Proverbs 24:23

These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
wise	לַֽחֲכָמִ֑ים la.cha.kha.Mim	H2450	wise · preposition + adjective, masculine plural absolute
good	טֽוֹב Tov	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, masculine singular absolute
respect	הַֽכֵּר ha.ker-	H5234	properly · verb, hiphil infinitive absolute
persons	פָּנִ֖ים pa.Nim	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
judgment	בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט be.mish.Pat	H4941	properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 28:21 To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.
Proverbs 18:5 It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without pa…
Leviticus 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in right…
2 Chronicles 19:7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of pers…
Psalms 82:2-4 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
Psalms 107:43 Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Proverbs 1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 24:23-26

Here are lessons for wise men, that is, judges and princes. As subjects must do their duty, and be obedient to magistrates, so magistrates must do their duty in administering justice to their subjects, both in pleas of the crown and causes between party and party. These are lessons for them. 1. They must always weigh the merits of a cause, and not be swayed by any regard, one way or other, to the parties concerned: It is not good in itself, nor can it ever do well, to have respect of persons in judgment; the consequences of it cannot but be the perverting of justice and doing wrong under colour of law and equity. A good judge will know the truth, not know faces, so as to countenance a friend…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 24:23

These . . . wise--literally, "are of the wise," as authors (compare "Psalms of David," Hebrew). "These" refers to the verses following, Pro 24:24-34. to have respect--literally, "to discern faces," show partiality,

John Gill on Proverbs 24:23

These things also belong to the wise,.... Both what is said before concerning fearing God and the king; these belong to the wise and unwise, rich and poor, great and small; particularly judges and civil magistrates, and all subordinate governors, who have, or ought to have, a competency of wisdom; these ought to fear God and the king, as well as private subjects; and also what follows after, especially in this verse and Proverbs 24:24. Some render the words, "these things also are the sayings of wise men" (u); not of Solomon, but of other wise men in his time, or who lived after him, and before the men of Hezekiah copied out the proverbs in the following chapters; see Proverbs 25:1; but it s…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 24:23-25

The curse of partiality and the blessing of impartiality: Respect of persons in judgment is by no means good: 24 He that saith to the guilty, "Thou art in the right," Him the people curse, nations detest. 25 But to them who rightly decide, it is well, And upon them cometh blessing with good. Partiality is either called שׂאת פנים, Pro 18:5, respect to the person, for the partisan looks with pleasure on the פני, the countenance, appearance, personality of one, by way of preference; or הכּר־פּנים, as here and at Pro 28:21, for he places one person before another in his sight, or, as we say, has a regard to him; the latter expression is found in Deu 1:17; Deu 16:19. הכּיר (vid., Pro 20:11) means…

The Church Fathers

To recognize a person in judgment is not good. He taught above to fear the king, and now forbids recognizing a person in judgment. Whence it is understood that subjects ought to render the debt of temporal obedience to princes, so that never out of respect for their reverence or fear they deviate from the path of truth.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

These things also to the wise. It is understood, are unknown, when each of the reprobates is suddenly snatched from the world by destruction. Or these things also are to be observed by the wise, which I have taught, not to be mingled with the detractors; because by this particular vice almost the whole human race is endangered. Hence, wishing to remedy this same vice, blessed Father Augustine had these verses inscribed on his table: Whoever loves to slander the life of an absent person with words, let him know that he is unworthy of this table. This verse is more clearly stated in the ancient edition: I say this to you who understand wisdom, for it can not incongruously be the principle of the following sentences.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs, Book of — A collection of moral and philosophical maxims of a wide range of subjects presented in a poetic form. This book sets forth the “philosophy of practical life. It is the sign to us that the Bible does…
Judge · CHARACTER OF, AND PRECEPTS RELATING TO — CHARACTER OF, AND PRECEPTS RELATING TO
Justice · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Respect Of Persons · (Partiality)) — (Partiality))
Rulers · CHARACTER AND QUALIFI — CHARACTER AND QUALIFI
Young Men · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 24:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 24:23-26

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 24:23

John Gill on Proverbs 24:23

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 24:23-25

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 24:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 24:23-26

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 24:23

John Gill on Proverbs 24:23

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 24:23-25

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 24:23-34

Rashi on Proverbs 24:23