Key Verse Spotlight
Proverbs 29:4 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: King James Version
" The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth "
Proverbs 29:4
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
3 Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.
4 The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth
5 A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.
6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
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This verse shows, first, the good that comes from wise government. A ruler should strengthen the land by keeping its basic laws, calming people’s minds, protecting their rights and property, and setting right what is lacking. He must do this with sound judgment, wise counsel, and steady justice, without showing favor to one person over another. Government like that brings peace and order to a people.
It also shows the ruin that comes from bad government. The phrase “a man of oblations” is found in the margin, and it points to someone who mishandles holy things. That may mean a person who is irreligious or overly religious in the wrong way, or one who takes over the priest’s work, like Saul and Uzziah, kings who sinned by doing what belonged to the priests. It can also mean a ruler who cares only about money, who lets guilty people go for a bribe, or who hurts innocent people in hope of gain. Such rulers bring a nation to ruin.
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From This Chapter
Proverbs 29:1
"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Proverbs 29:2
"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."
Proverbs 29:3
"Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance."
Proverbs 29:5
"A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet."
Proverbs 29:6
"In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice."
Proverbs 29:7
"The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know"
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