Proverbs 19:10
New International Version
It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury— how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

New Living Translation
It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule over princes!

English Standard Version
It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.

Berean Standard Bible
Luxury is unseemly for a fool—how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

King James Bible
Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

New King James Version
Luxury is not fitting for a fool, Much less for a servant to rule over princes.

New American Standard Bible
Luxury is not fitting for a fool; Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

NASB 1995
Luxury is not fitting for a fool; Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

NASB 1977
Luxury is not fitting for a fool; Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

Legacy Standard Bible
Luxury is not fitting for a fool; Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

Amplified Bible
Luxury is not fitting for a fool; Much less for a slave to rule over princes.

Christian Standard Bible
Luxury is not appropriate for a fool — how much less for a slave to rule over princes!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Luxury is not appropriate for a fool— how much less for a slave to rule over princes!

American Standard Version
Delicate living is not seemly for a fool; Much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

Contemporary English Version
It isn't right for a fool to live in luxury or for a slave to rule in place of a king.

English Revised Version
Delicate living is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Luxury does not fit a fool, much less a slave ruling princes.

Good News Translation
Fools should not live in luxury, and slaves should not rule over noblemen.

International Standard Version
It's not fitting for a fool to live in luxury; neither is it for a servant to rule over princes.

Majority Standard Bible
Luxury is unseemly for a fool—how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

NET Bible
Luxury is not appropriate for a fool; how much less for a servant to rule over princes!

New Heart English Bible
Delicate living is not appropriate for a fool, much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

Webster's Bible Translation
Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

World English Bible
Delicate living is not appropriate for a fool, much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Luxury is not fitting for a fool, "" Much less for a servant to rule among princes.

Young's Literal Translation
Luxury is not comely for a fool, Much less for a servant to rule among princes.

Smith's Literal Translation
Delight is not becoming to the foolish one; much less for a servant to rule over chiefs.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Delicacies are not seemly for a fool: nor for a servant to have rule over princes.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Fine things are not fitting for the foolish, nor is it fitting for a servant to rule over princes.

New American Bible
Luxury is not befitting a fool; much less should a slave rule over princes.

New Revised Standard Version
It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
To live in luxury is not fitting for a fool; much less is it seemly for a servant to rule over princes.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A delicacy is not fitting for a fool, neither for a Servant to rule among princes.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Luxury is not seemly for a fool; Much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Delight does not suit a fool, nor is it seemly if a servant should begin to rule with haughtiness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Man of Integrity
9A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who pours out lies will perish. 10Luxury is unseemly for a fool— how much worse for a slave to rule over princes! 11A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.…

Cross References
Ecclesiastes 10:5-7
There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler: / Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions. / I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.

Proverbs 30:21-22
Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: / a servant who becomes king, a fool who is filled with food,

1 Samuel 2:8
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.

Psalm 113:7-8
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump / to seat them with nobles, with the princes of His people.

Luke 16:19-31
Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. / And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores / and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. ...

1 Corinthians 1:26-29
Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. / But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. / He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, ...

James 2:5-6
Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? / But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?

1 Timothy 6:9-10
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. / For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Matthew 19:23-24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. / Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:24-25
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. / Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Job 34:18-19
who says to kings, ‘You are worthless!’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ / who is not partial to princes and does not favor rich over poor? For they are all the work of His hands.

Psalm 75:6-7
For exaltation comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, / but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another.

Daniel 4:17
This decision is the decree of the watchers, the verdict declared by the holy ones, so that the living will know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes, setting over it the lowliest of men.’

Isaiah 32:5-8
No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected. / For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink. / The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. ...

Matthew 20:25-28
But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. / It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, / and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— ...


Treasury of Scripture

Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

delight

Proverbs 30:21,22
For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: …

1 Samuel 25:36
And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

Esther 3:15
The posts went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed.

much

2 Samuel 3:24,25,39
Then Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone? …

Ecclesiastes 10:5-7
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: …

Isaiah 3:5
And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

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Proverbs 19
1. Life and Conduct














Luxury is not fitting for a fool
The Hebrew word for "luxury" here is "תַּעֲנוּג" (ta'anug), which implies indulgence or delight. In the context of ancient Israel, luxury was often associated with wealth and the trappings of power, which were seen as rewards for wisdom and righteousness. A "fool," or "כְּסִיל" (kesil) in Hebrew, is someone who lacks wisdom and moral insight. The juxtaposition of luxury and foolishness suggests a misalignment of values. In a conservative Christian perspective, this phrase warns against the dangers of materialism and the moral decay that can accompany wealth when it is not grounded in wisdom and godly living. It serves as a reminder that true fulfillment comes from spiritual richness rather than material abundance.

