21:1–3 This trio of sayings is set up like a moral puzzle, whether for children in the home or for students in a wisdom school. The obvious link is that all three sayings use the name Yahweh. The sayings also touch on related aspects of self-control and self-knowledge alongside divine knowledge and divine intervention.

The opening two verses share a sense of movement or progress—flowing waters (v. 1) and the “way of a man” (v. 2). The opening saying serves as a reminder that the “king’s heart” is not sovereign unto itself but always subject to God’s will and direction (cf. 16:1, 9). If this applies to the king, it must also apply to every level of citizen beneath him (cf. comment on 21:30–31). Verse 2 builds upon this warning: even in those moments when we are absolutely convinced we are in the right, only Yahweh remains the only true judge of our motives and judgments. The phrase “in his own eyes” captures our incurably self-deceptive nature as sinful human beings (12:15; 16:2; 26:5, 12, 16; 28:11; 30:12; cf. Deut. 12:8; Job 32:1; Ps. 36:2).

In light of an invisible divine hand in our life and our unavoidable propensity to self-deception, what shall we do? Proverbs 21:3 provides the answer: do “righteousness and justice,” both of which are more pleasant to Yahweh than sacrifices and offerings. A contrast between outward works and inner realities is introduced here and continued in verse 4. People in every age throw around words like “love,” “justice,” “righteousness,” and “common good.” They are all abstractions, and the Bible is well aware of this point. Much as Psalms and Deuteronomy do, Proverbs teaches us to pursue these works by the love and fear of the Lord and the diligent study of God’s work (Deut. 6:4–9; 10:12; Psalms 1; 119; cf. Response section).

21:4–8 These verses follow the introduction in Proverbs 21:1–3 by serving almost as a sampling of behaviors and attitudes already addressed in more general terms. The vices greatly outnumber the virtues.

Verse 4 is obscured by the uncertainty of a Hebrew word that could be ner (“lamp,” as in the ESV) or nir (“tillage” or “plowing,” as in other translations). This latter meaning is usually taken as a particular activity of the wicked (i.e., agricultural or economic labor). But most scholars tend to prefer “lamp,” given that “eyes” and sight already dominate the current context (vv. 2, 4) and the fact that ner occurs nearby in 20:20, 27.155 The “lamp” thus represents both their inward desires of the “heart” and the path taken by the “eyes.”

Proverbs 21:5 is one of only two antithetical sayings in the group of verses 4–8. The saying is a variant of 10:4; 12:24, 27; 13:4, all of which project a contrast between people who are “diligent” and those who are careless. In all these sayings Proverbs elevates patience as a chief virtue of the wise (cf. Response section).

Proverbs 21:6 sounds a similar note, with its critique of the liar more interested in immediate rewards than in the care and ethical restraint belonging to the wise and honest (cf. 10:2; 13:11). The image of the liar also brings to mind the prominence of falsehood in the Decalogue (Ex. 20:16; Deut. 5:20) and the contrast between lying and love of neighbor (Lev. 19:11, 16–18). The Response to Proverbs 20 highlighted Augustine’s belief that lying is at the heart of all vices.

Proverbs 21:7 piles on another provocative warning against human vice, this time against the unjust, who will be swept away. This probably indicates a violent death by invasion or natural disaster. The threat of “death” in verse 6 above compounds the heavy weight of sayings in this section.

Verse 8 closes this group with a second antithetical saying to match verse 5. The saying opposes the “crooked” way of the guilty and the “upright” (or “straight”) deeds of the “pure.” Christians today tend to think of wisdom and righteousness in sterilized—almost mathematical—moral categories. But Proverbs always views wisdom as a journey experienced through our bodies. To be “pure” is to be wise in avoiding the obstacles and unnecessary burdens that weigh down the lives of the “guilty.”

21:9 As noted above, verses 9 and 19 clearly stand apart from the chapter, in terms of both their content and their placement. Repeating the same idea, they neatly divine the chapter into three sections.

These are also two of the five sayings that warn us against the nagging, quarrelsome wife (cf. 19:13; 25:24; 27:15). While Proverbs might initially sound misogynistic, this is because the sayings are addressed to young men, not because they seek to dismiss the significance of women. The same lessons apply to the folly of men among wiser women (cf. chs. 8–9; 31).

