Proverbs 29:21
New International Version
A servant pampered from youth will turn out to be insolent.

New Living Translation
A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel.

English Standard Version
Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir.

Berean Standard Bible
A servant pampered from his youth will bring grief in the end.

King James Bible
He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.

New King James Version
He who pampers his servant from childhood Will have him as a son in the end.

New American Standard Bible
One who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be rebellious.

NASB 1995
He who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be a son.

NASB 1977
He who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be a son.

Legacy Standard Bible
He who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be arrogant.

Amplified Bible
He who pampers his slave from childhood Will find him to be a son in the end.

Christian Standard Bible
A servant pampered from his youth will become arrogant later on.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A slave pampered from his youth will become arrogant later on.

American Standard Version
He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last.

Contemporary English Version
Slaves that you treat kindly from their childhood will cause you sorrow.

English Revised Version
He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become a son at the last.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Pamper a slave from childhood, and later he will be ungrateful.

Good News Translation
If you give your servants everything they want from childhood on, some day they will take over everything you own.

International Standard Version
If you pamper a servant from his childhood, later on he'll become ungrateful.

Majority Standard Bible
A servant pampered from his youth will bring grief in the end.

NET Bible
If someone pampers his servant from youth, he will be a weakling in the end.

New Heart English Bible
He who pampers his servant from youth will have him become a son in the end.

Webster's Bible Translation
He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him at length become his son.

World English Bible
He who pampers his servant from youth will have him become a son in the end.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Whoever is bringing up his servant delicately, from youth, "" [At] his latter end he is also continuator.

Young's Literal Translation
Whoso is bringing up his servant delicately, from youth, At his latter end also he is continuator.

Smith's Literal Translation
He bringing up his servant delicately from youth, and his latter state will be a child.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that nourisheth his servant delicately from his childhood, afterwards shall find him stubborn.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Whoever nurtures his servant delicately from childhood, afterwards will find him defiant.

New American Bible
If servants are pampered from childhood they will turn out to be stubborn.

New Revised Standard Version
A slave pampered from childhood will come to a bad end.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He who is given to pleasures from his youth will be a servant, and in the end will groan.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He that is pampered from his childhood will be a Servant, and at his end he will groan.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become master at the last.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He that lives wantonly from a child, shall be a servant, and in the end shall grieve over himself.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Stiff-Necked will Be Destroyed
20Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 21A servant pampered from his youth will bring grief in the end. 22An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.…

Cross References
Galatians 4:1-2
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything. / He is subject to guardians and trustees until the date set by his father.

Ephesians 6:5-9
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. / And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. / Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men, ...

Colossians 3:22-25
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord. / Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, as for the Lord and not for men, / because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ...

1 Timothy 6:1-2
All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited. / Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.

Titus 2:9-10
Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, / not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior.

Philemon 1:15-16
For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good— / no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.

1 Peter 2:18-20
Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable. / For if anyone endures the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, this is to be commended. / How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

Exodus 21:2-6
If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything. / If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him. / If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. ...

Leviticus 25:39-43
If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. / Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. / Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers. ...

Deuteronomy 15:12-18
If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free. / And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. / You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. ...

2 Kings 5:20-27
Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, by not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” / So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” / “Everything is all right,” Gehazi replied. “My master has sent me to say, ‘Look, two young men from the sons of the prophets have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’” ...

Nehemiah 5:5
We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

Job 31:13-15
If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me, / what will I do when God rises to judge? How will I answer when called to account? / Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?

Isaiah 58:3-7
“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. / You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high. / Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD? ...

Jeremiah 34:8-17
After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD / that each man should free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and no one should hold his fellow Jew in bondage. / So all the officials and all the people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their menservants and maidservants and no longer hold them in bondage. They obeyed and released them, ...


Treasury of Scripture

He that delicately brings up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.

Jump to Previous
Cared Cause Child Childhood Continuator Delicately Early End Find Gently Grief Heir Length Master Servant Slave Sorrow Youth
Jump to Next
Cared Cause Child Childhood Continuator Delicately Early End Find Gently Grief Heir Length Master Servant Slave Sorrow Youth
Proverbs 29
1. observations of public government
15. and of private
22. Of anger, pride, thievery, cowardice and corruption














A servant
The Hebrew word for "servant" is "עֶבֶד" (eved), which can refer to a bondservant or a person in a position of servitude. In ancient Israel, servants were often part of the household and could be either hired workers or slaves. The term implies a relationship of authority and submission, where the servant is expected to fulfill duties and responsibilities. In a broader spiritual sense, this can also be seen as a metaphor for our service to God, where we are called to be faithful and diligent in our roles.

