Proverbs 27:1 · Bible study
Proverbs 27:1 Commentary: The Folly of Boasting about Tomorrow
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
This verse warns against presumptuous boasting about the future. Only God knows what any day will bring; we are called to humble dependence.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Do not presume upon future time by making arrogant claims; only God knows what any day will bring.
- Key words: אַל (al, “not” with jussive force), יָדַע (yada, “know” as certain knowledge), מָחָר (machar, “tomorrow” or future time), יָלַד (yalad, “bring forth” as in giving birth).
- Main debate: Whether “a day” refers to any general day (indefinite, absence of article) or specifically to the coming day (LXX and Vulgate).
- Theological theme: Human dependence on God for each moment; the folly of self-assurance.
- Best use: As a check against pride in planning, with direct NT application in James 4.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Don’t boast about tomorrow; for you don’t know what a day may bring.
KJV King James Version 1769
Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Boast not thyself of to-morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Boast not thyself of to-morrow, For thou knowest not what a day bringeth forth.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day will bring forth.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Boast not for to morrow, for thou knowest not what the day to come may bring forth.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
NO te jactes del día de mañana; porque no sabes qué dará de sí el día.
Não te orgulhes do dia de amanhã; porque não sabes o que o dia trará.
Ne te vante pas du lendemain,
Rühme dich nicht des morgenden Tages; denn du weißt nicht, was heute sich begeben mag.
Beroem u niet over den dag van morgen; want gij weet niet, wat de dag zal baren.
Non ti vantare del domani, poiché non sai quel che un giorno possa produrre.
Nie chlub się ze dnia jutrzejszego; bo nie wiesz, coć przyniesie dzień dzisiejszy.
Не хвались завтрашним днем, потому что не знаешь, что родит тот день.
不要 為明 日 自誇，因為 一日 要生 何事，你尚且不能 知道。
Do not make a noise about tomorrow, for you are not certain what a day's outcome may be.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Proverbs 27:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this proverb condemns boasting about the future as if it were certain, not the act of planning itself. The Cambridge Bible notes the absence of the definite article in Hebrew: “a day” is indefinite, meaning any day, not necessarily the morrow. Gill expands that life is fragile, breath, vapour, grass cut down, so no one can be sure of a single moment. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown connect this to Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21, where human plans are realized only as the Lord directs. Keil and Delitzsch call boasting about tomorrow “foolish and presumptuous” because the future belongs to God. Matthew Henry makes the careful distinction: preparing for tomorrow is not forbidden, but presuming upon it is. The consensus points to a heart posture of humility before God, acknowledging that every day is dependent on His will.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Generic 'a day' (any day): The Hebrew word for 'day' lacks the definite article, suggesting it is indefinite—any day, not exclusively the morrow. Supported by Cambridge Bible and many modern translations.
- Specifically 'the coming day' (tomorrow): The Septuagint and Vulgate render the phrase as 'the coming day,' and some modern commentators also take this view, interpreting it as the immediate future.
What is clear: Boasting about future plans or outcomes is condemned because humans do not know or control what any single day will bring; only God holds the future.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of 'a day' | Both readings agree the verse warns about future uncertainty and that boasting is wrong. | Some understand 'a day' as any general day (based on the absence of the definite article in Hebrew, supported by Cambridge Bible); others read it as 'the coming day' (following the LXX and Vulgate translations). |
| Boasting vs. planning | All traditions agree the verse condemns presumptuous boasting, not all forward thinking. | Some commentators (e.g., Matthew Henry) carefully distinguish that preparation is allowed while presumption is not; others stress that any confidence in the future that does not explicitly acknowledge God's control is the sin warned against. |
| Connection to James 4 | There is broad agreement that James 4:13, 16 directly applies the same principle. | Whether James is consciously quoting Proverbs 27:1 or drawing from a shared wisdom tradition is debated; some see a direct allusion, others a general parallel. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Proverbs 27 belongs to the wisdom literature of ancient Israel, a collection of short sayings designed to form character and teach skill in living. Keil and Delitzsch observe that this chapter is built from pairs of proverbs; the first pair (verses 1, 2) targets unbecoming boasts. In the ancient Near East, life was marked by uncertainty, harvests could fail, enemies could attack, illness could strike quickly. To boast about what one would do tomorrow was an act of arrogance toward the God who alone controls events. The Hebrew verb “boast” (תִּתְהַלֵּל, hitpael of הלל) carries the sense of self-praise or glorifying oneself. The word for “bring forth” (יֵּלֶד) is the same as for giving birth, each day is pregnant with unknown outcomes. This proverb echoes cross-references like Isaiah 56:12, where the drunkard says “tomorrow will be as today,” and James 4:13, 16, which explicitly applies the principle to business plans. The wise person does not stop planning; they simply hold their plans with open hands, recognizing that only God knows what any day will bring forth.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant variant that affects the interpretation of the verse. Keil and Delitzsch mention that the Masora records a pausal form and that the word יֵּלֶד is one of twenty-five words with only one Tsere, but these Masoretic details do not alter the sense. A few manuscripts read אַל־תֵדַע instead of לֹא־תֵדַע, but both forms mean “you do not know.” The textual tradition is stable.
