Proverbs 17:26
in Proverbs 17It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Also to punish the righteous is not good, Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.
KJV
Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.
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This verse in Proverbs 17
Commentary
6 notes on this verseIt is not good to inflict harm on the just, etc. This can be understood of the very Prince and Judge of the ages, who willed to be struck for our salvation, and of all the rulers of the Church generally, who are either stripped …
This site's exposition
Wisdom is before him
on Proverbs 17:24-26
Wisdom sits in plain view before the man of understanding, while a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth, a contrast the bench reads as attention itself, not merely intelligence. A foolish son grieves his father and embitters the mother who bore him, and punishing the just or striking princes for equity is named flatly not good, an injustice the chapter refuses to soften with any qualifying clause.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Also to punish the just is not good,.... It is evil, and an abomination to the Lord, Pro 17:15. Evildoers indeed should be punished; but to punish the righteous also, as well as them, is far from being commendable; nor to strike princes for equity: to strike princes, judges, civil magistrates, for doing the duty of their place and office, for doing that which is just and equitable among men, is very criminal, who ought to be encouraged and supported therein.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Nor to strike princes for equity - To fall out with the ruler of the people, and to take off his head under pretense of his not being a just or equitable governor, is unjust. To kill a king on the ground of justice is a most dreadful omen to any land. Where was it ever done, that it promoted the public prosperity? No experiment of this kind has ever yet succeeded, howsoever worthless the king might be.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Also--that is, Equally to be avoided are other sins: punishing good subjects, or resisting good rulers. Prudence of speech is commended as is an excellent or calm spirit, not excited to vain conversation.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Nor to strike ... - Better, and to strike the noble (in character rather than in rank) is against right. Compare Joh 18:28.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| גַּ֤ם | gam | also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| עֲנ֣וֹשׁ | anoosh | to impose a fine | H6064 → | 9 times |
| לַצַּדִּ֣יק | latzadik | to <the> righteous [person] | H6662 → | 206 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| ט֑וֹב | tov | [is] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| לְהַכּ֖וֹת | lehakot | to strike | H5221 → | 499 times |
| נְדִיבִ֣ים | nedivim | noble [people] | H5081 → | 29 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | [is] on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יֹֽשֶׁר׃ | yosher | uprightness | H3476 → | 14 times |
גַּ֤םalso
gamH1571 →769 times
עֲנ֣וֹשׁto impose a fine
anooshH6064 →9 times
לַצַּדִּ֣יקto <the> righteous [person]
latzadikH6662 →206 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
ט֑וֹב[is] good
tovH2896 →538 times
לְהַכּ֖וֹתto strike
lehakotH5221 →499 times
נְדִיבִ֣יםnoble [people]
nedivimH5081 →29 times
עַל־[is] on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יֹֽשֶׁר׃uprightness
yosherH3476 →14 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 17:15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:7
Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
- Proverbs 18:5
Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
- Isaiah 5:23
who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.
- Proverbs 24:23–24
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
- Amos 6:12
“Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
- Exodus 23:7
Through
Proverbs 18:5Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
it leads to
- Leviticus 19:15
You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
- Deuteronomy 16:19
Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- Psalms 82:2
“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
- Leviticus 19:15
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.