Proverbs 15:3

The context

This is one of the collected sayings in Proverbs, where short observations about speech, wealth, discipline, and the fear of the LORD sit side by side. Chapter fifteen alternates between the LORD's knowledge of human conduct and the consequences that follow it, with no single argument connecting the sayings.

What it establishes

It establishes that no place and no person falls outside God's notice, the evil and the good alike. The claim is about observation, and it grounds the wisdom claim that conduct is never unobserved.

What it does not establish

It is not a promise of immediate consequences. The verse says God sees; it does not say when or how he responds, and the surrounding sayings are general observations rather than guarantees. Nor does it address the mechanics of divine knowledge, which the proverb assumes rather than explains.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• The Bible says that God’s eyes are too pure to look upon sin. So then how can the Holy Spirit be present at all times with people (even believers, who still commit sins)?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.