21:10–18 This group of proverbs blends together sayings about public justice and individual desire. This makes for an excellent demonstration of Augustine’s belief that the moral life involves both internal discernment and public action grounded in tradition. The key words “wicked” (21:10, 12, 15, 18) and “righteous” (vv. 12, 15, 18) also hold this group together.

Verse 10 illustrates the deforming power of desire: “desires” left unchecked deprive our neighbor of worth and dignity, all in the interest of self-satisfaction. Verse 26 below picks up on the same cravings and contrasts the wicked to the righteous, providing further commentary on the destructive powers of purely hedonistic desire.

Verse 11, about the correction of the scoffer, is a variant of 19:25. The saying in this chapter is paired with 21:12, arising as a social remedy, or perhaps even a command, to those in authority over the wicked who cannot, or do not, control their desires (v. 10). These people require discipline if there is to be hope of staving off their destructive tendencies in the community (v. 11). Moreover, those who have authority in the community (home, government, school, church, etc.) will always be on the lookout for wickedness rising up in their midst (v. 12; cf. 14:11). Most translations capitalize “Righteous One,” no doubt assuming that the verse points to Yahweh. While the description is certainly true of God, the surrounding context speaks to our own responsibility to seek justice in a world in which we find ourselves as citizens and leaders.

Proverbs 21:13 turns our attention from the political responsibility to quell evil to the compassionate response we owe to the “poor” and needy in our midst. As an aside, the apparent random sequence of the proverbs like this is actually one of the book’s great virtues. Living out life in this world requires us to be able to keep a stern watch for wickedness while also maintaining a tenderness that remains aware of those in need. Justice and compassion go hand in hand (cf. Response section).

The saying about bribes and gifts in verse 14 is a variant of 17:8, 23; 18:16; 19:6. The gift in and of itself has no moral standing as right or wrong; its use determines whether it is just. A gift and a well-timed compliment alike can quiet the violent nerve of those quick to anger. A bribe for personal gain or political interests, on the other hand, has the power to encourage injustice and destabilize a peaceful situation.

As observed above, most of these sayings (21:10–18) appeal to our desires and emotional responses to states of affairs in the world. Verse 15 is a perfect example, reminding us that our longings and emotions can and should be trained. A just ruler can incite “joy” and “terror,” depending on how the citizens have set their hearts on righteousness or wickedness.

Verses 16–18 describe three consequences that await the wicked. The first (v. 16) plays on our sense of direction and place: a life steered outside the “way of good sense” ends in the “assembly of the dead”—a sentiment close to 9:18. Proverbs 21:17, meanwhile, imagines the consequences of uncontrolled desires—a theme that appears many times in chapters 23–25. To be sure, oil, wine, and honey are luxuries and tokens of God’s blessings (cf. 9:2). Yet the pleasures they give are never ends in themselves but always signs and symbols of wisdom, which can be sought without limits and which truly satisfy the soul (cf. 24:13–14; 25:16, 27).

Finally, 21:18 declares that “the wicked is a ransom for the righteous.” The point seems to be that the wicked end up suffering for the righteous or in their place. Taken together, the sayings repeat a major thesis in the chapter: desires lead down paths that end in blessing and life or cursing, judgment, and death.

21:19 This verse serves as a break in the material (cf. discussion of the “quarrelsome wife” in the comment on 21:9).

21:20–29 As verses 4–8 do, these sayings offer a range of comparisons, promises, and warnings, with an emphasis on the foolishness of wicked behavior.

Verses 20–22 can be grouped together (perhaps with v. 18 as well). Verse 20 provides a balance to the traditional message in verses 18, 21–22. It offers what we have called a “retributive paradox”: in contrast to the normal state of affairs, the wise sometimes lose their wealth to fools. We must not miss the theme of untamed desire here, seen in the metaphor of the fool who “devours” “treasure and oil.” While the rule of natural order is that righteousness and wisdom will be blessed (vv. 18, 21, 22), we should not be surprised by exceptions we meet in life. The section ends with a strong exhortation for the wise not to shrink back in the face of these exceptions but rather to press forward and trust in the blessings of God (v. 22). This language of the “mighty” and the “city” is probably meant as hyperbole, imagining the extraordinary capacity of wisdom when harnessed. This savors of Jesus’ moving statements about faith in the NT (Matt. 17:17–20; John 14:12). That said, Proverbs 21:31 adds a word of caution about the limits of human strength.

