Proverbs 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart--the guides of the wicked--are sin.

◄ Proverbs 21:4 ►

New International Version
Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

New Living Translation
Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.

English Standard Version
Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.

Berean Standard Bible
Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the guides of the wicked—are sin.

King James Bible
An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

New King James Version
A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.

New American Standard Bible
Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin.

NASB 1995
Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin.

NASB 1977
Haughty eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin.

Legacy Standard Bible
Haughty eyes and a proud heart— The fallow ground of the wicked—are sin.

Amplified Bible
Haughty and arrogant eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked [their self-centered pride], is sin [in the eyes of God].

Christian Standard Bible
The lamp that guides the wicked — haughty eyes and an arrogant heart —is sin.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The lamp that guides the wicked— haughty eyes and an arrogant heart—is sin.

American Standard Version
A high look, and a proud heart, Even the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

Contemporary English Version
Evil people are proud and arrogant, but sin is the only crop they produce.

English Revised Version
An high look, and a proud heart, even the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A conceited look and an arrogant attitude, which are the lamps of wicked people, are sins.

Good News Translation
Wicked people are controlled by their conceit and arrogance, and this is sinful.

International Standard Version
A proud attitude, accompanied by a haughty look, is sin; they reveal wicked people.

Majority Standard Bible
Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the guides of the wicked—are sin.

NET Bible
Haughty eyes and a proud heart--the agricultural product of the wicked is sin.

New Heart English Bible
A high look, and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

Webster's Bible Translation
A high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

World English Bible
A high look and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
Loftiness of eyes, and breadth of heart, "" Tillage of the wicked [is] sin.

Young's Literal Translation
Loftiness of eyes, and breadth of heart, Tillage of the wicked is sin.

Smith's Literal Translation
Lifting up the eyes and enlarging the heart, the light of the unjust is sin.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Haughtiness of the eyes is the enlarging of the heart: the lamp of the wicked is sin.

Catholic Public Domain Version
To lift up the eyes is to enlarge the heart. The lamp of the impious is sin.

New American Bible
Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the lamp of the wicked will fail.

New Revised Standard Version
Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the lamp of the wicked—are sin.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and the posterity of the wicked are sinful.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The pride of the eyes and the spirit of the heart and the lamp of the evil is sin.

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
A haughty look, and a proud heart-- The tillage of the wicked is sin.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
A high-minded man is stout-hearted in his pride; and the lamp of the wicked is sin.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The King's Heart
…3To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice. 4Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the guides of the wicked— are sin. 5The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

James 4:6
But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:5
Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Isaiah 2:11-12
The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. / For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—

Luke 18:14
I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

Matthew 23:12
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Galatians 5:26
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.

Isaiah 5:15
So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.

Jeremiah 9:23-24
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. / But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 28:17
Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.

Obadiah 1:3-4
The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ / Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

Psalm 101:5
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.

Treasury of Scripture

An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

an high look or haughtiness of eyes

Proverbs 6:17
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Proverbs 30:13
There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

and the

Proverbs 21:27
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

Proverbs 15:8
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Romans 14:23
And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

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Proverbs 21

1. The king's heart in the hand of the Lord

Berean Study Bible

Haughty eyes
The phrase "haughty eyes" refers to an attitude of arrogance and self-exaltation. In Hebrew, the word for "haughty" is "ram," which conveys a sense of being high or exalted. This imagery suggests a person who looks down on others, considering themselves superior. Throughout Scripture, God consistently opposes the proud (James 4:6), and "haughty eyes" are listed among the things the Lord detests (Proverbs 6:16-17). This prideful demeanor is not just a personal flaw but a spiritual condition that distances one from God, as it reflects a heart that does not acknowledge its need for divine grace.

A proud heart
The "proud heart" is closely linked to "haughty eyes," as both describe an inner disposition of arrogance. The Hebrew word for "proud" is "gavah," which means to be high or exalted. A "proud heart" is one that is self-centered and self-reliant, often leading to a rejection of God's authority and wisdom. In biblical history, pride is frequently the precursor to downfall, as seen in the accounts of King Saul and Nebuchadnezzar. The heart, in Hebrew thought, is the seat of emotions and will, and a proud heart is one that is closed off to the humility and repentance that God desires.

