There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
What does Proverbs 19:21 mean?
What should we desire, but that all our purposes may agree with God's holy will?
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Proverbs 19:20-21 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Proverbs 19:21
There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. Contrast the many purposes of man, shifting, changing, from good to better, from bad to worse, and the one unchanging righteous "counsel" of Yahweh.
Key words
- devices
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There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
- heart
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There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
- nevertheless
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There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
Context in Proverbs 19
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Proverbs 19 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as sayings of the wise. 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.
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