Proverbs 27:19

As in water face [answereth] to face,.... As water is as a looking glass, in which a man may behold his own face and another's; or as the face in the water answers to the face of a man, and there is a great likeness between them.

As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. As in water face (answereth) to face, so the heart of man to man.

The sense is either, 1. As the image of a man’ s face in the water answers to his natural face who looks into it; or, as in water one man’ s face is like another’ s, the difference of men’ s faces being not there visible: so one man resembles another, either in the temper of his mind or body, in which many men are alike one to another; or in the corruption of his nature, in which all are alike. Or, 2. As a man may see his own face if he look into the water, which is nature’ s looking-glass, or into any other looking glass; so a man may discern his own heart, if he look into those glasses whereby it discovers itself; if he examine his thoughts and inclinations, together with the general course of his actions. Or, 3. As the face of a man standing by the waters is visible not only to himself, but to others, by the shadow or image of it in the waters; so the heart of a man is in some measure discernible, not only to himself, but to others also, who observe his disposition and carriage.

Proverbs 27:19 As in water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man.Ver. 19. As in water face answereth to face, &c.] Men’ s fancies differ as much as their faces: so the Chaldee interprets it. But they do better that give this sense, that in regard of natural corruption, all men look with one countenance, and have one visage; since "whole evil is in man, and whole man in evil," neither by nature is there ever a better of us. In the heart of the vilest person we may see, as in a mirror, our own evil hearts. For as there were many Marii in one Caesar, so are there many Cains and Judases in the best of us. And as that first chaos had the seed of all creatures, and wanted only the Spirit’ s motion to bring them forth, so there is a πανσπερμια, a common seed plot of sin in us all; there wants but the warmth and watering of Satan’ s temptations to make it bud. And though there were no devil, yet our naughty nature would act Satan’ s part against itself; it would have a supply of wickedness, as a serpent hath poison, from itself; it hath a spring to feed it. Hence our Saviour chargeth his own disciples to take heed of surfeiting, drunkenness, and distracting carefulness - who would ever have suspected such monsters to lurk in such holy bosoms? And St Paul saw cause to warn so pure a soul as young Timothy to "flee youthly lusts," and to exhort the younger women "with chastity"; thereby intimating, that while he was exhorting them to chastity, some impure motion might steal upon him unawares. Corruption in the best will have some flurts.

(19) So the heart of man (answereth) to man.—What is in our own hearts we find in others also. Whatever are the distinguishing features of our own characters we discover and elicit the same in others. The merciful, the generous, the devout, the pure, recognise the same qualities in others, and themselves feel and receive sympathy from such persons. So the evil, too, find themselves in harmony with those of like disposition.

Verse 19. As in water face answereth to face] All men's hearts are pretty nearly alike; water is not more like to water, than one heart is to another. Or, as a man sees his face perfectly reflected by the water, when looking into it; so the wise and penetrating man sees generally what is in the heart of another by considering the general tenor of his words and actions. "Surely, if each man saw another's heart There would be no commerce; All would disperse, And live apart." HERBERT.

19. in water] This rendering of A.V., which is retained in R.V. text, gives a good and pregnant meaning: As truly as the face seen in the water resembles the face of which it is the reflection, so truly does the heart of one man correspond to that of another in all the essential features of our common nature. There is, however, another rendering, supported by many competent authorities and adopted in R.V. marg., viz.: As water sheweth face to face, So the heart sheweth man to man. The meaning then will be that the heart, like the water, is the medium by which we behold the image of our fellow man, the mirror in which we see his character. He is to us what our heart makes him. We judge of others by ourselves. A sordid nature or ruffled temper, like turbid or unsettled water, will give a broken and distorted image: it cannot conceive the idea of true generosity or genuine worth. On the other hand a pure heart will give to its possessor a true perception not only of man but of God Himself (St Matthew 5:8).

As we see our own face when we look on the mirror-like surface of the water, so in every heart of man we may see our own likeness. In spite of all diversities we come upon the common human nature in which we all alike share.

19. As in water face answereth to face — Water was the first mirror, and a basin of pure water is the only reflector used by many in the East to this day. So the heart of man to man — The properties of human nature are common.