A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.
Parallel translations
- WEB A wicked man receives a bribe in secret, to pervert the ways of justice.
- KJV A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
- NKJV A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice.
- NASB A wicked person accepts a bribe from an inside pocket To pervert the ways of justice.
- NLT The wicked take secret bribes to pervert the course of justice.
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
Taking a secret bribe to twist justice is wicked. God condemns corrupt dealings that pervert what is fair and right.
Overview
Bribery 'in secret' perverts the very course of justice, and Scripture repeatedly forbids it (Exod. 23:8; Deut. 16:19). The hidden nature of the bribe shows the wicked man's awareness that his act cannot bear the light. God Himself is the perfectly just Judge who takes no bribe (Deut. 10:17), and the gospel both upholds His justice and provides righteousness through Christ to those who could never bribe their way to acquittal.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Deut 16:19Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- Prov 17:8A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
- Exod 23:8Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
- Mic 7:3Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his evil desire, they all conspire together.
- Isa 1:23Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.
- Mic 3:11Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”
- 1 Sam 12:3Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
- Ezek 22:12In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.
- Mark 14:10–11Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.
- 1 Sam 8:3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
- Prov 18:16A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.
- Prov 21:14A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 17:23 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
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