much less for a servant to rule over princes
The phrase "much less" intensifies the improbability or inappropriateness of the situation described. The Hebrew word for "servant" is "עֶבֶד" (eved), which can mean a slave or a person of low social standing. In ancient times, societal hierarchies were rigid, and the idea of a servant ruling over "princes" (נָדִיב, nadiv) would have been seen as a reversal of the natural order. Princes were expected to be leaders, wise and noble, and their rule was considered divinely ordained. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, this part of the verse underscores the importance of maintaining God-ordained structures and roles. It suggests that leadership requires wisdom and character, qualities that are not inherently tied to one's social status but are essential for righteous governance. This serves as a call to uphold integrity and divine order in leadership, both in personal life and in broader societal structures.

(10) Delight is not seemly for a fool.--He is ruined by prosperity and luxury: much more is a slave unfit to rule over princes. The writer has in his mind the case of an emancipated slave being raised to high place by court favour, and then insolently trampling on those who were once far above him. (Comp. Proverbs 30:22; Ecclesiastes 10:6-7.)

Verse 10. - Delight is not seemly for a fool (comp. Proverbs 17:7; Proverbs 26:1). Taanug, rendered "delight," implies other delicate living, luxury; τρυφή, Septuagint. Such a life is ruin to a fool. who knows not how to use it properly; it confirms him in his foolish, sinful ways. A man needs religion and reason to enable him to bear prosperity advantageously, and these the fool lacks. "Secundae res," remarks Sallust ('Catil.,' 11), "sapientium animos fatigant," "Even wise men are wearied and harassed by prosperity," much more must such good fortune try those who have no practical wisdom to guide and control their enjoyment. Vatablus explains the clause to mean that it is impossible for a fool, a sinner, to enjoy peace of conscience, which alone is true delight. But looking to the next clause, we see that the moralist is thinking primarily of the elevation of a slave to a high position, and his arrogance in consequence thereof. Much less for a servant to have rule over princes. By the unwise favouritism of a potentate, a slave of lowly birth might be raised to eminence and set above the nobles and princes of the land. The writer of Ecclesiastes gives his experience in this matter: "I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth" (Ecclesiastes 10:7). The same anomaly is mentioned with censure (Proverbs 30:22 and Ecclus. 11:5). What is the behaviour of unworthy persons thus suddenly raised to high position has formed the subject of many a satire. It is the old story of the "beggar on horseback." A German proverb declares, "Kein Scheermesser scharfer schiest, als wenn der Bauer zu Herrn wird." Claud., 'In Eutrop.,' 181, etc.

"Asperius nihil est humili, quum surgit in altum;
Cuncta ferit, dum cuncta timet; desaevit in omnes,
Ut se posse putent; nec bellua tetrior ulla
Quam servi rabies in libera colla furentis."
As an example of a different disposition, Cornelius a Lapide refers to the history of Agathocles. Tyrant of Syracuse, who rose from the humble occupation of a potter to a position of vast power, and, to remind himself of his lowly origin, used to dine off mean earthenware. Ausonius thus alludes to this humility ('Epigr.,' 8.) -

"Fama est fictilibus coenasse Agathoclea regem,
Atque abacum Samio saepe onerasse luto;
Fercula gemmatis cum poneret horrida vasis,
Et misceret opes pauperiemque simul.

Quaerenti causam, respondit: Rex ego qui sum
Sicaniae, figulo sum genitore satus
Fortunam reverenter habe, quicunque repente
Dives ab exili progrediere loco."


Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Luxury
תַּעֲנ֑וּג (ta·‘ă·nūḡ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8588: Daintiness, luxury, exquisite delight

is unseemly
נָאוֶ֣ה (nā·weh)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 5000: Suitable, beautiful

for a fool—
לִכְסִ֣יל (liḵ·sîl)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3684: Stupid fellow, dullard, fool

how much worse
אַ֝֗ף (’ap̄)
Conjunction
Strong's 637: Meaning accession, yea, adversatively though

for a slave
לְעֶ֤בֶד ׀ (lə·‘e·ḇeḏ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

to rule
מְשֹׁ֬ל (mə·šōl)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4910: To rule, have dominion, reign

over princes!
בְּשָׂרִֽים׃ (bə·śā·rîm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8269: Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 19:10 Delicate living is not appropriate (Prov. Pro Pr)
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