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Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024
the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Proverbs 16:2

All a person's ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the motives.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God Continued...;   Heart;   Self-Righteousness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Balances, Divine;   Divine;   Self-Justification-Self-Condemnation;   Self-Righteousness;   The Topic Concordance - Man;   Spirit/souls;   Ways;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Man;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Spirit;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hannah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Purity-Purification;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Self-Examination;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Clean;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Way;  

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.
Update Bible Version
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But Yahweh weighs the spirits.
New Century Version
You may believe you are doing right, but the Lord will judge your reasons.
Webster's Bible Translation
All the ways of a man [are] clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
World English Bible
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But Yahweh weighs the motives.
Amplified Bible
All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions], But the LORD weighs and examines the motives and intents [of the heart and knows the truth].
English Standard Version
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Alle the weies of men ben opyn to the iyen of God; the Lord is a weiere of spiritis.
English Revised Version
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes: but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Berean Standard Bible
All a man's ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed by the LORD.
Contemporary English Version
We may think we know what is right, but the Lord is the judge of our motives.
American Standard Version
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But Jehovah weigheth the spirits.
Bible in Basic English
All a man's ways are clean to himself; but the Lord puts men's spirits into his scales.
Complete Jewish Bible
All a man's ways are pure in his own view, but Adonai weighs the spirit.
Darby Translation
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but Jehovah weigheth the spirits.
Easy-to-Read Version
People think that whatever they do is right, but the Lord judges their reason for doing it.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
King James Version (1611)
All the wayes of a man are cleane in his owne eyes: but the Lord weigheth the spirits.
New Life Bible
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the thoughts of the heart.
New Revised Standard
All one's ways may be pure in one's own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Geneva Bible (1587)
All the wayes of a man are cleane in his owne eyes: but the Lord pondereth the spirits.
George Lamsa Translation
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD directs his way.
Good News Translation
You may think everything you do is right, but the Lord judges your motives.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All the ways of a man, may be pure in his own eyes, but, he that testeth spirits, is Yahweh.
Douay-Rheims Bible
All the ways of a man are open to his eyes: the Lord is the weigher of spirits.
Revised Standard Version
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A man thynketh all his wayes to be cleane: but it is the Lorde that iudgeth the myndes.
Christian Standard Bible®
All a person’s ways seem right to him,but the Lord weighs motives.
Hebrew Names Version
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But the LORD weighs the motives.
King James Version
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.
Lexham English Bible
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but Yahweh weighs the spirit.
Literal Translation
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but Jehovah weighs the spirits.
Young's Literal Translation
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, And Jehovah is pondering the spirits.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A ma thinketh all his waies to be clene, but it is ye LORDE yt fashioneth ye myndes.
THE MESSAGE
Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good.
New American Standard Bible
All the ways of a person are clean in his own sight, But the LORD examines the motives.
New King James Version
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives.
Legacy Standard Bible
All the ways of a man are pure in his own sight,But Yahweh weighs the motives.

Contextual Overview

2 All a person's ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the motives.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the ways: Proverbs 16:25, Proverbs 21:2, Proverbs 30:12, 1 Samuel 15:13, 1 Samuel 15:14, Psalms 36:2, Jeremiah 2:22, Jeremiah 2:23, Luke 18:9-11, Romans 7:7-9

but: Proverbs 5:21, Proverbs 24:12, 1 Samuel 16:7, Isaiah 26:7, Jeremiah 17:10, Daniel 5:27, Luke 16:15, Revelation 2:18, Revelation 2:23

Reciprocal: Judges 17:6 - right 1 Chronicles 29:17 - triest the heart Proverbs 12:15 - way Jeremiah 35:17 - because Luke 17:10 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it."
Genesis 3:17
But to Adam he said, "Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,' cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not given birth to any children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
Genesis 16:2
So Sarai said to Abram, "Since the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her." Abram did what Sarai told him.
Genesis 16:4
He had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.
Genesis 16:6
Abram said to Sarai, "Since your servant is under your authority, do to her whatever you think best." Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai.
Genesis 16:9
Then the Lord 's angel said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.
Genesis 16:10
I will greatly multiply your descendants," the Lord 's angel added, "so that they will be too numerous to count."
Genesis 17:16
I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. Kings of countries will come from her!"
Genesis 18:10
One of them said, "I will surely return to you when the season comes round again, and your wife Sarah will have a son!" (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All the ways of a man [are] clean in his own eyes,.... All right and well, not only some, but all, having a high opinion of himself; for this is to be understood of a self-righteous man, who is pure in his own eyes, though not cleansed from his filthiness, and so fancies every way he walks in, and everything he does, is pure; this is owing to want of knowledge of the impurity of his nature; was he sensible of this, he would see that his best righteousness is as filthy rags and to his ignorance of the spirituality of the law, which, was he acquainted with, he would find, on comparing himself with it, that he and all he did was polluted and unclean: some read the words, "all the ways of a pure man [are] before his eyes": the eyes of the Lord, he sees them, and approves of them; so Aben Ezra; and to this agrees the Septuagint version, "all the works of an humble man [are] manifest with God"; and the Arabic version, "all the works of an humble man are clean before God"; but the former reading and sense seem best;

but the Lord weigheth the spirits; searches and tries the hearts; he sees, knows, and observes the principles of all actions, and can as exactly adjust the nature and quality of them, as a man, with a pair of scales in his hands, can tell precisely the weight of anything put into them; the Lord weighs the spirits, or hearts, from whence all actions flow, by his omniscience, and accordingly judges of them by that, and not by the outward appearance; and he weighs all actions by his law, in the balance of the sanctuary, where they are found wanting, and come greatly short of that purity and perfection pharisaical persons imagine there is in them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

We 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.


 
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