Proverbs 27:25 · Bible study
Proverbs 27:25 Commentary: Agriculture, Diligence, and Riches
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine how the agricultural cycle in Proverbs 27:25 encourages diligence and contrasts with temporal riches. Commentary from Bible scholars.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The natural cycle of grass growth and harvest is given as an argument for diligence in pastoral life, showing God's provision and the contrast with uncertain wealth.
- Key words: galah (disappears), chatsir (grass), ne'esfu (they are gathered), all Niphal verbs shifting focus to the cycle itself.
- Main debate: Whether the verse primarily illustrates the fleeting nature of riches (Barnes) or the ease of provision that comes from God (Gill, Matthew Henry).
- Theological theme: God's faithful provision in creation paired with human responsibility to steward it.
- Best use: As part of a passage on work, wealth, and trusting God's provision, not a standalone promise, but a wisdom call to diligence.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When hay is removed and new growth appears and the grain from the hills is gathered,
WEB World English Bible 2000
The hay is removed, and the new growth appears, the grasses of the hills are gathered in.
KJV King James Version 1769
The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Revealed was the hay, and seen the tender grass, And gathered the herbs of mountains.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The hay is removed, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The meadows are open, and the green herbs have appeared, and the hay is gathered out of the mountains.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Saldrá la grama, aparecerá la hierba, y segaránse las hierbas de los montes.
Quando a erva aparecer, e surgirem a folhagem, e se juntarem as ervas dos montes,
Le foin s’ enlève, la verdure paraît,
Das Heu ist weggeführt, und wiederum ist Gras da und wird Kraut auf den Bergen gesammelt.
Als het gras zich openbaart, en de grasscheuten gezien worden, laat de kruiden der bergen verzameld worden.
Quando è levato il fieno, subito rispunta la fresca verdura e le erbe dei monti sono raccolte.
Gdy wzrasta trawa, a ukazują się zioła, tedy z gór siano zbierają.
Прозябает трава, и является зелень, и собирают горные травы.
乾草 割去，嫩草 發現，山上 的菜蔬 也被收斂。
The grass comes up and the young grass is seen, and the mountain plants are got in.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Proverbs 27:25
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 Proverbs 27:25 does not stand alone. It is part of a longer exhortation (vv. 23, 27) urging the reader to diligent care of flocks and land. The verse describes the natural succession of hay, new grass, and mountain vegetation as a picture of God's provision and the regular cycle of the farming year. Barnes stresses that the three clauses mark "the regular succession of the products of the earth." Gill sees the entire process as an argument for pastoral life: the earth "is covered with grass for the cattle, so that there is no further trouble than to drive the flocks into the pastures." Matthew Henry calls it an encouragement to diligence: "God invites thee to it by the plentiful provisions." Some voices, like Barnes, also read the perishable hay as a type of fleeting riches (Psalm 37:2; 90:5). But all agree the verse serves the passage's larger point: wealth in land and livestock requires watchfulness, and the created order itself rewards that care.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse describes the regular agricultural cycle of hay, new grass, and gathered herbs as part of God's provision, and it reinforces the passage's call to know the state of one's flocks rather than trust in temporary riches.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of the verse in context | It is part of the exhortation to diligence in caring for flocks and land (vv. 23, 27). | Some (Barnes) emphasize it as an illustration of the fleeting nature of riches; others (Gill, Matthew Henry) emphasize it as a display of God's generous provision that makes diligence worthwhile. |
| Meaning of 'hay is removed' (galah chatsir) | Refers to the first cutting of spring grass, which is then carried off for fodder. | Barnes reads the 'hay' as a type of what is perishable (Psalm 37:2; 90:5). Gill sees it simply as the start of the agricultural cycle, with no symbolic weight. |
| Application to non-agricultural life | The passage calls for attentive, faithful work in whatever calling one has. | Some apply it directly: the rhythm of work and rest, effort and trust, is universal. Others caution against allegorizing the farming details; the verse is first about literal shepherds. |
| Contrast with riches and crown in v. 24 | The verse shows that land-based wealth is more stable than money or titles. | Is the primary contrast between two types of wealth (land vs. cash), or is it between diligent work and lazy trust in fleeting treasures? Both readings appear in the commentaries. |
Historical & Cultural Context
In ancient Israel, farming and herding were the backbone of the economy. Wealth was measured in flocks, fields, and the produce of the land, not in coin. Proverbs 27:23, 27 contrasts this kind of wealth with money and royal crowns, which do not last. The verse itself paints a three-stage picture of the agricultural year: first, the spring hay is cut and removed ("the hay is removed"); then the aftermath, or new growth, appears for summer grazing; finally, the wild grasses of the hills are gathered for winter fodder. The Hebrew verbs are all in the Niphal stem, a passive or reflexive voice. Galah ("disappears"), nir'ah ("appears"), and ne'esfu ("are gathered") shift the focus from the farmer's action to the cycle itself, the land provides, season after season.
The "mountains" (harim) were the less fertile slopes used for summer pasture or harvesting wild herbs. Psalm 104:14 echoes this: "He causes the grass to grow for the livestock." The shepherd or farmer had to work with these rhythms, cutting hay at the right time, moving flocks to follow the new grass, and storing fodder for winter. The point is not that the work is effortless, but that God has built provision into the very fabric of creation. The sage uses this observable pattern to draw a line under the command: "Know well the state of your flocks" (v. 23). Careful attention to the land's rhythms is the path to lasting sustenance.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Proverbs 27:25. The Hebrew is stable across manuscripts. Translations differ on whether the first verb means "appears" (KJV, Geneva) or "is removed/carried" (WEB, ASV, Darby), but this is a matter of interpreting the Niphal of galah, not a textual variant. The Masoretic Text reads clearly as we have it.
