A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes.
Parallel Translations
-
A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes.
-
A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.
-
A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.
Cross-references (11)
Passages linked to Proverbs 20:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Proverbs 25:5 Take away the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
- Proverbs 20:26 A wise king winnows out the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel over them.
- Psalms 99:4 The King’s strength also loves justice. You establish equity. You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- Proverbs 29:14 The king who fairly judges the poor, his throne shall be established forever.
- Psalms 92:9 For, behold, your enemies, Yahweh, for, behold, your enemies shall perish. All the evildoers will be scattered.
- 1 Samuel 23:3-4 David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” Then David inquired of Yahweh yet again. Yahweh answered him, and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
- 2 Samuel 23:4 shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through clear shining after rain.’
- Psalms 72:4 He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.
- Psalms 101:6-8 My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He who walks in a perfect way, he will serve me. He who practices deceit won’t dwell within my house. He who speaks falsehood won’t be established before my eyes. Morning by morning, I will destroy all the wicked of the land, to cut off all the workers of iniquity from Yahweh’s city.
- Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness.
- Isaiah 32:1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Where righteous judgment is executed, there sin ceaseth, and…
Where righteous judgment is executed, there sin ceaseth, and vice dare not appear.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 20:8 A king that sitteth in the throne…
Pro 20:8 A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.
Ver. 8. A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment, &c.] Kings in their own persons should sit and judge causes sometimes, to take knowledge, at least, what is done by their officers of justice: I have seen the king of Persia many times to alight from his horse, saith a late traveller, {a} only to do justice to a poor body. He punisheth theft and manslaughter so severely, that in an age a man shall hardly hear either of the one or of the other.
Read full note →
{a} The Preacher’s Travels, by John Cartwright.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment;…
A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment; that makes it his great care and business to execute judgment and justice among his people, especially if he do this in his own person, as was usual in ancient times, and sees things with his own eyes. As for the phrase, the sign or gesture is here put for the thing signified by it.
Scattereth away all evil, effectually punisheth and suppresseth all wickedness, with his eyes; with his very looks, or by his diligent inspection into affairs.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain Here is, 1. The character of a good governor:…
Here is, 1. The character of a good governor: He is a king that deserves to be called so who sits in the throne, not as a throne of honour, to take his ease, and take state upon him, and oblige men to keep their distance, but as a throne of judgment, that he may do justice, give redress to the injured and punish the injurious, who makes his business his delight and loves no pleasure comparably to it, who does not devolve the whole care and trouble upon others, but takes cognizance of affairs himself and sees with his own eyes as much as may be, Kg1 10:9. 2. The happy effect of a good government. The presence of the prince goes far towards the putting of wickedness out of countenance; if he inspect his affairs himself, those that are employed under him will be kept in awe and restrained from doing wrong. If great men be good men, and will use their power as they may and ought, what good may they do and what evil may they prevent!
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment,....…
A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment,.... That executes judgment himself, as David and Solomon did; who ascends the throne, and sits personally there, and hears and tries causes himself, and not by his servants:
scattereth away all evil with his eyes; all evil men, as the Targum; everyone that is evil, as Aben Ezra: he will easily and quickly discern who is evil, or who is in a bad cause before him, and will pass sentence on him, and drive him away from him with shame and disgrace, and to receive deserved punishment; or he will terrify persons from coming before him with false witness against their neighbour, or with a wrong cause. This may be applied to Christ, the King of kings, and Judge of all; whose eyes are as a flame of fire; who will clearly see into all hearts and actions, when he shall sit on his throne of judgment; and shall pass the righteous and definitive sentence, and shall drive the wicked into hell, into everlasting punishment.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain His eyes - With his very looks, or by…
His eyes - With his very looks, or by his diligent inspection into affairs.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 8. A king that sitteth in the throne…
Verse 8. A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment] Kings should see to the administration of the laws, as well as of the state transactions, of their kingdom. In the British constitution there is a court for the king, called the King's Bench, where he should sit, and where he is always supposed to be sitting. The eyes - the presence, of the monarch in such a place, scatter evil - he sees into the case himself, and gives right judgment, for he can have no self-interest. Corrupt judges, and falsifying counsellors, cannot stand before him; and the villain is too deeply struck with the majesty and state of the monarch, to face out iniquity before him.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Pro 20:8. A king that sitteth in the throne…
Pro 20:8. A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment — That makes it his great care and business to execute justice and judgment among his people, especially if he do this in his own person, as it was usual for kings to do in ancient times, and see things with his own eyes; scattereth away all evil — Effectually suppresses, or removes, all wickedness; with his eyes — With his very looks, or by his diligent inspection.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles Bridges 1846 · Public Domain This is the picture of a godly king, such…
This is the picture of a godly king, such as the wise man’s father described and exemplified; "just, ruling in the fear of God;"†1 making it his great care and business to execute judgment. In those days he sat himself on the throne of judgment, and decided the law.†2 And such might be conceived to be his influence, that the wicked dared not come and sin in his presence. "Will he force the queen also before me? " (Est 7:8 ) — was the indignant exclamation of a sovereign, on feeling not only his own rights, but the reverence for royalty, grossly outraged. David, as a man of God, and a sovereign of his people, could not endure the wicked in his presence. (Psa 101:3-8 .)
At present, "God standeth in the congregation of princes" (Psa 82:1 ), observing the manner, in which they execute the power delegated to them; but hereafter he shall sit as "a judge" even of them, who, by reason of that delegated power, are styled "gods." The care then of the Magistrate, when he goeth up to the judgment-seat, will be to put on righteousness as a glorious and beautiful robe, and to render his tribunal a fit emblem of that eternal "throne," of which "justice and judgment are the habitation."†3 And always in proportion as the ruler realizes his solemn responsibility, evil will be made to flee, and scattered away from him.†4
Read full note →
But what is to be ever standing before the Great King, who scattereth away all evil with his eyes? "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight. All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." (Heb 1:13 . Psa 5:5 . Heb 4:13 .) May the High Priest ever stand between the sinner and the Holy God, that, while we walk in reverence, we "may not be afraid with any amazement!"
Footnotes:
†1 2Sa 23:3, with 2Sa 8:15 . 1Ki 15:5 .
†2 1Ki 3:16-28, with 1Ki 10:9 . A Roman commentator (Corn. à Lapide) mentions the custom of St. Louis of France to sit twice a-week in the throne of judgment, and his dying charge to his successor, not only to appoint the most upright judges, but to overlook them in the discharge of their office. Does not the Court of the Queen’s Bench suppose the Sovereign to be sitting there in determination of judgment?
†3 Psa 89:14. Bishop Horne’s Sermon on the Great Assize.
†4 Pro 20:26; Pro 25:4-5 . Compare 2Ch 15:16 . Plutarch relates of Cato, that such was the reverence of his character, that the bad women of Rome could not bear his look.
Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Look. It is the duty of kings to administer…
Look. It is the duty of kings to administer justice.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain As in Pro 14:35; Pro 16:10, Pro 16:15, this…
As in Pro 14:35; Pro 16:10, Pro 16:15, this is the character of a good king, not of all kings.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 8. A king… scattereth — Searches, or winnows out.…
8. A king… scattereth — Searches, or winnows out. Meaning, probably, that the ruler who does his duty in his office; who acts justly, impartially, faithfully and energetically, not trusting too much to others, but as far as possible looking to the careful administration of the laws by his subordinates — will scatter iniquity as with the flash of his eye. Compare Pro_16:10; Isa_11:4 — where the same thing is predicated of a wise king.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 8. scattereth] or winnoweth, R.V. marg., as the same…
8. scattereth] or winnoweth, R.V. marg., as the same Heb. word is rendered (as suggested by the parallelism) in Pro_20:26.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (8) A king that sitteth in the throne of…
(8) A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment . . .—See note on Pro_16:12.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain A royal and right noble maxim. A king that…
A royal and right noble maxim. A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes. The king, sitting on the tribunal and executing his judiciary office, sees through all devices and pretences which cloak evil, and scatters them to the winds, as the chaff flies before the winnowing fan. Nothing unrighteous can abide in his presence. (comp. ver. 26; Pro_16:10, etc.) See here an adumbration of the characteristic of the Messiah, the great King whose "eyes behold, whose eyelids try, the children of men": (Psa_11:4) who is "of purer eyes than to behold evil"; (Hab_1:13) who "with righteousness shall judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall slay the wicked". (Isa_11:4; comp. Mat_3:12) Septuagint, "When the righteous king shall sit upon his throne, nothing that is evil shall offer itself before his eyes."
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain v. 8. A king that sitteth in the throne…
v. 8. A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment, dispensing justice in his capacity of sovereign, scattereth away all evil with his eyes, he searches out, he sifts by winnowing, and so separates the evil from the good, the right from the wrong.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 20:8 The king should be the epitome of wisdom…
20:8 The king should be the epitome of wisdom and justice.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.