Proverbs 17:23

23 From under a cloak a bad man takes a bribe to pervert the course of justice.

Proverbs 17:23 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 17:23

A wicked [man] taketh a gift out of the bosom
Of another, of a rich man, who takes it out from thence, and offers it to him as a bribe. This he takes in the most secret manner, that it might not be seen by others; though the Arabic version renders it, "he that receives a gift in his own bosom commits iniquity"; it is true of both the giver and the receiver; the one gives out of his bosom, and the other takes if from thence, and puts it into his own, and both are wicked. And the words are by some rendered, though it seems contrary to the accents, "a gift out of the bosom of the wicked he will take" F26; the unjust judge, who is bribed with it: to pervert the ways of judgment;
to turn the course of justice, and hinder it from taking place; favouring a bad cause, and pronouncing a wrong sentence, which is wresting judgment.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 (xqy evr qyxm dxv) "munus de sinu impii accipiet", Baynus.

Proverbs 17:23 In-Context

21 He who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow, and the father of a boor has no joy.
22 A happy heart is good medicine, but low spirits sap one's strength.
23 From under a cloak a bad man takes a bribe to pervert the course of justice.
24 The discerning person focuses on wisdom there before him, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
25 A son who is a fool means anger for his father and bitterness for the mother who gave him birth.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.