“They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.”
My Notes
What Does Proverbs 11:20 Mean?
"They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight." The contrast is absolute: abomination versus delight. God's response to human hearts is not neutral — He either finds them abominable or delightful, depending on their orientation.
The word "froward" (iqqesh) means crooked, twisted, perverse — the opposite of straight. A froward heart bends the truth, twists relationships, distorts reality to serve itself. The crookedness is internal — it's a heart condition, not just a behavioral pattern. The behavior flows from the bent heart.
The word "delight" (ratson) means pleasure, favor, acceptance. God takes genuine pleasure in people whose way is upright (tam — complete, whole, having integrity). The delight isn't about perfection but about wholeness — a life that isn't fractured between what it claims and what it does.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is your inner life consistent with your outer life? Where do the gaps show?
- 2.What does it mean that God delights in uprightness rather than perfection?
- 3.Where is your heart 'froward' — twisted or bent in a way you'd prefer others not to see?
- 4.What would wholeness — being the same person in every room — look like for you?
Devotional
God finds some hearts abominable and some delightful. That's stark, binary, and uncomfortable. There's no neutral category. The LORD either finds your heart-orientation abominable or delightful.
The "froward heart" is crooked — twisted, bent, perverse. It's not a heart that occasionally makes mistakes. It's a heart whose default setting is distortion. It bends truth, twists relationships, manipulates reality. The crookedness is who it is, not just what it does.
The "upright in their way" are tam — whole, complete, integrated. Their inner life and their outer life match. What they say and what they do align. What they show and who they are in private are the same person. That wholeness is what delights God.
This proverb is ultimately about integrity versus duplicity. The froward heart is a divided heart — one thing inside, another outside. The upright way is a unified way — the same thing all the way through. God's delight isn't in perfection; it's in consistency. People whose way is upright aren't flawless. They're just the same person in every room.
Which kind of heart do you have — and which kind does God find when He looks? Not which kind do you perform, but which kind are you when no one is watching?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the Lord,.... Such as are men of perverse dispositions and…
It concerns us to know what God hates and what he loves, that we may govern ourselves accordingly, may avoid his…
Cross References
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