Proverbs Chapter 20 verse 25 Holy Bible

ASV Proverbs 20:25

It is a snare to a man rashly to say, `It is' holy, And after vows to make inquiry.
read chapter 20 in ASV

BBE Proverbs 20:25

It is a danger to a man to say without thought, It is holy, and, after taking his oaths, to be questioning if it is necessary to keep them.
read chapter 20 in BBE

DARBY Proverbs 20:25

It is a snare to a man rashly to say, It is hallowed, and after vows to make inquiry.
read chapter 20 in DARBY

KJV Proverbs 20:25

It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.
read chapter 20 in KJV

WBT Proverbs 20:25


read chapter 20 in WBT

WEB Proverbs 20:25

It is a snare to a man to make a rash dedication, Then later to consider his vows.
read chapter 20 in WEB

YLT Proverbs 20:25

A snare to a man `is' he hath swallowed a holy thing, And after vows to make inquiry.
read chapter 20 in YLT

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 25. - It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy. This verse, which is plainly a warning against rash vows, has received more than one interpretation. The Vulgate has, Ruina est homini devorare sanctos, which is explained to mean that it is destruction for a man to persecute the saints of God. But the word devorare is not certain, as the manuscripts vary between this and four other readings, viz. devotares, denotare, devovere, and devocare. The Authorized Version signifies that it is a sin to take for one's own consumption things dedicated to God, as firstfruits, the priests' portions, etc.: or a man's snare, i.e. his covetousness (1 Timothy 6:9), leads him to commit sacrilege. So Wordsworth. But it is best, with Delitzsch, to take יָלַע (yala) as the abbreviated future of לוּע or לָעַע, "to speak rashly;" and then kodesh, "holiness," will be an exclamation, like korban (Mark 7:11). The clause will then run, "It is a snare to a man rashly to cry, Holiness!" equivalent to "It is holy!" i.e. to use the formula for consecrating something to holy purposes. Septuagint, "It is a snare to a man hastily to consecrate something of his own" (comp. Ecclesiastes 5:2, 4, etc.). And after vows to make inquiry; i.e. after he has made his vow, to begin to consider whether he can fulfil it or not. This is a snare to a man, strangles his conscience, and leads him into the grievous sins of perjury and sacrilege. Septuagint, "For after vowing ensueth repentance."

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(25) It is a snare to a man who devoureth that which is holy.--Rather, It is a snare for a man (i.e., gets him into trouble) rashly to say, "It is dedicated" (i.e., when he thoughtlessly dedicates anything to God), and after he has vowed to enquire (whether he can keep his word). (Comp. Ecclesiasticus 5:2; Ecclesiasticus 5:4-6.)