Proverbs 19:21 - Exposition

The immutability of the counsel of God is contrasted with the shifting, fluctuating purposes of man (comp. Proverbs 16:1 , Proverbs 16:9 ; Numbers 23:19 ; Malachi 3:6 ). Aben Ezra connects this verse with the preceding, as though it gave the reason for the advice contained therein. But it is most natural to take the maxim in a general sense, as above Wis. 9:14, "The thoughts of mortal men are miserable, and our devices are but uncertain." The counsel of the Lord, that shall stand ; permanebit, Vulgate; εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μενεῖ , "shall abide forever," Septuagint ( Psalms 33:11 ).