Proverbs 22:12

The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
eyes	עֵינֵ֣י 'ei.Nei	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · noun, common feminine dual construct
LORD	יְ֭הוָה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
preserve	נָ֣צְרוּ Na.tze.ru	H5341	to guard · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
knowledge	דָ֑עַת Da.'at	H1847	knowledge · noun, common feminine singular absolute
overthroweth	וַ֝יְסַלֵּ֗ף vay.sa.Lef	H5557	properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
words	דִּבְרֵ֥י div.Rei	H1697	a word · noun, common masculine plural construct
transgressor	בֹגֵֽד vo.Ged	H898	to cover (with a garment) · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute

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

2 Timothy 3:8-9 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
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 towa…
Acts 13:8-12 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Job 5:12-13 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
Acts 12:23-24 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of h…
Isaiah 59:19-21 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood,…
Matthew 16:16-18 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 22:12

Here is, 1. The special care God takes to preserve knowledge, that is, to keep up religion in the world by keeping up among men the knowledge of himself and of good and evil, notwithstanding the corruption of mankind, and the artifices of Satan to blind men's minds and keep them in ignorance. It is a wonderful instance of the power and goodness of the eyes of the Lord, that is, his watchful providence. He preserves men of knowledge, wise and good men (Ch2 16:9), particularly faithful witnesses, who speak what they know; God protects such, and prospers their counsels. He does by his grace preserve knowledge in such, secures his own work and interest in them. See Pro 2:7, Pro 2:8. 2. The just…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 22:12

preserve--or guard. knowledge--its principles and possessors. overthroweth--utterly confounds and destroys the wicked.

John Gill on Proverbs 22:12

The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,.... That is, the providence of God, whose eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth; these preserve the knowledge of himself, even among the Heathens in some measure; for what may be known of God is manifest in them, and showed to them: more particularly his providence has preserved the Scriptures, the means of knowledge, which men would have destroyed; and preserves men of knowledge, as Aben Ezra interprets it, the ministers of the word, the stars he holds in his right hand; and he preserves spiritual and experimental knowledge in the hearts of his people, and causes it to increase; and continues his Gospel and a Gospel ministry in the world, ti…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 22:12

12 The eyes of Jahve preserve knowledge; So he frustrateth the words of the false. The phrase "to preserve knowledge" is found at Pro 5:2; there, in the sense of to keep, retain; here, of protecting, guarding; for it cannot possibly be said that the eyes of God keep themselves by the rule of knowledge, and thus preserve knowledge; this predicate is not in accord with the eyes, and is, as used of God, even inappropriate. On the other hand, after "to preserve," in the sense of watching, guarding a concrete object is to be expected, cf. Isa 26:3. We need not thus with Ewald supply יודע; the ancients are right that דעת, knowledge, stands metonymically for אישׁ (Meri), or אנשׁי (Aben Ezra), or יו…

The Church Fathers

"The eyes of the Lord keep knowledge," etc. The divine inspection always keeps in the Church the knowledge of the truth which it taught; the words of heretics, indeed all speech contrary to piety and justice, because it is not preserved by the ruling Lord, is subverted along with its author.
— 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).

Proverbs 22:12

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 22:12

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 22:12

John Gill on Proverbs 22:12

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 22:12

The Church Fathers

Proverbs 22:12

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 22:12

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 22:12

John Gill on Proverbs 22:12

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 22:12

The Church Fathers

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 22:12

Rashi on Proverbs 22:11