Proverbs 27:20
Proverbs 27:20 in Multiple Translations
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; And the eyes of man are never satisfied.
The underworld and Abaddon are never full, and the eyes of man have never enough.
In the same way that the grave and destruction are never satisfied, human desire is never satisfied.
The graue and destruction can neuer be full, so the eyes of man can neuer be satisfied.
Sheol and destruction are not satisfied, And the eyes of man are not satisfied.
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; and a man’s eyes are never satisfied.
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Hell and destruction are never filled: so the eyes of men are never satisfied.
It is as though the place where the dead people are is always wanting more people to die and come there; and humans [SYN] are always wanting to acquire more things, too.
Berean Amplified Bible — Proverbs 27:20
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Proverbs 27:20 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
שְׁא֣וֹל
ו/אבדה
וַ֭/אֲבַדּוֹ
לֹ֣א
תִשְׂבַּ֑עְנָה
וְ/עֵינֵ֥י
הָ֝/אָדָ֗ם
לֹ֣א
תִשְׂבַּֽעְנָה
שְׁא֣וֹל
shᵉʼôwl
H7585
hell
N-proper
ו/אבדה
ʼăbaddôh
H10
destruction
Conj | N-ms
וַ֭/אֲבַדּוֹ
ʼăbaddôh
H10
destruction
Conj | N-ms
לֹ֣א
lôʼ
H3808
not
Part
תִשְׂבַּ֑עְנָה
sâbaʻ
H7646
to satisfy
V-Qal-Imperf-3fp
וְ/עֵינֵ֥י
ʻayin
H5869
eye
Conj | N-cd
הָ֝/אָדָ֗ם
ʼâdâm
H120
the man (Adam)
Art | N-ms
לֹ֣א
lôʼ
H3808
not
Part
תִשְׂבַּֽעְנָה
sâbaʻ
H7646
to satisfy
V-Qal-Imperf-3fp
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Proverbs 27:20
שְׁא֣וֹל
shᵉʼôwl
H7585
"hell"
N-proper
Sheol refers to the underworld or grave, a place of no return where the dead reside, as seen in the Old Testament. It is often translated as hell or pit in the KJV. This concept is mentioned in various books, including Psalms and Isaiah.
Definition: Sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit 1a) the underworld 1b) Sheol-the OT designation for the abode of the dead 1b1) place of no return 1b2) without praise of God 1b3) wicked sent there for punishment 1b4) righteous not abandoned to it 1b5) of the place of exile (fig) 1b6) of extreme degradation in sin
Usage: Occurs in 64 OT verses. KJV: grave, hell, pit. See also: Genesis 37:35; Psalms 139:8; Psalms 6:6.
ו/אבדה
ʼăbaddôh
H10
"destruction"
Conj | N-ms
This word means destruction or perishing, like something being completely ruined or wiped out. It is used to describe a state of total loss or devastation, as seen in its KJV translations. The word is about something coming to a complete end.
Definition: a perishing
Usage: Occurs in 1 OT verses. KJV: destruction. See also: Proverbs 27:20.
וַ֭/אֲבַדּוֹ
ʼăbaddôh
H10
"destruction"
Conj | N-ms
This word means destruction or perishing, like something being completely ruined or wiped out. It is used to describe a state of total loss or devastation, as seen in its KJV translations. The word is about something coming to a complete end.
Definition: a perishing
Usage: Occurs in 1 OT verses. KJV: destruction. See also: Proverbs 27:20.
לֹ֣א
lôʼ
H3808
"not"
Part
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Definition: 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Usage: Occurs in 3967 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as truly as, [phrase] of a truth, [phrase] verily, for want, [phrase] whether, without. See also: Genesis 2:5; Genesis 31:15; Exodus 4:9.
תִשְׂבַּ֑עְנָה
sâbaʻ
H7646
"to satisfy"
V-Qal-Imperf-3fp
To satisfy means to fill someone with enough of something, like food or desire, and can also mean to have too much of something.
Definition: 1) to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be sated (with food) 1a2) to be sated, be satisfied with, be fulfilled, be filled, have one's fill of (have desire satisfied) 1a3) to have in excess, be surfeited, be surfeited with 1a3a) to be weary of (fig) 1b) (Piel) to satisfy 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to satisfy 1c2) to enrich 1c3) to sate, glut (with the undesired)
Usage: Occurs in 93 OT verses. KJV: have enough, fill (full, self, with), be (to the) full (of), have plenty of, be satiate, satisfy (with), suffice, be weary of. See also: Exodus 16:8; Proverbs 12:11; Psalms 17:14.
וְ/עֵינֵ֥י
ʻayin
H5869
"eye"
Conj | N-cd
This word can mean a spring or fountain, but also refers to the eye or a source of something. It is often translated as affliction, outward appearance, or countenance, and is used in various contexts throughout the Bible.