Reception History
From the early church through the Reformation, this proverb has been used to teach humility about the future. The Epistle of James (4:13, 16) is its most direct New Testament echo, applying the principle to business planning. Figures like Matthew Henry and John Gill have drawn on it to warn against the presumption that tomorrow is guaranteed. It appears regularly in funeral liturgy and pastoral counsel on the brevity of life. Across traditions, the verse remains a call to live each day with open hands before God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The warning: do not boast about tomorrow. Boasting here means making confident claims about future plans as if they are guaranteed.
- The reason: you do not know what a day may bring. The Hebrew term for "bring forth" (yalad) is used for childbirth, each day carries unknown events.
- The alternative: live today in humility before God. Plan wisely, but say with James, "If the Lord wills."
Five-point outline
- The nature of the sin: boasting about tomorrow, not planning with prudence.
- The object: tomorrow, or any future time not in our control.
- The reason: we do not know what any day may bring; God alone knows.
- The proper posture: humility, recognizing our creatureliness before the Creator.
- The call: make today count, for tomorrow is not promised.
Illustration hooks
- A couple plans a large celebration for an anniversary, only to have a sudden illness cancel it.
- A farmer talks confidently about the coming harvest before the rains have even started.
- A student says "I can pray later" or "I will deal with my faith tomorrow," unaware of what the night will bring.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean I should not make any plans for the future?
- How can I tell the difference between faithful planning and sinful boasting?
- What does it look like to say "if the Lord wills" in everyday decisions?
Leading a Discussion
This short proverb confronts a common habit: assuming the future is under our control. It invites us to examine our hearts as we make plans. The wisdom here is not a command to stop planning but an invitation to plan with humility.
Discussion questions
- What does it mean to “boast about tomorrow”? Give an example from daily life.
- Why does the writer say “a day” rather than “tomorrow”? How does the grammar affect the meaning?
- How does the New Testament use this principle in James 4:13, 16? What does James add?
- In what areas of your life are you most tempted to assume tomorrow will be like today?
- How can you plan responsibly without falling into presumption?
- What would it look like to hold your plans with an open hand before God?
- How does the gospel give both urgency for today and peace about tomorrow?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Samuel 28:19 | Moreover Yahweh will deliver Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Yahweh will deliver the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.” |
| Psalms 95:7 | for he is our God. We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep in his care. Today, oh that you would hear his voice! |
| Isaiah 56:12 | “Come,” they say, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.” |
| Luke 12:19 | I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”’ |
| Luke 12:20 | “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ |
| II Corinthians 6:2 | For he says, “At an acceptable time I listened to you. In a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. |
| James 4:13 | Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.” |
| James 4:16 | But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges explains that the word for day here refers to the specific future time or morning. It states that leaving out the article shows the translation used in the King James Version is correct.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note warns specifically against the sin of boasting about the future. Speaking confidently of tomorrow is foolish because one day can bring sudden, unforeseen change. The warning calls for humble dependence, since only God knows what any given day will hold.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill warns that boasting about tomorrow is foolish because nothing in life is certain, not even the next moment. He stresses that people routinely assume they will have time for repentance, charity, or religious duties later, yet death and change can come at any hour. Only God holds the events of the future, so the present is the only time anyone can truly act.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that trusting solely in one’s own ideas without consulting others leads to failure. This view holds that relying on personal judgment alone results in mistakes. You may find strength in seeking wise counsel from others.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch draw attention to the Hebrew preposition 'beth' in this proverb, which
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange warns that boasting about tomorrow means assuming future plans have already succeeded, a proud confidence in outcomes not yet achieved. The uncertainty is absolute: you cannot know what even the present day will bring, let alone the next.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws a careful line between preparing for tomorrow and presuming upon it. He says we may make plans but must never count on them, holding every future expectation in submission to God's will, who keeps the day's outcome hidden to train us in dependence and constant readiness.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley warns against boasting about any good we plan to do or hope to receive tomorrow or later. He stresses that we cannot know what even a single day will bring, for each day produces only what God by his power either causes or permits to happen.