Proverbs 21:29

Pro 21:29 A wicked man hardeneth his face: but [as for] the upright, he directeth his way.

Ver. 29. A wicked man hardeneth his face.] Procaciter obfirmat vultum suum, so the Vulgate renders it. The false witness {Pro 21:28} impudently defends, or at least extenuates and excuses his falsities. Frontem perfricat, assuens mendacium mendacio, as the Hebrew hath it. {Psa 119:69} He thinks to make good one lie by another; to outface the truth, to overbear it with a bold countenance. It seems to be a metaphor from a traveller that sets his face against the wind and weather, and holds on his journey, though he be taking long strides towards destruction. {a}

But as for the upright, he directeth his way.] He proceeds warily, weighs his words before he utters them, and delivers nothing but the naked truth. And truth is like our first parents, most beautiful when naked. Some interpreters take this verse as setting forth the difference between the wicked and the godly, without any relation to the false and true witness. {Pro 21:28} And then it is Sententia sapiente digna, saith one, tam paucis verbis tam profundum sensum cumulans; a sentence worthy of Solomon, as having so much in a little.

{a} αντοφθαλμειν. {Act 27:15}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 21:29. A wicked man hardeneth his face — Continues in his evil practices with obstinacy and impudence, in spite of all the commands of God, or counsels of men; but the upright directeth his way — Ordereth his steps aright; and, if at any time he errs from the right path, he does not add rebellion to his sin, nor persist in his error, but considers his ways, and turns his feet to God’s testimonies.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL NOTES.—

Pro_21:29. Hardeneth his face, or “putteth on a bold countenance.” Directeth, or “considereth” or “establisheth.”

MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_21:29

THE FACE AND THE WAY

The last verb in the text is better translated—establisheth, or maketh firm.

I. What is intended to reveal may be used to conceal. The human countenance is intended to express the feelings of the mind, and when a man is not afraid for another to read his thoughts and intentions, his face is to a great extent the index of his heart. But a bad man is unwilling that his neighbour should know what is passing within him—his thoughts and purposes will not bear the light—they are so selfish or impure that he is ashamed of them, or they are occupied with some malicious plan which must be concealed if it is to be successful. He therefore hardens his face—puts on an appearance of innocence and frankness as a cloak of the evil underneath. But this method of life is not an easy or a pleasant one—the contrast in the second clause seems to imply that such a man walks in an uneven or a miry road—it is hard to be always acting a part and to be obliged at all times to look what we do not feel, and there may come unguarded moments and unlooked-for surprises when the mask will fall and the truth come to light.

II. The godly man has no need to practise hypocrisy. His thoughts and desires, and aims, are toward the true and the good—his heart is filled with goodwill towards his fellow-men, and he has, therefore, nothing to fear or to be ashamed of when his face reveals his inner self. This way of the upright is, in comparison with the way of the wicked, as a firm and level road—he who walks on it finds solid ground beneath his feet, and has no need to be ever on the look-out for bogs and pitfalls.

OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS

A hardened heart and a hardened face,—a face that has learned to brave accusation and to look innocent under conscious guilt, are the most undesirable of all attainments. The confusion of innocence, when evil is imputed, is far preferable. Better far to be innocent and thought guilty, than to be guilty and thought innocent. Better far to have the sentence of acquittal in our own bosoms, though condemned by men, than to succeed in getting acquittal from men, and carry within us the sentence of guilt. How painful soever the former, we can still look up to God, and forward to His tribunal, as that of unerring rectitude,—where He will “bring forth our righteousness as the light, and our judgment as the noon-day.” O! there will be no “hardening of the face” then. Conscience will do its duty. The eyes which are as a flame of fire will search the inmost soul. Every eye will quail, and every countenance, even the most hardened, sink, before the look of Him that sitteth upon the throne. He will then at once “wipe off the reproach of his people,” and “bring to light the hidden things of darkness.” And then they who, under the influence of faith, and fear, and love, have “considered their way,” shall lift up their faces without dread, and meet the smiles of their gracious Judge!—Wardlaw.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

