God’s Word Translation
Proverbs 20:25
25It is a trap for a person to say impulsively, “This is a holy offering!” and later to have second thoughts about those vows.
Proverbs 20:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.
- New International Version (NIV)It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows.
- English Standard Version (ESV)It is a snare to say rashly, "It is holy," and to reflect only after making vows.
- New King James Version (NKJV)It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, And afterward to reconsider his vows.
Context of Proverbs 20:25
23A double standard of weights is disgusting to the Lord, and dishonest scales are no good. 24The Lord is the one who directs a person’s steps. How then can anyone understand his own way? It is a trap for a person to say impulsively, “This is a holy offering!” and later to have second thoughts about those vows. 26A wise king scatters the wicked and then runs them over. 27A person’s soul is the Lord’s lamp. It searches his entire innermost being.
Read all of Proverbs 20Proverbs 20:25 word by word
מוֹקֵ֣שׁ אָ֭דָם יָ֣לַע קֹ֑דֶשׁ וְאַחַ֖ר נְדָרִ֣ים לְבַקֵּֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 20:25
- Proverbs 18:7A fool’s mouth is his ruin. His lips are a trap to his soul.
- Leviticus 5:15“If any of you fail to do your duty by unintentionally doing something wrong with any of the Lord’s holy things, bring a guilt offering to the Lord. It must be a ram that has no defects or its value in silver weighed according to the official standards of the holy place.
- Leviticus 22:10“Laypeople must never eat any holy offering, even if they are visiting a priest or are working for him.
- Leviticus 27:30“One-tenth of what comes from the land, whether grain or fruit, is holy and belongs to the Lord.
- Malachi 3:8“Can a person cheat God? Yet, you are cheating me! “But you ask, ‘How are we cheating you?’ “When ⌞you don’t bring⌟ a tenth of your income and other contributions.
- Leviticus 27:9“If ⌞the vow⌟ is to give the kind of animal that people offer to the Lord, it will be considered holy.
- Numbers 30:2If a man makes a vow to the Lord that he will do something or swears an oath that he won’t do something, he must not break his word. He must do everything he said he would do.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4When you make a promise to God, don’t be slow to keep it because God doesn’t like fools. Keep your promise.
- Matthew 5:33“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.’
Commentaries on Proverbs 20:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25Who devoureth that which is holy - It is a sin to take that which belongs to God, his worship, or his work, and devote it to one's own use. And after vows to make inquiry - That is, if a man be inwardly making a rash vow, the fitness or unfitness, the necessity, expediency, and propriety of the thing should be first carefully considered. But how foolish to make the vow first, and afterwards to inquire whether it was right in the sight of God to do it!…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Better, It is a snare to a man to utter a vow (of consecration) rashly, and after vows to inquire whether he can fulfill them. Both clauses are a protest against the besetting sin of rash and hasty vows. Compare the marginal reference.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 25Verse 25 The evasions men often use with their own consciences show how false and deceitful man is.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25It is important to consider the cost before making a promise to God (see Judges 11:29–40; Ecclesiastes 5:4–6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. devoureth ... holy--or, better, "who rashly speaks promises," or "devotes what is holy," consecrating any thing. This suits better the last clause, which expresses a similar view of the results of rashly vowing.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 20:25
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 20
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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