Proverbs 4:21 (LSB)

Passage

Do not let them deviate from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like thick darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

Proverbs 4:20 My son, pay attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.

Proverbs 4:21 Do not let them deviate from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart.

Proverbs 4:22 For they are life to those who find them And healing to all his flesh.

Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "My son pay attention to my words..." into verse 22's "For they are life to those who...", so "deviate" and "eyes" 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 "deviate" and "eyes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.