Proverbs 17:20

Proverbs 17:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.
• New International Version (NIV)One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
• English Standard Version (ESV)A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

Context of Proverbs 17:20

18A man lacking common sense gives a pledge And becomes guarantor [for the debt of another] in the presence of his neighbor. 19He who loves transgression loves strife and is quarrelsome; He who [proudly] raises his gate seeks destruction [because of his arrogant pride]. He who has a crooked mind finds no good, And he who is perverted in his language falls into evil. 21He who becomes the parent of a fool [who is spiritually blind] does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool [who is spiritually blind] has no joy. 22A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:20 word by word

עִקֶּשׁ־לֵ֭ב לֹ֣א יִמְצָא־ט֑וֹב וְנֶהְפָּ֥ךְ בִּ֝לְשׁוֹנ֗וֹ יִפּ֥וֹל בְּרָעָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He that hath a frowardעִקֵּשׁ‛iqqêsh · twistedH6141
• heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• findethמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• no goodטוֹבţôb · goodH2896
• and he that hath a perverseהָפַךְhâphak · to overturnH2015
• tongueלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongueH3956
• fallethנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
• into mischiefרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451

Cross-references for Proverbs 17:20

• Proverbs 3:32For the devious are repulsive to the Lord; But His private counsel is with the upright [those with spiritual integrity and moral courage].
• Proverbs 6:12A worthless person, a wicked man, Is one who walks with a perverse (corrupt, vulgar) mouth.
• Proverbs 8:13The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.
• Psalms 18:26With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.
• Proverbs 10:10He who [maliciously] winks the eye [of evil intent] causes trouble; And the babbling fool [who is arrogant and thinks himself wise] will come to ruin.
• Proverbs 18:6A fool’s lips bring contention and strife, And his mouth invites a beating.
• Ecclesiastes 10:12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious and win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him;
• James 3:6And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by hell (Gehenna).

Commentaries on Proverbs 17:20

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20Verse 20 There is nothing got by ill designs. And many have paid dear for an unbridled tongue.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. The second clause advances on the first. The ill-natured fail of good, and the cavilling and fault-finding incur evil.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 17:20

• Heart
• Speaking

In the dictionaries

• Fine
• Friend
• Glad
• Grief
• Price
• Rule
• Strike
• Fool; Folly
• Proverb
• Proverbs, the Book of

Commentaries on Proverbs 17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings