Proverbs 21 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Proverbs 21

21:1   The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
    he turns it wherever he will.
2   Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
    but the LORD weighs the heart.
3   To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4   Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
    the lamp¹ of the wicked, are sin.
5   The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
6   The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
    is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.²
7   The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.
8   The way of the guilty is crooked,
    but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9   It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
10   The soul of the wicked desires evil;
    his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11   When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
    when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12   The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
    he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13   Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
    will himself call out and not be answered.
14   A gift in secret averts anger,
    and a concealed bribe,³ strong wrath.
15   When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
    but terror to evildoers.
16   One who wanders from the way of good sense
    will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17   Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
    he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18   The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
    and the traitor for the upright.
19   It is better to live in a desert land
    than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
20   Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
    but a foolish man devours it.
21   Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22   A wise man scales the city of the mighty
    and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23   Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    keeps himself out of trouble.
24   “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
    who acts with arrogant pride.
25   The desire of the sluggard kills him,
    for his hands refuse to labor.
26   All day long he craves and craves,
    but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
27   The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
    how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
28   A false witness will perish,
    but the word of a man who hears will endure.
29   A wicked man puts on a bold face,
    but the upright gives thought to⁴ his ways.
30   No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
    can avail against the LORD.
31   The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but the victory belongs to the LORD.

Footnotes

[1] 21:4 Or the plowing
[2] 21:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Latin; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death
[3] 21:14 Hebrew a bribe in the bosom
[4] 21:29 Or establishes

Commentary

v1: We have read of the king's authority, in 20.8, 26; yet even the king is subject to God.

v2: Man naturally thinks his own way to be correct. Since the Lord weighs the heart and our motives, we must seek His mind and counsel.

v3: A repeated theme in the O.T., righteousness and justice preferred above ritual sacrifice.

v4: Haughtiness and pride are condemned as sin.

v5: We are to avoid hastiness and rashness; hasty words, hasty actions, plans made hastily, all lead to poverty. Diligence is encouraged.

v6: See 20.17; riches gained by deceit; there may well be pleasure initially, but that is sin, and will lead to death.

We may consider an end to be good, but that does not justify any means to achieve it.

v7: Some are incorrigible, refusing divine wisdom.

v8: Guilt men are devious; the godly are sincere and blameless.

v9: Contention in the home is not good. See also v19.

v10: The wicked man is greedy and merciless.

v11: The simple learn from severe punishment, especially of another. The scoffer is proud and haughty, refusing to accept rebuke, and rejecting sound instruction. The simple man is ignorant, immature, unthinking, who neglects the things of God; but he can change, and get wisdom and knowledge.

The wise man learns from instruction; he is quick to learn, and has a willing heart.

v12: The righteous man is not ignorant of the wicked, for he is discerning.

v13: We must give to the poor, and not be uncaring, nor close our minds to their predicament.

v14: Bribery may have desirable effects, but that does not justify it.

v15: Justice is God's standards applied in human life. The godly welcome such standards, but evil men fear judgment, Rom 13.3-4.

v16: Wandering; not a deliberate conscious rejection of truth (Heb 2.3), yet it leads to death.

v17: The folly of hedonism and materialism; Solomon learned this lesson by bitter experience, as he relates in Ecclesiastes.

v18: Ultimately, God will give up the wicked and unfaithful, and will preserve the righteous.

v19: Those close to us must be in agreement with us; to share a house with a quarrelsome wife (or husband) is unpleasant.

v20: The wise man thinks ahead, and provides for himself and his family; the foolish man, being short-sighted, devours everything today, see 6.8.

v21: We must seek God's love and righteousness; great is the reward.

v22: The wise are more powerful than the mighty, their trust is in God, while the mighty trust in human strength.

v23: The guarded mouth and tongue; a restraint of when to speak, and what to say. By such restraint, disaster is avoided.

v24: The mocker has no time for the things of the Lord; he is proud and arrogant.

v25-26: The sluggard has desires which are unfulfilled, esp. as he will not lift a finger to work. The righteous, being diligent, can be generous, for he has received much from his hard work.

v27: The wicked man may feign religious devotion, but his 'worship' is abhorrent to God.

v28: The false witness brings down both speaker and listener.

v29: The wicked has a bold front, a pretence, as a defence against the wrong in his life. He cannot be genuine and sincere, and he will not be thoughtful.

v30: The Lord is great, and all schemes against Him will fail.

v31: The outcome of all things is from the Lord, 16.1,9.