God’s Word Translation
Proverbs 25:2
2It is the glory of God to hide things but the glory of kings to investigate them.
Proverbs 25:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
- New International Version (NIV)It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
- English Standard Version (ESV)It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
- New King James Version (NKJV)It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Context of Proverbs 25:2
1These also are Solomon’s proverbs that were copied by the men of King Hezekiah of Judah. It is the glory of God to hide things but the glory of kings to investigate them. 3⌞Like⌟ the high heavens and the deep earth, so the mind of kings is unsearchable. 4Take the impurities out of silver, and a vessel is ready for the silversmith to mold.
Read all of Proverbs 25Proverbs 25:2 word by word
כְּבֹ֣ד אֱ֭לֹהִים הַסְתֵּ֣ר דָּבָ֑ר וּכְבֹ֥ד מְ֝לָכִ֗ים חֲקֹ֣ר דָּבָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 25:2
- Deuteronomy 29:29Some things are hidden. They belong to the Lord our God. But the things that have been revealed in these teachings belong to us and to our children forever. We must obey every word of these teachings.
- Job 11:7“Can you discover God’s hidden secrets, or are you able to find the Almighty’s limits?
- Job 38:4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have ⌞such⌟ insight.
- Job 40:2“Will the person who finds fault with the Almighty correct him? Will the person who argues with God answer him?”
- Job 42:3“⌞You said,⌟ ‘Who is this that belittles my advice without having any knowledge ⌞about it⌟?’ Yes, I have stated things I didn’t understand, things too mysterious for me to know.
- Romans 11:33God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep that it is impossible to explain his decisions or to understand his ways.
- 1 Kings 3:9Give me a heart that listens so that I can judge your people and tell the difference between good and evil. After all, who can judge this great people of yours?”
- 1 Kings 4:29God gave Solomon wisdom—keen insight and a mind as limitless as the sand on the seashore.
- Ezra 4:15that you should search the official records of your predecessors. You will find in those official records that this city has been rebellious and has been a threat to kings and provinces. This city has a history of rebelliousness. That’s why this city was destroyed.
- Ezra 5:17If it pleases Your Majesty, allow someone to search the king’s archives in Babylon to determine whether King Cyrus gave permission for the temple of God to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then please send us Your Majesty’s decision on this matter.
- Ezra 6:1Then King Darius gave the order to search the library where the archives were stored in Babylon.
- Job 29:16I was father to the needy. I carefully investigated cases brought by strangers.
Commentaries on Proverbs 25:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2It is the glory of God to conceal a thing - This has been understood as referring to the revelation of God's will in his word, where there are many things concealed in parables, allegories, metaphors, similitudes, etc. And it is becoming the majesty of God so to publish his will, that it must be seriously studied to be understood, in order that the truth may be more prized when it is discovered. And if it be God's glory thus partially to conceal his…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The earthly monarch might be, in some respects, the type of the heavenly, but here there is a marked contrast. The king presses further and further into all knowledge; God surrounds Himself as in “thick darkness,” and there are secrets unrevealed even after the fullest revelation.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3This warning advises young men entering royal service that some things are beyond understanding, like the king's mysterious reasoning (for example, 2 Samuel 11:14–25; 24:3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. God's unsearchableness impresses us with awe (compare Is 45:15; Ro 11:33). But kings, being finite, should confer with wise counsellors;Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 25:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 25
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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