King James Version

Proverbs 21:1

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

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Hebrew

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פַּלְגֵיpalgeriverפֶּלֶגnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “river”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6388a rill (i.e. small channel of water, as in irrigation)river, stream.מַ֣יִםmayimwaterמַיִםnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “water”, the ordinary formH4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).לֶבlevcomfortablyלֵבnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “comfortably”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3820the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything[phrase] care for, comfortably, consent, [idiom] considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), [idiom] heed, [idiom] I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), [idiom] regard(-ed), [idiom]…מֶ֭לֶךְmelekhkingמֶלֶךְnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “king”, the ordinary formH4428a kingking, royal.בְּיַדbeyadin handיָדpreposition, noun, common, both genders, singular, construct — “in hand”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3027a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),([phrase] be) able, [idiom] about, [phrase] armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, [idiom] bounty, [phrase] broad, (broken-) handed, [idiom] by, charge, coast, [phrase] consecrate, [phrase] creditor, custody, debt, dominion, […יְהוָ֑הyehvahJehovahיְהֹוָהnoun, proper name — “Jehovah”H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodJehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה).עַֽלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…כָּלkalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).אֲשֶׁ֖רasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…יַחְפֹּ֣ץyachpotsdesireחָפֵץverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “desire”, an unfinished actionH2654properly, to incline to; by implication (literally but rarely) to bend; figuratively, to be pleased with, desire[idiom] any at all, (have, take) delight, desire, favour, like, move, be (well) pleased, have pleasure, will, would.יַטֶּֽנּוּyatenvspreadנָטָהverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “spread”, an unfinished actionH5186to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great variety of application[phrase] afternoon, apply, bow (down, -ing), carry aside, decline, deliver, extend, go down, be gone, incline, intend, lay, let down, offer, outstretched, overthrown, pervert, pitch, prolong, put away, shew, spread (out), stretch (forth, o…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever He will.

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The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

The king’s heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever he will.

Young’s Literal Translation

Rivulets of waters [is] the heart of a king in the hand of Jehovah, Wherever He pleaseth He inclineth it.

World English Bible

The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.

Darby Translation

The king's heart in the hand of Jehovah is [as] brooks of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Douay-Rheims

As the divisions of waters, so the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord: whithersoever he will he shall turn it.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever He will.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

As a rush of water, so is the king's heart in God's hand: he turns it whithersoever he may desire to point out.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ὥσπερ ὁρμὴ ὕδατος, οὕτως καρδία βασιλέως ἐν χειρὶ Θεοῦ, οὗ ἐὰν θέλων νεῦσαι ἐκεῖ ἔκλινεν αὐτήν.