Definition: : eye 1) eye 1a) eye 1a1) of physical eye 1a2) as showing mental qualities 1a3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 828 OT verses. KJV: affliction, outward appearance, [phrase] before, [phrase] think best, colour, conceit, [phrase] be content, countenance, [phrase] displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, [phrase] favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), [idiom] him, [phrase] humble, knowledge, look, ([phrase] well), [idiom] me, open(-ly), [phrase] (not) please, presence, [phrase] regard, resemblance, sight, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them, [phrase] think, [idiom] us, well, [idiom] you(-rselves). See also: Genesis 3:5; Exodus 34:9; Deuteronomy 28:67.
הָ֝/אָדָ֗ם
ʼâdâm
H120
"the man (Adam)"
Art | N-ms
Adam was the first human, created by God and mentioned in Genesis 2:19, who married Eve and had sons including Cain, Abel, and Seth.
Definition: The first named man living at the time before the Flood, first mentioned at Gen.2.19; married to Eve (H2332); father of: Cain (H7014B), Abel (H1893) and Seth (H8352); also translated "man" at Gen.2.19,21,23; 3.8,9,20; 5.2; "mankind" at Deu.32.8; "others" at Job.31.33; Another spelling of a.dam (אָדָם "Adam" H0121) man, human being
Usage: Occurs in 526 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] another, [phrase] hypocrite, [phrase] common sort, [idiom] low, man (mean, of low degree), person. See also: Genesis 1:26; Judges 18:7; Psalms 8:5.
לֹ֣א
lôʼ
H3808
"not"
Part
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Definition: 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Usage: Occurs in 3967 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as truly as, [phrase] of a truth, [phrase] verily, for want, [phrase] whether, without. See also: Genesis 2:5; Genesis 31:15; Exodus 4:9.
תִשְׂבַּֽעְנָה
sâbaʻ
H7646
"to satisfy"
V-Qal-Imperf-3fp
To satisfy means to fill someone with enough of something, like food or desire, and can also mean to have too much of something.
Definition: 1) to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be sated (with food) 1a2) to be sated, be satisfied with, be fulfilled, be filled, have one's fill of (have desire satisfied) 1a3) to have in excess, be surfeited, be surfeited with 1a3a) to be weary of (fig) 1b) (Piel) to satisfy 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to satisfy 1c2) to enrich 1c3) to sate, glut (with the undesired)
Usage: Occurs in 93 OT verses. KJV: have enough, fill (full, self, with), be (to the) full (of), have plenty of, be satiate, satisfy (with), suffice, be weary of. See also: Exodus 16:8; Proverbs 12:11; Psalms 17:14.
Study Notes — Proverbs 27:20
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Proverbs 27:20 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Proverbs 27:20
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 27:20
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
- Trapp's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
- Ellicott's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
- Cambridge Bible on Proverbs 27:20
- Barnes' Notes on Proverbs 27:20
- Whedon's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
- Sermons on Proverbs 27:20
Context — Do Not Boast about Tomorrow
18Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.
19As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the true man.
20Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
21A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but a man is tested by the praise accorded him. 22Though you grind a fool like grain with mortar and a pestle, yet his folly will not depart from him.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecclesiastes 1:8 | All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing. |
| 2 | 1 John 2:16 | For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. |
| 3 | Proverbs 30:15–16 | The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’ |
| 4 | Ecclesiastes 6:7 | All a man’s labor is for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied. |
| 5 | Habakkuk 2:5 | and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own. |
| 6 | Ecclesiastes 4:8 | There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task. |
| 7 | Ecclesiastes 2:10–11 | Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun. |
| 8 | Ecclesiastes 5:10–11 | He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile. When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes? |
| 9 | Job 26:6 | Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. |
| 10 | Proverbs 15:11 | Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD— how much more the hearts of men! |
Proverbs 27:20 Summary
Proverbs 27:20 teaches us that just like the place of the dead and the destroyer are never full, our desires are also never fully satisfied. This means that no matter how much we have or achieve, we will always want more, as seen in Ecclesiastes 1:8. However, as Christians, we can find true satisfaction in God, as stated in Matthew 5:6, where it says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied. By focusing on God and His Word, we can redirect our desires and find contentment in Him.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sheol and Abaddon in Proverbs 27:20?
Sheol refers to the place of the dead, or the grave, as seen in Psalms 16:10, and Abaddon is the destroyer, or the angel of the abyss, mentioned in Revelation 9:11, together they symbolize the insatiable nature of death and destruction.
Why are the eyes of man never satisfied according to Proverbs 27:20?
The eyes of man are never satisfied because, like Sheol and Abaddon, human desires are insatiable, always seeking more, as warned in 1 John 2:16-17, where it talks about the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
Is Proverbs 27:20 saying that humans are as evil as Sheol and Abaddon?
No, Proverbs 27:20 is not saying humans are as evil as Sheol and Abaddon, but rather that just as these two are never full or satisfied, human eyes, which represent our desires, are also never fully satisfied, as noted in Ecclesiastes 1:8, where it says that the eye is not satisfied with seeing.
How can we find satisfaction in a world where our eyes are never satisfied?
We can find satisfaction by focusing on God and His Word, as stated in Matthew 5:6, where it says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied, and in John 6:35, where Jesus says He is the bread of life, and those who come to Him will never hunger or thirst.
