Proverbs 11:27

He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(27) Procureth favour.—By the very act of striving after good, he is seeking for the favour of both God and man.

Benson Commentary

Proverbs 11:27-28. He that diligently seeketh good — To do good to all men, as he hath opportunity; which is opposed to a man’s contenting himself with lazy desires, or cold and careless endeavours; procureth favour — With God and men; but he that seeketh mischief — To do any mischief or injury to others; it shall come unto him — It shall be requited, either by men’s malice and revenge, or by God’s just judgment. He that trusteth in his riches — As his protection, or portion and felicity; shall fall — As a withered leaf; but the righteous — Who make God alone, and not riches, the ground of their confidence, and source of their happiness; shall flourish as a branch — Namely, a green and fruitful branch.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

11:1 However men may make light of giving short weight or measure, and however common such crimes may be, they are an abomination to the Lord. 2. Considering how safe, and quiet, and easy the humble are, we see that with the lowly is wisdom. 3. An honest man's principles are fixed, therefore his way is plain. 4. Riches will stand men in no stead in the day of death. 5,6. The ways of wickedness are dangerous. And sin will be its own punishment. 7. When a godly man dies, all his fears vanish; but when a wicked man dies, his hopes vanish. 8. The righteous are often wonderfully kept from going into dangerous situations, and the ungodly go in their stead. 9. Hypocrites delude men into error and sin by artful objections against the truths of God's word. 10,11. Nations prosper when wicked men are cast down. 12. A man of understanding does not judge of others by their success. 13. A faithful man will not disclose what he is trusted with, unless the honour of God and the real good of society require it. 14. We shall often find it to our advantage to advise with others. 15. The welfare of our families, our own peace, and our ability to pay just debts, must not be brought into danger. But here especially let us consider the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in becoming Surety even for enemies. 16. A pious and discreet woman will keep esteem and respect, as strong men keep possession of wealth. 17. A cruel, froward, ill-natured man, is vexatious to those that are, and should be to him as his own flesh, and punishes himself. 18. He that makes it his business to do good, shall have a reward, as sure to him as eternal truth can make it. 19. True holiness is true happiness. The more violent a man is in sinful pursuits, the more he hastens his own destruction. 20. Nothing is more hateful to God, than hypocrisy and double dealing, which are here signified. God delights in such as aim and act with uprightness. 21. Joining together in sin shall not protect the sinners. 22. Beauty is abused by those who have not discretion or modesty with it. This is true of all bodily endowments. 23. The wicked desire mischief to others, but it shall return upon themselves. 24. A man may grow poor by not paying just debts, not relieving the poor, not allowing needful expenses. Let men be ever so saving of what they have, if God appoints, it comes to nothing. 25. Both in temporal and spiritual things, God commonly deals with his people according to the measure by which they deal with their brethren. 26. We must not hoard up the gifts of God's bounty, merely for our own advantage. 27. Seeking mischief is here set against seeking good; for those that are not doing good are doing hurt, even to themselves.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Procureth - Better, striveth after. He who desires good, absolutely, for its own sake, is also unconsciously striving after the favor which attends goodness.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

27. good [and] mischief—that is, of others.

procureth … seeketh—implying success.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

He that diligently seeketh, which is opposed to those who content themselves with lazy desires, or cold and careless endeavours, good, to do good to all men, as he hath opportunity,

procureth favour with God and men.

He that seeketh mischief, to do any mischief or injury to others,

it shall come unto him; it shall be requited either by men’s malice and revenge, or by God’s just judgment.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He that diligently seeketh good,.... Or "early"; who rises early in the morning, as the word (e) signifies, and seeks both to do good, and to enjoy it all the day; who, in the first place, seeks the kingdom of God and his righteousness; who, in the morning of his youth, inquires after the best things; and diligently pursues what is for his own good and welfare, and that of others, and for the glory of God:

procureth favour, both of God and men: or, "seeketh favour" (f); or that which is acceptable and well-pleasing unto God;

but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him; that seeks to do hurt to others; that which he seeks to do to them shall come upon himself; see Psalm 9:15; so antichrist, that leads into captivity, shall go into captivity; and that kills with the sword, shall be killed by it, Revelation 13:10.

(e) "qui mane quaerit", Vatablus; "quarens mane", Montanus; "qui mane vestigat", Schultens; "bene consurgit diluculo", V. L. so the Targum and Ben Melech. (f) "quaerit favorem, beneplacitum", Vatablus, Michaelis; "benevolentiam", Junius & Tremellius, Mercerus, Gejerus.

Geneva Study Bible

He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27. diligently seeketh … procureth … seeketh] Three different Heb. words are used. The shades of meaning are given by R.V.: diligently seeketh (with A.V.) i.e. makes good his chief aim; seeketh, i.e. whether consciously or not, is really seeking “favour with God and man”; searcheth after, i.e. is busily employed in the pursuit of mischief.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 27. - He that diligently seeketh good; literally, he that seeketh in the morning, as so often in Scripture, the phrase, "rising early," implies unimpaired powers and diligence (Proverbs 27:14; Jeremiah 7:13, etc,). Procureth favour; better, seeketh favour; by his very act of striving after what is good, he is striving to do what may please and benefit others, and thus to please God. Vulgate, "Well does he rise early who seeketh good." It - mischief - shall come unto him; the consequences of his evil life shall fall upon his end. Says an Indian proverb, "When men are ripe for slaughter, even straws turn into thunderbolts." Proverbs 11:27

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

That self-sacrificing endeavour after the good of others finds its regard in the thought encircling the following proverbs.

27 He that striveth after good, seeketh that which is pleasing;

     And he that searcheth after evil, it shall find him.

Here we have together three synonyms of seeking: בּקּשׁ (R. בק, findere), which has the general meaning quaerere, from the root-idea of penetrating and pressing forwards; דּרשׁ (R. דר .R( , terere), which from the root-idea of trying (proving) corresponds to the Lat. studere; and שׁחר (whence here שׁחר instead of משׁחר, as דּבר instead of מדבּר), which means mane, and thus sedulo quaere (vid., at Proverbs 1:28). From 27b, where by רעה is meant evil which one prepares for another, there arises for טוב the idea of good thoughts and actions with reference to others. He who applies himself to such, seeks therewith that which is pleasing, i.e., that which pleases or does good to others. If that which is pleasing to God were meant, then this would have been said (cf. Proverbs 12:2); the idea here is similar to Proverbs 10:32, and the word יבקּשׁ is used, and not ימצא, because reference is not made to a fact in the moral government of the world, but a description is given of one who is zealously intent upon good, and thus of a noble man. Such an one always asks himself (cf. Matthew 7:12): what will, in the given case, be well-pleasing to the neighbour, what will tend to his true satisfaction? Regarding the punctuation here, שׁחר, vid., at Proverbs 11:26. The subject to תבואנּוּ, which, Proverbs 10:24, stands as the fundamental idea, here follows from the governed רעה, which may be the gen. (Psalm 38:13) as well as the accus.