Proverbs 25:27
New International Version
It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.

New Living Translation
It’s not good to eat too much honey, and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself.

English Standard Version
It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.

Berean Standard Bible
It is not good to eat too much honey or to search out one’s own glory.

King James Bible
It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

New King James Version
It is not good to eat much honey; So to seek one’s own glory is not glory.

New American Standard Bible
It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

NASB 1995
It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

NASB 1977
It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

Legacy Standard Bible
To eat too much honey is not good, Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

Amplified Bible
It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.

Christian Standard Bible
It is not good to eat too much honey or to seek glory after glory.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
It is not good to eat too much honey or to seek glory after glory.

American Standard Version
It is not good to eat much honey: So for men to search out their own glory is grievous.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
To eat much honey is not good, neither to seek words of praise.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
It is not good to eat much honey; but it is right to honour venerable sayings.

Contemporary English Version
Don't eat too much honey or always want praise.

Douay-Rheims Bible
As it is not good for a man to eat much honey, so he that is a searcher of majesty, shall be overwhelmed by glory.

English Revised Version
It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search out their own glory is not glory.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Eating too much honey is not good, and searching for honor is not honorable.

Good News Translation
Too much honey is bad for you, and so is trying to win too much praise.

International Standard Version
To eat too much honey isn't good; and neither is it honorable to seek one's own glory.

JPS Tanakh 1917
It is not good to eat much honey; So for men to search out their own glory is not glory.

Literal Standard Version
The eating of much honey is not good, | Nor a searching out of one’s own honor—honor.

Majority Standard Bible
It is not good to eat too much honey or to search out one’s own glory.

New American Bible
To eat too much honey is not good; nor to seek honor after honor.

NET Bible
It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable for people to seek their own glory.

New Revised Standard Version
It is not good to eat much honey, or to seek honor on top of honor.

New Heart English Bible
It is not good to eat much honey; nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

Webster's Bible Translation
It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

World English Bible
It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor.

Young's Literal Translation
The eating of much honey is not good, Nor a searching out of one's own honour -- honour.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
More Proverbs of Solomon
26Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked. 27It is not good to eat too much honey or to search out one’s own glory. 28Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper.…

Cross References
Luke 14:11
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Proverbs 27:2
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth--a stranger, and not your own lips.


Treasury of Scripture

It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

not good

Proverbs 26:16
The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

John 5:44
How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

2 Corinthians 12:1,11
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord…

Philippians 2:3
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

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Proverbs 25
1. observations about kings
8. and about avoiding causes of quarrels














(27) So for men to search their own glory is not glory.--The sense of this passage is very doubtful. It may mean, "But to search into difficult matters is an honour." Self-indulgence and study are here contrasted.

Verse 27. - It is not good to eat much honey. The ill effects of a surfeit of honey have been already mentioned (Ver. 16); but here the application is different, and occasions some difficulty. The Authorized Version, in order to clear up the obscurity of the text, inserts a negative, So for men to search their own glory is not glory, which seems to be a warning against conceit and self-adulation. This is hardly warranted by the present Hebrew text, which is literally, as Venetian renders, Ἔρευνά τε δόξας αὐτῶν δόξα, "The search of their glory [is] glory." But who are meant by "their"? No persons are mentioned in the verse to whom the suffix in כְּבורָם can be referred, and it is not improbable that some words have dropped out of the text. At the same time, we might naturally in thought supply "for men" after "it is not good," such omissions being not uncommon in proverbial sayings; the suffix then would refer to them. Commentators have endeavoured to amend the text by alterations which do not commend themselves. Schultens supposes that the suffix had reference to the Divine law and revelations, and, as כבד may mean both "glory" and "weight," translates, "Vestigatio gravitatis eorum, gravitas." Bertheau takes kabod in two different senses, "The searching out of their glory is a burden." So Delitzsch, by little manipulation of the pointing (כְּבֵרִם) obtains the rendering, "But to search out hard things is an honour." Taken thus, the maxim says that bodily pleasures sicken and cloy, but diligent study brings honour. This, however, is not satisfactory; it gives a word two different senses in the same clause, and it affords a very feeble contrast. One would naturally expect the proverb to say that the excess, which was deprecated in the first hemistich as regards one department, must be equally rejected in another sphere. This is somewhat the idea given by Jerome, Sic qui scrutator est majestatis opprimetur a gloria. The truth here stated will be explained by translating our text, "The investigation of weighty matters is a weight." Thus the clauses are shown to be well poised. Honey is good, study is good; but both may be used so as to be prejudicial. Eating may be carried to excess; study may attempt to investigate things too hard or too high. That this is a real danger we know well from the controversies about predestination and elation in time past, and those concerning spiritualism and theurgy in our own day (see Jeremy Taylor, 'Certainty of Salvation,' 3:176, edit. Hebrews; and 'Holy Living,' ch. 3, § 5). This is the view taken of the passage by St. Gregory ('Moral,' 14:32), 'If the sweetness of honey be taken in greater measure than there is occasion for, from the same source whence the palate is gratified, the life of the eater is destroyed.' The "searching into majesty" is also sweet; but he that seeks to dive into it deeper than the cognizance of human nature admits, finds the mere gloriousness thereof by itself oppresses him, in that, like honey taken in excess, it bursts the sense of the searcher which is not capable of holding it." And again (ibid., 20:18), "For the glory of the invisible Creator, which when searched into with moderation lifts us up, being dived into beyond our powers bears us down" (Oxford transl.). (Comp. Deuteronomy 29:29; Ecclus. 3:21, etc.) Septuagint, "To eat much honey is not good, but it behoves us to honor glorious sayings."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
It is not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

good
ט֑וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

to eat
אָ֘כֹ֤ל (’ā·ḵōl)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 398: To eat

too much
הַרְבּ֣וֹת (har·bō·wṯ)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great

honey
דְּבַ֣שׁ (də·ḇaš)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1706: Honey, syrup

or to search out
וְחֵ֖קֶר (wə·ḥê·qer)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2714: A searching, a thing (to be) searched out

one’s own glory.
כְּבֹדָ֣ם (kə·ḇō·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 25:27 It is not good to eat much (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 25:26
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