The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
Parallel translations
- WEB The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself.
- BSB A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
- NKJV The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.
- NASB A generous person will be prosperous, And one who gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.
- NLT The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A generous person will prosper, and whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Blessing others brings blessing back to ourselves.
Overview
Using the imagery of being 'made fat' and 'watered,' this proverb promises that liberality returns to the giver in God's good providence. It reinforces that selfless generosity is not loss but gain. This reflects the gospel pattern in which those who pour themselves out for others are filled by the God who supplies every need.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Matt 5:7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
- 2 Cor 9:6–9But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
- Isa 58:7–11Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
- Matt 25:34–35Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
- Isa 32:8But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.
- Prov 28:27He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
- Job 29:13–18The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
- Job 31:16–20If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 11:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.