Bible Strands
Proverbs 28:9
Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — A wisdom saying from the Proverbs 28 collection of short, parallel proverbs, likely composed by Solomon or the sages of his circle, addressed to any reader without a specific narrative occasion.
The words — תּוֹעֵבָה (to.'e.Vah), "abomination," is the same term used for cultic abominations and detestable practices; it is not a mild disapproval but a word of visceral revulsion.
The thread — Zechariah 7:11 describes the same posture—stopping up ears from hearing—and Psalms 66:18 states the consequence directly: the Lord does not listen.
Why it lands — The verse ties the acceptability of prayer not to its form or frequency but to whether the speaker has oriented his hearing toward God's word; a prayer offered by someone who has deliberately refused that word is not merely unanswered but actively repulsive to God.
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
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Cross-references
- Psalms 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
- 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
- Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing.
- Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
- Psalms 109:7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.
- Isaiah 1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
- Luke 13:25 After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
- Isaiah 58:7 Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
- Proverbs 21:13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.