◄ Proverbs 15:11 ►
Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD--how much more the hearts of men!
Study Bible
Sheol
In the Hebrew context, "Sheol" refers to the realm of the dead, a shadowy place where the departed souls reside. It is often depicted as a place of darkness and silence, beyond the reach of human understanding. The use of "Sheol" here emphasizes the omniscience of God, who sees into the depths of the earth and the mysteries of life and death. This serves as a reminder that nothing is hidden from God, not even the most secretive aspects of existence.

Abaddon
This term is often associated with destruction and ruin, sometimes personified as a place or entity of destruction. In the Hebrew Bible, "Abaddon" is linked with the grave and the ultimate end of life. The mention of "Abaddon" alongside "Sheol" underscores the completeness of God's knowledge and authority over all realms, both physical and spiritual. It highlights the futility of trying to hide anything from God, who is sovereign over all creation.

lie open
The phrase "lie open" conveys the idea of complete exposure and transparency. In the original Hebrew, the concept is one of being laid bare or uncovered. This imagery suggests that before God, nothing is concealed; everything is visible and known. It is a powerful reminder of God's penetrating insight and the futility of attempting to hide our true selves from Him.

before the LORD
The term "LORD" here is a translation of the Hebrew "YHWH," the sacred and personal name of God. It signifies His eternal presence and covenant relationship with His people. The phrase "before the LORD" indicates that all things exist in the presence of God, who is both judge and redeemer. It reassures believers of God's intimate involvement in the world and His ultimate authority over all things.

how much more
This rhetorical phrase is used to draw a comparison, emphasizing the greater certainty or intensity of the latter statement. It suggests that if God has complete knowledge of the vast and mysterious realms of Sheol and Abaddon, then His understanding of human hearts is even more profound. It serves to magnify God's omniscience and the depth of His insight into human nature.

the hearts of men
In biblical terms, the "heart" is often seen as the center of one's being, encompassing thoughts, emotions, and will. It is the seat of moral and spiritual life. The phrase "the hearts of men" highlights the inner life of individuals, which is fully known to God. This serves as both a warning and an encouragement: a warning that God sees our innermost thoughts and intentions, and an encouragement that He understands us completely and loves us despite our flaws.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Sheol
In Hebrew thought, Sheol is the realm of the dead, a place of darkness and silence where the departed spirits reside. It is often depicted as a shadowy underworld.

2. Abaddon
This term is often associated with destruction or the place of destruction. In some contexts, it is synonymous with Sheol, emphasizing the finality and ruin associated with death.

3. The LORD
Refers to Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, who is omniscient and omnipresent, having complete knowledge and authority over all creation, including the realms of the dead.

4. Hearts of Men
Symbolizes the inner thoughts, intentions, and emotions of human beings. In biblical literature, the heart is often seen as the center of moral and spiritual life.
Teaching Points
God's Omniscience
God knows all things, including the hidden and secret places like Sheol and Abaddon. This truth should bring comfort to believers, knowing that nothing escapes His notice.

Transparency Before God
Just as Sheol and Abaddon are open before the Lord, so are our hearts. We should live transparently, acknowledging that God sees our innermost thoughts and intentions.

Fear of the Lord
Understanding God's complete knowledge should lead us to a healthy fear of the Lord, encouraging us to live righteously and with integrity.

Self-Examination
Regularly examine your heart and motives, knowing that God sees beyond outward appearances. Seek His guidance to align your heart with His will.

Hope in God's Sovereignty
Even in the face of death and destruction, believers can have hope, knowing that God is sovereign over all realms, including the afterlife.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the understanding of Sheol and Abaddon enhance our view of God's omniscience and omnipotence?

2. In what ways can acknowledging that God knows our hearts influence our daily decisions and actions?

3. How can we cultivate a healthy fear of the Lord in light of His complete knowledge of our innermost thoughts?

4. What practical steps can we take to ensure our hearts are aligned with God's will, knowing that He sees all?

5. How does the knowledge of God's sovereignty over life and death provide comfort and hope in difficult times?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 139
This Psalm speaks of God's omniscience and omnipresence, emphasizing that nothing is hidden from Him, not even the depths of Sheol.

Hebrews 4:13
This verse highlights that everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of God, reinforcing the idea that God sees and knows all, including the innermost thoughts of humans.

Revelation 9:11
Abaddon is mentioned as the angel of the abyss, further illustrating the concept of destruction and the power of God over all realms.
Sermons
God the All-Seeing OneProverbs 15:11
God, the All-Seeing OneC.H. Spurgeon Proverbs 15:11
God, the All-Seeing OneCharles Haddon Spurgeon Proverbs 15:11
The Certainty of God's NoticeW. Clarkson Proverbs 15:11
The Heart Open to GodE. Johnson Proverbs 15:11
People
Abaddon, Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Abaddon, Destruction, Hearts, Hell, Lie, Nether-world, Open, Sheol, Sons, Surely, Underworld
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 15:11

