Proverbs 27:21 (ASV)

Passage

The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; And a man is [tried] by his praise.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:19 As in water face [answereth] to face, So the heart of man to man.

Proverbs 27:20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; And the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Proverbs 27:21 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; And a man is [tried] by his praise.

Proverbs 27:22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with bruised grain, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

Proverbs 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [And] look well to thy herds:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "refining", "silver", "furnace", "gold", "tried", and "praise". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "refining" and "silver", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied And..." into verse 22's "Though thou shouldest bray a fool in...", so "refining" and "silver" 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 "refining" and "silver" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.