The big picture
Proverbs 27 opens in verse 1 with “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 14 with “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be…”, and closes in verse 27 with “And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and…” Repeated or prominent terms include friend, heart, hideth, better, face. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Proverbs · King James Version · 27Proverbs 27:1-7
1–7: Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may…
Proverbs 27:1–7 opens with “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” and reaches “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Proverbs 27 develops its own movement around friend, heart, hideth, better, face, with particular weight carried by soul, wrath, able.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Proverbs 27:1-7
King James Version1Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
2Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
3A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.
4Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
5Open rebuke is better than secret love.
6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
7The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
Proverbs 27:8-14
8–14: As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from…
Proverbs 27:8–14 opens with “As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” and reaches “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Proverbs 27 develops its own movement around friend, heart, hideth, better, face, with particular weight carried by friend, heart, wandereth.
Context that brings the passage to life
“As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” The line’s distinctive content terms include wandereth, bird, nest. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
“Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.” Naming Ointment keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Proverbs 27:8-14
King James Version8As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
9Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.
10Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
11My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.
12A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
13Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
14He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
Proverbs 27:15-21
15–21: A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are…
Proverbs 27:15–21 opens with “A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.” and reaches “As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Proverbs 27 develops its own movement around friend, heart, hideth, better, face, with particular weight carried by face, hideth, iron.
Context that brings the passage to life
“A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.” The line’s distinctive content terms include alike, contentious, continual. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.
Proverbs 27:15-21
King James Version15A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.
16Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.
17Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
19As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
20Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
21As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.
Proverbs 27:22-27
22–27: Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle…
Proverbs 27:22–27 opens with “Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his…” and reaches “And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Proverbs 27 develops its own movement around friend, heart, hideth, better, face, with particular weight carried by food, goats, appeareth.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Proverbs 27:22-27
King James Version22Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
24For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
25The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
26The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
27And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Proverbs 27:1 begins with “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”
Where the chapter turns
Proverbs 27:4 forms a natural hinge: “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?”
The final note
Proverbs 27:27 leaves the reader with “And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words friend, heart, hideth, better, face, food help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What makes the deception more than a harmless family trick?
Jacob exploits his father's blindness, impersonates his brother and invokes God while lying.
What does the family lose?
Trust, safety and proximity: Jacob must flee, and Esau carries murderous resentment.
KJV words made clear
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- doth
- does
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.