English Standard Version
Proverbs 18:5
5It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.
Proverbs 18:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
- New International Version (NIV)It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.
- New King James Version (NKJV)It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
- New Living Translation (NLT)It is not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent.
Context of Proverbs 18:5
3When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace. 4The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. 6A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. 7A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Read all of Proverbs 18Proverbs 18:5 word by word
שְׂאֵ֣ת פְּנֵי־רָשָׁ֣ע לֹא־ט֑וֹב לְהַטּ֥וֹת צַ֝דִּ֗יק בַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 18:5
- Proverbs 24:23These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.
- Proverbs 28:21To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
- Leviticus 19:15"You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
- Deuteronomy 1:16And I charged your judges at that time, 'Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him.
- Deuteronomy 16:19You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.
- Job 13:7Will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for him?
- Job 34:19who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
- Matthew 22:16And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.
- 1 Kings 21:9And she wrote in the letters, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.
- Isaiah 5:23who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!
- Isaiah 59:14Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.
- Micah 7:3Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.
Commentaries on Proverbs 18:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5To accept the person of the wicked - We must not, in judicial cases, pay any attention to a man's riches, influence, friends, offices, etc., but judge the case according to its own merits. But when the wicked rich man opposes and oppresses the poor righteous, then all those things should be utterly forgotten.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5Verse 5 The merits of a cause must be looked to, not the person.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. accept the person--(Compare Psa 82:2). "It is not good" is to be supplied before "to overthrow."Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 18:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 18
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries