Bible Strands
Proverbs 6:16
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The father (or wisdom teacher) pivots from describing the sudden destruction of a scheming neighbor (v. 15) to a catalog of what provokes divine hatred. It functions as a heading for the list that follows in verses 17–19.
The words — תּוֹעֲבַת (to'evah) is the construct noun "the disgusting thing of," paired with נַפְשׁוֹ (naphsho), "his soul," yielding the literal sense "the disgusting thing of his soul" — a more visceral, personal revulsion than the first clause's plain "he hates."
The thread — The same verb "hate" (sane') appears in Proverbs 8:13, where Wisdom personified says "I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech," and in Psalms 11:5, where "His soul hates the lover of violence." The noun to'evah ("abomination") recurs in Proverbs 11:20.
Why it lands — The verse is a frame, not a conclusion: it tells the reader that what follows is not a suggestion but a list of things personally repugnant to God's own soul. The shift from "six" to "seven" signals completeness — the list is closed, nothing is left unaccounted for.
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
These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Cross-references
- Psalms 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked; His soul hates the lover of violence.
- Proverbs 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
- Proverbs 11:20 The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.
- Deuteronomy 25:16 For everyone who behaves dishonestly in regard to these things is detestable to the LORD your God.
- Proverbs 17:15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD.
- Proverbs 3:32 for the LORD detests the perverse, but He is a friend to the upright.
- Proverbs 11:1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.
- Deuteronomy 24:4 then the husband who divorced her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination to the LORD. You must not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
- Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
- Deuteronomy 18:10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,