New International Version
Proverbs 21:4
4Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.
Proverbs 21:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.
- New King James Version (NKJV)A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.
Context of Proverbs 21:4
2A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. 3To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin. 5The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. 6A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.
Read all of Proverbs 21Proverbs 21:4 word by word
רוּם־עֵ֭ינַיִם וּרְחַב־לֵ֑ב נִ֖ר רְשָׁעִ֣ים חַטָּֽאת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 21:4
- Proverbs 6:17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
- Proverbs 8:13To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
- Proverbs 30:13those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;
- Psalms 10:4In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
- Isaiah 2:11The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
- Isaiah 3:16The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
- Luke 18:14“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
- 1 Peter 5:5In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
- Proverbs 21:27The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!
- Proverbs 15:8The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
- Romans 14:23But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Commentaries on Proverbs 21:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4A high look - The evidence of pride, self-conceit, and vanity. A proud heart, from which the high look, etc., come. And the ploughing - נר ner, lucerna, the lamp, the prosperity and posterity of the wicked; is sin - it is evil in the seed, and evil in the root evil in the branch, and evil in the fruit. They are full of sin themselves, and what they do is sinful.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The plowing - The Hebrew word, with a change in its vowel points, may signify either: (1) the “fallow field,” the “tillage” of Proverbs 13:23, or (2) the lamp. According to: (1) the verse would mean, “The outward signs of pride, the proud heart, the broad lands of the wicked, all are evil.” (2) however, belongs, as it were, to the language of the time and of the book Proverbs 13:9; Proverbs 24:20. The “lamp of the wicked” is their outwardly bright…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4Verse 4 Sin is the pride, the ambition, the glory, the joy, and the business of wicked men.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Appearance (eyes), character (heart), and actions are all important. God dislikes pride (see Proverbs 6:17–18; 11:2; 13:10; 15:33; 16:18; 18:12).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. high look--(Compare Margin; Psa 131:1). proud heart--or, "heart of breadth," one that is swollen (compare Psa 101:5). ploughing--better "lamp," a frequent figure for prosperity (Pr 20:20); hence joy or delight.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 21:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 21
- 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
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