The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching out his inmost being.
Parallel translations
- WEB The spirit of man is Yahweh’s lamp, searching all his innermost parts.
- KJV The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
- NKJV The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.
- NASB The spirit of a person is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the innermost parts of his being.
- NLT The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The human spirit is the Lord's lamp, searching one's inmost being. It matters because God uses our conscience to illuminate and examine the heart.
Overview
God has placed within humanity a capacity — often understood as conscience or the inner spirit — by which he searches and exposes the deepest parts of a person. Nothing within us is hidden from him (Psalm 139:23; 1 Corinthians 2:11). This both convicts of sin and calls us to walk in the light, for God examines the heart.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Cor 2:11For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
- Heb 4:12–13For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- Job 32:8But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
- 1 Jn 3:19–21And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:
- Gen 2:7Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
- Rom 2:15So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them
- 2 Cor 4:2–6Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
- Prov 20:30Lashes and wounds scour evil, and beatings cleanse the inmost parts.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 20:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.