Here is, 1. The presumption and impudence of a wicked man: He hardens his face - brazens it, that he may not blush - steels it, that he may not tremble when he commits the greatest crimes; he bids defiance to the terrors of the law and the checks of his own conscience, the reproofs of the word and the rebukes of Providence; he will have his way and nothing shall hinder him, Isa 57:17. 2. The caution and circumspection of a good man: As for the upright, he does not say, What would I do? What have I a mind to? and that will I have; but, What should I do? What does God require of me? What is duty? What is prudence? What is for edification? And so he does not force his way, but direct his way by a safe and certain rule.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

hardeneth his face--is obstinate.

directeth . . . way--considers it, and acts advisedly.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 29. He directeth his way] Instead of יכין yachin, he directeth, upwards of fifty of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., several ancient editions with some of the versions, read יבין yabin, he understands; and because he understands his way, he is able to direct himself in walking in it.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(29) A wicked man hardeneth his face.—Is insensible to rebuke, and will not confess himself in the wrong, but “the upright directeth his way,” as God would have him, or, as the margin implies, “looks well” to it, sees that it is in accordance with His commandments.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29. directeth] Or, ordereth, R.V. corrigit, Vulg. There is another reading, noticed in the marg. both of A.V. and R.V., considereth; συνίει, LXX.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A wicked man hardeneth his face,.... Against all corrections and reproofs of parents, masters, ministers, and others; he blushes not at sins committed, and is not ashamed of them, but glories in them: or, he "strengthens with his face" (l); he puts an impudent face upon his words, and confirms them by his impudence; if he tells the most notorious lies, and says things the most shameful and scandalous, his countenance does not alter, by which he would be thought to have spoken what is right and true;

but as for the upright, he directeth his way; or "his ways" (m); according to the various reading; the man that is upright in heart, and walks uprightly, he directs his way according to the word of God; and, if he does amiss, when sensible he is ashamed of it, and amends.

(l) "roborat vultu suo", Baynus; "in faciebus suis", Montanus. (m) , Sept. "vias suas", Baynus, Tigurine version, Mercerus, Gejerus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Directeth - i. e., Makes straight and firm. On one side it is the callousness of guilt; on the other side it is the confidence of integrity.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Face. Never blushing, or yielding to good advice.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Hardeneth his face; continueth in evil courses with obstinacy and impudence, in spite of all the commands of God, or counsels of men.

He directeth his way; he ordereth his steps aright; and if at any time, he goeth awry, he doth not add rebellion to his sin, nor persist in his error, but considereth his ways, and turneth his feet to God’s testimonies, as David did, Psa 119:59. Or, considereth his way, remembering with grief and shame what he hath done, and taking better heed to himself for the future.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

29. Hardeneth his face — Puts on a bold, impudent look.

Directeth — Establishes, prepares, his way. “Beats firm.” — Miller. What the other attempts to do by impudence he does by unassuming uprightness of character.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A wicked man hardeneth his face; is shameless, (as Pro_7:13) and is insensible to rebuke or any soft feeling. This obduracy he shows with his countenance. Septuagint, "An ungodly man shamelessly withstands with his face." But as for the upright, he directeth his way. He gives it the right direction. (2Ch_27:6) This is the reading of the Khetib, ykiy but, though generally adopted by the versions (except the Septuagint), it does not make a suitable antithesis to the rash stubbornness of the wicked. Hence modern commentators prefer the reading of the Keri, ybiy, "he considereth, proveth," his way; he acts only after due thought, giving proper weight to all circumstance. Septuagint, "But the upright man himself understands (suniei ) his ways." The contrast lies in the audacious self-confidence of the unprincipled man, and the calm circumspection and prudence of the saint.

Vers. 29-31 (with ver. 22). The achievements and limitations of wisdom.

There is great virtue in wisdom; Solomon never wearies of praising it. Here he adds another commendation, but he calls attention to a boundary beyond which it may not pass.

I THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF WISDOM. "A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty," etc. (ver. 22). How often have men stood behind their strong ramparts not of stone or rock only and looked down with complacent contempt upon the despised adversaries outside and below them; but when the shock of the battle came they found, to their dismay, that wisdom is stronger than all defences that could be raised, and that it can cast down the confidence of the proud! It is not only the city which is built of brick or stone which is at the command of the truly wise; it is also the city of falsehood and of error; it is the city of oppression and of wrong; it. is also the city of knowledge and of truth. However hard to win may be its walls, the wise man who is the man of rectitude, of unselfishness, of purity, of diligence, of earnestness, of patience, of devotion will strive and toil until he stands within the citadel.

II ONE OF ITS CHIEF CHARACTERISTICS. On the one hand, a wicked (who is an unwise) man "hardeneth his face." He may be proved to be in the wrong; he may be suffering seriously for his folly; but he will not change his course. He is obstinate, perverse, proud; he will go on his way, come what will. But, on the other hand, the upright (who is the wise) man directeth (or rather, considereth) his way. Even when he is right, and things are profitable and promising with him, he is often pondering his path, looking to his chart, carefully considering whether he is moving on in the right direction. But when he has been induced to wander into some byway, and when he is admonished either by God"s providence or by man"s fidelity, then he seriously considers his way, and, if he finds that he has erred, he immediately retraces his steps, until he is found again in the King"s highway. The habit of considering is one of the clearest marks of wisdom.

III TWO OF ITS LIMITATIONS.

1. It cannot succeed against God (ver. 30). Good men and true, who are within the kingdom of Christ, may put forth all their mental powers and moral energies to bring about that which God has condemned; they have watched and thought and striven for the cause which has not been, as they imagined, the cause of Christ, and they have hopelessly failed. History will supply abundant illustrations.

2. It cannot succeed without God (ver. 31). Equip your cavalry, arm your infantry, and collect your artillery for the day of battle; bring forth your most experienced general, who will be ready with his most brilliant tactics; still the issue will not be determined thus. There may arise a sudden unaccountable panic; there may be a movement made by the enemy"s captain wholly unexpected and practically irresistible; there are forces at work on the great battlefield of the world against which no military skill can provide. God is present there. He can act upon the mind of one man or of many men in such wise that the battle will not be to the strong, the victory not be to the seasoned troops and the confident commander. Without God"s consent, without his blessing, any battle on any field whatever, military or moral, must be lost. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hardeneth - Continues in evil with obstinacy and impudence. Directs - He orders his steps aright.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Another proverb with אישׁ: -

A godless man showeth boldness in his mien;

But one that is upright-he proveth his way.

The Chethı̂b has יכין; but that the upright directeth, dirigit, his way, i.e., gives to it the right direction (cf. Ch2 27:6), is not a good contrast to the boldness of the godless; the Kerı̂, הבין דּרכּו, deserves the preference. Aquila, Symmachus, the Syr., Targ., and Venet. adhere to the Chethı̂b, which would be suitable if it could be translated, with Jerome, by corrigit; Luther also reads the verb with כ, but as if it were יכּון (whoever is pious, his way will stand) - only the lxx render the Kerı̂ (συνιεῖ); as for the rest, the ancients waver between the Chethı̂b דּרכיו and the Kerı̂ דּרכּו: the former refers to manner of life in general; the latter (as at Pro 3:31 and elsewhere) to the conduct in separate cases; thus the one is just as appropriate as the other. In the circumstantial designation אישׁ רשׁע (cf. Pro 11:7) we have the stamp of the distinction of different classes of men peculiar to the Book of Proverbs. העז (to make firm, defiant) had, Pro 7:13, פנים as accus.; the בּ here is not that used in metaphoristic expressions instead of the accus. obj., which we have spoken of at Pro 15:4; Pro 20:30, but that of the means; for the face is thought of, not as the object of the action, but, after Gesen. 138, 1, as the means of its accomplishment: the godless makes (shows) firmness, i.e., defiance, accessibility to no admonition, which is countenance; but the upright considers, i.e., proves (Pro 14:8), his way. בּין (הבין) means a perceiving of the object in its specific peculiarity, an understanding of its constituent parts and essential marks; it denotes knowing an event analytically, as השׂכּיל, as well as synthetically (cf. Arab. shakl), and is thus used as the expression of a perception, which apprehends the object not merely immediately, but closely examines into its circumstances.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

