English Standard Version
Proverbs 20:27
27The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.
Proverbs 20:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
- New International Version (NIV)The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.
- New Living Translation (NLT)The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.
Context of Proverbs 20:27
25It is a snare to say rashly, "It is holy," and to reflect only after making vows. 26A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them. The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts. 28Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his throne is upheld. 29The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
Read all of Proverbs 20Proverbs 20:27 word by word
נֵ֣ר יְ֭הוָה נִשְׁמַ֣ת אָדָ֑ם חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ כָּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 20:27
- Genesis 2:7then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
- Job 32:8But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
- Romans 2:15They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
- 1 Corinthians 2:11For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
- 2 Corinthians 4:2But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
- 1 John 3:19By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
- Proverbs 20:20If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
- Proverbs 20:30Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.
- Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Commentaries on Proverbs 20:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord - God has given to every man a mind, which he so enlightens by his own Spirit, that the man knows how to distinguish good from evil; and conscience, which springs from this, searches the inmost recesses of the soul.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27The spirit of man - The “breath” of Genesis 2:7, the higher life, above that which he has in common with lower animals, coming to him direct from God. Such a life, with all its powers of insight, consciousness, reflection, is as a lamp which God has lighted, throwing its rays into the darkest recesses of the heart. A still higher truth is proclaimed in the Prologue of John‘s Gospel. The candle, or lamp of Yahweh, derives its light from “the Light that…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27Verse 27 The rational soul and conscience are as a lamp within us, which should be used in examining our dispositions and motives with the revealed will of God.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27The Lord's light reaches the human spirit, and God sees deep into people's hearts (see Proverbs 16:2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2727. The spirit ... Lord--Men's minds are God's gifts, and thus able to search one another (compare Pr 20:5; Pr 18:8, 17; 1Co 2:11).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 20:27
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 20
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries