New English Translation
Proverbs 16:2
2All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the 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 intentions of the heart belong to a man, but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord. All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the motives. 3Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established. 4The Lord works everything for its own ends – 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 that leads to death.
- Proverbs 21:2All of a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the motives.
- Proverbs 30:12There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
- 1 Samuel 15:13When Samuel came to him, Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you! I have done what the Lord said.”
- Psalms 36:2for he is too proud to recognize and give up his sin.
- Jeremiah 2:22You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent. You can use as much soap as you want. But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,” says the Lord God.
- Luke 18:9Jesus also told this parable to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else.
- Romans 7:7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
- Proverbs 5:21For the ways of a person are in front of the Lord’s eyes, and the Lord weighs all that person’s paths.
- Proverbs 24:12If you say, “But we did not know about this,” does not the one who evaluates hearts consider? Does not the one who guards your life know? Will he not repay each person according to his deeds?
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- Isaiah 26:7The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you make is straight.
- Jeremiah 17:10I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds. I examine people’s hearts. I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done.
- Daniel 5:27As for teqel – you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking.
- Luke 16:15But Jesus said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God’s sight.
- Revelation 2:18“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following: “This is the solemn pronouncement of the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished 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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Commentaries