King James Version
Proverbs 16:2
2All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.
Proverbs 16:2 in other versions
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.
Context of Proverbs 16:2
1The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits. 3Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. 4The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Read all of Proverbs 16Proverbs 16:2 word by word
כָּֽל־דַּרְכֵי־אִ֭ישׁ זַ֣ךְ בְּעֵינָ֑יו וְתֹכֵ֖ן רוּח֣וֹת יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Proverbs 16:2
- Proverbs 16:25There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
- Proverbs 21:2Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.
- Proverbs 30:12There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
- 1 Samuel 15:13And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
- Psalms 36:2For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
- Jeremiah 2:22For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.
- Luke 18:9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
- Romans 7:7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
- Proverbs 5:21For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
- Proverbs 24:12If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
- Isaiah 26:7The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
- Jeremiah 17:10I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
- Daniel 5:27TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
- Luke 16:15And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
- Revelation 2:18And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
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
King James Version — Public Domain except in the United Kingdom (Crown rights)
Commentaries