Proverbs 24:27
Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights the importance of foundational preparation, not just for building a physical house, but for laying the groundwork of one's entire livelihood and provision. It’s about securing the essential resources and putting your "field" in order first, ensuring a stable supply, before you move on to the comforts and structures that come later.
This proverb is part of a larger section offering practical wisdom on various aspects of life. It follows teachings on justice, diligence, and avoiding conflict, urging the reader to prioritize foundational needs. The verse emphasizes the importance of securing one's livelihood and resources before embarking on major life projects like building a home or starting a family.
Ever feel like you're trying to build a life without the right materials? This verse offers a practical blueprint.
Proverbs 24:27 isn't just about farming; it's a timeless principle for setting priorities. Before you construct something as significant as a house (representing stability, family, and long-term security), the verse insists you must first 'prepare your work outside' and 'get everything ready in the field.' This means ensuring your basic needs are met, your resources are secured, and your foundation is solid. Think of it as gathering all your materials and ensuring your land is fertile before you even lay the first brick. It’s about establishing a sustainable livelihood before investing heavily in comforts or permanent structures.
Building a stable future isn't passive. Discover the active role diligence plays in God's wisdom.
The verse stresses 'preparing' and 'getting ready.' This isn't a passive waiting game; it's about active, diligent work. 'Prepare your work outside' implies careful planning and execution. 'Get everything ready' means leaving no stone unturned. It's about putting in the effort to ensure your resources are sufficient. This mirrors the wisdom needed in any endeavor, whether it's a business, a ministry, or even preparing for marriage. True readiness comes from consistent, wise effort in the 'field' of your responsibilities, securing the means necessary for the 'house' you intend to build.
Understand the original words
sadeh · Hebrew Noun
The physical or spiritual environment where labor, planning, and life occur. Biblically, the field is often associated with the place of duty, productivity, and the testing of one's diligence and stewardship.
bayit · Hebrew Noun
The primary location of a family's life, heritage, and stability. In Scripture, building a house involves both physical preparation and the establishment of a godly legacy or community, often requiring wisdom and proper sequencing of priorities.
Jesus uses a similar principle, urging people to 'count the cost' before starting to build, emphasizing careful planning and resource assessment before undertaking a significant endeavor.
1 Kings 6:7This passage describes the meticulous preparation of materials for building the temple, mirroring Proverbs' emphasis on getting everything ready 'without' before the main construction begins.
Matthew 6:33While Proverbs focuses on earthly work, this verse echoes the principle of prioritizing foundational needs ('seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness') before pursuing secondary comforts or accomplishments.
Genesis 2:15This verse shows Adam being placed in the garden 'to work it and keep it,' highlighting the importance of tending to provision and stewardship ('the work outside') before establishing a dwelling ('build his house').
pooleProverbs 24:27: "Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house."
This is a domestical precept, requiring both industry and prudence in the management of a man’s concerns, that he take care in the first place to furnish himself with cattle and the fruits of the field, which are necessary for his subsistence, and after that he may procure such things as are for ornament and comfort, such as the building of a convenient house is.
jfbProverbs 24:27: "Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house."
- Prepare … in the field—Secure, by diligence, a proper support, and then build; provide necessaries, then comforts, to which a house rather pertained, in a mild climate, permitting the use of tents.
This verse highlights the importance of foundational preparation, not just for building a physical house, but for laying the groundwork of one's entire livelihood and provision. It’s about securing the essential resources and putting your "field" in order first, ensuring a stable supply, before you move on to the comforts and structures that come later.
This proverb is part of a larger section offering practical wisdom on various aspects of life. It follows teachings on justice, diligence, and avoiding conflict, urging the reader to prioritize foundational needs. The verse emphasizes the importance of securing one's livelihood and resources before embarking on major life projects like building a home or starting a family.
This proverb is part of a larger section offering practical wisdom on various aspects of life. It follows teachings on justice, diligence, and avoiding conflict, urging the reader to prioritize foundational needs. The verse emphasizes the importance of securing one's livelihood and resources embarking on major life projects like building a home or starting a family.
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"Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house." — This verse highlights the importance of foundational preparation, not just for building a physical house, but for laying the groundwork of one's entire livelihood and provision. It’s about securing t…
