Proverbs 17:23
A wicked man taketh a bribe out of the bosom, to pervert the paths of justice.
Leeser Tanakh
In The King James Version
A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
In Context
24Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are at the ends of the earth.
Cross References
Deuteronomy 16:19Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, and thou shalt not take a bribe; for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
1 Samuel 12:3Behold, here am I; testify against me in the presence of the Lord, and in the presence of his anointed: Whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or from whose hand have I received any ransom so that I withdrew my eyes from him? and I will restore it you.
Proverbs 18:16A man's gift maketh room for him, and before great men will it lead him.
Isaiah 1:23Thy princes are rebels, and companions of thieves; every one loveth brides, and runneth after rewards; to the fatherless they will not do justice, and the cause of the widow doth not come unto them.
Ezekiel 22:12Bribes they took within thee, in order to shed blood; interest and increase didst thou take, and thou didst acquire gain off thy neighbors by extortion: and me thou didst forget, saith the Lord Eternal.
Micah 3:9Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and make crooked all that is straight.
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 17:23
22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Note, 1. It is healthful to be cheerful. The Lord is for the body, and has provided for it, not only meat, but medicine, and has here told us that the best medicine is a merry heart, not a heart addicted to vain, carnal, sensual mirth; Solomon himself said of that mirth, It is not medicine, but madness; it is not food, but poison; what doth it? But he means a heart rejoicing in God, and serving him with gladness, and then taking the… Read the whole commentary →