The guides of the wicked
This phrase indicates that "haughty eyes" and a "proud heart" serve as "guides" or "lamps" for the wicked. The Hebrew word for "guides" is "niyr," which can also mean "lamp" or "light." This suggests that pride and arrogance illuminate the path of the wicked, leading them further into sin. Instead of being guided by God's Word, the wicked are led by their own inflated sense of self. This self-guidance is ultimately deceptive and destructive, as it leads away from the truth and into moral and spiritual darkness.

Are sin
The conclusion of the verse is stark: these attitudes "are sin." In Hebrew, the word for "sin" is "chatta'ah," which means to miss the mark or to fall short of God's standard. Pride and arrogance are not merely undesirable traits; they are offenses against God. They represent a fundamental misalignment with God's character and purposes. In the broader biblical narrative, sin is what separates humanity from God, and pride is often at the root of this separation. The call for believers is to recognize these attitudes as sin and to seek humility and repentance, aligning themselves with God's will and receiving His grace.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) The plowing of the wicked.--i.e., their work, all they do; for it is not done to please God but themselves; nor carried on in His strength, but in reliance upon their own, and therefore it is "sin," not pleasing to Him. For the word here translated "plowing," see above on Proverbs 13:23, where it is rendered "tillage." It may also signify "lamp" (see above on 13:9).

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 4. - An high look and a proud heart; Vulgate, exaltatio oculorum est dilatatio cordis, "The lifting up of the eyes is a swelling of the heart." But it is best to make the whole verse one idea, as in the Authorized Version. The lifting of the eyes is a term implying pride, as shown in supercilious looks, as if other people were of inferior clay and not worthy of notice. So we have "haughty eyes" in Proverbs 6:17 (where see note); and in Proverbs 30:13 we read, "There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up." "The enlargement of the heart" is the cause of the proud look, for it signifies the evil affections and concupiscence of the will, wholly filled up with self, and controlling the actions and expression of the body. Septuagint, "A high-minded man (κεηαλόφρων) is stout-hearted in his pride." And the ploughing of the wicked is sin. The Authorized Version takes the reading נִר (nir), which means "tillage' (Proverbs 13:23), or, as Delitzsch supposes, "land ploughed for the first time" (novale). The proverb, taken thus, will mean, "high look, proud heart, even all the field which the godless cultivate, all that they do, is sin." "Pride," says the Talmud, "is worse than sin." But another pointing gives a different and very appropriate (comp. Proverbs 13:9; Proverbs 24:20) meaning. נֵר (ner) signifies "a lamp." Thus the Vulgate, Lucerna impiorum peccatum, "The lamp of the wicked is sin;" and the Septuagint, Λαμπτὴρ δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἁμαρτία "Lamp" is, as often, a metaphor for prosperity and happiness (comp. 2 Samuel 22:29; 1 Kings 11:36); and it is here said that the sinner's outward prosperity and joyousness, springing from no good source, being founded in self, and not resting on virtue and godliness, are in themselves sinful and displeasing to God.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Haughty
רוּם־ (rūm-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7311: To be high actively, to rise, raise

eyes
עֵ֭ינַיִם (‘ê·na·yim)
Noun - cd
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

and a proud
וּרְחַב־ (ū·rə·ḥaḇ-)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7342: Wide, broad

heart—
לֵ֑ב (lêḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

the guides
נִ֖ר (nir)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5215: Plowing, freshly plowed land

of the wicked—
רְשָׁעִ֣ים (rə·šā·‘îm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

[are] sin.
חַטָּֽאת׃ (ḥaṭ·ṭāṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2403: An offence, its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, expiation, an offender

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OT Poetry: Proverbs 21:4 A high look and a proud heart (Prov. Pro Pr)