Proverbs 24:1

Proverbs 24:1, in plain English

Don't look at wicked people with envy or wish to spend time around them. You might think their freedom or power looks attractive, but you're only seeing the surface.

Why it's here

Young people in ancient Israel were being pulled toward those who seemed successful or exciting through shortcuts and schemes. The teacher is warning them that what looks glamorous from a distance is actually destructive up close.

Who's speaking

Solomon or a wisdom teacher in Israel, speaking to students they care about.

Where it sits in the story

This fits within the larger biblical theme of choosing your companions carefully—a thread that runs from Psalms through the New Testament, where Paul writes about not being "unequally yoked" with those heading in a different direction spiritually.

The scholarly reading

Do not desire to be like wicked people or seek their friendship, regardless of their apparent success or power.

Language and setting

The ancient Near Eastern wisdom tradition frequently confronted the problem of theodicy — why the wicked prosper. Young scribal students and members of the royal court would have been tempted by the apparent advantages of those who disregarded moral boundaries. This verse directly addresses the psychological trap of envy, which Hebrew calls qin'âh, a word connoting both jealousy and consuming passion.

Voice

The wisdom teacher — likely a professional instructor within Israel's scribal or pedagogical establishment, though tradition attributes this collection to Solomon.

Significance

This echoes the Psalter's wrestling with injustice (Psalm 37, 73) and prefigures Jesus's teaching about serving two masters (Matthew 6:24). The Proverbs consistently maintain that righteousness, not wickedness, yields ultimate flourishing — a countercultural claim in any era.

1Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;

2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.

3By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;

Read all of Proverbs 24 — If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength. Wisdom builds a house; by understanding it is established.