New International Version
Proverbs 16:2
2All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
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.
- 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
1To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. 4The Lord works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a 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 appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
- Proverbs 21:2A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.
- Proverbs 30:12those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
- 1 Samuel 15:13When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
- Psalms 36:2In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.
- Jeremiah 2:22Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord.
- Luke 18:9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:
- Romans 7:7What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
- Proverbs 5:21For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.
- Proverbs 24:12If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- Isaiah 26:7The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.
- Jeremiah 17:10“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”
- Daniel 5:27Tekel : You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
- Luke 16:15He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
- Revelation 2:18“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished 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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
Commentaries