Amplified Bible
Proverbs 20:26
26A wise king sifts out the wicked [from among the good] And drives the [threshing] wheel over them [to separate the chaff from the grain].
Proverbs 20:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.
- New International Version (NIV)A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.
- New King James Version (NKJV)A wise king sifts out the wicked, And brings the threshing wheel over them.
Context of Proverbs 20:26
24Man’s steps are ordered and ordained by the Lord. How then can a man [fully] understand his way? 25It is a trap for a man to [speak a vow of consecration and] say rashly, “It is holy!” And [not until] afterward consider [whether he can fulfill it]. A wise king sifts out the wicked [from among the good] And drives the [threshing] wheel over them [to separate the chaff from the grain]. 27The spirit (conscience) of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching and examining all the innermost parts of his being. 28Loyalty and mercy, truth and faithfulness, protect the king, And he upholds his throne by lovingkindness.
Read all of Proverbs 20Proverbs 20:26 word by word
מְזָרֶ֣ה רְ֭שָׁעִים מֶ֣לֶךְ חָכָ֑ם וַיָּ֖שֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם אוֹפָֽן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 20:26
- Proverbs 20:8A [discerning] king who sits on the throne of judgment Sifts all evil [like chaff] with his eyes [and cannot be easily fooled].
- 2 Samuel 4:9David replied to Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every adversity,
- Psalms 101:5Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will silence; The one who has a haughty look and a proud (arrogant) heart I will not tolerate.
- 2 Samuel 12:31He also brought out the people who were there, and put them to [work with] the saws and sharp iron instruments and iron axes, and made them work at the brickkiln. And he did this to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the men returned to Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 28:27For dill is not threshed with a sharp threshing sledge, Nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin; But dill is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.
Commentaries on Proverbs 20:26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26Bringeth the wheel over them - He threshes them in his anger, as the wheel does the grain on the threshing-floor. Every one knows that grain was separated from its husks, in Palestine, by the feet of the oxen trampling among the sheaves, or bringing a rough-shod wheel over them. Asiatic kings often threshed their people, to bring out their property; but this is not what is intended here.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26The wheel - The threshing wheel Isaiah 28:27-28, which passes over the grain and separates the grain from the chaff. The proverb involves therefore the idea of the division of the good from the evil, no less than that of the punishment of the latter.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26Verse 26 Justice should crush the wicked, and separate them from the virtuous.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26A king represents God on earth, so he should help good people and punish wrongdoers.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. (Compare Pr 20:8). bringeth ... over them--The wheel was used for threshing grain. The figure denotes severity (compare Am 1:3).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 20:26
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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