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Proverbs 24:21

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24:21Fear the Lord, my child,35 as well as the king,

and do not associate36 with rebels,37

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Footnotes

  1. 35 Heb “my son,” but there is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to male children.
  2. 36 Heb “do not get mixed up with”; cf. “Have nothing to do with”; “do not join with.” The verb עָרַב (’arav) is used elsewhere meaning “to exchange; to take on pledge.” In the Hitpael stem it means “to have fellowship; to share; to associate with.” Some English versions (e.g., ) interpret as “to meddle” in this context, because “to have fellowship” is certainly not what is meant.
  3. 37 The form rendered “rebellious” is difficult; it appears to be the Qal active participle, plural, from שָׁנָה (shanah), “to change”—“those who change.” The might have thought of the idea of “change” when they rendered it “political agitators.” The and have “fools,” the Latin has “detractors,” and the reads, “do not disobey either of them,” referring to God and the king in the first line. Accordingly the ruin predicted in the next line would be the ruin that God and the king can inflict. If the idea of “changers” is retained, it would have to mean people who at one time feared God and the king but no longer do.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

My son, fear the Lord and the king,

and do not join with those who do otherwise,

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Fear the Lord and the king, my son,

and do not join with rebellious officials,

CSBChristian Standard Bible

My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king,

and don’t associate with rebels,

NLTNew Living Translation

My child, fear the Lord and the king.

Don’t associate with rebels,

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Fear Yahweh, my son, and the king;

with those who change, do not associate.

KJV 1900King James Version

My son, fear thou the Lord and the king:

And meddle not with them that are given to change: