Proverbs 3 · Verse 5

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5, King James Version

Proverbs 3:5 in other translations

BSBTrust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
WEBTrust in the LORD with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.
ASVTrust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding:
YLTTrust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.
DARBYConfide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence;
BBEPut all your hope in God, not looking to your reason for support.
WebsterTrust in the LORD with all thy heart; and lean not to thy own understanding.

What does Proverbs 3:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. Trust ... heart--This is the center and marrow of true wisdom (Pr 22:19; 28:25). The positive duty has its corresponding negation in the admonition against self-confidence.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart - This is a most important precept: 1. God is the Fountain of all good. 2. He has made his intelligent creatures dependent upon himself. 3. He requires them to be conscious of that dependence. 4. He has promised to communicate what they need. 5. He commands them to believe his promise, and look for its fulfillment. 6. And to do this without doubt, fear, or distrust; "with their whole heart." Lean not unto thine own understanding - אל תשען al tishshaen, do not prop thyself. It is on God, not on thyself, that thou art commanded to depend. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Proverbs 3:1-6

In the way of believing obedience to God's commandments health and peace may commonly be enjoyed; and though our days may not be long upon earth, we shall live for ever in heaven. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; God's mercy in promising, and his truth in performing: live up to them, keep up thine interest in them, and take the comfort of them. We must trust in the Lord with all our hearts, believing he is able…

Read the full comment on Proverbs 3:1-6 →

Proverbs 3:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

בְּטַ֣חbe.TachtrustH982
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְ֭הוָהYah.wehYahwehH3068
בְּכָל\־be.kholwith allH3605
לִבֶּ֑ךָli.Be.khaheart yourH3820
וְאֶל\־ve.'el-and toH413
בִּֽ֝ינָתְךָ֗bi.na.te.khaown understanding yourH998
אַל\־'al-may notH408
תִּשָּׁעֵֽן\׃ti.sha.'Enyou dependH8172

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Proverbs 3:5

  • Psalms 37:5

    Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

  • Jeremiah 17:7-8

    Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

  • Proverbs 28:26

    He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

  • Psalms 37:3

    Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

  • Psalms 62:8

    Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

  • Isaiah 26:3-4

    Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

  • Isaiah 12:2

    Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

  • Psalms 37:7

    Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

  • Proverbs 3:7

    Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

  • Jeremiah 10:23

    O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

  • 1 Corinthians 3:18-20

    Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

  • Psalms 146:3-5

    Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Trust.
22:19; Job 13:15; Ps 37:3,5,7; 62:8; 115:9-11; 125:1; 146:3-5
Isa 12:2; 26:3,4; Jer 17:7,8; Eph 1:12
and.
7; 23:4; 28:26; Jer 9:23; 10:23; Ro 12:16; 1Co 3:18-20; 8:1,2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Proverbs 3:4

    So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

  • Proverbs 3:5

    Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

  • Proverbs 3:6

    In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Read all of Proverbs 3

Proverbs 3:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Fíate de Jehová de todo tu corazón, y no estribes en tu prudencia.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Confie-toi de tout ton cœur à l’ Éternel, et ne t’appuie pas sur ton intelligence;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Vertraue auf Jehova mit deinem ganzen Herzen, und stütze dich nicht auf deinen Verstand.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Habe fiduciam in Domino ex toto corde tuo, et ne innitaris prudentiæ tuæ.