[ 1 minutes to read ]

Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
– Proverbs 30:10

[V]erse 10 begins the more proverbial section of Agur’s words. Consistent with wisdom sayings, Agur focuses on the tongue and is rooted in Dueteronomic code (Deuteronomy 5:11-21). The word for accuse can range from neutral to malicious, and here the idea is of slander. The law did provide protections for slaves, such as in Deuteronomy 23:15-16. The result of such slander will be a curse and punishment for being guilty.

This wisdom saying has two primary applications. We are not to despise someone of inferior station, as if false accusation doesn’t matter when against the lowly. Also, we are not to meddle in the affairs of others, such as the business between a slave and master. Paul applied wisdom this way to the churches in Rome in Romans 14:4 over the matter of judging one another in areas of Christian liberty. Paul also applied such Torah wisdom to the church at Corinth and their divisive judging and comparing of preachers (1 Corinthians 4:1-5).