New International Version
Proverbs 20:11
11Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright?
Proverbs 20:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Even a child is known by his deeds, Whether what he does is pure and right.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.
Context of Proverbs 20:11
9Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? 10Differing weights and differing measures— the Lord detests them both. Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright? 12Ears that hear and eyes that see— the Lord has made them both. 13Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.
Read all of Proverbs 20Proverbs 20:11 word by word
גַּ֣ם בְּ֭מַעֲלָלָיו יִתְנַכֶּר־נָ֑עַר אִם־זַ֖ךְ וְאִם־יָשָׁ֣ר פָּעֳלֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 20:11
- Proverbs 21:8The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
- Proverbs 22:15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.
- Psalms 51:5Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
- Psalms 58:3Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
- Matthew 7:16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
- Luke 1:15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
- Luke 2:46After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
- Luke 6:43“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
Commentaries on Proverbs 20:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Even a child is known by his doings - That is, in general terms, the effect shows the nature of the cause. "A childe is known by his conversation," says Coverdale. A child is easily detected when he has done evil; he immediately begins to excuse and vindicate himself, and profess his innocence, almost before accusation takes place. Some think the words should be understood, every child will dissemble; this amounts nearly to the meaning given above, But…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11The graces or the faults of children are not trifles. “The child is father of the man;” and the earliest actions are prophecies of the future, whether it will be pure and right, or unclean and evil.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11Verse 11 Parents should observe their children, that they may manage them accordingly.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. The conduct of children even is the best test of principle (compare Mt 7:16).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 20:11
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
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Commentaries