New Living Translation
Proverbs 28:15
15A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.
Proverbs 28:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.
- New International Version (NIV)Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over poor people.
Context of Proverbs 28:15
13People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. 14Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble. A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear. 16A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people, but one who hates corruption will have a long life. 17A murderer’s tormented conscience will drive him into the grave. Don’t protect him!
Read all of Proverbs 28Proverbs 28:15 word by word
אֲרִי־נֹ֭הֵם וְדֹ֣ב שׁוֹקֵ֑ק מֹשֵׁ֥ל רָ֝שָׁ֗ע עַ֣ל עַם־דָּֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 28:15
- Proverbs 20:2The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar; to rouse his anger is to risk your life.
- Hosea 5:11The people of Israel will be crushed and broken by my judgment because they are determined to worship idols.
- 1 Peter 5:8Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
- Proverbs 17:12It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.
- 2 Kings 2:24Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.
- Hosea 13:8Like a bear whose cubs have been taken away, I will tear out your heart. I will devour you like a hungry lioness and mangle you like a wild animal.
- Exodus 1:14They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.
- 1 Samuel 22:17And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!” But Saul’s men refused to kill the Lord’s priests.
- 2 Kings 15:16At that time Menahem destroyed the town of Tappuah and all the surrounding countryside as far as Tirzah, because its citizens refused to surrender the town. He killed the entire population and ripped open the pregnant women.
- 2 Kings 21:16Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do evil in the Lord’s sight.
- Esther 3:6He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.
- Matthew 2:16Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.
Commentaries on Proverbs 28:15
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15The form of political wretchedness, when the poverty of the oppressed subjects not only embitters their sufferings, but exasperates the brutal ferocity of the ruler.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15Verse 15 A wicked ruler, whatever we may call him, this scripture calls a roaring lion, and a ranging bear.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15An unjust ruler will not help the poor. Like a roaring lion or an attacking bear, he ruins their lives.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. The rapacity and cruelty of such beasts well represent some wicked men (compare Psa 7:2; 17:12).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 28:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 28
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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Commentaries