Proverbs 4:21

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Proverbs 4:21 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart.
Proverbs 4:21 — American Standard Version

Context — Proverbs 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Let them not depart from thine eyes, etc.] Commit them to writing, frequently read them over; let them be always in sight, as a rule and directory to steer the course of life by. Some understand this of the wicked, as if the sense was, let not them, the wicked, cause them to depart from thine eyes; nor thee to neglect them, by their bad advice, solicitations to sin, and ill examples; (see Gill on “<200321>Proverbs 3:21”); keep them in the midst of thine heart; lay them up there, and ponder them; often meditate upon them, and do not forget them; show the most affectionate regard unto them, and look upon them as a most inestimable treasure, for which no place is so fit a repository as the…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“depart: Pro 3:3, Pro 3:21 in the: Pro 2:1; Psa 40:8 \*marg. Proverbs 4:22”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification