Amplified Bible
Proverbs 27:23
23Be diligent to know the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds;
Proverbs 27:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
- New International Version (NIV)Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;
- English Standard Version (ESV)Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
Context of Proverbs 27:23
21The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold [to separate the impurities of the metal], And each is tested by the praise given to him [and his response to it, whether humble or proud]. 22Even though you pound a [hardened, arrogant] fool [who rejects wisdom] in a mortar with a pestle like grain, Yet his foolishness will not leave him. Be diligent to know the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds; 24For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. 25When the grass is gone, the new growth is seen, And herbs of the mountain are gathered in,
Read all of Proverbs 27Proverbs 27:23 word by word
יָדֹ֣עַ תֵּ֭דַע פְּנֵ֣י צֹאנֶ֑ךָ שִׁ֥ית לִ֝בְּךָ֗ לַעֲדָרִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 27:23
- Genesis 31:38These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not lost their young, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.
- Genesis 33:13But Jacob replied, “You know, my lord, that the children are frail and need gentle care, and the nursing flocks and herds [with young] are of concern to me; for if the men should drive them hard for a single day, all the flocks will die.
- 1 Samuel 17:28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard what he said to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why have you come down here? With whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption (overconfidence) and the evil of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.”
- 1 Chronicles 27:29Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the cattle grazing in Sharon; Shaphat the son of Adlai was in charge of the cattle in the valleys.
- 2 Chronicles 26:10He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had a great deal of livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plain. He also had farmers and vinedressers in the hill country and in the fertile fields, for he loved the soil.
- Ezekiel 34:22therefore, I will rescue My flock, and they shall no longer be prey; and I will judge between one sheep [ungodly] and another [godly].
- John 21:15So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do—with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
- 1 Peter 5:2shepherd and guide and protect the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not [motivated] for shameful gain, but with wholehearted enthusiasm;
- Proverbs 24:32When I saw, I considered it well; I looked and received instruction.
- Exodus 7:23Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this [divine sign] to heart.
- Deuteronomy 32:46he said to them, “Take to heart all the words of warning which I am speaking to you today; and you shall command your children to observe them carefully—to do all the words of this law.
Commentaries on Proverbs 27:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23The state of thy flocks - The directions to the end of the chapter refer chiefly to pastoral and agricultural affairs. Do not trust thy flocks to the shepherd merely; number them thyself; look into their condition; see how they are tended; and when, and with what, and in what proportion, they are fed.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23-27Verses 23-27 The verses sing the praises of the earlier patriarchal life, with its flocks and herds, and tillage of the ground, as compared with the commerce of a later time, with money as its chief or only wealth. Proverbs 27:23 The state - literally, face. The verse is an illustration of John 10:3, John 10:14. Proverbs 27:24 Riches - The money which men may steal, or waste, is contrasted with the land of which the owner is not so easily deprived. Nor…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23-27Verses 23-27 We ought to have some business to do in this world, and not to live in idleness, and not to meddle with what we do not understand. We must be diligent and take pains. Let us do what we can, still the world cannot be secured to us, therefore we must choose a more lasting portion; but by the blessing of God upon our honest labours, we may expect to enjoy as much of earthly blessings as is good for us.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23-27Agricultural property can provide food and clothing for generations. These resources need constant work and care, or they will vanish like riches.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 23-2423-24. flocks--constituted the staple of wealth. It is only by care and diligence that the most solid possessions can be perpetuated (Pr 23:5).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 27:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 27
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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