and necessary cause.

If he have done thee no harm; whereby he clearly implies that in case of injury a man may by all lawful means defend himself.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

30. Strive not — Avoid all unnecessary litigations with men. It is often better to suffer wrong than to go to law. 1Co_6:7. What is here forbidden is unnecessary and causeless prosecutions; vexing those who have done no harm, or nothing of much moment.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The meaning of the precept in this verse is clear. We are not to strive or quarrel with a man unless he has first given us offence. So Le Clerc, "Nisi injuria prior lacessiverit." The admonition is directed against those who, from spite, jealousy, or other reasons, "stir up strife all the day long" with those who are quiet and peaceable. Strive. The Keri here reads tariv for the Khetib taruv, but without any change of meaning. The verb ruv, from which taruv, is "to strive or contend with the hand and with blows," as in Deu_33:7; or with words, as in Psa_103:9 (cf. the Vulgate, ne contendas; and the LXX, mh filecyhshv , "Do not exercise enmity," from the unusual filecyrew . Ruv is here followed by (im), as in Job_9:3 Job_40:2; and Gen_26:30 Its forensic sense, "to contend with in law," does not strictly apply here, though the precept may be taken as discouraging litigation (Lapide). Without cause (khinnam); LXX, mathn , equivalent to dwrean , in Joh_15:25; Vulgate, frustra; further explained in the concluding clause (see on Pro_1:17). If he have done thee no harm. The phrase, gumal raah, is to bring evil upon any one (Schultens). The verb gamal signifies "to do, to give, to show to any one." Holdea renders, "Surely he will return thee evil," in the sense that unprovoked attack ensures retaliation.]gut this is to ignore the negative force of im-lo, "if not." The verb sometimes means "requiting," but not in the passage before us, nor in Pro_11:17 Pro_31:12. The Vulgate renders as the Authorized Version, Cum ipse tibi nihil mali fecerit. It is to be remarked that this precept falls below the moral standard of the New Testament teaching, (see Mat_5:39-41 Rom_12:17-21 1Co_6:6-8) and of the example of our Lord, of whom it was predicted that "When he was reviled, be reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not". (see Isa 53)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A third illustration of the same principle is peaceableness:

Contend not with a man without a cause,

When he has inflicted no evil upon thee.

Instead of תּרוּב, or as the Kerı̂ has amended it תּריב, the abbreviated form תּרב or תּרב would be more correct after אל; רוּב or ריב (from רב, to be compact) means to fall upon one another, to come to hand-blows, to contend. Contending and quarrelling with a man, whoever he may be, without sufficient reason, ought to be abandoned; but there exists no such reason if he has done me no harm which I have to reproach him with. גּמל רעה with the accus. or dat. of the person signifies to bring evil upon any one, malum inferre, or also referre (Schultens), for גּמל (cogn. גּמר) signifies to execute, to complete, accomplish - both of the initiative and of the requital, both of the anticipative and of the recompensing action; here in the former of these senses.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Do not quarrel with anyone to complain about him.

if he did you no harm i.e., unless he transgressed a commandment written in the Torah. The Torah states (Lev. 19:18): “And you shall love your fellow as yourself,” but one who is wicked, you may hate.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.