God’s Word Translation
Proverbs 16:27
27A worthless person plots trouble, and his speech is like a burning fire.
Proverbs 16:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
- New International Version (NIV)A scoundrel plots evil, and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.
- English Standard Version (ESV)A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
- New King James Version (NKJV)An ungodly man digs up evil, And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
Context of Proverbs 16:27
25There is a way that seems right to a person, but eventually it ends in death. 26A laborer’s appetite works to his advantage, because his hunger drives him on. A worthless person plots trouble, and his speech is like a burning fire. 28A devious person spreads quarrels. A gossip separates the closest of friends. 29A violent person misleads his neighbor and leads him on a path that is not good.
Read all of Proverbs 16Proverbs 16:27 word by word
אִ֣ישׁ בְּ֭לִיַּעַל כֹּרֶ֣ה רָעָ֑ה וְעַל־שְׂ֝פָת֗וֹ כְּאֵ֣שׁ צָרָֽבֶת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 16:27
- 1 Samuel 25:17Now, consider what you should do because our master and his whole household are doomed. And he’s such a worthless man that it’s useless to talk to him.”
- 2 Samuel 20:1A good-for-nothing man by the name of Sheba, Bichri’s son, from the tribe of Benjamin happened to be at Gilgal. He blew a ram’s horn ⌞to announce⌟, “We have no share in David’s kingdom. We won’t receive an inheritance from Jesse’s son. Everyone to his own tent, Israel!”
- Proverbs 2:4if you search for wisdom as if it were money and hunt for it as if it were hidden treasure,
- Psalms 17:14With your power rescue me from mortals, O Lord, from mortals who enjoy their inheritance only in this life. You fill their bellies with your treasure. Their children are satisfied ⌞with it⌟, and they leave what remains to their children.
- Isaiah 5:18How horrible it will be for those who string people along with lies and empty promises, whose lives are sinful.
- Habakkuk 2:13Isn’t it from the Lord of Armies that people grow tired only to feed the flames and nations exhaust themselves for nothing?
- Psalms 52:2Your tongue makes up threats. It’s like a sharp razor, you master of deceit.
- Psalms 57:4My soul is surrounded by lions. I must lie down with man-eating lions. Their teeth are spears and arrows. Their tongues are sharp swords.
- James 3:6The tongue is that kind of flame. It is a world of evil among the parts of our bodies, and it completely contaminates our bodies. The tongue sets our lives on fire, and is itself set on fire from hell.
Commentaries on Proverbs 16:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27An ungodly man diggeth up evil - How will the following suit? Effodiuntur opes irritamenta malorum "Wealth, the incitement to all evil, is digged up out the earth." A wicked man labors as much to bring about an evil purpose, as the quarryman does to dig up stones. In his lips - a burning fire - His words are as inflammable, in producing strife and contention among his neighbors, as fire is in igniting dry stubble.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27-30Verses 27-30 The four verses speak of the same thing, and the well-known opprobrious name, the “man of Belial,” stands at the head as stigmatizing the man who delights in causing the mischief of which they treat. Diggeth up evil - i. e., Digs an evil pit for others to fall into. Compare Psalm 7:15. Proverbs 16:30 The physiognomy of the man of Belial, the half-closed eyes that never look you straight in the face, the restlessness or cunning of which biting…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27-28Verses 27-28 Ungodly men bestow more pains to do mischief than would be needful to do good. The whisperer separates friends: what a hateful, but how common a character!Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27-29Scoundrels, troublemakers, and violent people disrupt relationships by causing harm with their actions.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2727. ungodly man--(Compare Pr 6:12). diggeth up evil--labors for it. in his lips ... fire--His words are calumniating (Jas 3:6).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 16:27
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 16
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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