Proverbs 28:5
New International Version
Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

New Living Translation
Evil people don’t understand justice, but those who follow the LORD understand completely.

English Standard Version
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.

Berean Standard Bible
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.

King James Bible
Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

New King James Version
Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand all.

New American Standard Bible
Evil people do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand everything.

NASB 1995
Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand all things.

NASB 1977
Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand all things.

Legacy Standard Bible
Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek Yahweh understand all things.

Amplified Bible
Evil men do not understand justice, But they who long for and seek the LORD understand it fully.

Christian Standard Bible
The evil do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand everything.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand everything.

American Standard Version
Evil men understand not justice; But they that seek Jehovah understand all things.

Contemporary English Version
Criminals don't know what justice means, but all who respect the LORD understand it completely.

English Revised Version
Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Evil people do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand everything.

Good News Translation
Evil people do not know what justice is, but those who worship the LORD understand it well.

International Standard Version
Evil men don't understand justice, but whoever seeks the LORD understands it all.

Majority Standard Bible
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.

NET Bible
Evil people do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it all.

New Heart English Bible
Evil men do not understand justice; but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

Webster's Bible Translation
Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

World English Bible
Evil men don’t understand justice; but those who seek Yahweh understand it fully.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Evil men do not understand judgment, "" And those seeking YHWH understand all.

Young's Literal Translation
Evil men understand not judgment, And those seeking Jehovah understand all.

Smith's Literal Translation
Men of evil shall not understand judgment: and they seeking Jehovah shall understand all.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Evil men think not on judgment: but they that seek after the Lord, take notice of all things.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Evil men do not intend judgment. But those who inquire after the Lord turn their souls toward all things.

New American Bible
The evil understand nothing of justice, but those who seek the LORD understand everything.

New Revised Standard Version
The evil do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Evil men do not understand justice; but those who seek the LORD understand all good things.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Evil men do not understand judgment, and they that seek LORD JEHOVAH know all good things.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Evil men understand not justice; But they that seek the LORD understand all things.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Evil men will not understand judgement: but they that seek the Lord will understand everything.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Boldness of the Righteous
4Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them. 5Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully. 6Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.…

Cross References
Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of Your words gives light; it informs the simple.

John 7:17
If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.

1 Corinthians 2:14-15
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. / The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.

Psalm 119:98-100
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me. / I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. / I discern more than the elders, for I obey Your precepts.

Romans 1:28-32
Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. / They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. ...

1 John 2:20-21
You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. / I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and because no lie comes from the truth.

Isaiah 5:20-21
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. / Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

2 Timothy 3:7-8
who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. / Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.

Hosea 14:9
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.

Matthew 13:11-15
He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. / Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. / This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ ...

Daniel 12:10
Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. / For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” / Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ...

Psalm 92:5-6
How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts! / A senseless man does not know, and a fool does not understand,

Ephesians 4:17-18
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. / They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

Jeremiah 4:22
“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”


Treasury of Scripture

Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

Proverbs 15:24
The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

Proverbs 24:7
Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

Psalm 25:14
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

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Proverbs 28
1. general observations of impiety and integrity














Evil men
The Hebrew word for "evil" is "רָע" (ra), which conveys a sense of wickedness, malignancy, or moral corruption. In the context of Proverbs, "evil men" are those who live in opposition to God's righteous standards. Historically, such individuals are often depicted as those who reject divine wisdom and pursue their own selfish desires. The Bible consistently contrasts the path of the wicked with the path of the righteous, emphasizing that those who choose evil are blinded to the truth and justice that God embodies.

do not understand
The Hebrew verb "בִּין" (bin) means to discern, perceive, or understand. In the biblical context, understanding is not merely intellectual but involves a moral and spiritual insight that aligns with God's will. The lack of understanding among evil men is not due to a deficiency in intelligence but a willful rejection of God's truth. This highlights the spiritual blindness that accompanies a life of sin, where moral and ethical discernment is clouded by self-interest and rebellion against God.

justice
The Hebrew word "מִשְׁפָּט" (mishpat) refers to judgment, justice, or the act of deciding a case. It is a central theme in the Old Testament, reflecting God's character as a just and righteous judge. Justice in the biblical sense involves fairness, equity, and the upholding of God's laws. Evil men, being disconnected from God's moral compass, fail to grasp the true nature of justice, which is rooted in divine righteousness and truth.

but those who seek the LORD
The phrase "seek the LORD" is derived from the Hebrew "דָּרַשׁ" (darash), meaning to inquire, search, or seek diligently. This implies an active, intentional pursuit of a relationship with God. In the biblical narrative, seeking the LORD is associated with humility, repentance, and a desire to align one's life with God's will. It is a recurring exhortation throughout Scripture, encouraging believers to prioritize their relationship with God above all else.

comprehend fully
The Hebrew word "יָבִינוּ" (yavinu) is related to "בִּין" (bin), meaning to understand or perceive. However, it carries a deeper connotation of full comprehension or insight. Those who seek the LORD are granted a profound understanding of justice and truth, as their hearts and minds are aligned with God's wisdom. This comprehension is not merely intellectual but transformative, influencing how they live and interact with others.

(5) Evil men understand not judgment.--Or, what is right. For God reveals Himself only to those who fear Him (Psalm 25:14, comp. 1Corinthians 2:11; 1John 2:20); they, by following the light they have, are "guided into all truth" (John 16:13); the evil, by continually shutting their eyes to the light, at last can not see it, even if they would (John 12:39, sqq.).

Verse 5. - Evil men understand not judgment; or, what is right. An evil man's moral conception is perverted, he cannot distinguish between right and wrong; the light that was in him has become darkness (comp. Proverbs 29:7). Many men, by giving themselves over to wickedness, awe judicially blinded, according to John 12:89, 40. They who seek the Lord understand all things. These who do God's will, seeking him in prayer, know what is morally right is every circumstance, have a right judgment in all things (comp. Ecclesiastes 8:5; 1 Corinthians 2:15). So 1 John 2:20, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things;" and our Lord has (declared, "If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:17).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Evil
רָ֭ע (rā‘)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

men
אַנְשֵׁי־ (’an·šê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 582: Man, mankind

do not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

understand
יָבִ֣ינוּ (yā·ḇî·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand

justice,
מִשְׁפָּ֑ט (miš·pāṭ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

but those who seek
וּמְבַקְשֵׁ֥י (ū·mə·ḇaq·šê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

the LORD
יְ֝הוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

comprehend
יָבִ֥ינוּ (yā·ḇî·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand

fully.
כֹֽל׃ (ḵōl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 28:5 Evil men don't understand justice (Prov. Pro Pr)
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