Proverbs 20:26

Proverbs 20:26 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.
• New International Version (NIV)A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.
• English Standard Version (ESV)A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)A wise king sifts out the wicked, And brings the threshing wheel over them.

Context of Proverbs 20:26

24The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? 25Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost. A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat, then runs his threshing wheel over them. 27The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive. 28Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king; his throne is made secure through love.

Proverbs 20:26 word by word

מְזָרֶ֣ה רְ֭שָׁעִים מֶ֣לֶךְ חָכָ֑ם וַיָּ֖שֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם אוֹפָֽן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A wiseחָכָםchâkâm · wiseH2450
• kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• scatterethזָרָהzârâh · to scatterH2219
• the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
• and bringethשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• the wheelאוֹפָן'ôphân 'ôphân · wheelH212

Cross-references for Proverbs 20:26

• Proverbs 20:8When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence, distinguishing the bad from the good.
• 2 Samuel 4:9But David said to Recab and Baanah, “The Lord, who saves me from all my enemies, is my witness.
• Psalms 101:5I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride.
• 2 Samuel 12:31He also made slaves of the people of Rabbah and forced them to labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to work in the brick kilns. That is how he dealt with the people of all the Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.
• Isaiah 28:27A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail.

Commentaries on Proverbs 20:26

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26Bringeth the wheel over them - He threshes them in his anger, as the wheel does the grain on the threshing-floor. Every one knows that grain was separated from its husks, in Palestine, by the feet of the oxen trampling among the sheaves, or bringing a rough-shod wheel over them. Asiatic kings often threshed their people, to bring out their property; but this is not what is intended here.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26The wheel - The threshing wheel Isaiah 28:27-28, which passes over the grain and separates the grain from the chaff. The proverb involves therefore the idea of the division of the good from the evil, no less than that of the punishment of the latter.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26Verse 26 Justice should crush the wicked, and separate them from the virtuous.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26A king represents God on earth, so he should help good people and punish wrongdoers.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. (Compare Pr 20:8). bringeth ... over them--The wheel was used for threshing grain. The figure denotes severity (compare Am 1:3).Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 20:26

• Rulers
• Wheel

In the dictionaries

• Advice
• Cease
• Counsel
• Naught
• Obscure
• Proclaim
• Pure
• Purpose
• Wait
• Proverb

Commentaries on Proverbs 20

• 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