Proverbs 23:4-5
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The verse warns against exhausting yourself to gain wealth, but the truly profound part is to "cease from your own wisdom." This isn't just about abandoning clever schemes; it's about recognizing that the wisdom which prioritizes earthly riches is fundamentally flawed and can lead you astray from what truly matters.
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes amidst a section of Proverbs giving practical advice for navigating social situations and personal conduct, particularly around the wealthy and the powerful. It directly follows warnings about the dangers of overindulging in food and drink at a ruler's table and precedes a stark image of riches quickly disappearing, urging us to recognize that obsessive wealth-seeking is a trap based on flawed human reasoning.
We live in a world that often screams, 'Get rich or die trying!' But what if the pursuit of wealth itself is a trap?
Solomon isn't saying we shouldn't work or provide for ourselves and our families. He's warning against an all-consuming desire for riches.
The 'Weary' Pursuit
The Hebrew word here speaks of exhausting oneself, of immoderate care and labor. It's about making wealth the ultimate goal, leading to neglecting our health, our peace, and even our eternal well-being. This kind of striving often leads to anxiety and a focus on the temporary, rather than the eternal.
Misplaced Happiness
This intense pursuit stems from a 'worldly wisdom' that wrongly equates abundance of possessions with happiness and success. It's a wisdom that says, 'Use any means necessary to get rich,' which goes directly against God's heart for us. True contentment isn't found in accumulating things, but in trusting God's provision.
The verse doesn't just say 'stop chasing wealth.' It calls for a specific kind of wisdom to know when and how to stop.
The second part of the verse, 'be discerning enough to desist,' is crucial. It’s about having the wisdom to recognize when the pursuit is no longer wise or beneficial.
What is 'Discernment'?
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The wisdom mentioned here isn't just cleverness in getting rich. It's the ability to distinguish, to understand the true value of things. It's recognizing that wealth is often fleeting and can easily slip through our fingers, like sand.
The 'Ceasing' Factor
To 'desist' or 'cease' means to stop, to refrain. It's about exercising self-control and intentionally stepping back from the rat race. This discernment helps us see that true riches lie not in possessions, but in our relationship with God and heavenly treasures. It's about understanding that our ultimate security and happiness are not in what we accumulate, but in who we trust.
Understand the original words
yaga' · Hebrew Verb
To work hard, labor extensively, or weary oneself. In a spiritual context, it often refers to futile human efforts exerted in place of trust in God’s provision.
hon · Hebrew Noun
Material possessions, riches, or substance. Proverbs consistently warns that these are temporary, potentially idolatrous, and secondary to spiritual wisdom.
biynah · Hebrew Noun/Adjective (as used in text)
The capacity for sound judgment, insight, and the ability to distinguish between truth and error or wisdom and folly. It is a gift from God essential for righteous living.
Jesus directly warns against the dangers of greed and the deceitfulness of riches, echoing Proverbs' caution about toiling for wealth.
1 Timothy 6:10This passage highlights that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, reinforcing the idea that an excessive pursuit of wealth can lead one astray.
Matthew 6:19-21Jesus contrasts earthly treasures that can be lost with heavenly treasures that are eternal, aligning with Proverbs' advice to cease pursuing wealth that can disappear.
Ecclesiastes 9:11This verse points out that success and riches are not always guaranteed to those who strive for them, suggesting that our own wisdom in pursuing wealth is not always reliable.
jfbProverbs 23:4: "Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom."
4, 5. (Compare 1Ti 6:9, 10).thine own wisdom—which regards riches intrinsically as a blessing.
bensonProverbs 23:4: "Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom."
Proverbs 23:4-5 . Labour not — Hebrew, אל תיגע , Do not weary thyself, namely, with immoderate cares and labours, as many covetous men do; to be rich — To raise an estate, and make thy property abundantly more than it is. Solomon does not forbid all labour, nor a provident care, which he commends in other places; but only represents how vain and foolish it is to be over solicitous, and to carry our cares and labours to such ex…
The verse warns against exhausting yourself to gain wealth, but the truly profound part is to "cease from your own wisdom." This isn't just about abandoning clever schemes; it's about recognizing that the wisdom which prioritizes earthly riches is fundamentally flawed and can lead you astray from what truly matters.
This verse comes amidst a section of Proverbs giving practical advice for navigating social situations and personal conduct, particularly around the wealthy and the powerful. It directly follows warnings about the dangers of overindulging in food and drink at a ruler's table and precedes a stark image of riches quickly disappearing, urging us to recognize that obsessive wealth-seeking is a trap based on flawed human reasoning.
This verse comes amidst a section of Proverbs giving practical advice for navigating social situations and personal conduct, particularly around the wealthy and the powerful. It directly follows warnings about the dangers of overindulging in food and drink at a ruler's table and precedes a stark image of riches quickly disappearing, urging us to recognize that obsessive wealth-seeking is a trap based on flawed human reasoning.
"Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven." — The verse warns against exhausting yourself to gain wealth, but the truly profound part is to "cease from your own wisdom." This isn't just about abandoning clever schemes; it's about recognizing tha…
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Last reviewed October 2026
