Key Verse Spotlight
Proverbs 27:20 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: World English Bible — Catholic Edition
" Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; and a man’s eyes are never satisfied. "
Proverbs 27:20
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
18 Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit. He who looks after his master shall be honored.
19 Like water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.
20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; and a man’s eyes are never satisfied.
21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace for gold; but man is refined by his praise.
22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, yet his foolishness will not be removed from him.
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Two things are said here to never have enough, and they are closely linked: death and sin.
1. Death never says, “Enough.” Both physical death and eternal death are like that. The grave is never full, even though it keeps receiving dead bodies every day. It is like an open grave that keeps saying, “Give more, give more.” Hell has also widened itself, and it still has room for the spirits who are sent there. Topheth, a place of judgment, is deep and large (Isaiah 30:33).
2. Sin is never satisfied either. Human eyes are never content, and the desires of our sinful nature keep reaching for more profit or pleasure. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, and the one who loves money is not satisfied with silver. People work hard for things that overfill them, but do not satisfy them. In fact, those things often leave them more restless than before.
This deep unrest is part of the judgment that came after our first parents were not content with all the trees in Eden. They were not satisfied until they reached for the forbidden tree. But those whose eyes are always turned to the Lord find satisfaction in him, and they will be satisfied forever.
From This Chapter
Proverbs 27:1
"Don’t boast about tomorrow; for you don’t know what a day may bring."
Proverbs 27:2
"Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips."
Proverbs 27:3
"A stone is heavy, and sand is a burden; but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both."
Proverbs 27:4
"Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before jealousy?"
Proverbs 27:5
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love."
Proverbs 27:6
"The wounds of a friend are faithful, although the kisses of an enemy are profuse."
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