New Living Translation
Proverbs 16:2
2People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their 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
1We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. 3Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. 4The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, 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 path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
- Proverbs 21:2People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.
- Proverbs 30:12They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed.
- 1 Samuel 15:13When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!”
- Psalms 36:2In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are.
- Jeremiah 2:22No amount of soap or lye can make you clean. I still see the stain of your guilt. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
- Luke 18:9Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:
- Romans 7:7Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”
- Proverbs 5:21For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.
- Proverbs 24:12Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- Isaiah 26:7But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.
- Jeremiah 17:10But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
- Daniel 5:27Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.
- Luke 16:15Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.
- Revelation 2:18“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, 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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