“Do not plan evil against your neighbor”: “Plan evil” means to plot or scheme to do harm or injury. In some languages to “plan evil” is expressed as “Don’t put it in your heart to do bad things against” or “Don’t think up ways to harm.” For “your neighbor” see verse 28. Here “neighbor” is defined in the second line as the person who trusts you and lives nearby. In some languages “neighbor” in this context is “person who lives near you” or “person from a nearby compound.”

“Who dwells trustingly beside you”: “Trustingly” renders the same word as translated “securely” by Revised Standard Version in verse 23 and refers to the peace and safety in which the person lives while depending on the goodwill of those who live around him. Making evil plans against such people is to betray their confidence. Bible en français courant says “Do not plan to do bad to your friend because he lives close to you in trust.”

We may also say, for example, “Don’t think up evil ways to hurt the person living nearby who puts his confidence in you.”

A translation that places the negative command at the end of the verse says “The people of your group live close to you and think you are their friend. Don’t think of doing wrong to them.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .