Bible Strands
Proverbs 20:5
The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The wisdom teacher addresses a general audience within the Proverbs collection, positioning the verse between a warning about neglected harvests and a note on the scarcity of genuine loyalty.
The words — עֲ֭מֻקִּים ('Amuqim) = deep and מַ֣יִם (Mayim) = water form the metaphor for hidden motives, while יִדְלֶֽנָּה (yidlennah) = he draws them out describes the active process of discernment.
The thread — The hidden-ness of human plans recurs in Psalms 64:6 and Proverbs 18:4, while 1 Corinthians 2:11 extends the principle to the limits of human knowledge regarding both self and God.
Why it lands — The text demands that readers stop trusting verbal claims about character and instead wait for observable actions to reveal true intentions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 18:4 The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
- 1 Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
- Psalms 64:6 They devise injustice and say, “We have perfected a secret plan.” For the inner man and the heart are mysterious.