Proverbs 21:23 is one of countless reminders to avoid careless speech (e.g., 10:19; 12:13; 13:3; cf. James 3:2, 5–10). The ability to choose words carefully and preserve “himself” (or “life”) here counters the fear of death in Proverbs 21:16, 25.

The syntax of verse 24 is difficult to translate. Is Arrogant-Proud-Scoffer the name of him who “acts with arrogant pride”? Or is “Scoffer” the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride, as in the ESV? Heim prefers something closer to the latter, “Mocker is his name,” because in the Hebrew the term for “scoffer/mocker” (letz) is surrounded by terms of “insolence” and “derision” (e.g., zed, yahir, and zadon; roughly, “arrogant,” “haughty,” and “insolent”). Heim calls this an “overly supercilious person.”156

Verses 25–26 mock the “sluggard,” whose neglect sends him on his way to death (cf. 6:6–11; 13:4; 20:4; 24:33–34). Structurally, the sayings balance “diligence” and “death” in 21:5–6. These two sayings also connect the power of desire in the sluggard to his instinct to hoard what he has while avoiding labor. The “righteous” person, meanwhile, characterized by a desire for generosity, “gives and does not hold back,” which, logically speaking, requires diligent labor as well.

The word “sacrifice” in verse 27 matches the one appearing in verse 3 (cf. Section Outline). Notably, the word for “sacrifice” occurs only three other times in Proverbs (7:14; 15:8; 17:1). Proverbs 21:27 is a close variant of 15:8, which commended the “prayer of the upright” over against the sacrifice of the wicked. Proverbs 21:27 turns to expose the “evil intent” of this character. In doing so it provides a link between the heart and motives of the scoffer, the sluggard, and the one who offers wicked sacrifices. Our sins are many but share common roots.

This section ends with two antithetical sayings that contrast lying and truth and the wicked and the upright (vv. 28–29). Verse 28 returns to the lessons on speaking (and not speaking) in verses 24–25. Here the saying contrasts the false and true witness (cf. 19:5, 9; Deut. 5:20). All the while the heart is clearly in view (cf. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”; Matt. 12:34).

Proverbs 21:29 opposes the “bold face” of the “wicked” to the “upright” person who reflects on his behavior. The picture of a “bold” or “strong” face does not translate easily into modern English. It seems to signify both the pride of the “scoffer” in verse 24 and the haste of the character in verse 5. In the wisdom of Proverbs, a slow, humble, and reflective spirit goes hand in hand with careful speech, wise actions, and diligent labor.

21:30–31 The chapter closes with two Yahweh sayings that serve to close the opening Yahweh sayings in verses 1–3. The sayings all emphasize Yahweh’s sovereign rule over the world and his privileged knowledge of the motives of our heart. Verse 30 adds the assurance that, no matter how smart we are or how many counselors we may assemble around us, we can never counter God’s will. Verse 31 builds upon this point: when we are successful or execute a plan, the credit belongs to Yahweh, the sovereign governor of our world.

Such statements may seem to support determinism, the idea that we are merely pawns or puppets on God’s world stage. But the larger context of Proverbs constantly supports two sides of this tension—we have freedom of action but God is sovereign over us, ordaining our actions before we choose them. Neither Proverbs nor any part of Scripture resolves this paradox. Rather than feeling oppressed by what may seem like our lack of freedom or knowledge, we should remember our tendency to self-deception and over-confidence and the fact that God’s good will shall prevail over our feeble attempts to steward his world. Paul expresses a related thought in a word of encouragement to the church at Corinth: “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God” (1 Cor. 8:2–3; cf. Gal. 6:3). Our sense of fulfillment comes not in what we know or do but in being known and loved by God in Christ.