Proverbs 28:26
in Proverbs 28He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool; But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
KJV
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
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This verse in Proverbs 28
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
He who rebukes a man
on Proverbs 28:23-28
The chapter's close ranks honest rebuke above flattery. Trusting the LORD is set against trusting oneself, and giving to the poor against hiding one's eyes. Verse 28 answers verse 12 as a frame, for when the wicked perish, "the righteous flourish."
This site's exposition
He who trusts in himself is a fool
Verse 25 set trust in the LORD against greed, and this verse sets it against trust in oneself. The self-reliant man leans on his own judgment and is called a fool. Walking in wisdom brings safety.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool - For his heart, which is deceitful and desperately wicked, will infallibly deceive him.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The contrast between the wisdom of him who trusts in the Lord, and the folly of self-trust.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בּוֹטֵ֣חַ | boteach | [one who] trusts | H982 → | 120 times |
| בְּ֭לִבּוֹ | belibo | in own heart his | H3820 → | 595 times |
| ה֣וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| כְסִ֑יל | khesil | [is] a fool | H3684 → | 70 times |
| וְהוֹלֵ֥ךְ | veholekh | and [one who] walks | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בְּ֝חָכְמָ֗ה | bechakhemah | in wisdom | H2451 → | 153 times |
| ה֣וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יִמָּלֵֽט׃ | yimalet | he will be delivered | H4422 → | 95 times |
בּוֹטֵ֣חַ[one who] trusts
boteachH982 →120 times
בְּ֭לִבּוֹin own heart his
beliboH3820 →595 times
ה֣וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
כְסִ֑יל[is] a fool
khesilH3684 →70 times
וְהוֹלֵ֥ךְand [one who] walks
veholekhH1980 →1546 times
בְּ֝חָכְמָ֗הin wisdom
bechakhemahH2451 →153 times
ה֣וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
יִמָּלֵֽט׃he will be delivered
yimaletH4422 →95 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 3:5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
it leads to
- Psalms 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.
- Jeremiah 17:7–8
But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.
- Psalms 37:3
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
- Psalms 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- Isaiah 26:3–4
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
- Psalms 37:5
Through
James 1:5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
it leads to
- Proverbs 2:3–6
if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
- Proverbs 2:3–6
Through
Jeremiah 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
it leads to
- Mark 7:21–22
For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
- Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
- Mark 7:21–22
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.