English Standard Version
Proverbs 16:10
10An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment.
Proverbs 16:10 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.
- New International Version (NIV)The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth does not betray justice.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Divination is on the lips of the king; His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
- New Living Translation (NLT)The king speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly.
Context of Proverbs 16:10
8Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. 9The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment. 11A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work. 12It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.
Read all of Proverbs 16Proverbs 16:10 word by word
קֶ֤סֶם׀ עַֽל־שִׂפְתֵי־מֶ֑לֶךְ בְּ֝מִשְׁפָּ֗ט לֹ֣א יִמְעַל־פִּֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 16:10
- Proverbs 16:12It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.
- Genesis 44:5Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.'"
- Deuteronomy 17:18"And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.
- 2 Samuel 23:3The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,
- Psalms 45:6Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
- Psalms 72:1Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
- Psalms 99:4The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- Isaiah 32:1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice.
- Jeremiah 23:5"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
- Hosea 10:4They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
- Amos 5:7O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!
- Amos 6:12Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
Commentaries on Proverbs 16:10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10A divine sentence - קסם kesem, "divination," as the margin has it. Is the meaning as follows? Though divination were applied to a righteous king's lips, to induce him to punish the innocent and spare the guilty, yet would not his lips transgress in judgment; so firmly attached is he to God, and so much is he under the Divine care and influence. Whatever judgment such a one pronounces, it may be considered as a decision from God.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10A divine sentence - See the margin, i. e., “soothsaying” in its darker aspect as contrasted with prophecy. The true oracle is to be sought, not from soothsayers and diviners, but “at the lips of the king,” who is ideally the representative, the ́ prophētēs of Yahweh, in His government of mankind.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10Divine wisdom is guidance from a divine source that helps the king make decisions (for example, 1 Kings 3:28; see also Psalm 72:2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. The last clause depends on the first, expressing the importance of equity in decisions, so authoritative.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 16:10
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 16
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries