Proverbs 27:23 (GNV)

Passage

Be diligent to know ye state of thy flocke, and take heede to the heardes.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:21 As is the fining pot for siluer and the fornace for golde, so is euery man according to his dignitie.

Proverbs 27:22 Though thou shouldest bray a foole in a morter among wheate brayed with a pestell, yet will not his foolishnes depart from him.

Proverbs 27:23 Be diligent to know ye state of thy flocke, and take heede to the heardes.

Proverbs 27:24 For riches remaine not alway, nor the crowne from generation to generation.

Proverbs 27:25 The hey discouereth it selfe, and the grasse appeareth, and the herbes of the mountaines are gathered.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "diligent", "state", "flocke", "take", "heede", and "heardes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "diligent" and "state", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Though thou shouldest bray a foole in..." into verse 24's "For riches remaine not alway nor the...", so "diligent" and "state" 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 "diligent" and "state" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.