Proverbs 20:8 · King James Version
Proverbs 20:8 in the Original Hebrew
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Proverbs 20:8 in Other Translations
| KJV | A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes. |
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| WEB | A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes. |
| ASV | A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment Scattereth away all evil with his eyes. |
| YLT | A king sitting on a throne of judgment, Is scattering with his eyes all evil, |
| WBT | A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes. |
| DBY | A king sitting on the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes. |
Commentary on Proverbs 20:8
Expositions from classic Bible commentators.
John Gill · Proverbs 20:8
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.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Proverbs 20:8
As in Pro 14:35; Pro 16:10, Pro 16:15, this is the character of a good king, not of all kings.
Read Jamieson, Fausset & Brown's full commentary on Proverbs 20 →
Cross References for Proverbs 20:8
Related passages, ranked by how often readers connect them. Cross-reference data from openbible.info (CC-BY).
Questions about Proverbs 20:8
What does Proverbs 20:8 say?
Proverbs 20:8 in the King James Version reads: “A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.” Read it in the full context of Proverbs 20, alongside the classic commentary on this page.
Where is Proverbs 20:8 found in the Bible?
Proverbs 20:8 is in the book of Proverbs, chapter 20, verse 8, in the Old Testament.
What Bible translation is Proverbs 20:8 shown in?
This is the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation. You can compare how other translations render Proverbs 20:8 in the table on this page.
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!