Proverbs 20

Proverbs 20 is a collection of sayings about everyday life: drink, quarrels, laziness, honest dealing, loyalty, and the king’s duty to judge fairly. It keeps returning to the heart, which no person fully knows but the LORD sees completely. The chapter calls for honesty, patience, and wise planning.

Proverbs 20:1

Alcohol promises pleasure but turns on its victim, mocking him and stirring up fights. Anyone who is led astray by it shows a lack of wisdom. The verse warns that what seems friendly can quietly take control of a person.

BSA: mocker (“scorner, one who ridicules”): Drink makes a fool of the one who trusts it, laughing at him in the end. brawler (“one who is raging, noisy”): Strong drink is pictured as loud and violent, stirring up trouble.

See also: Proverbs 23:29-32; Ephesians 5:18.

Proverbs 20:2

A king’s anger is as dangerous as a lion’s roar. Anyone who deliberately provokes him puts his own life at risk. The proverb urges a healthy respect for authority and a careful tongue in its presence.

BSA: provokes (“angers, offends”): The danger comes from deliberately stirring up the ruler’s wrath.

See also: Proverbs 19:12.

Proverbs 20:3

Stepping back from a quarrel is an honor, not a weakness. Any fool is quick to jump into a fight. A peacemaker shows strength and good sense, while the fool shows only pride.

BSA: honorable (“highly esteemed, a great honor”): Ending strife earns real respect, not shame.

See also: Romans 12:18.

Proverbs 20:4

The lazy man will not plow when the season comes, because the work is hard or cold. At harvest he searches the field and finds nothing. Neglected work in due time leaves empty hands later.

BSA: season (“at the proper or appointed time”): Some work has a fixed time, and missing it cannot be made up later.

See also: Galatians 6:7.

Proverbs 20:5

A person’s real purposes lie deep inside, like water in a well. They are not easily seen. A man of understanding patiently draws them out through good questions and careful listening, and so comes to know the person.

BSA: deep (“profound, mysterious”): The human heart is not shallow, and its motives are hard to see. draws (“pulls out, retrieves”): Wise people bring hidden thoughts up as one would draw water from a well.

See also: Proverbs 18:4.

Proverbs 20:6

Many people boast of their kindness and loyalty. Proving it over time is much rarer. The verse warns us not to be fooled by words, and quietly asks whether we ourselves are faithful in deeds.

BSA: trustworthy (“faithful, reliable”): The rare person is the one who stays dependable when it costs something.

See also: Psalm 12:1.

Proverbs 20:7

A righteous man lives with integrity, the same in private as in public. His children are blessed by his example and by the good name he leaves. A father’s honest life becomes a gift that outlasts him.

BSA: integrity (“in his simplicity, with moral purity”): It means a whole, undivided life, with no hidden double standard.

See also: Psalm 112:1-2.

Proverbs 20:8

A good king sitting in judgment does not need long investigations to see wrongdoing. His discerning gaze sifts out evil like a farmer blowing chaff from grain. Justice begins with careful, honest seeing.

BSA: sifts out (“scatters away, disperses”): Evil is winnowed away like chaff, so that only what is good remains.

See also: Proverbs 25:5.

Proverbs 20:9

No one can honestly claim to have a perfectly clean heart. The question expects the answer that nobody can. It humbles us and points us toward the forgiveness and cleansing that only God can give.

BSA: cleansed (“purified, made clean”): Cleansing from sin is something done to us by God, not something we achieve.

See also: 1 John 1:8-9; Psalm 51:10.

Proverbs 20:10

Cheating with false weights and uneven measures is hateful to the LORD. In the marketplace, goods were weighed on scales with stone weights, so a dishonest merchant could secretly rob customers. God cares about honesty in ordinary business.

BSA: detestable (“an abomination, disgusting”): God’s reaction to cheating is strong disgust, not mild disapproval. weights (“stones, rocks used for measuring”): Merchants weighed goods against stones, and they could be altered.

See also: Leviticus 19:35-36; Proverbs 11:1.

Proverbs 20:11

Even a child shows what he is becoming by what he does. Whether his conduct is pure and upright can be seen early. Parents and teachers can notice and guide the direction of a young life.

BSA: actions (“deeds, what he does”): Character shows itself in behavior and not merely in words.

See also: Matthew 7:16.

Proverbs 20:12

Hearing and seeing are gifts that the LORD made. The One who made them must also hear and see everything Himself. We are responsible to use our ears and eyes to listen and to perceive, and we cannot hide anything from Him.

BSA: made (“created, brought into existence”): Our senses are a creation of God and do not belong to us alone.

See also: Psalm 94:9.

Proverbs 20:13

Loving sleep leads to poverty, because work gets left undone. Waking up and facing the day’s labor leads to enough to eat. The verse is a simple reminder that diligence brings provision.

BSA: sleep (“idleness, lethargy”): The warning is about sluggish laziness and not about rest itself.

See also: Proverbs 6:9-11.

Proverbs 20:14

A buyer runs down the goods to drive the price lower, then walks away boasting about his bargain. The proverb exposes the small dishonesty of the marketplace. It invites us to be truthful even when we are bargaining.

BSA: gloats (“boasts, praises himself, shines with pride”): He quietly congratulates himself after his clever trick.

Proverbs 20:15

Gold and rubies are plentiful compared with wise words spoken by someone who truly knows. Lips that speak knowledge are a greater treasure than jewels. The verse values sound, helpful speech above wealth.

BSA: treasure (“a precious jewel, a vessel of great worth”): Wise speech is pictured as a costly jewel that few possess.

See also: Proverbs 3:13-15.

