Proverbs 27:20 (DRB)

Passage

Hell and destruction are never filled: so the eyes of men are never satisfied.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:18 He that keepeth the fig tree, shall eat the fruit thereof: and he that is the keeper of his master, shall be glorified.

Proverbs 27:19 As the faces of them that look therein, shine in the water, so the hearts of men are laid open to the wise.

Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never filled: so the eyes of men are never satisfied.

Proverbs 27:21 As silver is tried in the fining-pot, and gold in the furnace: so a man is tried by the mouth of him that praiseth. The heart of the wicked seeketh after evils, but the righteous heart seeketh after knowledge.

Proverbs 27:22 Though thou shouldst bray a fool in the mortar, as when a pestle striketh upon sodden barley, his folly would not be taken from him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hell", "destruction", "never", "filled", "eyes", and "satisfied". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hell" and "destruction", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "As the faces of them that look..." into verse 21's "As silver is tried in the fining-pot...", so "hell" and "destruction" 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 "hell" and "destruction" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.