As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
What does Proverbs 27:19 mean?
One corrupt heart is like another; so are sanctified hearts: the former bear the same image of the earthly, the latter the same image of the heavenly.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Proverbs 27:19-20 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Proverbs 27:19
As we see our own face when we look on the mirror-like surface of the water, so in every heart of man we may see our own likeness. In spite of all diversities we come upon the common human nature in which we all alike share. Others see in the reference to the reflection in the water the thought that we judge of others by ourselves, find them faithful or the reverse, as we ourselves are.
Key words
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As in water face answereth to face,.
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As in water face answereth to face,.
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As in water face answereth to face,.
Context in Proverbs 27
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Proverbs 27 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Agur, Lemuel, and the valiant woman. 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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