Albert Barnes Commentary Proverbs 27:23-27

"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [And] look well to thy herds: For riches are not for ever: And doth the crown endure unto all generations? The hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in. The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field; And [there will be] goats` milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, And maintenance for thy maidens." — Proverbs 27:23-27 (ASV)

Proverbs 27:23 sings the praises of the earlier patriarchal life, with its flocks and herds, and tillage of the ground, as compared with the commerce of a later time, with money as its chief or only wealth.

In this verse (Proverbs 27:23), the term the state literally means "face." It serves as an illustration of John 10:3 and John 10:14.

In Proverbs 27:24, Riches—the money which men may steal or waste—are contrasted with the land, from which the owner is not so easily deprived. Nor will the crown (both the crown of pure gold worn on the mitre of the high priest, Exodus 29:6; Exodus 39:30; and the kingly diadem, the symbol of power generally) be transmitted (as flocks and herds had been) “from one generation to another.”

Concerning Proverbs 27:25, the word Appeareth is notable. A better rendering of the relevant phrase is, When the grass disappears, “tender grass showeth itself.” Stress is laid on the regular succession of the products of the earth. The “grass” (“hay”) of the first clause is (Psalms 90:5; Psalms 103:15; 2 Kings 19:26) the proverbial type of what is perishable and fleeting.

Furthermore, this verse (Proverbs 27:25) gives a picture of the pleasantness of the farmer’s calling; compared with this, what can wealth or rank offer? With this, there also mingles the thought that each stage of that life, in its season, requires care and watchfulness.