The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
What does Proverbs 21:1 mean?
The believer, perceiving that the Lord rules every heart as he sees fit, like the husbandman who turns the water through his grounds as he pleases, seeks to have his own heart, and the hearts of others, directed in his faith, fear, and love.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Proverbs 21:1-2 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Rivers of water - See the Psalm 1:3 note. As the cultivator directs the stream into the channels where it is most wanted, so Yahweh directs the thoughts of the true king, that his favors may fall, not at random, but in harmony with a divine order.
Key words
- heart
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The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
- LORD
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The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
- rivers
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The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Context in Proverbs 21
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Proverbs 21 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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