Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD, and dishonest scales are no good.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh detests differing weights, and dishonest scales are not pleasing.
- KJV Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good.
- NKJV Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord, And dishonest scales are not good.
- NASB Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord, And a false scale is not good.
- NLT The Lord detests double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales.
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 Lord detests dishonest weights and scales. It matters because God hates fraud and demands honesty in dealings.
Overview
Reinforcing verse 10, this proverb stresses again that cheating in trade is repugnant to God. The repetition underscores how seriously the Lord regards everyday integrity (Leviticus 19:36; Micah 6:11). Honest dealing flows from reverence for the God of truth and justice.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Prov 20:10Differing weights and unequal measures—both are detestable to the LORD.
- Hos 12:7A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.
- Prov 11:1Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.
- Ezek 45:10You must use honest scales, a just ephah, and a just bath.
- Amos 8:5asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales.
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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 20:23 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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