Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Original Language Analysis
מִֽי
H4310
מִֽי
Strong's:
H4310
Word #:
1 of 6
who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix
לִבִּ֑י
I have made my heart
H3820
לִבִּ֑י
I have made my heart
Strong's:
H3820
Word #:
4 of 6
the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything
Cross References
Ecclesiastes 7:20For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.1 Kings 8:46If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;Job 14:4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.Job 25:4How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?Job 15:14What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?1 Corinthians 4:4For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.James 3:2For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
Historical Context
Despite Israel's covenant status and possession of the law, Scripture repeatedly emphasized their inability to achieve the righteousness God required. This pointed forward to the need for a Savior.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you recognize your own sinfulness, or do you compare yourself favorably to others?
- How does acknowledging your inability to purify yourself drive you to Christ?
Analysis & Commentary
This rhetorical question expects the answer: no one. No person can claim complete heart purity or sinlessness. This verse confronts human self-righteousness by asserting universal depravity. Even the most outwardly moral person harbors sinful thoughts, desires, and motives. The Hebrew 'zakah' (clean/pure) and 'taher' (pure from sin) demand absolute moral perfection that only God possesses. This proverb anticipates Paul's teaching that 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23). It demolishes every claim to self-justification and drives us to seek righteousness outside ourselves—ultimately found only in Christ's imputed righteousness. Only through Christ's perfect obedience and atoning death can sinners stand clean before God.