Bible Strands
Proverbs 20:8
A king who sits on a throne to judge sifts out all evil with his eyes.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The wisdom teacher addresses a ruler or judicial community, positioning this verse between a statement on righteous conduct and a rhetorical question about human moral failure.
The words — מְזָרֶה (me.za.Reh) literally means winnowing or sifting, and כִסֵּא (ki.se') denotes the royal throne of judgment.
The thread — This judicial imagery recurs in Proverbs 20:26 and Proverbs 25:5 regarding the king’s role in removing wickedness, and aligns with Psalms 99:4 on the king’s establishment of equity and righteousness.
Why it lands — The text states that a judging king must visually discern and purge corruption from his realm, demanding leaders exercise precise justice while reminding readers that no human can claim absolute moral purity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 25:5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
- Proverbs 20:26 A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.
- Psalms 99:4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- Proverbs 29:14 A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.
- Psalms 92:9 For surely Your enemies, O LORD, surely Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
- 1 Samuel 23:3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
- 2 Samuel 23:4 is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.’
- Psalms 72:4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
- Psalms 101:6 My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me.
- Proverbs 16:12 Wicked behavior is detestable for kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.