Bible Strands
Proverbs 20:6
Many a man proclaims his loving devotion, but who can find a trustworthy man?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author of Proverbs addresses readers in a wisdom discourse, placing this observation between a warning about the hidden heart and a blessing on the righteous.
The words — The Hebrew chas·dā·w (his loving devotion) and ’e·mu·nîm (faithful/trustworthy ones) frame the contrast between claimed virtue and verified character.
The thread — This tension between proclaimed virtue and actual faithfulness recurs in Psalms 12:1, Matthew 6:2, and Proverbs 27:2.
Why it lands — The text states that while many declare their own loyalty, genuine trustworthiness remains exceptionally rare, demanding that readers evaluate character by conduct rather than self-reporting.
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
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
Cross-references
- Psalms 12:1 For the choirmaster. According to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.
- Matthew 6:2 So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
- Proverbs 27:2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips.
- Luke 18:8 I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
- Luke 22:33 “Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death.”
- Proverbs 25:14 Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts never given.
- Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
- Jeremiah 5:1 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.
- Micah 7:2 The godly man has perished from the earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt one another with a net.
- Ecclesiastes 7:28 While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.