In that day ungodly fools will not be heroes. Scoundrels will not be respected.
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.
- BSB No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.
- 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.
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 put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
- Ps 15:4In whose eyes a vile man is despised, but who honors those who fear Yahweh; he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change;
- Mal 3:18Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn’t serve him.
- 1 Sam 25:25Please don’t let my lord pay attention to this worthless fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men, whom you sent.
- Prov 23:6–8Don’t eat the food of him who has a stingy eye, and don’t crave his delicacies:
- 1 Sam 25:3–8Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.