Reception History
This verse has seldom been treated in isolation. In the early church, Proverbs as a whole was valued for its practical ethics; commentators like Augustine read the diligent shepherd as a type of the pastor caring for souls. Medieval Jewish exegetes (Rashi, Ibn Ezra) focused on the literal agricultural wisdom: the verse teaches the importance of seasonal work. Reformation figures such as Calvin and Luther used the passage to argue that God's providence works through ordinary labour, not against it. Matthew Henry's eighteenth-century commentary popularized the application to all callings: "We must have some business to do in this world." Modern interpreters (Keil & Delitzsch, Barnes) highlight the contrast between sustainable land-based wealth and the instability of money. The verse has also been cited in Christian teaching on creation care, as it grounds human work in God's reliable natural order.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God provides through the created order. The hay, new grass, and mountain herbs are gifts. They appear without human manufacture, and they do so in reliable seasons. This is grace built into creation.
- The gift requires faithful stewardship. The shepherd must cut the hay, move the flocks, gather the herbs. God's provision does not cancel human effort, it calls for it.
- This kind of wealth lasts; money and titles do not. The passage contrasts the sustainable yield of land and livestock with riches that vanish and crowns that do not endure. Diligent care of what God has given is wiser than chasing quick gain.
Five-point outline
- The context: a command to know the state of your flocks (v. 23).
- The reason: riches and titles are temporary (v. 24).
- The picture: the hay disappears, new grass appears, mountain herbs are gathered (v. 25).
- The promise: lambs for clothing, goats for land, milk for food (vv. 26, 27).
- The lesson: sustainable provision comes from working with God's rhythms, not from hoarding money.
Illustration hooks
- The garden that keeps giving. A vegetable patch needs planting, weeding, and watering, but the growth is God's. The farmer works, but cannot force the seed to sprout. That mix of effort and trust is exactly what Proverbs 27 describes.
- The contract job vs. the family farm. A single large paycheck can feel like a crown, but it can vanish overnight. A family that works the land, or builds a business slowly, may see smaller returns, but they have something that lasts.
- Seasonal rhythms in modern life. A teacher knows that September brings new students, December brings exams, June brings the close. The rhythm is predictable but still demands attention each year. Faithfulness shows up in the daily rounds.
Questions your congregation is asking
- I don't own flocks or fields, how do I apply this verse to my desk job or my home?
- How do I tell the difference between trusting God's provision and just being lazy?
- What counts as "riches that last" in a world where even good investments can fail?
Leading a Discussion
This short verse sits inside a longer passage about work, wealth, and wisdom. The agricultural picture is simple, but it carries weight. God provides through regular cycles; the wise person pays attention and works with those cycles rather than chasing quick riches. This discussion guide helps your group connect the ancient farming world with their own daily choices.
Discussion questions
- What stands out to you about the three actions in verse 25: the hay removed, new growth appears, mountain herbs gathered?
- Why does the writer place this description between the warning about temporary riches (v. 24) and the promise of lambs, goats, and milk (vv. 26, 27)?
- The Hebrew verbs are passive: the hay "is removed," the grass "is seen," the herbs "are gathered." What does that grammatical choice tell us about who is ultimately behind the provision?
- Read Psalm 104:14. How does that verse echo Proverbs 27:25, and what does it add to our understanding of God's care?
- In your own life, what are the "flocks" and "fields" that God has entrusted to you? How can you "know their state" well?
- Barnes reads the passing hay as a picture of what is perishable, while Gill sees it as a sign of how easily the land provides. Do you lean toward one reading? Why might both be true?
- The passage contrasts lasting wealth (land, livestock, family provision) with money and titles. How does that contrast challenge the way our culture defines success?
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)
| Psalms 104:14 | He causes the grass to grow for the livestock, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may produce food out of the earth: |
| Proverbs 10:5 | He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame. |
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
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that proper care of stored grain and timely release of livestock for grazing are both needed to keep land productive. This allows the income from selling animals to pay the landowner’s fees.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that when the grass dies the tender new growth appears showing the earth always produces fresh things. He believes this shows farming is a good job because it has regular seasons requiring careful work.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Hebrew word for grass appears in this verse. It is carried by the mountains from place to place.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes sees the saying as a description of natural processes. It notes that plants grow on their own without human effort. This shows that creation works according to its own laws.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that this verse is not about the uncertainty of riches but a practical encouragement to the pastoral life. The earth provides grass so easily that the shepherd's work is simply moving the flock to fresh pasture or making hay. He notes that the Hebrew suggests the hay is carried off, allowing tender grass to spring up for a second crop.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Christians who hold this view understand that God provides what is needed for people to be competent when they use it properly. This gives reason to work hard. You may find hope in Christ and the resurrection.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights a deliberate contrast: wealth and high status offer no lasting security, but careful cattle husbandry provides steady provisions. As hay is cut and new grass grows, the flock continually supplies clothing, land, and milk. Rural industry renews itself, sustaining the household reliably through each season.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the grass grows and animals give birth so that their products can provide food and clothing. You will have enough milk for your household and servants.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley reads the hay and the mountains as two encouragements to diligence. The hay shows that God has enriched the earth with plentiful provisions for our sake. Even the most barren mountains offer their help, so no part of creation is without purpose.