A hardened face, without shame or blushing for sin, is a fearful manifestation of a hardened heart. Cain standing boldly in the presence of his God, with his hands reeking with his brother’s blood;†1 Gehazi with his fearless lie;†2 the Traitor, bearing to be pointed out by his Master, without visible emotion,†3 then afterwards with unblushing effrontery kissing his sacred cheeks†4 — how hardened must have been their faces in determined wickedness! The adulteress also, clothing her seductive witcheries with an impudent face, stands out before us. (Pro 7:10-13 .) Sometimes the wicked man, bent upon his way, hardens his face against the most distinct warning and intimations of the will of God. Nothing would hinder Balaam from his own "perverse way." He even anticipated the conditional permission of God, lest it should ultimately stand in his way.†5 Ahab determinately hardened his face against the clear forbidding will of God.†6 Jehoiakim, before his whole council, set God at defiance.†7 His people "ran" with the bravery of madmen "upon the thick bosses of his buckler."†8 And does not sin stand out before us with a brazen face? (Isa 3:9 .) The drunkard reels at noon-day. The swearer pours out his wickedness in the open crowd. The sensualist "glories in his shame." (Php 3:19 .) Truly this is the spirit of Satan. How near to hell! How awful is the plain stamp of the seal of wrath! (Rom 2:5 .) Truly ’we have no stay and command of ourselves. So masterful are our wills and headstrong, but that, if God should leave us wholly to the wildness of our unruly nature, and to take our own course, we should soon run ourselves upon our own ruin.’†9

Cheering is it to contrast the tender spirit of the child of God. This is rest indeed — to put ourselves in the Lord’s hands, fearful of taking one step alone; carefully ordering our steps, lest by inadvertence, much more by willfulness, they should bring shame upon his face. (Psa 119:5-6, Psa 119:80 .) Godly simplicity greatly clears the eye of the soul. Where the heart is set on duty, there will be seldom any great difficulty in discovering the path. (Mat 6:22 .) Secret heavenly direction is engaged. (Pro 3:6 .) An unfixed, unresolved mind gives great advantage to the enemy’s assault. Here lies the contrast — The wicked man hardens his face against God’s ordinances. The godly directs his way by them; not waiting in inactivity for miraculous leading, but improving those ordinary means, which throw light upon every step. Temporals, as well as spirituals; trifles, as well as important matters, are brought under the eye of our gracious God. Child-like confidence brings sunshine and acceptance, a brighter and more glorious privilege than the scepter of the universe.

Footnotes:

†1 Gen 4:8-9.

†2 2Ki 5:25 .

†3 Joh 13:21-30.

†4 Mat 26:47-49.

†5 Num 22:20-22, Num 22:32 .

†6 1Ki 22:3-6, 1Ki 22:18-29 .

†7 Jer 36:23-24.

†8 Jer 44:16-17, with Job 15:25-26 .

†9 Bp. Sanderson’s Sermon on Psa 19:13 .

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

v. 29. A wicked man hardeneth his face, trying to hide his wicked thoughts and intentions behind a bold exterior; but as for the upright, he directeth his way, carefully weighing and testing every step, and thus establishing his conduct under all circumstances.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

makes his face hard

Possible meanings are 1) "pretends to be courageous" or 2) "will not listen to correction." (See: Idiom)

is certain about his ways

A person's actions are spoken of as if they were a path upon which the person walks. AT: "is certain about what he does" or "is confident about what he does" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

evil

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

A wicked man shows his brazenness in his anger A wicked man shows his brazenness at the time of his anger.

in his anger Heb. בפניו, an expression of anger.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.