He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; he hears the oath but tells nothing.
Pick a partner very carefully.
The dangers in business partnerships are usually invisible at first, but they later surface.
Being partner with a “thief” may start out well, but it soon disrupts our lives; “stolen” goods seem unearned bonuses, until the bills come due.
The text is more descriptive than prescriptive. It reveals a truism, and lets the reader decide how to respond. By entering into a partnership with someone who cuts corners, “jimmies the books,” or misleads coworkers and clients, we set ourselves up to be exploited, regardless of the short-term gains.
The partner with a thief is an accomplice in two crimes. The dishonesty begins with assets and expands into a deceitful business culture. The corrupt gains always cost much more than expected. Sin breeds more sin. Then maybe we show misguided loyalty, perhaps thinking that the thief will reward us for our loyalty. We do not want to be tattle-tales.
Translation: Oath
The Hebrew word for “oath,” אלה (ʼā•lāh, pronounced “ah-lah”), can also be translated as “curse,” from God or man. “Curse” here isn’t referring to foul-mouthed language, common among thieves, but to the solemn judicial instruction to speak the truth, as in a court of law.
Those who are under oath, but say nothing, are making their own problems worse! First they foolishly work with a thief. Then, despite being under oath, they refuse to confess their complicity. It’s double financial folly. See the text: Should you admit your mistakes?
Classic Comments
Matthew Henry (1709): “He is as bad as the thief; and, being drawn in to join with him in the commission of the sin, he cannot escape joining with him in the concealment of it, though it be with the most horrid perjuries and execrations. They hear cursing when they are sworn to tell the whole truth, but they will not confess.”
Adam Clarke (1832): “He has no fear of God, or reverence for an oath, because his heart is hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
JFB Commentary (1871) : “The partner of the thief would rather risk the punishment than reveal the truth.”
Lucky Lottery Losers
Partnerships can be problematic, even with “free” money. You may think that easy money, like winning a lottery, is a quick financial solution. But, no! Office lottery pools can get messy fast.
Back in 2011, nineteen Bell Canada employees were part of an office lottery pool that won the $50 million jackpot. The very next day, other employees came forward to stake a claim on the winnings, putting a pause on the distribution until the issues were settled. The dispute took two years to decide, generating much venom: those claiming a portion of the winnings, feeling cheated, and all the non-winners looking on enviously at former friends. After two years of this, the nineteen winners were given what was left of their winnings and presumably fled Bell.
Prison and Death
The penalty for thievery may not be death, but prison. In prison, the thief usually does not die, but loses his time of life, and that’s almost as bad. Greed is a killer. It first blinds its victim to the consequences of dishonesty, then leads him to death. Ironically, he thinks he loves his life by getting more stuff, but he actually ends up hating it.
In hating his own life, the thief seems to have a hidden death wish. Those who want to get rich quick, at any cost, suffer a hidden despair. They lack real hope and grasp at financial straws, rather than praying, planning, and working for healthy, untainted profits. They won’t work to get clean money. And thieves usually like partners, not because they like people, but because they see us as tools to increase their own gain. A thief loves things and uses people. It should be the reverse—use things and love people.
Our Maker, Saviour, and Friend
Judas, the disciple and friend who betrayed Jesus to the Jewish and Roman authorities—to be flogged and crucified—did it because he was a thief (John 12:6).
He described Himself as the “anti-thief”—a giver rather than taker. He said that the teachers who preceded Him were “thieves and robbers” (John 10:7-9), but his sheep did not listen to them. It seems the height of arrogance, exclusive to the extreme: Jesus claiming to be the one and only giver—the (not just a) source of life and all good.
Jesus spoke as if He was God Almighty (John 10:33). No wonder some hated Him and plotted His death.
- Memorize the text in your favourite Bible translation and think about it often.
- Find out as much as possible about someone before you enter into a business a partnership.
- Don’t let greed grow within you; it blinds its victims to the final cost.
- If you are already in a partnership with questionable business practices, then get out before your personal freedom is compromised.
Which of these, if any, does Jesus want you to take now? Ask Him.
Related Illustration