Proverbs 24:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

NIV: If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?

NASB: If you say, 'See, we did not know this,' Does He who weighs the hearts not consider it? And does He who watches over your soul not know it? And will He not repay a person according to his work?

CSB: If you say, "But we didn't know about this," won't he who weighs hearts consider it? Won't he who protects your life know? Won't he repay a person according to his work?

NLT: Don’t excuse yourself by saying, 'Look, we didn’t know.' For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

KJV: If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

NKJV: If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

The prior verse called on godly people to intervene when innocents are being killed or persecuted (Proverbs 24:11). This has physical, earthly application in cases of injustice and abuse. It also applies to the idea of evangelism, where Christ-followers seek to "rescue" others from condemnation in eternity (John 3:36; James 5:20).

Here, we are reminded that no one can fool God; claiming "I did not know" is futile in matters of good and evil. Other Scriptures provide reminders of God's perfect knowledge (Hebrews 4:12–13) and our lack of excuse (Romans 1:18–20). Taken in context with the prior verse, the scenario is someone who perceives injustice or atrocity, yet tries to plead ignorance. Excuses might work with other people, but God knows the true motives of the heart. He knows the difference between discretion (Proverbs 2:11; 3:21; 14:16) or strategy (Proverbs 20:18) as opposed to indifference or cowardice (Romans 1:28–32; Proverbs 21:13).

As with the first half of this lesson, this verse has application to evangelism. The ministry of rescuing lost souls is pressing; believers cannot pretend to be ignorant of spiritual needs in a fallen world. After presenting Himself to a Samaritan woman, Jesus emphasized this urgency. After the disciples returned to Jesus from a shopping trip to find food, Jesus told them to look and see a waiting harvest (John 4:35). Likely, the "fields" Jesus referred to were the people of Samaria coming to meet Him (John 4:28–30).

There are many excuses for not rescuing the perishing, but not a single good reason to leave the suffering to their fate. The apostle Paul endured many harsh trials to reach the lost. He said, "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others" (2 Corinthians 5:11).

Proverbs 24:1–12 exhorts Solomon's son, or student, not to be jealous of immoral people or desire their friendship. Solomon contrasts godly wisdom (Proverbs 1:7) with foolishness and calls upon his son to rescue those who are unjustly oppressed. Failing to do so, under the all-seeing eyes of the Lord, cannot be excused. This continues a series of wise sayings endorsed by Solomon (Proverbs 22:17–21).

Solomon continues to list wise sayings (Proverbs 22:17–21), rounding out his promised list of thirty teachings. These endorse integrity, accepting good advice, reputation, and ethical actions. The lessons also stress godly attitudes about vengeance, bitterness, and companionship. After verse 23 come additional proverbs. These may or may not have been Solomon's own words, but at least some appear to be his thoughts. Key points in these verses are the need for impartiality in judgment, godly reputation, and work ethic.

This chapter continues thirty sayings of wise people (Proverbs 22:17–21), as collected and endorsed by Solomon. The remainder of the passage are additional wise statements, which are not as clearly attributed. Some of the lessons are framed as warnings, followed by reasons. The lessons contained here are more detailed than most of the proverbs in this book.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.