Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
What does Proverbs 12:25 mean?
Care, fear, and sorrow, upon the spirits, deprive men of vigour in what is to be done, or courage in what is to be borne. A good word from God, applied by faith, makes the heart glad.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Proverbs 12:25-26 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Proverbs 12:25
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop,.... Either an anxious care and solicitude about living in the world, as the word (m) signifies; when it seizes a man's spirits, it depresses them, and keeps them down: or a fear and dread of adversity, or sorrow and grief, on account of some calamity and distress; when it gets into a man's heart, it sinks and bows it down, that it cannot take any pleasure or comfort in anything.
Key words
- Heaviness
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Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop,.
- heart
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Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop,.
- maketh
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Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop,.
Context in Proverbs 12
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Proverbs 12 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Solomonic proverb collections. Proverbs offers compact instruction on speech, work, wealth, friendship, sex, discipline, justice, and wisdom as a way of life before God. Read this chapter with the wider themes of wisdom, fear of the Lord, and speech in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Bible verses about anxiety and fear
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Bible verses about justice and mercy
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