pampered
The Hebrew root for "pampered" is "פָּנַק" (panak), which means to indulge or to treat delicately. This word suggests an upbringing that lacks discipline and correction, leading to a sense of entitlement or lack of responsibility. In the biblical context, indulgence without accountability can lead to negative character development. The Bible often emphasizes the importance of discipline and correction as means of growth and maturity, as seen in Proverbs 13:24, which states, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently."

from his youth
The phrase "from his youth" indicates a formative period in a person's life. In Hebrew culture, youth was a critical time for learning and character development. The habits and values instilled during this time often set the course for one's future. The Bible frequently underscores the importance of training and guiding the young, as seen in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." This highlights the long-term impact of early education and discipline.

will bring grief
The Hebrew word for "grief" is "מָדוֹן" (madon), which can also mean strife or contention. This suggests that a lack of discipline and indulgence can lead to conflict and trouble. The Bible warns against behaviors that lead to discord and emphasizes the value of peace and harmony within relationships. In a spiritual sense, unchecked indulgence can lead to spiritual strife and separation from God's will.

in the end
The phrase "in the end" refers to the ultimate outcome or consequence of one's actions. The Bible often speaks of the end result of a person's life choices, emphasizing the principle of sowing and reaping. Galatians 6:7-8 reminds us, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return." This serves as a cautionary reminder that the choices made in youth can have lasting effects, and it encourages a life of wisdom and discipline to ensure a positive outcome.

(21) Shall have him become his son at the last.--Confidential slaves sometimes rose to be the heirs of their master's property. (See above on Proverbs 17:2.) But here the warning seems to be rather against spoiling a slave by over-indulgence, lest he at the last forget his position, just as old and petted servants are apt to become somewhat dictatorial.

Verse 21. - He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child. The verb panak, which is not found elsewhere in the Old Testament, is rightly here translated as in the Vulgate, qui delicate nutrit. It refers to the spoiling a person by over-refinement, luxury, and pampering - a treatment peculiarly unsuitable in the case of a bond servant, and one which makes such forgetful of his dependent position. Septuagint, "He that liveth wantonly (κατασπαταλᾷ) from childhood shall be a servant." Shall have him become his son at the length; i.e. at length, like "at the last," equivalent to "at last" (Proverbs 5:11). The word rendered "son" (מַנון, manon) is of doubtful meaning, and has been variously understood or misunderstood by interpreters. Septuagint, "And in the end shall have pain (ὀδυνηθήσεται) over himself;" Symmachus, "shall have murmuring (ἔστα γογγυσμός);" Vulgate, Postea sentiet eum contumacem. Ewald translates "ungrateful;" Delitzsch, "place of increase," i.e. a household of pampered scapegraces; but one does not see how the disaster can be called a place or a house. It seems safest in this uncertainty to adopt the Jewish interpretation of "progeny:" "he will be as a son." The pampered servant will end by claiming the privileges of a son, and perhaps ousting the legitimate children from their inheritance (comp. Proverbs 17:2; and the case of Ziba and Mephibosheth, 2 Samuel 16:4). "Fodder, a stick, and burdens are for the ass; and bread, correction, and work for a servant. If thou set thy servant to labour, thou shalt find rest; but if thou let him go idle, he will seek liberty" (Ecclus. 33:24, etc.). Spiritual writers have applied this proverb to the pampering of the flesh, which ought to be under the control of its master, the spirit, but which, if gratified and unrestrained, gets the upper hand, and, like a spoiled servant, dictates to its lord.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
A servant
עַבְדּ֑וֹ (‘aḇ·dōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

pampered
מְפַנֵּ֣ק (mə·p̄an·nêq)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6445: To indulge, pamper

from his youth
מִנֹּ֣עַר (min·nō·‘ar)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5290: Youth, early life

will bring
יִהְיֶ֥ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

grief
מָנֽוֹן׃ (mā·nō·wn)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4497: Perhaps thankless one

in the end.
וְ֝אַחֲרִית֗וֹ (wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 319: The last, end, the future, posterity


Links
Proverbs 29:21 NIV
Proverbs 29:21 NLT
Proverbs 29:21 ESV
Proverbs 29:21 NASB
Proverbs 29:21 KJV

Proverbs 29:21 BibleApps.com
Proverbs 29:21 Biblia Paralela
Proverbs 29:21 Chinese Bible
Proverbs 29:21 French Bible
Proverbs 29:21 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Proverbs 29:21 He who pampers his servant from youth (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 29:20
Top of Page
Top of Page