Proverbs 4:21 (GNV)

Passage

Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is as the darkenes: they knowe not wherein they shall fall.

Proverbs 4:20 My sonne, hearken vnto my wordes, incline thine eare vnto my sayings.

Proverbs 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes, but keepe them in the middes of thine heart.

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

Proverbs 4:23 Keepe thine heart with all diligence: for thereout commeth life.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "depart", "thine", "eyes", "keepe", "middes", 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 sonne hearken vnto my wordes incline..." into verse 22's "For they are life vnto 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.