Proverbs 15:26
in Proverbs 15The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but the words of the pure are pleasant to Him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Evil devices are an abomination to Jehovah; But pleasant words are pure.
KJV
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.
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This verse in Proverbs 15
Commentary
5 notes on this verseIf every evil word is an abomination to the Lord your God, how great an abomination must be supposed the evil word of denial and the evil word of publicly proclaiming another god and the evil oath by the fortune of people, something that has no existence.
This site's exposition
The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked
on Proverbs 15:26-27
“The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked” before they become words or deeds, so the standard reaches back to the thinking behind speech. The man “greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household,” the household closest to him, “but he who hates bribes will live”.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, etc. The Lord abhors the thoughts of heretics, indeed all contrary to piety, and the pure word of true faith will be established by Him, when in the judgment, not only for deeds but …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Some prefer the margin, and render, words of pleasantness are pure. Gracious words are to God as a pure acceptable offering, the similitude being taken from the Levitical ritual, and the word “pure” in half ceremonial sense (compare Mal 1:11).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת | toavat | [are] [the] abomination of | H8441 → | 117 times |
| יְ֭הוָה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת | machshevot | [the] plans of | H4284 → | 56 times |
| רָ֑ע | ra' | an evil [person] | H7451 → | 662 times |
| וּ֝טְהֹרִ֗ים | utehorim | and [are] clean | H2889 → | 94 times |
| אִמְרֵי־ | ʾimrei- | words of | H561 → | 49 times |
| נֹֽעַם׃ | noam | kindness | H5278 → | 7 times |
תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת[are] [the] abomination of
toavatH8441 →117 times
יְ֭הוָהYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת[the] plans of
machshevotH4284 →56 times
רָ֑עan evil [person]
ra'H7451 →662 times
וּ֝טְהֹרִ֗יםand [are] clean
utehorimH2889 →94 times
אִמְרֵי־words of
ʾimrei-H561 →49 times
נֹֽעַם׃kindness
noamH5278 →7 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 15:23A man takes joy in a fitting reply—and how good is a timely word!
it leads to
- Isaiah 50:4
The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
- Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
- Proverbs 25:11–12
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
- Proverbs 16:13
Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he who speaks honestly is beloved.
- Proverbs 12:14
By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.
- Isaiah 50:4
Through
Jeremiah 4:14Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?
it leads to
- James 4:8
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely…
- Acts 8:22
Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.
- James 4:8
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Origen of Alexandria, EXHORTATION TO MARTYRDOM 7.
