Proverbs 21:29

A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
wicked	רָשָׁ֣ע ra.Sha'	H7563	morally wrong · noun, common masculine singular absolute
man	אִ֣ישׁ 'ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
hardeneth	הֵעֵ֬ז he.'Ez	H5810	to be stout (literally or figuratively) · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
face	בְּפָנָ֑יו be.fa.Nav	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
upright	וְ֝יָשָׁ֗ר ve.ya.Shar	H3477	straight (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + adjective, masculine singular absolute
directeth	יָבִ֬ין ya.chin	H995	to separate mentally (or distinguish) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
way	דַּרְכּֽוֹ de.ra.khav	H1870	a road (as trodden) · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Haggai 1:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
1 Thessalonians 3:11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
Proverbs 11:5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
Psalms 119:5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Psalms 119:59 I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
Proverbs 28:14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
Jeremiah 5:3 O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refuse…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 21:29

Here is, 1. The presumption and impudence of a wicked man: He hardens his face - brazens it, that he may not blush - steels it, that he may not tremble when he commits the greatest crimes; he bids defiance to the terrors of the law and the checks of his own conscience, the reproofs of the word and the rebukes of Providence; he will have his way and nothing shall hinder him, Isa 57:17. 2. The caution and circumspection of a good man: As for the upright, he does not say, What would I do? What have I a mind to? and that will I have; but, What should I do? What does God require of me? What is duty? What is prudence? What is for edification? And so he does not force his way, but direct his way by…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 21:29

hardeneth his face--is obstinate. directeth . . . way--considers it, and acts advisedly.

John Gill on Proverbs 21:29

A wicked man hardeneth his face,.... Against all corrections and reproofs of parents, masters, ministers, and others; he blushes not at sins committed, and is not ashamed of them, but glories in them: or, he "strengthens with his face" (l); he puts an impudent face upon his words, and confirms them by his impudence; if he tells the most notorious lies, and says things the most shameful and scandalous, his countenance does not alter, by which he would be thought to have spoken what is right and true; but as for the upright, he directeth his way; or "his ways" (m); according to the various reading; the man that is upright in heart, and walks uprightly, he directs his way according to the word…

Read the whole note in the console

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 21:29

Another proverb with אישׁ: - A godless man showeth boldness in his mien; But one that is upright-he proveth his way. The Chethı̂b has יכין; but that the upright directeth, dirigit, his way, i.e., gives to it the right direction (cf. Ch2 27:6), is not a good contrast to the boldness of the godless; the Kerı̂, הבין דּרכּו, deserves the preference. Aquila, Symmachus, the Syr., Targ., and Venet. adhere to the Chethı̂b, which would be suitable if it could be translated, with Jerome, by corrigit; Luther also reads the verb with כ, but as if it were יכּון (whoever is pious, his way will stand) - only the lxx render the Kerı̂ (συνιεῖ); as for the rest, the ancients waver between the Chethı̂b דּרכי…

The Church Fathers

The impious man insolently stiffens his face, etc. Judas, because he was impious in heart, although reproved by the Lord himself, did not wish to restrain his evil beginnings; but Peter, because he was upright in heart, that is, a lover of uprightness, corrected himself at once with repentance when the Lord looked at him, having erred by denying.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Holiness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Impenitence · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Uprightness · They who walk in: Direct their way — They who walk in: Direct their way

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 21:29

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 21:29

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 21:29

John Gill on Proverbs 21:29

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 21:29

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 21:29

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 21:29

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 21:29

John Gill on Proverbs 21:29

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 21:29

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 21:26

Rashi on Proverbs 21:29