Reflection Questions
- What are some things that my eyes, or desires, are constantly seeking that I can never seem to get enough of, and how can I redirect these desires to God?
- In what ways do I see the insatiable nature of Sheol and Abaddon reflected in the world around me, and how can I be a light in the darkness?
- How can I cultivate a sense of contentment and satisfaction in my life, despite the fact that my eyes are never fully satisfied?
- What role does gratitude play in finding satisfaction, and how can I practice gratitude in my daily life?
Gill's Exposition on Proverbs 27:20
Hell and destruction are never full,.... The grave, as the word used often signifies; and which may be called "destruction", because bodies laid in it are soon corrupted and destroyed; and though
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 27:20
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
Hell and destruction are never full; the grave devours all the bodies which are put into it, and is always ready to receive and devour more and more without end. The eyes, i.e. the desires, which work and discover themselves by the eyes, , and other senses; for otherwise the eyes in themselves are neither capable of satisfaction nor of dissatisfaction.
Trapp's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.Ver. 20. Hell and destruction are never satisfied.] Hell and the grave have their name in Hebrew from their unsatisfiableness, being always craving more, and that with assiduity and importunity. And this fitly follows upon the former verse, as Aben Ezra well observeth, that men may be frighted by the remembrance of hell’ s wide mouth gaping for them, from following the bent of their sinful natures; and that those that here have never enough, shall once have fire enough in the bottom of hell. So the eyes of men are never satisfied.] That is, Their lusts, their carnal concupiscence. To seek to satisfy it is an endless piece of business, Quaecunque videt oculus, ea omnia desiderat avarus, saith Basil. The covetous man hankereth after all that he beholdeth; the curse of unsatisfiableness lies heavy upon him; his desire is a fire, riches a fuel, which seem to slake the fire; but, indeed, they increase it. "He that loveth silver shall never be satisfied with silver"; no more shall he that loveth honour, pleasure, &c. Earthly things cannot so fill the heart, but still it would have more things in number, and otherwise for manner. And therefore the particles in the Hebrew that signify and and or, come of a word that signifies to desire; because the desires of a man would have this and that, and that and another; and doth also tire itself, not knowing whether to have this, or that, or the other, &c. ε and, ΰε of ΰεη.
Ellicott's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
(20) Hell and destruction.—See above on Proverbs 15:11. The eyes of man are never satisfied.—Comp. Ecclesiastes 1:8; Ecclesiastes 4:8. God would thus teach us that in Himself only can man find complete satisfaction. (Comp. Psalms 36:8-9; 1 Corinthians 2:9.)
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
Verse 20. Hell and destruction are never full] How hideous must the soul of a covetous man be, when God compares it to hell and perdition! The eyes of man are never satisfied.] As the grave can never be filled up with bodies, nor perdition with souls; so the restless desire, the lust of power, riches, and splendour, is never satisfied. Out of this ever unsatisfied desire spring all the changing fashions, the varied amusements, and the endless modes of getting money, prevalent in every age, and in every country.
Cambridge Bible on Proverbs 27:20
20. Hell and destruction] See Proverbs 15:11, note. full] Rather, satisfied, the Heb. word being the same as at the end of the verse. Comp. Ecclesiastes 1:8; Ecclesiastes 4:8.
Barnes' Notes on Proverbs 27:20
Hades, the world of the dead, and Destruction (Death, the destroying power, personified) have been at all times and in all countries thought of as all-devouring, insatiable (compare the marginal reference).
Whedon's Commentary on Proverbs 27:20
20. Hell — ùׁ ?àåì, (sheol,) the under or unseen world — the world of the dead, sometimes used of the place of unending punishment. Never full — Not satisfied nor satiated.
Sermons on Proverbs 27:20
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
1 John 2:16 by John Gill | John Gill emphasizes the dangers of worldly desires as outlined in 1 John 2:16, warning against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He explains that |
|
The Day That Will Right All Wrongs. by Horatius Bonar | Horatius Bonar emphasizes the hope of a future day when God will right all wrongs, drawing parallels between the desolation of Jerusalem and the current state of the world filled w |
|
Discipline & Devotion to His Word by Bishop M.A. Lalachan | Bishop M.A. Lalachan delves into the restlessness of the human heart, quoting Saint Augustine's profound words that our hearts are restless until they find rest in God. He emphasiz |
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The Great Sin (Reading) by C.S. Lewis | In this sermon, the speaker addresses the issue of pride and conceit in the Christian life. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing our need for repentance and seeking the Lord |
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(So Great a Salvation) Overcoming the World by Paris Reidhead | In this sermon, the speaker recounts an encounter with a young man at a retreat center. The young man expresses his desire to have victory in his life but admits that he often fail |
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(Genesis) Genesis 3:6-7 by J. Vernon McGee | In this sermon, the preacher discusses how Satan uses the same tactics to deceive people today as he did in the Garden of Eden. The preacher explains that Satan appeals to the lust |
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Satan's Steps in Temptation by Dwight Pentecost | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the steps of temptation that led David to disgrace and how Satan uses these same steps to lead individuals away from God's will. The preacher |