Proverbs 17:23

23 The wicked take bribes under the table; they show nothing but contempt for 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 Having a fool for a child is misery; it's no fun being the parent of a dolt.
22 A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.
23 The wicked take bribes under the table; they show nothing but contempt for justice.
24 The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard; fools look for it everywhere but right here.
25 A surly, stupid child is sheer pain to a father, a bitter pill for a mother to swallow.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.