New Living Translation
Proverbs 20:25
25Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost.
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
23The Lord detests double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales. 24The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost. 26A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat, then runs his threshing wheel over them. 27The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.
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 18:7The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.
- Leviticus 5:15“If one of you commits a sin by unintentionally defiling the Lord’s sacred property, you must bring a guilt offering to the Lord. The offering must be your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value with silver, as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel.
- Leviticus 22:10“No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offerings. Even guests and hired workers in a priest’s home are not allowed to eat them.
- Leviticus 27:30“One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.
- Malachi 3:8“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.
- Leviticus 27:9“If your vow involves giving an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the Lord, any gift to the Lord will be considered holy.
- Numbers 30:2A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.
- Ecclesiastes 5:4When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him.
- Matthew 5:33“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’
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
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