Proverbs 25:5
in Proverbs 25Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness.
KJV
Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
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This verse in Proverbs 25
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The interpretation of the proverb of Pro 25:4. The king himself, like the Lord whom he represents, is to sit as “a refiner of silver” Mal 3:3.
This site's exposition
Remove the dross from the silver
on Proverbs 25:4-5
"Remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth" gives the metalwork. "Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness." Corrupt counselors are the dross removed before a kingdom's silver can be trusted.
This site's exposition
Remove the wicked from the king’s presence
Verse 5 applies the refining picture of verse 4 to the royal court. The wicked around a king are the dross in his silver. Albert Barnes pictures the king himself as a refiner of silver, like the Lord he represents, and cites Malachi 3:3.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Remove the impiety from the face of the king, etc. Remove the impiety of persecuting Christians from the mind of Saul, or of any other zealots of the law, and when they begin to preach Christ, the justice of their doctrine will be established, which …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Take away the wicked from before the king,.... Wicked ministers and counsellors; they are the "dross", worthless and useless; yea, hurtful and pernicious.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
before--or, "in presence of," as courtiers stood about a king. Do not intrude into the presence of the king, for the elevation of the humble is honorable, but the humbling of the proud disgraceful (Lu 14:8-10).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הָג֣וֹ | hago | remove | H1898 → | |
| רָ֭שָׁע | rasho' | [the] wicked | H7563 → | 263 times |
| לִפְנֵי־ | lifnei- | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| מֶ֑לֶךְ | melekh | a king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וְיִכּ֖וֹן | veyikon | so it may be established | H3559 → | 217 times |
| בַּצֶּ֣דֶק | batzedek | in <the> righteousness | H6664 → | 119 times |
| כִּסְאֽוֹ׃ | kiso | throne his | H3678 → | 135 times |
הָג֣וֹremove
hagoH1898 →
רָ֭שָׁע[the] wicked
rasho'H7563 →263 times
לִפְנֵי־<to> before
lifnei-H6440 →2123 times
מֶ֑לֶךְa king
melekhH4428 →2525 times
וְיִכּ֖וֹןso it may be established
veyikonH3559 →217 times
בַּצֶּ֣דֶקin <the> righteousness
batzedekH6664 →119 times
כִּסְאֽוֹ׃throne his
kisoH3678 →135 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 16:12Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
it leads to
- Proverbs 29:14
A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 29:14
Through
Isaiah 16:5in loving devotion a throne will be established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.
it leads to
- Daniel 7:14
And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is…
- Micah 4:7
And I will make the lame into a remnant, and the outcast into a strong nation. Then the LORD will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever.
- Isaiah 9:6–7
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of…
- Daniel 7:27
Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all…
- Daniel 7:14
Through
Proverbs 20:8A king who sits on a throne to judge sifts out all evil with his eyes.
it leads to
- Psalms 99:4
The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 20:26
A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.
- Psalms 99:4
Through
Proverbs 20:28Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king; by these he maintains his throne.
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:12
Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
- Proverbs 16:12
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; 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.