He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who searches after evil, it shall come to him.
- KJV He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
- BSB He who searches out good finds favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it.
- NASB One who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But one who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
- NLT If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!
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
Whoever seeks good finds favor, but whoever pursues evil, it comes back on him. We tend to find what we earnestly seek.
Overview
This proverb teaches that diligently pursuing good draws favor, while pursuing evil brings that evil upon oneself. Our aims and efforts shape our outcomes. The principle reflects God's moral order and encourages believers to set their hearts on the good things that please Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 7:15–16He has dug a hole, and has fallen into the pit which he made.
- Prov 17:11An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
- Ps 57:6They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into the middle of it themselves. Selah.
- Esth 7:10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.
- Ps 9:15–16The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made. In the net which they hid, their own foot is taken.
- Ps 10:2In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 11:27 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.