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No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.
Isaiah 32:5 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB The fool will no longer be called noble, nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
  • KJV The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.
  • NKJV The foolish person will no longer be called generous, Nor the miser said to be bountiful;
  • NASB No longer will the fool be called noble, Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.
  • NLT In that day ungodly fools will not be heroes. Scoundrels will not be respected.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The fool will no longer be called noble nor the scoundrel respected. It matters because the coming kingdom restores true moral discernment and honest values.

Overview

In the righteous kingdom, society's distorted values are corrected: folly and villainy will no longer be honored. Moral clarity replaces confusion about who is truly noble. This reordering reflects the just judgment of God's reign, where character is seen rightly and integrity is honored under the righteous King.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Isa 5:20Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
  • Ps 15:4who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,
  • Mal 3:18So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
  • 1 Sam 25:25My lord should pay no attention to this scoundrel Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means Fool, and folly accompanies him. I, your servant, did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
  • Prov 23:6–8Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;
  • 1 Sam 25:3–8His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 32:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).

How Isaiah 32:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.