Proverbs 27:21 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Proverbs 27:23 Be diligent to know the countenance of thy cattle, and consider thy own flocks:

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Hell and destruction are never filled so..." into verse 22's "Though thou shouldst bray a fool in...", so "silver" and "tried" 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 "silver" and "tried" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.