Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 17:23
23A wicked person secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice.
Proverbs 17:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
- New International Version (NIV)The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.
- New King James Version (NKJV)A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice.
Context of Proverbs 17:23
21A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy. 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. A wicked person secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice. 24Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth. 25A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.
Read all of Proverbs 17Proverbs 17:23 word by word
שֹׁ֣חַד מֵ֭חֵיק רָשָׁ֣ע יִקָּ֑ח לְ֝הַטּ֗וֹת אָרְח֥וֹת מִשְׁפָּֽט׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 17:23
- Proverbs 17:8A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
- Proverbs 18:16A person’s gift opens doors for him and brings him before the great.
- Proverbs 21:14A secret gift soothes anger, and a covert bribe, fierce rage.
- Exodus 23:8You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous.
- Deuteronomy 16:19Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- 1 Samuel 8:3However, his sons did not walk in his ways — they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice.
- 1 Samuel 12:3Here I am. Bring charges against me before the Lord and his anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Who have I wronged or mistreated? Who gave me a bribe to overlook something? I will return it to you.”
- Isaiah 1:23Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love graft and chase after bribes. They do not defend the rights of the fatherless, and the widow’s case never comes before them.
- Ezekiel 22:12People who live in you accept bribes in order to shed blood. You take interest and profit on a loan and brutally extort your neighbors. You have forgotten me. This is the declaration of the Lord God.
- Micah 7:3Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together.
- Mark 14:10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.
Commentaries on Proverbs 17:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23A gift out of the bosom - Out of his purse; as in their bosoms, above their girdles, the Asiatics carry their purses. I have often observed this.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23The words “out of the bosom,” from the fold of the garment, rather than from the bag or girdle in which money was usually carried, possibly point to the stealthiness with which the “gift” (or, bribe) is offered to the judge.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23Verse 23 The wicked are ready to part with their money, though loved, that they may not suffer for their crimes.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. a gift ... bosom--Money and other valuables were borne in a fold of the garment, called the bosom. to pervert--that is, by bribery.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 17:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 17
- 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
Christian Standard Bible — © 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Commentaries