Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 16:2
2All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives.
Proverbs 16:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.
- New International Version (NIV)All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.
- New King James Version (NKJV)All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits.
Context of Proverbs 16:2
1The reflections of the heart belong to mankind, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives. 3Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established. 4The Lord has prepared everything for his purpose — even the wicked for the day of disaster.
Read all of Proverbs 16Proverbs 16:2 word by word
כָּֽל־דַּרְכֵי־אִ֭ישׁ זַ֣ךְ בְּעֵינָ֑יו וְתֹכֵ֖ן רוּח֣וֹת יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 16:2
- Proverbs 16:25There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.
- Proverbs 21:2All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs hearts.
- Proverbs 30:12There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth.
- 1 Samuel 15:13When Samuel came to him, Saul said, “May the Lord bless you. I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
- Psalms 36:2For with his flattering opinion of himself, he does not discover and hate his iniquity.
- Jeremiah 2:22Even if you wash with lye and use a great amount of bleach, the stain of your iniquity is still in front of me. This is the Lord God’s declaration.
- Luke 18:9He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else:
- Romans 7:7What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.
- Proverbs 5:21For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and he considers all his paths.
- Proverbs 24:12If you say, “But we didn’t know about this,” won’t he who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t he who protects your life know? Won’t he repay a person according to his work?
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”
- Isaiah 26:7The path of the righteous is level; you clear a straight path for the righteous.
- Jeremiah 17:10I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.
- Daniel 5:27‘Tekel’ means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient.
- Luke 16:15And he told them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.
- Revelation 2:18“Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God, the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:
Commentaries on Proverbs 16:2
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2We are blind to our own faults, do not see ourselves as others see us. There is One who tries not the “ways” only, but the “spirits” Hebrews 4:12: this is the true remedy against self-deceit.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 2Verse 2 Ignorance, pride, and self-flattery render us partial judges respecting our own conduct.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2God's judgment of right and wrong is what matters (see Genesis 8:21; 1 Samuel 13:14; 16:6–7; Luke 16:15). This saying is almost the same in Proverbs 21:2.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. clean--or, "faultless." weigheth--or, "tries," "judges," implying that they are faulty (Pr 21:2; 24:12).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 16:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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