Proverbs 5:21
New International Version
For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths.

New Living Translation
For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.

English Standard Version
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths.

Berean Standard Bible
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.

King James Bible
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

New King James Version
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths.

New American Standard Bible
For the ways of everyone are before the eyes of the LORD, And He observes all his paths.

NASB 1995
For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths.

NASB 1977
For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths.

Legacy Standard Bible
For the ways of a man are before the eyes of Yahweh, And He watches all his tracks.

Amplified Bible
For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the LORD, And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].

Christian Standard Bible
For a man’s ways are before the LORD’s eyes, and he considers all his paths.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For a man’s ways are before the LORD’s eyes, and He considers all his paths.

American Standard Version
For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because the ways of a man are in front of LORD JEHOVAH and all his paths are open before him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For the ways of a man are before the eyes of God, and he looks on all his paths.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD sees everything, and he watches us closely.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord beholdeth the ways of man, and considereth all his steps.

English Revised Version
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he maketh level all his paths.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Each person's ways are clearly seen by the LORD, and he surveys all his actions.

Good News Translation
The LORD sees everything you do. Wherever you go, he is watching.

International Standard Version
Indeed, what a man does is always in the LORD's presence, and he weighs all his paths.

JPS Tanakh 1917
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He maketh even all his paths.

Literal Standard Version
For the ways of each are before the eyes of YHWH, | And He is pondering all his paths.

Majority Standard Bible
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.

New American Bible
Indeed, the ways of each person are plain to the LORD’s sight; all their paths he surveys;

NET Bible
For the ways of a person are in front of the LORD's eyes, and the LORD weighs all that person's paths.

New Revised Standard Version
For human ways are under the eyes of the LORD, and he examines all their paths.

New Heart English Bible
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD. He examines all his paths.

Webster's Bible Translation
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

World English Bible
For the ways of man are before Yahweh’s eyes. He examines all his paths.

Young's Literal Translation
For over-against the eyes of Jehovah are the ways of each, And all his paths He is pondering.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Avoiding Immorality
20Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger? 21For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths. 22The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.…

Cross References
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.

Job 14:16
For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin.

Job 31:4
Does He not see my ways and count my every step?

Job 34:21
For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step.

Psalm 119:168
I obey Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You.

Proverbs 4:26
Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.

Proverbs 5:6
She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable.


Treasury of Scripture

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his goings.

Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

Job 31:4
Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?

Jump to Previous
Examines Eyes Full Goings Level Maketh Over-Against Paths Pondereth Pondering Puts Scales View Watches Ways
Jump to Next
Examines Eyes Full Goings Level Maketh Over-Against Paths Pondereth Pondering Puts Scales View Watches Ways
Proverbs 5
1. Solomon exhorts to wisdom
3. He shows the mischief of unfaithfulness and riot
15. He exhorts to contentedness, generosity, and chastity
22. The wicked are overtaken with their own sins














(21) For the ways of man . . .--Another reason for avoiding sin is the certainty of detection by the Judge, whose "eyes run to and fro through the whole earth" (2Chronicles 16:9), comp. Psalm 11:4.

Verse 21. - For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord. The obvious meaning here is that as "the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Proverbs 15:3), there is no possibility of any act of immorality escaping God's notice. The consciousness of this fact is to be the restraining motive, inasmuch as he who sees will also punish every transgression. The great truth acknowledged here is the omniscience of God, a truth which is borne witness to in almost identical language in Job: "For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings" (Job 34:21; cf. 24:23 and Job 31:4). So Hanani the seer says to Asa King of Judah, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth" (2 Chronicles 16:9); and Jehovah says, in Jeremiah, "For mine eyes are upon all their ways, they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes" (Jeremiah 16:17; cf. 32:29); and again, in Hosea, "They are before my face" (Hosea 7:2), and the same truth is re-echoed in the Epistle to the Hebrews, in all probability gathered from our passage, "All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13). The ways of man; i.e. the conduct of any individual man or woman; ish, "man," being used generically. Are before the eyes of the Lord; i.e. are an object on which Jehovah fixes his gaze and scrutiny. And he pondereth all his goings. The word "he pondereth" is in the original m'phalles, the piel participle of philles, piel of the unused kal, palas, and appears to be properly rendered in the Authorized Version. This verb, however, has various meanings:

(1) to make level, or prepare, as in Proverbs 4:26 and Proverbs 5:6;

(2) to weigh, or consider accurately, in which sense it is used here.

So Gesenius, Lee, Buxtorf, and Davidson. Jehovah not only sees, but weighs all that a man does, wheresoever he be, and will apportion rewards and punishments according to a man's actions (Patrick). The German commentators, Delitzsch and Zockler, however, look upon the word as indicating the overruling providence of God, just as the former part of the verse refers to his omniscience, and render, "he marketh out," in the sense that the Lord makes it possible for a man to walk in the way of uprightness and purity. There is nothing inherently objectionable in this view, since experience shows that the world is regulated by the Divine government, but it loses sight to some extent of the truth upon which the teacher appears to be insisting, which is that evil actions are visited with Divine retribution.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

a man’s
אִ֑ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

ways
דַּרְכֵי־ (dar·ḵê-)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

are before
נֹ֨כַח ׀ (nō·ḵaḥ)
Preposition
Strong's 5227: The front part, opposite, in front of, forward, in behalf of

the eyes
עֵינֵ֣י (‘ê·nê)
Noun - cdc
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

of the LORD,
יְ֭הוָה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

and [the Lord] watches
מְפַלֵּֽס׃ (mə·p̄al·lês)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6424: To roll flat, prepare, to revolve, weigh

all
וְֽכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

his paths.
מַעְגְּלֹתָ֥יו (ma‘·gə·lō·ṯāw)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4570: An entrenchment, track


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 5:20
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