Proverbs 20:9
New International Version
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

New Living Translation
Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin”?

English Standard Version
Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?

Berean Standard Bible
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?

King James Bible
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

New King James Version
Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”?

New American Standard Bible
Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin”?

NASB 1995
Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin “?

NASB 1977
Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin”?

Legacy Standard Bible
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure, I am clean from my sin”?

Amplified Bible
Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?”

Christian Standard Bible
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin"?

American Standard Version
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Who will say, "You are innocent, my heart, and I am purified from sin"?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Who will boast that he has a pure heart? or who will boldly say that he is pure from sins.

Contemporary English Version
Can any of us really say, "My thoughts are pure, and my sins are gone"?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who can say: My heart is clean, I am pure from sin?

English Revised Version
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Who can say, "I've made my heart pure. I'm cleansed from my sin"?

Good News Translation
Can anyone really say that his conscience is clear, that he has gotten rid of his sin?

International Standard Version
Who can say, "My intentions are pure; I am clean from any sin?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
Who can say: 'I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin'?

Literal Standard Version
Who says, “I have purified my heart, | I have been cleansed from my sin?”

Majority Standard Bible
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?

New American Bible
Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am cleansed of my sin”?

NET Bible
Who can say, "I have kept my heart clean; I am pure from my sin"?

New Revised Standard Version
Who can say, “I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin”?

New Heart English Bible
Who can say, "I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

World English Bible
Who can say, “I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?”

Young's Literal Translation
Who saith, 'I have purified my heart, I have been cleansed from my sin?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Wine is a Mocker
8A king who sits on a throne to judge sifts out all evil with his eyes. 9Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”? 10Differing weights and unequal measures—both are detestable to the LORD.…

Cross References
Romans 3:9
What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.

1 John 1:8
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 Kings 8:46
When they sin against You--for there is no one who does not sin--and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,

2 Chronicles 6:36
When they sin against You--for there is no one who does not sin--and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land far or near,

Job 14:4
Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!

Job 15:14
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

Ecclesiastes 7:20
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.


Treasury of Scripture

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

1 Kings 8:46
If 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;

2 Chronicles 6:36
If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;

Job 14:4
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

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Proverbs 20
1. Proper Living














(9) Who can say, I have made my heart clean?--Though we may have done our best by self-examination and confession, and repentance and trust in the atoning blood of Christ to obtain remission of sin, still the heart is so deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), sins may so easily have escaped our notice (Psalm 19:12, 1Corinthians 4:4), that satisfaction with ourselves ought never to be allowed (Romans 11:20).

Verse 9. - Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? The question implies the answer, "No one." This is expressed in Job 14:4, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." At the dedication of the temple, Solomon enunciates this fact of man's corruption, "There is no man that sinneth not" (1 Kings 8:46). The prophet testifies, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is desperately sick: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). And St. John warns, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). The heart is cleansed by self-examination and repentance; but it is so easy to deceive one's self in this matter, sins may lurk undetected, motives may be overlooked, so that no one can rightly be self-righteous, or conceited, or proud of his spiritual state. The "my sin" at the end of the clause is rather possible than actual sin; and the expression means that no one can pride himself on being secure from yielding to temptation, however clean for a time his conscience may be. The verse, therefore, offers a stern corrective of two grievous spiritual errors - presumption and apathy.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Who
מִֽי־ (mî-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

can say,
יֹ֭אמַר (yō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“I have kept my heart
לִבִּ֑י (lib·bî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

pure;
זִכִּ֣יתִי (zik·kî·ṯî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2135: To be translucent, to be innocent

I am cleansed
טָ֝הַ֗רְתִּי (ṭā·har·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2891: To be clean or pure

from my sin”?
מֵחַטָּאתִֽי׃ (mê·ḥaṭ·ṭā·ṯî)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2403: An offence, its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, expiation, an offender


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 20:9 Who can say I have made my (Prov. Pro Pr)
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