Proverbs 20:16

This repeats an earlier warning against rashly guaranteeing a stranger’s debts. The advice is that someone foolish enough to do so should be held to his pledge. It teaches caution about promising what we cannot afford to lose.

BSA: collateral (“a pledge, guarantee, or security”): A pledge is a real item held to make sure the debt is paid.

See also: Proverbs 6:1-5; Proverbs 27:13.

Proverbs 20:17

Food gained by cheating tastes sweet at first. Afterward it turns to a mouth full of gravel, which means regret, guilt, and harm. Dishonest gain looks good only for a moment.

BSA: gravel (“small stones, sharp grit, or sand”): The picture is of something that hurts and cannot be swallowed.

See also: Proverbs 9:17.

Proverbs 20:18

Good plans are made with advice from others, and even war must be fought under wise direction. A person who acts alone, without counsel, risks costly mistakes. Humble listening is part of wisdom.

BSA: consultation (“with wise help”): Plans are best formed with the help of wise advisers.

See also: Proverbs 15:22; Luke 14:31.

Proverbs 20:19

A person who tells secrets does so as a habit, so he cannot be trusted with confidences. We are told to avoid anyone who talks too freely. The verse also reminds us to guard what others share with us.

BSA: gossip (“talebearer, slanderer”): A talebearer goes about carrying other people’s private affairs. babbles (“speaks excessively, flatters”): Such a person may also be a flatterer, using words to win favor.

See also: Proverbs 11:13.

Proverbs 20:20

To curse or treat with contempt one’s father or mother is a serious sin. The verse says such a person’s lamp, a picture of his life and hope, will go out in total darkness. Honoring parents is tied to life itself.

BSA: curses (“vilifying, bringing into contempt”): The word covers treating parents as light and worthless, not just angry words. lamp (“a candle, a light”): A lamp stands for a person’s life, household, and future.

See also: Exodus 20:12; Exodus 21:17.

Proverbs 20:21

Wealth grabbed in a hurry, perhaps by unfair means or by impatience, rarely turns out well. The same can be said of an inheritance obtained too early or wrongly. Lasting blessing comes through patience and honest means.

BSA: quickly (“obtained hastily, gotten quickly”): The warning is against greed that rushes ahead of what is rightful.

See also: Proverbs 13:11; Proverbs 28:20.

Proverbs 20:22

When wronged, we are not to say, I will pay him back. Instead we wait for the LORD to act. He sees the wrong and He will save us, so we are freed from the burden of revenge.

BSA: Wait (“tarry or await patiently”): Waiting means trusting God’s timing, not just doing nothing.

See also: Romans 12:17-19; Proverbs 24:29.

Proverbs 20:23

The warning against false weights returns, this time with dishonest scales as well. Repetition shows how much God cares about fairness. Cheating in small, hidden ways is never small to Him.

BSA: dishonest (“false, deceitful”): The scales themselves are rigged to deceive the customer.

See also: Deuteronomy 25:13-16.

Proverbs 20:24

The LORD directs a person’s steps, so we cannot fully understand the course of our own life. This is humbling, but it is also comforting. We can make our plans and still trust the One who sees the whole path.

BSA: steps (“path, journey”): Each stage of a person’s journey is under God’s watchful hand.

See also: Proverbs 16:9; Jeremiah 10:23.

Proverbs 20:25

Making a hasty promise to God, such as dedicating something, and only afterward thinking it over is a snare. A vow should come after thought, not before. We should speak carefully when we make promises to God.

BSA: rashly (“without thought, inconsiderately”): The fault is blurting out a vow before thinking about what it costs.

See also: Ecclesiastes 5:2-5.

Proverbs 20:26

A wise king, like a farmer separating grain from chaff, removes the wicked from his land. The threshing wheel rolling over them pictures justice that crushes evil. Good rulers protect the people by dealing firmly with wrongdoers.

BSA: separates out (“scatters, winnows, drives away”): It is the image of winnowing, in which chaff is blown away from the good grain. threshing wheel (“a device for punishing, a means of judgment”): The wheel that crushed grain stands for judgment falling on the guilty.

See also: Proverbs 20:8.

Proverbs 20:27

The human spirit, which God breathed into us, works like a lamp from the LORD. It lights up our inner depths and shows us who we really are, including our conscience. We can ask God to use that light to show us truth.

BSA: spirit (“breath, divine spark”): The word is linked with the breath of life that God gave to humanity. searching (“examining, exploring”): The lamp moves through the inner rooms of a person, revealing what is there.

See also: Genesis 2:7; Psalm 139:23-24.

Proverbs 20:28

A king stays secure by loving devotion and faithfulness, not by force alone. Kindness and truth win the loyalty of his people. A throne rests most firmly on goodness.

BSA: Loving devotion (“kindness, mercy, or pity”): This is steadfast, covenant kindness that stays loyal to others. faithfulness (“truth, stability”): It means reliability that people can lean on.

See also: Proverbs 29:14.

Proverbs 20:29

Young men are admired for their strength, and the old for their gray hair. Each age has its own glory. The verse invites us to honor what is good at every stage of life, and to be content with our own.

BSA: splendor (“glory, majesty”): Gray hair is pictured as a crown of honor, not as decline.

See also: Proverbs 16:31.

Proverbs 20:30

Painful correction can scrub away evil, much like cleaning a wound. Hard discipline reaches the inner person and may bring real change. The verse shows that God’s loving correction is meant to heal.

BSA: scour (“cleanse, remove”): Discipline cleans out what is wrong, as a scrub cleans a dirty vessel.

See also: Hebrews 12:10-11.