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Wednesday, May 14th, 2025
the Fourth Week after Easter
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Read the Bible

Green's Literal Translation

Proverbs 17:11

Rebellion seeks evil, so a cruel messenger is sent against him.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Citizens;   Loyalty;   Rebellion;   The Topic Concordance - Evil;   Rebellion;   Seeking;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Fool, Foolishness, and Folly;   Proverbs, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fool;   Sent;   Transgression;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
An evil person desires only rebellion;a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Hebrew Names Version
An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
King James Version
An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
English Standard Version
An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
New American Standard Bible
A rebellious person seeks only evil, So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
New Century Version
Disobedient people look only for trouble, so a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
Amplified Bible
A rebellious man seeks only evil; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
World English Bible
An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
A sedicious person seeketh onely euill, and a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Legacy Standard Bible
A rebellious man seeks only evil,So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Berean Standard Bible
An evil man seeks only rebellion; so a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Contemporary English Version
Cruel people want to rebel, and so vicious attackers will be sent against them.
Complete Jewish Bible
An evil person seeks only rebellion, but a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Darby Translation
An evil [man] seeketh only rebellion; but a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Easy-to-Read Version
Those who are evil only want to cause trouble. In the end, punishment without mercy will be sent to them.
George Lamsa Translation
A quarrelsome man seeks mischief; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Good News Translation
Death will come like a cruel messenger to wicked people who are always stirring up trouble.
Lexham English Bible
An evil person will seek only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A sedicious personne seketh myschefe, but a cruell messaunger shal be sent agaynst him.
American Standard Version
An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Bible in Basic English
An uncontrolled man is only looking for trouble, so a cruel servant will be sent against him.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A rebellious man seeketh only evil; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
King James Version (1611)
An euill man seeketh onely rebellion; therefore a cruell messenger shall be sent against him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A seditious person seketh mischiefe, and a cruell messenger shalbe sent agaynst hym.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Every bad man stirs up strifes: but the Lord will send out against him an unmerciful messenger.
English Revised Version
An evil man seeketh only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Euere an yuel man sekith stryues; forsothe a cruel aungel schal be sent ayens hym.
Update Bible Version
An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Webster's Bible Translation
An evil [man] seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
New English Translation
An evil person seeks only rebellion, and so a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
New King James Version
An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
New Living Translation
Evil people are eager for rebellion, but they will be severely punished.
New Life Bible
A man who will not obey looks only for what is bad. So one who has no loving-pity will be sent against him.
New Revised Standard
Evil people seek only rebellion, but a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Nothing less than rebellion, doth a wicked man seek, and, a relentless messenger, shall be sent out against him.
Douay-Rheims Bible
An evil man always seeketh quarrels: but a cruel angel shall be sent against him.
Revised Standard Version
An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Young's Literal Translation
An evil man seeketh only rebellion, And a fierce messenger is sent against him.
THE MESSAGE
Criminals out looking for nothing but trouble won't have to wait long—they'll meet it coming and going!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A rebellious man seeks only evil, So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

Contextual Overview

11 Rebellion seeks evil, so a cruel messenger is sent against him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

2 Samuel 15:12, 2 Samuel 16:5-9, 2 Samuel 18:15, 2 Samuel 18:19, 2 Samuel 20:1, 2 Samuel 20:22, 1 Kings 2:24, 1 Kings 2:25, 1 Kings 2:31, 1 Kings 2:46, Matthew 21:41, Matthew 22:7, Luke 19:27

Reciprocal: Proverbs 11:27 - he that seeketh Proverbs 16:14 - messengers Proverbs 26:17 - passeth 1 Peter 2:13 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 17:25
And his son Ishmael was a son of thirteen years when being circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Genesis 17:27
And all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with silver from a son of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Exodus 4:25
And Zipporah took a stone and cut off her son's foreskin, and caused it to touch his feet. And she said, You are a bridegroom of blood to me.
Exodus 12:48
And when a visitor shall stay with you, and will do the Passover to Jehovah, let every male to him be circumcised, and then he may come near to prepare it. And he shall be like a native of the land. But any uncircumcised one may not eat ofit.
Deuteronomy 10:16
And you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and you shall not harden your neck any more.
Joshua 5:3
And Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
2 Samuel 3:14
And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, saying, Give up my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.
Acts 7:8
And He gave to him a covenant of circumcision; and so he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.
Romans 4:11
And he received a sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of faith while in uncircumcision, for him to be a father of those believing through uncircumcision, for righteousness to be counted to them also,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

An evil [man] seeketh only rebellion,.... For he seeks nothing but what is evil; and all sin is rebellion against God, a contempt of his laws, and a transgression of them; a trampling upon his legislative power and authority; an act of hostility against him, and a casting off allegiance to him. Or rather the words may be rendered, "rebellion", that is, "the rebellious man", so the Targum, the abstract for the concrete, "verily" or "only seeketh evil" m; a man that is rebellious against his prince, that is of a rebellious disposition, is continually seeking to do mischief in the commonwealth; he is continually plotting and contriving destructive schemes, and stirring up sedition, and causing trouble; and so a rebel against God is always seeking that which is sinful, which is evil in its own nature, and contrary to the law and will of God; and in the issue brings the evil of punishment on himself;

therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him: if a rebel against his lawful sovereign, a messenger shall be sent by him to take him into custody, who will show him no mercy; or an executioner to dispatch him, who will not spare to perform his orders: and if a rebel against God, some judgment of God shall fall upon him in a very severe manner; or his own conscience shall accuse him, and shall be filled with dreadful apprehensions of divine vengeance; or Satan, the angel of death, shall be let loose upon him, to terrify or destroy him; or death itself, which spares none. The Septuagint and Arabic versions ascribe this to God as his act, rendering it, "the Lord shall send", c. and so Aben Ezra who also refers the former clause to him, and gives it as the sense of it; that he shall seek to do the rebellious man evil, inflict on him the evil of punishment for the evil of sin.

m אך מרי יבקש רע "profecto rebellio quaeret malum", Montanus; so Schultens, Piscator, Tigurine version, Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The proverb expresses the reverence of the East for the supreme authority of the king. The “cruel messenger” is probably the king’s officer despatched to subdue and punish. The Septuagint renders it: “The Lord will send a pitiless Angel.”


 
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