New International Version
Proverbs 11:25
25A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
- New Living Translation (NLT)The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Context of Proverbs 11:25
23The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. 24One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. 26People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell. 27Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.
Read all of Proverbs 11Proverbs 11:25 word by word
נֶֽפֶשׁ־בְּרָכָ֥ה תְדֻשָּׁ֑ן וּ֝מַרְוֶ֗ה גַּם־ה֥וּא יוֹרֶֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 11:25
- Proverbs 28:27Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.
- Job 29:13The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing.
- Job 31:16“If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
- Isaiah 32:8But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.
- Isaiah 58:7Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
- Matthew 5:7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
- Matthew 25:34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
Commentaries on Proverbs 11:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25The liberal soul shall be made fat - He who gives to the distressed, in the true spirit of charity, shall get a hundred fold from God's mercy. How wonderful is the Lord! He gives the property, gives the heart to use it aright, and recompenses the man for the deed though all the fruit was found from himself! He that watereth - A man who distributes in the right spirit gets more good himself than the poor man does who receives the bounty. Thus it is more…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Liberal soul - literally, “the soul that blesses,” i. e., gives freely and fully. The similitudes are both of them essentially Eastern. Fatness, the sleek, well filled look of health, becomes the figure of prosperity, as leanness of misfortune Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 28:25; Psalm 22:29; Isaiah 10:16. Kindly acts come as the refreshing dew and soft rain from heaven upon a thirsty land.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 25Verse 25 Both in temporal and spiritual things, God commonly deals with his people according to the measure by which they deal with their brethren.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24-26Generous people who give freely to others will succeed, but those who hoard their money will lose it (see Proverbs 28:27; 2 Corinthians 9:6–9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 24-3124-31. The scope of the whole is a comment on Pr 11:23. Thus liberality, by God's blessing, secures increase, while penuriousness, instead of expected gain, procures poverty.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 11:25
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 11
- 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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
Commentaries