Proverbs 29:4
in Proverbs 29By justice a king brings stability to the land, but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The king by justice establisheth the land; But he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it.
KJV
The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
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This verse in Proverbs 29
Commentary
4 notes on this verseHe that receiveth gifts - This was notoriously the case in this kingdom, before the passing of the Magna Charta, or great charter of liberties. Hence that article in it, Nulli vendemus justitiam; “We will not sell justice to any.” I have met with cases in our ancient records where, in order to get his right, a man was obliged almost to ruin himself in presents to the king, queen, and their favourites, to get the case decided in his favor.
This site's exposition
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice
on Proverbs 29:2-4
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn, opens a governance cluster the chapter returns to throughout, a ruler's character setting the public mood beneath him. Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father, but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance, applies the same principle at the scale of one household and one son's choices. The king by judgment establisheth the land, but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it, names the single practice, bribery, that turns a throne from a foundation into a ruin.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The king by judgment establisheth the land,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
by judgment--that is, righteous decisions, opposed to those procured by gifts (compare Pr 28:21), by which good government is perverted. land--for nation.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מֶ֗לֶךְ | melekh | a king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בְּ֭מִשְׁפָּט | bemishpot | by justice | H4941 → | 422 times |
| יַעֲמִ֣יד | yaamid | he establishes | H5975 → | 521 times |
| אָ֑רֶץ | ʾaretz | a land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| וְאִ֖ישׁ | veish | and a person of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| תְּרוּמ֣וֹת | terumot | contributions | H8641 → | |
| יֶֽהֶרְסֶֽנָּה׃ | yehersenah | he breaks down it | H2040 → | 43 times |
מֶ֗לֶךְa king
melekhH4428 →2525 times
בְּ֭מִשְׁפָּטby justice
bemishpotH4941 →422 times
יַעֲמִ֣ידhe establishes
yaamidH5975 →521 times
אָ֑רֶץa land
ʾaretzH776 →2504 times
וְאִ֖ישׁand a person of
veishH376 →1663 times
תְּרוּמ֣וֹתcontributions
terumotH8641 →
יֶֽהֶרְסֶֽנָּה׃he breaks down it
yehersenahH2040 →43 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
Micah 7:3Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.
it leads to
- Micah 3:11
Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster…
- Proverbs 4:16–17
For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.
- Micah 3:11
Through
Proverbs 20:8A king who sits on a throne to judge sifts out all evil with his eyes.
it leads to
- Proverbs 25:5
Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
- Proverbs 20:26
A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.
- Psalms 99:4
The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- Proverbs 25:5
Through
Proverbs 29:14A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:12
Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
- Isaiah 11:4
but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the…
- Proverbs 16:12
Through
2 Samuel 8:15Thus David reigned over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his people:
it leads to
- Amos 5:15
Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
- Amos 5:15
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).