A divine verdict is on the lips of a king; his mouth must not betray justice.
Parallel translations
- WEB Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.
- KJV A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.
- NKJV Divination is on the lips of the king; His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
- NASB A divine verdict is on the lips of the king; His mouth should not err in judgment.
- NLT The king speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly.
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
A king's judgments should carry divine authority, so his words must not betray justice. It matters because rulers bear a God-given trust to speak and judge righteously.
Overview
This proverb addresses the ideal of kingship: the king's verdicts should reflect God's justice, and his mouth must not deal treacherously. It sets a high standard for those in authority, who answer to God. Ultimately it points to the perfect King, Christ, whose judgments are always just and true (Isaiah 11:3-4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Isa 32:1–2Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.
- Gen 44:15“What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”
- Gen 44:5Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’”
- 2 Sam 23:3–4The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God,
- Ps 72:1–4Of Solomon. Endow the king with Your justice, O God, and the son of the king with Your righteousness.
- 1 Kgs 3:28When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
- Prov 16:12–13Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
- Deut 17:18–20When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
- Amos 5:7There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.
- Hos 10:4They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
- Ps 45:6–7Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
- Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- Amos 6:12“Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
- Ps 99:4The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 16:10 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.