Proverbs 21:1

In 11 translations

BSB

The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.

KJV

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

WEB

The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.

ASV

The king’s heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever he will.

LSV

The heart of a king [is] streams of waters in the hand of YHWH, || He inclines it wherever He pleases.

YLT

Rivulets of waters [is] the heart of a king in the hand of Jehovah, Wherever He pleaseth He inclineth it.

DBY

The king's heart in the hand of Jehovah is [as] brooks of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

DRC

As the divisions of waters, so the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord: whithersoever he will he shall turn it.

GNV

The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the riuers of waters: he turneth it whithersoeuer it pleaseth him.

JPS

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever He will.

LXXE

As a rush of water, so is the king's heart in God's hand: he turns it whithersoever he may desire to point out.

Word by word Hebrew · tap a word

Words in brackets are English the glossers added; the Hebrew has no word for them, and they can carry a choice of tense or meaning.

Original-language editions

WLC

פַּלְגֵי־מַ֣יִם לֶב־מֶ֭לֶךְ בְּיַד־יְהוָ֑ה עַֽל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר יַחְפֹּ֣ץ יַטֶּֽנּוּ׃

LXX-Br

Ὥσπερ ὁρμὴ ὕδατος, οὕτως καρδία βασιλέως ἐν χειρὶ Θεοῦ, οὗ ἐὰν θέλων νεῦσαι ἐκεῖ ἔκλινεν αὐτήν.

Who and where

People, places and events the Theographic dataset links to this verse.

In the reference works topics that cite this verse

From public-domain Bible dictionaries and topical indexes (1884–1915).

Cross-references most cited first

• Proverbs 16:9A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
• Proverbs 20:24A man’s steps are from the LORD, so how can anyone understand his own way?
• Ezra 6:22For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the…
• Acts 7:10and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.
• Proverbs 16:1The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.
• Daniel 4:35All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
• Ezra 7:27–28Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful…
• Psalms 106:46He made them objects of compassion to all who held them captive.
• Isaiah 43:19Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
• Nehemiah 2:4“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
• Nehemiah 1:11O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that…
• Psalms 105:25whose hearts He turned to hate His people, to conspire against His servants.
• Psalms 74:15You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
• Psalms 93:4Above the roar of many waters— the mighty breakers of the sea— the LORD on high is majestic.
• Isaiah 44:27who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’
• Revelation 16:4And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned to blood.

From the OpenBible.info cross-reference set (votes from readers; not every link is a quotation or allusion).