Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.

PROVERBS 29:24KJV
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Proverbs 29:24 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 29:24 mean?

Proverbs 29:24 warns that anyone who joins with a thief is bringing harm to themselves, because they hear a curse (an oath to tell the truth) but do not reveal what they know. The verse highlights the self-destructive nature of being an accomplice to wrongdoing and the danger of staying silent when truth is required.

The proverb comes from a collection of wise sayings traditionally attributed to Solomon, addressed to anyone seeking wisdom for daily life. The setting is a situation where someone becomes a partner with a thief and then, when confronted with a public curse or oath (likely in a legal setting), refuses to confess or testify. The verse emphasizes that such silence is not just wrong but also self-harming, showing disregard for one’s own well-being.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 29:24

  • "partner" (חָלַק, ḥālaq): This word means to share or have a portion with someone. Here, it stresses the idea of willingly joining in the thief’s actions, not just being a bystander.
  • "hateth" (שָׂנֵא, śānē’): This is a strong word for hate, often meaning to act against one’s own best interests. The verse suggests that by partnering with a thief, a person is acting as if they despise their own life or soul.
  • "cursing" (אָלָה, ’ālāh): This refers to a formal oath or curse, often used in legal settings to demand the truth. Hearing this and not speaking up means knowingly ignoring a serious call to honesty.
  • "bewrayeth" (נָגַד, nāgad): This means to declare or make known. The verse points out the guilt of someone who refuses to reveal the truth when it is required.

Why Proverbs 29:24 matters

  • Proverbs 29:24 clarifies that being silent about wrongdoing, especially when truth is demanded, is not neutral but actively harmful to oneself.
  • The verse connects personal choices (like partnering with a thief) to deeper consequences, showing that moral compromise damages the person as much as anyone else.
  • This proverb fits into the broader theme of Proverbs 29, which contrasts wisdom and folly, highlighting how choices about honesty and integrity shape a person’s life.

Where else these words appear

“thief” Hebrew H1590 · used in 17 verses

  • Exodus 22:2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
  • Job 30:5 They were driven forth from among men,(they cried after them as after a thief;)
  • Jeremiah 48:27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy.

“cursing” Hebrew H423 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 24:41 Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.
  • Deuteronomy 29:21 And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
  • Jeremiah 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

“partner” Hebrew H2505 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 14:15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
  • 1 Kings 18:6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
  • Proverbs 2:16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

“hateth” Hebrew H8130 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
  • Esther 9:1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them,(though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
  • Proverbs 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?