Proverbs 4:21 (DBY)

Passage

Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Proverbs 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

Proverbs 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thy heart.

Proverbs 4:22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "depart", "thine", "eyes", "keep", "midst", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "depart" and "thine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "My son attend to my words incline..." into verse 22's "For they are life unto those that...", so "depart" and "thine" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "depart" and "thine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.