Bible Strands
Proverbs 25:5
Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The passage addresses royal court officials, positioned between the silver-refining metaphor of 25:4 and the humility warning of 25:6. It outlines a procedural requirement for maintaining judicial integrity within the monarch's inner circle.
The words — רָשָׁע (Ra.sho') means "the wicked," and כִּסְאוֹ (kis.'O) denotes "his throne." The verse commands the physical removal of corrupt individuals from the king's immediate presence.
The thread — The motif of purging corrupt influence from leadership runs through Psalms 101:7, which bars liars from the king's presence, and Proverbs 16:12, which ties a secure throne to the rejection of wicked behavior. Proverbs 20:8 reinforces this by describing the king's judicial role in sifting out evil.
Why it lands — The text states that removing corrupt advisors establishes the king's throne in righteousness. It requires readers to prioritize structural integrity over personal courtly favor or deference to authority.
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
Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
Cross-references
- Psalms 101:7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my presence.
- Proverbs 16:12 Wicked behavior is detestable for kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
- Proverbs 20:8 A king who sits on a throne to judge sifts out all evil with his eyes.
- Proverbs 20:28 Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king; by these he maintains his throne.
- Isaiah 16:5 in loving devotion a throne will be established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.
- 1 Kings 2:33 Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”
- 1 Kings 2:46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.
- Esther 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.
- Proverbs 29:14 A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.
- Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.