Proverbs 20:9 kjv
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Proverbs 20:9 nkjv
Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"?
Proverbs 20:9 niv
Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?
Proverbs 20:9 esv
Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"?
Proverbs 20:9 nlt
Who can say, "I have cleansed my heart;
I am pure and free from sin"?
Proverbs 20 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 8:46 | "If they sin against you – for there is no one who does not sin..." | Acknowledge universal human sinfulness. |
| Job 9:20 | "Though I am righteous, my own mouth will condemn me..." | Self-justification leads to condemnation. |
| Job 15:14 | "What is man, that he should be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?" | Questions human ability for innate purity. |
| Ps 14:3 | "They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." | Universal depravity of humanity. |
| Ps 51:7 | "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." | Plea for divine cleansing from sin. |
| Ps 51:10 | "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." | Need for God to create internal purity. |
| Ps 130:3 | "If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" | Highlights the impossibility of standing pure before God. |
| Ecc 7:20 | "Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins." | Reiterates universal human sinfulness. |
| Jer 17:9 | "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" | Describes the inherent deceitfulness of the human heart. |
| Jer 33:8 | "I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin..." | God promises to cleanse His people from sin. |
| Eze 36:25 | "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses..." | God's promise of spiritual purification. |
| Zec 13:1 | "On that day there shall be a fountain opened... to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness." | Prophetic promise of a future cleansing source. |
| Mk 7:21-23 | "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality..." | Evil originates from the heart. |
| Lk 18:14 | "...everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." | Contrasts self-righteousness with humility. |
| Jn 1:29 | "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" | Points to Christ as the one who removes sin. |
| Acts 15:9 | "He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith." | Salvation and heart cleansing are by faith. |
| Rom 3:23 | "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," | Clear declaration of universal human sin. |
| 1 Cor 6:11 | "...but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ..." | Believers are cleansed and made righteous by Christ. |
| Jas 3:2 | "For we all stumble in many ways." | Acknowledges the commonality of failing. |
| Heb 9:14 | "how much more will the blood of Christ... purify our conscience from dead works..." | Christ's blood purifies from sin. |
| Heb 10:22 | "...hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience..." | Cleansing of the conscience through Christ. |
| 1 Pet 1:18-19 | "you were ransomed... with the precious blood of Christ," | Redeemed and purified by Christ's blood. |
| 1 Jn 1:7 | "...the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." | Ongoing cleansing through Christ's blood. |
| 1 Jn 1:8 | "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." | Self-deception regarding one's sinfulness. |
| 1 Jn 1:9 | "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." | Confession leads to divine forgiveness and cleansing. |
| Rev 1:5 | "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood..." | Christ's ultimate freeing from sin by His sacrifice. |
Proverbs 20 verses
Proverbs 20 9 Meaning
Proverbs 20:9 is a rhetorical question, powerfully asserting that no human being can truthfully claim to have perfectly purified their heart or to be entirely free from sin through their own efforts. It highlights the pervasive nature of human sinfulness and the deep corruption of the heart, implying that genuine purity and freedom from sin are beyond human reach, underscoring the universal need for divine intervention and cleansing.
Proverbs 20 9 Context
Proverbs 20 forms part of a collection of Solomonic proverbs (Proverbs 10:1-22:16), offering practical wisdom for daily life rooted in godly principles. This chapter specifically addresses various aspects of righteous living, consequences of folly, the nature of leadership, human character flaws like deceit and drunkenness, and the omnipotence of God in guiding human steps. Verse 9 directly challenges human pride and self-sufficiency, fitting within a broader theme of recognizing one's limitations and acknowledging God's sovereignty and righteousness. Culturally, while there were many purification rituals in Israel (e.g., washings, sacrifices for unintentional sins), these never removed the underlying propensity to sin or addressed deliberate transgressions fully. The verse implicitly critiques a reliance on mere external purity or self-congratulation without addressing the heart's true condition. It speaks against any contemporary belief that one could attain a state of perfect moral cleanliness through self-exertion or ceremonial rites alone, separate from divine grace.
Proverbs 20 9 Word analysis
Who (מִי, mi): This is a direct interrogative pronoun, forming a rhetorical question. The anticipated answer is "no one," implying a universal truth. It challenges anyone to make such a bold and, in truth, impossible claim.
Can say (יֹאמַר, yōmar): Derived from the verb אָמַר (amar), meaning "to say, speak, declare." Here in the imperfect tense, suggesting an assertion or a possibility of declaring something definitively. The force of the question is not about whether one can utter the words, but whether one can truthfully assert this claim.
'I have made pure' (הִשְׁקֵיתִי, hishqēti): This is a form of the verb שׁקד (shaqad), though the KJV rendering of "made my heart pure" more likely connects to a root like זָכָה (zakha), "to be pure" or ברר (barar), "to purify." Most scholarly interpretations see this as a statement of self-cleansing or a state of inner purity achieved by oneself. It suggests an inward process of purging or cleansing the very core of one's being.
- My heart (לִבִּי, libbî): The Hebrew lev or levav signifies not just the emotional center, but the whole inner being—the intellect, will, conscience, and moral character. To "make my heart pure" means a complete inner transformation of motives, thoughts, and intentions, suggesting a self-achieved perfect inner righteousness.
'I am clean' (זַכִּיתִי, zakkīti): From the root זכך (zākak), meaning "to be pure, clear, clean, innocent." This word often denotes a state of ritual or moral purity, often in a ceremonial context (Lev 13:13, Num 18:23) but also morally (Job 15:15). Here, it extends the idea of having made oneself pure to also being in a state of purity or innocence.
'from my sin' (מֵחַטָּאתִי, meḥaṭṭāʾti): The noun חַטָּאָה (ḥaṭṭāʾâ) refers to "sin," often understood as "missing the mark." The phrase implies not just outward acts of sin but the very defilement that comes from one's personal inclination to err and rebel against God. The suffix '-ti' (my) makes it deeply personal: 'from my sin,' referring to one's own accumulated guilt and propensity to evil.
'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin': This forms a synonymous parallelism, where the second phrase restates and reinforces the first. It speaks of a dual perfection: self-accomplished inward purity (of the heart) and a total absence of all personal sin or its defiling effects. The verse collectively emphasizes the impossibility of any human achieving a perfect state of righteousness or moral perfection independently. It sets up the profound biblical truth that human effort cannot overcome the ingrained sinfulness of the human condition.
Proverbs 20 9 Bonus section
- This proverb provides an essential Old Testament foundation for the New Testament's doctrine of sin and grace, especially evident in Pauline theology where righteousness is seen as being by faith, not by works of the law (Rom 3:20, Gal 2:16).
- The emphasis on "heart purity" anticipates Jesus' teachings, where internal disposition and thought were deemed as significant as external actions (Matt 5:28, Mk 7:20-23).
- It highlights the "wisdom" perspective that true self-knowledge begins with acknowledging one's sinfulness, contrasting with the superficiality of merely outward religious observance or humanistic optimism about inherent goodness.
Proverbs 20 9 Commentary
Proverbs 20:9 presents a stark reality about the human condition: a rhetorical question challenging anyone to boast of complete internal purity or absolute freedom from personal sin. The implied answer, universally understood within the biblical worldview, is "no one." This verse is a cornerstone of biblical anthropology, declaring that the heart of man is inherently flawed and prone to sin, and that total self-purification is an illusion. It serves as a necessary humbling truth, dispelling human pride and self-righteousness. It is not that humans cannot do good, but that absolute, sinless purity originating from within is unattainable. This profound theological insight prepares the way for understanding the necessity of divine grace, forgiveness, and cleansing, which culminates in the New Testament with the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Practically, it means embracing humility, recognizing our continuous need for God's forgiveness, and resting not on our own merits but on His redemptive power for true righteousness. For example, a person might follow all religious rules meticulously, but this verse suggests their inner motives or a single failing could still contradict a claim of perfect purity. Or someone might deny they have any serious flaws, unaware of the subtle ways pride, selfishness, or lust dwell in the heart. This verse reminds us that true cleansing is an act of God, not of human self-perfection.