Proverbs 19:21

Context

This verse belongs to the collection of "the proverbs of Solomon" that runs from Proverbs 10:1 to 22:16. This section consists mostly of one- or two-line sayings that are not directly connected to the verses around them. The verse is therefore read less as something said by a particular person on a particular occasion than as instruction from a teacher of wisdom to his hearers.

The verse sets two elements against each other. The first half speaks of the "many devices" in a person's heart, and the second of "the counsel of the LORD" (KJV: "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand"). The Hebrew word rendered "counsel" (etsah) can also mean "plan" or "advice." The same word appears in the immediately preceding verse (19:20) in the phrase "Hear counsel," and for this reason some commentaries read the two verses as a pair. The verb rendered "shall stand" (qum) means "to rise, to stand firm, to be fulfilled." The word "completely" (wanjeonhi) in the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version can be seen as a rendering that brings out the sense of certainty carried by this verb.

Interpretation

• Reformed and Calvinist readings: The verse is read as a classic text on providence, the doctrine that God governs and directs all things. Human plans are understood as means by which God's will is accomplished within his decree.
• Wesleyan and Arminian readings: While affirming God's sovereignty, these readings do not take the verse as eliminating human choice and responsibility. They understand it to mean that human plans cannot overturn God's will, and they are cautious about using it as grounds for a determinism in which everything is fixed in advance.
• Reading as wisdom literature: The verse is seen as teaching an attitude toward life rather than a doctrinal conclusion; it is a call to humility that warns against excessive confidence in one's own plans. Most commentators broadly agree on this point.

Questions of Application

Elsewhere Proverbs commends seeking counsel and making plans (Proverbs 15:22; 21:5). Many therefore point out that this verse should not be read as meaning that planning is useless. Two questions are discussed more often. The first is how an individual can discern "the will of God" in specific matters. The second is how to assess the tendency to interpret only favorable outcomes as God's will. Both questions connect with the broader discussion of predestination and free will.

In Korean Churches

The verse is reportedly quoted often in sermons and exhortations at the beginning of the year, when people make New Year's plans, and in the period before university entrance examinations or career decisions.

Related Passages

• Proverbs 16:1-3
• Proverbs 16:9
• Proverbs 21:30-31
• James 4:13-15
• Isaiah 46:9-10