A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.
Parallel translations
- WEB Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.
- BSB A divine verdict is on the lips of a king; his mouth must not betray justice.
- 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 shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
- Gen 44:15And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?
- Gen 44:5Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.
- 2 Sam 23:3–4The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
- Ps 72:1–4Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.
- 1 Kgs 3:28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
- Prov 16:12–13It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.
- Deut 17:18–20And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
- Amos 5:7Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,
- Hos 10:4They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
- Ps 45:6–7Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
- Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
- Amos 6:12Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:
- Ps 99:4The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment 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.