New English Translation
Proverbs 17:23
23A wicked person receives a bribe secretly to pervert the ways 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
21Whoever brings a fool into the world does so to his grief, and the father of a fool has no joy. 22A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. A wicked person receives a bribe secretly to pervert the ways of justice. 24Wisdom is directly in front of the discerning person, but the eyes of a fool run to the ends of the earth. 25A foolish child is a grief to his father, and bitterness to the mother 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 works like a charm for the one who offers it; in whatever he does he succeeds.
- Proverbs 18:16A person’s gift makes room for him, and leads him before important people.
- Proverbs 21:14A gift given in secret subdues anger, and a bribe given secretly subdues strong wrath.
- Exodus 23:8“You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and subverts the words of the righteous.
- Deuteronomy 16:19You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous.
- 1 Samuel 8:3But his sons did not follow his ways. Instead, they made money dishonestly, accepted bribes, and perverted justice.
- 1 Samuel 12:3Here I am. Bring a charge against me before the Lord and before his chosen king. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe so that I would overlook something? Tell me, and I will return it to you!”
- Isaiah 1:23Your officials are rebels, they associate with thieves. All of them love bribery, and look for payoffs. They do not take up the cause of the orphan, or defend the rights of the widow.
- Ezekiel 22:12They take bribes within you to shed blood. You engage in usury and charge interest; you extort money from your neighbors. You have forgotten me, declares the sovereign Lord.
- Micah 7:3They are determined to be experts at doing evil; government officials and judges take bribes, prominent men make demands, and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them.
- Mark 14:10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands.
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries