Proverbs 20:28
Mercy and truth preserve the king, and his throne is strengthened by clemency.
Douay-Rheims 1899
In The King James Version
Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.
In Context
27The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, which searcheth all the hidden things of the bowels.
29The joy of young men is their strength: and the dignity of old men, their grey hairs.
Cross References
Psalms 21:7For thou shalt give him to be a blessing for ever and ever: thou shalt make him joyful in gladness with thy countenance.
Psalms 61:7Thou wilt add days to the days of the king: his years even to generation and generation.
Proverbs 3:3Let not mercy and truth leave thee, put them about thy neck, and write them in the tables of thy heart:
Proverbs 16:12They that act wickedly are abominable to the king: for the throne is established by justice.
Isaiah 16:5And a throne shall be prepared in mercy, and one shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking judgment and quickly rendering that which is just.
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 20:28
27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord , searching all the inward parts of the belly. We have here the dignity of the soul, the great soul of man, that light which lighteth every man. 1. It is a divine light; it is the candle of the Lord, a candle of his lighting, for it is the inspiration of the Almighty that gives us understanding. He forms the spirit of man within him. It is after the image of God that man is created in knowledge. Conscience, that noble faculty, is God's deputy in the soul; it is a… Read the whole commentary →