Proverbs 29:12
in Proverbs 29If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
If a ruler hearkeneth to falsehood, All his servants are wicked.
KJV
If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.
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This verse in Proverbs 29
Commentary
6 notes on this verseIf a ruler hearken to lies - Wherever the system of espionage is permitted to prevail, there the system of falsity is established; for he who is capable of being a spy and informer, is not only capable of telling and swearing lies, but also of cutting his king’s or even his father’s throat. I have seen cases, where the same spy received pay from both parties, and deceived both.
This site's exposition
A fool vents all his anger
on Proverbs 29:11-13
"A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back" contrasts the man who pours out everything with the one who restrains. Verse 12 states a principle of leadership: "If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked."
This site's exposition
If a ruler listens to lies
Clarke applies the verse to a ruler who listens to spies and informers. An informer will lie and swear falsely. When the ruler believes lies, his officials learn to tell them.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice. The peril of a sinful way. There is not only a punishment at the end of it, but a snare in it.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:80%@v6-11
If a ruler hearken to lies,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
All his servants are wicked - They know what will please, and they become informers and backbiters.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
and a man of deep thoughts A man of thoughts, a Torah scholar. And our Sages explained it concerning a disciple who said to a teacher, “Teach me.”
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מֹ֭שֵׁל | moshel | a ruler | H4910 → | 81 times |
| מַקְשִׁ֣יב | makshiv | [who] pays attention | H7181 → | 46 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| דְּבַר־ | devar- | a word of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| שָׁ֑קֶר | shaker | falsehood | H8267 → | 113 times |
| כָּֽל־ | kal- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מְשָׁרְתָ֥יו | mesharetav | servants his | H8334 → | |
| רְשָׁעִֽים׃ | reshaim | [will be] wicked | H7563 → | 263 times |
מֹ֭שֵׁלa ruler
moshelH4910 →81 times
מַקְשִׁ֣יב[who] pays attention
makshivH7181 →46 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
דְּבַר־a word of
devar-H1697 →1440 times
שָׁ֑קֶרfalsehood
shakerH8267 →113 times
כָּֽל־all
kal-H3605 →5413 times
מְשָׁרְתָ֥יוservants his
mesharetavH8334 →
רְשָׁעִֽים׃[will be] wicked
reshaimH7563 →263 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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 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.
- Proverbs 29:14
A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.
- Psalms 99:4
The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- Psalms 92:9
For surely Your enemies, O LORD, surely Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
- Proverbs 25:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.