Proverbs 5:21
in Proverbs 5For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.
KJV
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
⋯
This verse in Proverbs 5
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe Lord looks upon the ways of man, etc. Let adulterers not think they are covered by the darkness of night against the wall, nor heretics that their schemes can be hidden, because the darkness will not be obscured from the Lord, and night will …
This site's exposition
embrace the bosom of a stranger
on Proverbs 5:20-23
The father's question, “Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress,” borrows the word given to married love and turns it against misdirected desire. In the last verses “the cords of his sin entangle him,” sin's own discipline, the trap a man ties for himself.
This site's exposition
the LORD examines all his paths
Examines is the verb of verse 6, where the forbidden woman does not consider the path of life. Albert Barnes marks the turn: she weighs nothing, and the LORD weighs every step. Hebrews 4:13 lays all things bare before His eyes.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He will call the sinner to an account for it; for he not only sees, but ponders all his goings, judges concerning them, as one that will shortly judge the sinner for them. Every action is weighed, and shall be brought into judgment ( Eccl. xii. 14 ), which is a good reason why we should ponder the path of our feet ( ch. iv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
One more warning. The sin is not against man, nor dependent on man’s detection only. The secret sin is open before the eyes of Yahweh. In the balance of His righteous judgment are weighed all human acts. Pondereth - Note the recurrence of the word used of the harlot herself (see Pro 1:6 note): she ponders not, God does.
For the ways of a man - Whether they are public or private, God sees all the steps thou takest in life.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נֹ֨כַח׀ | nokhach | before | H5227 → | |
| עֵינֵ֣י | ʾeinei | [the] eyes of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| יְ֭הוָה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| דַּרְכֵי־ | darkhei- | [the] ways of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| אִ֑ישׁ | ʾish | a person | H376 → | 1663 times |
| וְֽכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מַעְגְּלֹתָ֥יו | ma'gelotav | tracks his | H4570 → | 16 times |
| מְפַלֵּֽס׃ | mefales | [he is] making level | H6424 → | 6 times |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
נֹ֨כַח׀before
nokhachH5227 →
עֵינֵ֣י[the] eyes of
ʾeineiH5869 →887 times
יְ֭הוָהYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
דַּרְכֵי־[the] ways of
darkhei-H1870 →707 times
אִ֑ישׁa person
ʾishH376 →1663 times
וְֽכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
מַעְגְּלֹתָ֥יוtracks his
ma'gelotavH4570 →16 times
מְפַלֵּֽס׃[he is] making level
mefalesH6424 →6 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
Hebrews 4:13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
it leads to
- Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- 1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each…
- Psalms 33:13–15
The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
- Proverbs 15:3
Through
Proverbs 15:3The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 16:17
For My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not concealed from My eyes.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Job 31:4
Does He not see my ways and count my every step?
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
- Jeremiah 23:24
“Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 16:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.