Proverbs 17:11 (ASV)

Passage

An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.

Proverbs 17:10 A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding Than a hundred stripes into a fool.

Proverbs 17:11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

Proverbs 17:12 Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly.

Proverbs 17:13 Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "evil", "seeketh", "only", "rebellion", "therefore", "cruel", "messenger", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "evil" and "seeketh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "A rebuke entereth deeper into one that..." into verse 12's "Let a bear robbed of her whelps...", so "evil" and "seeketh" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "evil" and "seeketh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.