He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
- BSB Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.
- NKJV One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.
- NASB One who turns his ear away from listening to the Law, Even his prayer is an abomination.
- NLT God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law.
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
If someone refuses to hear God's law, even his prayers become detestable to God. It warns that willful disobedience corrupts our worship.
Overview
The verse teaches that deliberately turning from God's word makes one's prayers an abomination, since true worship cannot be divorced from obedience. God is not honored by religious words from a heart that despises His commands. The gospel calls us to come with a heart cleansed and submitted, made acceptable through Christ our mediator (1 John 3:22).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 66:18If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
- 2 Tim 4:3–4For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
- Zech 7:11–13But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
- Prov 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
- Ps 109:7When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
- Isa 1:15–16And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
- Luke 13:25–27When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
- Isa 58:7–11Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
- Prov 21:13Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
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 28:9 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.