Proverbs 27:20 - Exposition

Hell and destruction are never full. "Hell" is sheol, the under-world, Hades, the place of the departed; "destruction" is the great depth, the second death, personified (see on Proverbs 15:11 , where the terms also occur). These "are never satisfied," they are insatiable, all-devouring (comp. Proverbs 30:16 ; Isaiah 5:14 ; Habakkuk 2:5 ). So the eyes of man are never satisfied. The verb is the same in both clauses, and ought to have been so translated. The eye is taken as the representative of concupiscence in general. What is true of "the lust of the eyes" ( 1 John 2:16 ) is true of all the senses; the craving for their gratification grows as it is fed. Therefore the senses should be carefully guarded, lest they lead to excess and transgression. "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity," said the psalmist, "and quicken me in thy way" ( Psalms 119:37 ). The LXX . here introduces a paragraph not in the Hebrew or the Latin Versions: "He that fixes ( στηρίζων ) his eye [ i . e . staring impudently] is an abomination to the Lord, and the uninstructed restrain not their tongue."