The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Parallel translations
- WEB The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.
- BSB To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
- NKJV The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.
- NASB “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride, arrogance, the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.
- NLT All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.
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
To fear Yahweh is to hate evil. Wisdom itself despises pride, arrogance, evil conduct, and deceitful speech.
Overview
The fear of the Lord, the foundation of wisdom, is here defined morally: it produces a hatred of evil that mirrors God's own. Pride, arrogance, the corrupt way, and the perverse mouth are named as the very things wisdom rejects. Reverence for God is never merely emotional; it reshapes our affections so we love what he loves and hate what he hates, a transformation worked by the Spirit in those united to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Ps 97:10Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
- Prov 16:6By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
- 1 Sam 2:3Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
- Prov 4:24Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
- 1 Th 5:22Abstain from all appearance of evil.
- 1 Pet 5:5Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
- Ps 119:128Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.
- Amos 5:15Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
- Ps 5:4–5For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
- Prov 6:12A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
- Prov 16:18Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
- Prov 6:16–19These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
- 2 Tim 2:19Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
- Ps 101:3I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
- Ps 138:6Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
- Zech 8:17And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
- Rom 12:9Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
- Ps 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
- Prov 10:31The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.
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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 8:13 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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