For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the ways of man are before Yahweh’s eyes. He examines all his paths.
- KJV For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
- NKJV For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He ponders all his paths.
- NASB For the ways of everyone are before the eyes of the Lord, And He observes all his paths.
- NLT For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.
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
A person's ways are fully seen by the LORD, who examines every path. God observes all our conduct, including the secret.
Overview
The decisive reason for faithfulness is that the LORD sees all, watching and weighing every path a person takes. No sin is truly hidden from God. This sobering truth of God's omniscience (cf. Ps 139; Heb 4:13) grounds moral integrity not merely in consequences but in living before the all-seeing God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Heb 4:13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
- Prov 15:3The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
- Jer 32:19the One great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are on all the ways of the sons of men, to reward each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.
- Job 34:21For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step.
- Hos 7:2But they fail to consider in their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.
- Ps 11:4The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.
- Jer 16:17For My eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not concealed from My eyes.
- Jer 23:24“Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
- Job 31:4Does He not see my ways and count my every step?
- Ps 119:168I obey Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You.
- 2 Chr 16:9For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”
- Ps 139:1–12For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
- Job 14:16For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin.
- Jer 17:10I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.
- Ps 17:3You have tried my heart; You have visited me in the night. You have tested me and found no evil; I have resolved not to sin with my mouth.
- Rev 2:23Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
- Rev 2:18To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.
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 5:21 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.