     1466   vision
     9512   hell, experience

Library
God, the All-Seeing One
A sermon (No. 177) delivered on Sabbath morning, February 14, 1858 At The Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens by C. H. Spurgeon. "Hell and destruction are before the Lord: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?" -- Proverbs 15:11. You have often smiled at the ignorance of heathens who bow themselves before gods of wood and stone. You have quoted the words of Scripture and you have said, "Eyes have they, but they see not; ears have they, but they hear not." You have therefore argued that …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Hedge of Thorns and the Plain Way
A sermon (No. 1948) delivered at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain."--Proverbs 15:19. You must have noticed how frequently godly people almost wear out their Bibles in certain places. The Psalms, the Gospel of John, and parts of the Epistles are favourite portions, and are thumbed in many an old believer's Bible till the fact is very noticeable. There are certain sheep-tracks …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

God, the All-Seeing One
We have in our text, first of all, a great fact declared,--"Hell and destruction are before the Lord ;" we have, secondly, a great fact inferred,--"How much more then the hearts of the children of men?" I. We will begin with THE GREAT FACT WHICH IS DECLARED--a fact which furnishes us with premises from which we deduce the practical conclusion of the second sentence--"How much more then the hearts of the children of men?" The best interpretation that you can give of those two words, "hell" and "destruction," …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

How the Humble and the Haughty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 18.) Differently to be admonished are the humble and the haughty. To the former it is to be insinuated how true is that excellence which they hold in hoping for it; to the latter it is to be intimated how that temporal glory is as nothing which even when embracing it they hold not. Let the humble hear how eternal are the things that they long for, how transitory the things which they despise; let the haughty hear how transitory are the things they court, how eternal the things they …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

And He had Also this Favour Granted Him. ...
66. And he had also this favour granted him. For as he was sitting alone on the mountain, if ever he was in perplexity in his meditations, this was revealed to him by Providence in prayer. And the happy man, as it is written, was taught of God [1112] . After this, when he once had a discussion with certain men who had come to him concerning the state of the soul and of what nature its place will be after this life, the following night one from above called him, saying, Antony, rise, go out and look.' …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Epistle cxxii. To Rechared, King of the visigoths .
To Rechared, King of the Visigoths [82] . Gregory to Rechared, &c. I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with thy work and thy life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit that the whole nation of the Goths has through thy Excellency been brought over from the error of Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, This is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High (Ps. lxxvi. 11 [83] …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Contention Over the Man Born Blind.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John IX. 1-41. [Some look upon the events in this and the next section as occurring at the Feast of Tabernacles in October, others think they occurred at the Feast of Dedication in December, deriving their point of time from John x. 22.] ^d 1 And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. [The man probably sought to waken compassion by repeatedly stating this fact to passers-by.] 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

"And the Life. " How Christ is the Life.
This, as the former, being spoken indefinitely, may be universally taken, as relating both to such as are yet in the state of nature, and to such as are in the state of grace, and so may be considered in reference to both, and ground three points of truth, both in reference to the one, and in reference to the other; to wit, 1. That our case is such as we stand in need of his help, as being the Life. 2. That no other way but by him, can we get that supply of life, which we stand in need of, for he …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

"Now the End of the Commandment," &C.
1 Tim. i. 5.--"Now the end of the commandment," &c. We come now, as was proposed, to observe, Thirdly,(474) That faith unfeigned is the only thing which gives the answer of a good conscience towards God. Conscience, in general, is nothing else but a practical knowledge of the rule a man should walk by, and of himself in reference to that rule. It is the laying down a man's state, and condition, and actions beside the rule of God's word, or the principles of nature's light. It is the chief piece …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"Thou Shall Keep Him in Perfect Peace, Whose Mind is Stayed on Thee, Because He Trusteth in Thee. "
Isaiah xxvi. 3.--"Thou shall keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." All men love to have privileges above others. Every one is upon the design and search after some well-being, since Adam lost that which was true happiness. We all agree upon the general notion of it, but presently men divide in the following of particulars. Here all men are united in seeking after some good; something to satisfy their souls, and satiate their desires. Nay, but they …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Authority and Utility of the Scriptures
2 Tim. iii. 16.--"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." We told you that there was nothing more necessary to know than what our end is, and what the way is that leads to that end. We see the most part of men walking at random,--running an uncertain race,--because they do not propose unto themselves a certain scope to aim at, and whither to direct their whole course. According to men's particular …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of the Eleventh
An unfinished commentary on the Bible, found among the author's papers after his death, in his own handwriting; and published in 1691, by Charles Doe, in a folio volume of the works of John Bunyan. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR Being in company with an enlightened society of Protestant dissenters of the Baptist denomination, I observed to a doctor of divinity, who was advancing towards his seventieth year, that my time had been delightfully engaged with John Bunyan's commentary on Genesis. "What," …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
We come now to speak more particularly to the words; and, first, Of his being a way. Our design being to point at the way of use-making of Christ in all our necessities, straits, and difficulties which are in our way to heaven; and particularly to point out the way how believers should make use of Christ in all their particular exigencies; and so live by faith in him, walk in him, grow up in him, advance and march forward toward glory in him. It will not be amiss to speak of this fulness of Christ …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Proverbs 15:11 NIV
Proverbs 15:11 NLT
Proverbs 15:11 ESV
Proverbs 15:11 NASB
Proverbs 15:11 KJV

Proverbs 15:11 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Proverbs 15:10
Top of Page
Top of Page