What Does Proverbs 20:22 Mean in the King James?
Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse reveals retaliation as an attempt to make the wound whole by hand, while deliverance belongs to the One who can bring you out.
THE MEANING
The urge to repay evil feels like a way to settle what has been broken. This verse names another source of wholeness: the LORD, who delivers you as you wait for him. Waiting here is expectation, not an empty pause.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie is that if you do not repay harm yourself, the harm gets the final word; the verse places the outcome in the LORD’s hands and names him as your deliverer.
THE ROOT
אֲשַׁלְּמָה
ʾashallemah
GROWS FROM
שלם
sh-l-m
To be whole or complete; by extension, to make good or repay what is due.
“recompense” in this verse is ʾashallemah. The verb for “I will repay” shares its root with the word for wholeness. Retaliation can feel like restoring what was broken, but the verse redirects that claim to the LORD.
ALSO GROWS
shalom: Wholeness, well-being
שָׁלוֹם
Its shared root connects settling what is broken with the desire for wholeness.
shillem: To pay, repay, or make restitution
שִׁלֵּם
This verb belongs to the same family as the speaker’s vow to repay.
קַוֵּה
qavveh
GROWS FROM
קוה
q-w-h
To wait for, hope for, or look eagerly toward.
The verse sets waiting in expectation against the first-person vow to repay. This root also gives words for hope and for a gathered collection, lending “wait” a sense of attention held toward what is expected.
ALSO GROWS
tiqvah: Hope, expectation
תִּקְוָה
This related noun shows that waiting carries a horizon: it is oriented toward what is hoped for.
miqveh: A gathering or collection, especially of water
מִקְוֵה
The same consonant family can name what is gathered; here, expectation gathers around the LORD rather than around retaliation.
וְיֹשַׁע
weyosha
GROWS FROM
ישע
y-sh-ʿ
To deliver or bring out of danger into safety.
“save” in this verse is weyosha. The verse ends with the LORD bringing you out. The related noun for deliverance names a concrete way through the harm, not merely a command to hold back.
ALSO GROWS
yeshuah: Deliverance, rescue
יְשׁוּעָה
This noun names the outcome the verse promises: being brought out.
moshia: A deliverer, one who brings rescue
מוֹשִׁיעַ
This related word puts the action with the deliverer, not with the person tempted to repay.
THE PATTERN
When harm provokes a demand to settle the score, scripture redirects the response from self-appointed repayment toward entrusting the outcome to the LORD.
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:THE THREAD
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.Isaiah places קָוָה (qavah, wait in expectation) beside יָשַׁע (yasha, deliver), then names the outcome יְשׁוּעָה (yeshuah, deliverance). The same roots show what Proverbs’ waiting is turned toward: the LORD bringing you out.
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