The man who digs a pit falls into it, and the stone rolled uphill rolls back on the one who pushed it.
Proverbs 26:27 names the principle that traps return on the trapper: He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him (v. 27). The principle is simple.
He who digs a pit will fall into it. The man who dug a pit to trap someone else, by accident or by the LORD's providence, ends up in the pit himself. The trap he made captures him. Psalm 7:15-16 names the same pattern.
He who rolls a stone, it will come back on him. The man who pushes a heavy stone uphill, intending to release it on someone below, finds the stone rolling back down on him before he reaches the top, or the wind shifts, or the stone slips. The harm he set in motion returns. The verse names the LORD's patient justice. The wicked man's own devices have a way of doubling back. The wise reader is encouraged to leave vengeance to the LORD because the LORD's mechanisms include the natural consequences of malicious planning.
Proverbs 26:27
27 He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
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Proverbs 26:27 meaning
Proverbs 26:27 names the principle that traps return on the trapper: He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him (v. 27). The principle is simple.
He who digs a pit will fall into it. The man who dug a pit to trap someone else, by accident or by the LORD's providence, ends up in the pit himself. The trap he made captures him. Psalm 7:15-16 names the same pattern.
He who rolls a stone, it will come back on him. The man who pushes a heavy stone uphill, intending to release it on someone below, finds the stone rolling back down on him before he reaches the top, or the wind shifts, or the stone slips. The harm he set in motion returns. The verse names the LORD's patient justice. The wicked man's own devices have a way of doubling back. The wise reader is encouraged to leave vengeance to the LORD because the LORD's mechanisms include the natural consequences of malicious planning.