Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
Parallel translations
- WEB Know well the state of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds:
- BSB Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds;
- NKJV Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
- NASB ¶Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds;
- NLT Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,
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
Pay careful attention to the condition of your livestock and resources. It commends diligent, attentive stewardship of what God has entrusted to us.
Overview
Opening a short discourse on diligent care, the proverb urges the herdsman to know the state of his flocks intimately, valuing watchfulness over neglect. It teaches responsible management of God-given resources. This pictures the faithful shepherd's care, fully realized in Christ the Good Shepherd, who knows His sheep by name (John 10:14).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Pet 5:2Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
- John 21:15–17So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
- Gen 33:13And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.
- 2 Chr 26:10Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.
- Prov 24:32Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.
- John 10:3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
- Ezek 34:31And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
- Ezek 34:22–24Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
- Deut 32:46And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
- 1 Chr 27:29–31And over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai:
- Gen 31:38–40This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
- 1 Sam 17:28And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
- Exod 7:23And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 27:23 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.