The Lord detests double standards; he is not pleased by dishonest scales.
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.
- BSB Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD, and dishonest scales are no 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.
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 differing measures, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.
- Hos 12:7A merchant has dishonest scales in his hand. He loves to defraud.
- Prov 11:1A false balance is an abomination to Yahweh, but accurate weights are his delight.
- Ezek 45:10You shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.
- Amos 8:5Saying, ‘When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may market wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel large, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit;
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 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
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.