New International Version
Proverbs 18:5
5It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent 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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous 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, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach. 4The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice. 6The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. 7The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
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: To show partiality in judging is not good:
- Proverbs 28:21To show partiality is not good— yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.
- Leviticus 19:15“ ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
- Deuteronomy 1:16And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.
- Deuteronomy 16:19Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.
- Job 13:7Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him?
- Job 34:19who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
- Matthew 22:16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.
- 1 Kings 21:9In those letters she wrote: “Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people.
- Isaiah 5:23who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.
- Isaiah 59:14So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.
- Micah 7:3Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire 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
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