God’s Word Translation
Proverbs 27:23
23Be fully aware of the condition of your flock, and pay close 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 crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold, but a person ⌞is tested⌟ by the praise given to him. 22If you crush a stubborn fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, ⌞even then⌟ his stupidity will not leave him. Be fully aware of the condition of your flock, and pay close attention to your herds. 24Wealth is not forever. Nor does a crown last from one generation to the next. 25⌞When⌟ grass is cut short, the tender growth appears, and vegetables are gathered on the hills.
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 31:38“I’ve been with you for 20 years. Your sheep and goats never miscarried, and I never ate any rams from your flocks.
- Genesis 33:13Jacob said to him, “Sir, you know that the children are frail and that I have to take care of the flocks and cattle that are nursing their young. If they’re driven too hard for even one day, all the flocks will die.
- 1 Samuel 17:28Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard David talking to the men. Then Eliab became angry with David. “Why did you come here,” he asked him, “and with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how overconfident and headstrong you are. You came here just to see the battle.”
- 1 Chronicles 27:29for the herds grazing in Sharon Shitrai from Sharon for the herds in the valleys Shaphat, son of Adlai
- 2 Chronicles 26:10He built towers in the desert. He dug many cisterns because he had a lot of herds in the foothills and the plains. He had farmers and vineyard workers in the mountains and the fertile fields because he loved the soil.
- Ezekiel 34:22So I will rescue my sheep, and they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.
- John 21:15After they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than the other disciples do?” Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”
- 1 Peter 5:2Be shepherds over the flock God has entrusted to you. Watch over it as God does: Don’t do this because you have to, but because you want to. Don’t do it out of greed, but out of a desire to serve.
- Proverbs 24:32When I observed ⌞this⌟, I took it to heart. I saw it and learned my lesson.
- Exodus 7:23Pharaoh turned and went back to his palace. He dismissed the entire matter from his mind.
- Deuteronomy 32:46he said to them, “Pay attention to all these warnings I’ve given you today. Then you will command your children to faithfully obey every word of these teachings.
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries