Proverbs 21:10
in Proverbs 21The soul of the wicked man craves evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The soul of the wicked desireth evil: His neighbor findeth no favor in his eyes.
KJV
The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.
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This verse in Proverbs 21
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
The way of a guilty man is crooked
on Proverbs 21:8-10
"The way of a guilty man is crooked, but the conduct of the innocent is upright," the chapter's division. The soul of the wicked man "craves evil," the appetite language used of the fortune seeker, and his neighbor finds no favor with him.
This site's exposition
The soul of the wicked man craves evil
The verse speaks of wickedness as an appetite. His neighbor finds no favor with him, and can neither satisfy that craving nor escape it. The treasure seeker of verse 6 showed the same hunger.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The soul of the wicked desireth evil,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
When a scorner is punished, a fool gains wisdom Through the chastisements of scorners, fools gain wisdom and return [to God] in repentance.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| נֶ֣פֶשׁ | nefesh | [the] appetite of | H5315 → | 754 times |
| רָ֭שָׁע | rasho' | a wicked [person] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| אִוְּתָה־ | ʾivetah- | it craves | H183 → | 26 times |
| רָ֑ע | ra' | evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יֻחַ֖ן | yuchan | he is shown favor | H2603 → | 78 times |
| בְּעֵינָ֣יו | beeinav | in view his | H5869 → | 887 times |
| רֵעֵֽהוּ׃ | reehu | neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
נֶ֣פֶשׁ[the] appetite of
nefeshH5315 →754 times
רָ֭שָׁעa wicked [person]
rasho'H7563 →263 times
אִוְּתָה־it craves
ʾivetah-H183 →26 times
רָ֑עevil
ra'H7451 →662 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יֻחַ֖ןhe is shown favor
yuchanH2603 →78 times
בְּעֵינָ֣יוin view his
beeinavH5869 →887 times
רֵעֵֽהוּ׃neighbor his
reehuH7453 →188 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
1 John 2:16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
it leads to
- Romans 13:14
Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
- Galatians 5:17
For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.
- Psalms 119:36–37
Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.
- Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave…
- Proverbs 27:20
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
- Romans 13:14
Through
1 Corinthians 10:6These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.
it leads to
- Jude 1:7
In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal…
- 1 Corinthians 10:11
Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
- 2 Peter 2:6
if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly;
- Jude 1:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs

This page draws on Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).
