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Proverbs 21:1

New American Standard Bible (NASB ©1995) [2]
— The king’s heart is [like] channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.
King James Version (KJV 1769) [2]
— The king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
English Revised Version (ERV 1885)
— The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD as the watercourses: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
American Standard Version (ASV 1901) [2]
— The king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever he will.
Webster's Revision of the KJB (WEB 1833)
— The king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Darby's Translation (DBY 1890)
— The king's heart in the hand of Jehovah is [as] brooks of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (EBR 1902)
— [Like] channels of water, is the heart of a king, in the hand of Yahweh,—whithersoever he will, he turneth it.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT 1898)
— Rivulets of waters [is] the heart of a king in the hand of Jehovah, Wherever He pleaseth He inclineth it.
Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision (DR 1750)
— 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.
Geneva Bible (GNV 1560)
— The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the riuers of waters: he turneth it whithersoeuer it pleaseth him.
Original King James Bible (AV 1611) [2]
— The kings heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the riuers of water: hee turneth it whithersoeuer he will.
Lamsa Bible (1957)
— LIKE streams of water, so is the king's heart in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.
Brenton Greek Septuagint (LXX, Restored Names)
— 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.
Full Hebrew Names / Holy Name KJV (2008) [2] [3]
— The king's heart [is] in the hand of Yahweh, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Strong's Numbers & Hebrew NamesHebrew Old TestamentColor-Code/Key Word Studies
The king's 4428
{4428} Prime
מֶּלֶךְ
melek
{meh'-lek}
From H4427; a king.
heart 3820
{3820} Prime
לֵב
leb
{labe}
A form of H3824; the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything.
[is] in the hand 3027
{3027} Prime
יָד
yad
{yawd}
A primitive word; a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.), in distinction from H3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote.
of Yähwè יָהוֶה, 3068
{3068} Prime
יְהֹוָה
Y@hovah
{yeh-ho-vaw'}
From H1961; (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.
[as] the rivers 6388
{6388} Prime
פֶּלֶג
peleg
{peh'-leg}
From H6385; a rill (that is, small channel of water, as in irrigation).
of water: 4325
{4325} Prime
מַיִם
mayim
{mah'-yim}
Dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively juice; by euphemism urine, semen.
he turneth 5186
{5186} Prime
נָטָה
natah
{naw-taw'}
A primitive root; to stretch or spread out; by implication to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great variety of applications.
z8686
<8686> Grammar
Stem - Hiphil (See H8818)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 4046
it whithersoever x5921
(5921) Complement
עַל
`al
{al}
Properly the same as H5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural, often with prefix, or as conjugation with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications.
x3605
(3605) Complement
כֹּל
kol
{kole}
From H3634; properly the whole; hence all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).
x834
(0834) Complement
אֲשֶׁר
'asher
{ash-er'}
A primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as adverb and conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
he will. 2654
{2654} Prime
חָפֵץ
chaphets
{khaw-fates'}
A primitive root; properly to incline to; by implication (literally but rarely) to bend; figuratively to be pleased with, desire.
z8799
<8799> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 19885
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

Proverbs 21:1

_ _ rivers — irrigating channels (Psalms 1:3), whose course was easily turned (compare Deuteronomy 11:10). God disposes even kings as He pleases (Proverbs 16:9; Psalms 33:15).

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Proverbs 21:1

_ _ Note, 1. Even the hearts of men are in God's hand, and not only their goings, as he had said, Proverbs 20:24. God can change men's minds, can, by a powerful insensible operation under their spirits, turn them from that which they seemed most intent upon, and incline them to that which they seemed most averse to, as the husbandman, by canals and gutters, turns the water through his grounds as he pleases, which does not alter the nature of the water, nor put any force upon it, any more than God's providence does upon the native freedom of man's will, but directs the course of it to serve his own purpose. 2. Even kings' hearts are so, notwithstanding their powers and prerogatives, as much as the hearts of common persons. The hearts of kings are unsearchable to us, much more unmanageable by us; as they have their arcana imperiistate secrets, so that they have great prerogatives of their crown; but the great God has them not only under his eye, but in his hand. Kings are what he makes them. Those that are most absolute are under God's government; he puts things into their hearts, Revelation 17:17; Ezra 7:27.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Proverbs 21:1

The kings — He names kings not to exclude other men, but because they are more arbitrary and uncontrollable than others. As rivers — Which husband — men draw by little channels into the adjacent grounds as they please.

Geneva Bible Translation Notes

Proverbs 21:1

The (a) king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it wherever he will.

(a) Though kings seem to have all things at commandment, they are not able to bring their own purposes to pass unless God has appointed: much less are the inferiors able.

Cross-Reference Topical ResearchStrong's Concordance
The king's:

Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, [is] from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Proverbs 20:24 Man's goings [are] of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?
Ezra 7:27-28 Blessed [be] the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put [such a thing] as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which [is] in Jerusalem: ... And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God [was] upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.
Nehemiah 2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Psalms 105:25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
Psalms 106:46 He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.
Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth [are] reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and [among] the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Acts 7:10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

as:

Psalms 74:15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
Psalms 93:4 The LORD on high [is] mightier than the noise of many waters, [yea, than] the mighty waves of the sea.
Psalms 114:3 The sea saw [it], and fled: Jordan was driven back.
Psalms 114:5 What [ailed] thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, [that] thou wast driven back?
Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 44:27 That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:
Revelation 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
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Chain-Reference Bible SearchCross References with Concordance

Ezr 7:27. Ne 1:11; 2:4. Ps 74:15; 93:4; 105:25; 106:46; 114:3, 5. Pv 16:1, 9; 20:24. Is 43:19; 44:27. Dn 4:35. Ac 7:10. Rv 16:4, 12.

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