A False Balance, and the Shame That Follows Pride

Proverbschapter 11

31 verses · BSB311 cross-references outward · 292 inwardProverbs book hub →

Speaks with:Proverbs 10×4 Proverbs 20×3 Matthew 5×3 Proverbs 16×2 Proverbs 29×2 Proverbs 28×2

Chapter summary

'A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah; but a just weight is his delight.' When pride cometh, then cometh shame.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴

'A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah; but a just weight is his delight.' When pride cometh, then cometh shame. Riches profit not in the day of wrath. 'Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth; but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.' The liberal soul shall be made fat, 'and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.' As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman without discretion. 'He that winneth souls is wise.'

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.

Context

Poetry · Solomon, Agur, Lemuel — Proverbs overview

A. 1–15 A False Balance, and the Shame That Follows Pride
B. 16–31 The Liberal Soul Shall Be Made Fat

1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.

2 When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.

4 Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

5 The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.

6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the faithless are trapped by their own desires.

7 When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes.

8 The righteous man is delivered from trouble; in his place the wicked man goes in.

9 With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

10 When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

11 By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

12 Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent.

13 A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

14 For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance.

15 He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.

16 A gracious woman attains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

17 A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

18 The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.

19 Genuine righteousness leads to life, but the pursuit of evil brings death.

20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.

21 Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

23 The desire of the righteous leads only to good, but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.

24 One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.

25 A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

26 The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.

27 He who searches out good finds favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it.

28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.

29 He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

31 If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Continue: Proverbs 12 →

Study this chapter

The five questions

Who

Job David Solomon

What

Five books that slow the story down and ask what it means to live before God: Job under crushing loss, the Psalms praying every human emotion, Proverbs distilling skill for daily life, Ecclesiastes staring down futility, and the Song celebrating covenant love.. Proverbs overview →

Where

Jerusalem

The land these songs rose from →

When

From the patriarchs' era to the return — poetry gathered across a thousand years.

Why

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. These books train the heart — and the Psalms give the church its prayer book, full of the Messiah's own voice. More on Wisdom →

Walks through this chapter

Stops at Proverbs 11:17The Fruit of the Spirit

Top cross-references

Proverbs 104 verses
- Proverbs 10:2Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
- Proverbs 10:16The labor of the righteous leads to life, but the gain of the wicked brings punishment.
- Proverbs 10:19When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
- Proverbs 10:28The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectations of the wicked will perish.
- Read Proverbs 10 →
Proverbs 203 verses
- Proverbs 20:18Set plans by consultation, and wage war under sound guidance.
- Proverbs 20:19He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid the one who babbles with his lips.
- Proverbs 20:23Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD, and dishonest scales are no good.
- Read Proverbs 20 →
Matthew 52 verses
- Matthew 5:6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
- Matthew 5:7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
- Read Matthew 5 →
Proverbs 162 verses
- Proverbs 16:11Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern.
- Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- Read Proverbs 16 →
Proverbs 292 verses
- Proverbs 29:8Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger.
- Proverbs 29:23A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
- Read Proverbs 29 →
Proverbs 282 verses
- Proverbs 28:12When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.
- Proverbs 28:18He who walks with integrity will be kept safe, but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.
- Read Proverbs 28 →
Proverbs 51 verse
- Proverbs 5:22The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.
- Read Proverbs 5 →
Ecclesiastes 101 verse
- Ecclesiastes 10:8He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.
- Read Ecclesiastes 10 →

311 outbound · 292 inbound

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.

Connections from this chapter

Written to them1

When pride cometh, then cometh shame

topics/pride →

MannaFest topical index (legacy import; verified against ASV text 2026-07-21; founder-approved batch)

The world behind this chapter

Proverbs 11

When

The height of Solomon's reign · c. 970–931 BC

Where

The market inside the city gate, where grain is weighed out and prices are set

Who first heard it

Buyers, sellers, and grain holders in a town that lived close to the edge

The history

"A false balance is abomination to the LORD" describes an actual piece of equipment. Trade used a beam balance with stone weights, and archaeologists have dug up sets of inscribed Judean weights — the beka, the pim, the shekel — some of them shaved or over-cut. A dishonest trader carried two sets in his bag: a heavy stone for buying and a light one for selling.

"He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him" points at grain hoarding. In a bad year a man with full storage jars could sit on his grain, watch the price climb, and sell in the hungry month. It was perfectly legal and universally hated, and the proverb sides with the town against him.

The chapter is full of the language of the assembly: "by the blessing of the upright the city is exalted," "in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." Decisions in an Israelite town were made in public by the elders at the gate, so a wise or corrupt handful genuinely could lift or ruin the place.

"As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout" would have raised a laugh and a wince. The pig was unclean and despised, and a gold nose ring was the sort of ornament a bride wore. The mismatch is the whole joke.

What it meant to them

The first hearers did their business standing at that gate, watching a stone drop into a pan. The chapter says God is watching the pan.

And the chapter refuses to let riches be the final measure: "riches profit not in the day of wrath." To people who could see exactly who in town had the fullest jars, that was a deliberately unsettling line.

Sources cited

John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
Roland de Vaux, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions

Every work MannaFest builds on →