Proverbs 17:20

Proverbs 17:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.
• New International Version (NIV)One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.
• English Standard Version (ESV)A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
• New Living Translation (NLT)The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.

Context of Proverbs 17:20

18A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, And becomes surety for his friend. 19He who loves transgression loves strife, And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction. He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil. 21He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy. 22A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 17:20 word by word

עִקֶּשׁ־לֵ֭ב לֹ֣א יִמְצָא־ט֑וֹב וְנֶהְפָּ֥ךְ בִּ֝לְשׁוֹנ֗וֹ יִפּ֥וֹל בְּרָעָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He that hath a frowardעִקֵּשׁ‛iqqêsh · twistedH6141
• heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• findethמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• no goodטוֹבţôb · goodH2896
• and he that hath a perverseהָפַךְhâphak · to overturnH2015
• tongueלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongueH3956
• fallethנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
• into mischiefרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451

Cross-references for Proverbs 17:20

• Proverbs 3:32For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright.
• Proverbs 6:12A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth;
• Proverbs 8:13The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.
• Psalms 18:26With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
• Proverbs 10:10He who winks with the eye causes trouble, But a prating fool will fall.
• Proverbs 18:6A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows.
• Ecclesiastes 10:12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
• James 3:6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Commentaries on Proverbs 17:20

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20Verse 20 There is nothing got by ill designs. And many have paid dear for an unbridled tongue.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. The second clause advances on the first. The ill-natured fail of good, and the cavilling and fault-finding incur evil.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 17:20

• Heart
• Speaking

In the dictionaries

• Fine
• Friend
• Glad
• Grief
• Price
• Rule
• Strike
• Fool; Folly
• Proverb
• Proverbs, the Book of

Commentaries on Proverbs 17

• 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