Proverbs 27:20 (LSB)

Passage

Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, So the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:18 He who guards the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who keeps watch for his master will be honored.

Proverbs 27:19 As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man.

Proverbs 27:20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, So the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Proverbs 27:21 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the mouth that praises him.

Proverbs 27:22 Though you pound an ignorant fool in a mortar with a pestle in the midst of crushed grain, His folly will not turn aside from him.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "As in water face reflects face So..." into verse 21's "The refining pot is for silver and...", so "sheol" and "abaddon" 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 "sheol" and "abaddon" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.