Proverbs 20:26
New International Version
A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.

New Living Translation
A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat, then runs his threshing wheel over them.

English Standard Version
A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.

Berean Standard Bible
A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.

King James Bible
A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

New King James Version
A wise king sifts out the wicked, And brings the threshing wheel over them.

New American Standard Bible
A wise king scatters the wicked, And drives a threshing wheel over them.

NASB 1995
A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the threshing wheel over them.

NASB 1977
A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the threshing wheel over them.

Legacy Standard Bible
A wise king winnows the wicked, And turns the threshing wheel over them.

Amplified Bible
A wise king sifts out the wicked [from among the good] And drives the [threshing] wheel over them [to separate the chaff from the grain].

Christian Standard Bible
A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.

American Standard Version
A wise king winnoweth the wicked, And bringeth the threshing #NAME?

Contemporary English Version
A wise ruler severely punishes every criminal.

English Revised Version
A wise king winnoweth the wicked, and bringeth the threshing wheel over them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A wise king scatters the wicked and then runs them over.

Good News Translation
A wise king will find out who is doing wrong, and will punish him without pity.

International Standard Version
A wise king sifts the wicked, crushing them with the threshing wheel.

Majority Standard Bible
A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.

NET Bible
A wise king separates out the wicked; he turns the threshing wheel over them.

New Heart English Bible
A wise king winnows out the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel over them.

Webster's Bible Translation
A wise king scatterreth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

World English Bible
A wise king winnows out the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel over them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
A wise king is scattering the wicked, "" And turns the wheel back on them.

Young's Literal Translation
A wise king is scattering the wicked, And turneth back on them the wheel.

Smith's Literal Translation
A wise king scatters the unjust, and he will turn back a wheel over them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth over them the wheel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
A wise king scatters the impious and bends an archway over them.

New American Bible
A wise king winnows the wicked, and threshes them under the cartwheel.

New Revised Standard Version
A wise king winnows the wicked, and drives the wheel over them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
A wise king scatters the wicked and crushes them under the wheel.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The wise King scatters evil ones and turns a wheel over them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
A wise king sifteth the wicked, And turneth the wheel over them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
A wise king utterly crushes the ungodly, and will bring a wheel upon them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Wine is a Mocker
25It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows. 26A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them. 27The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching out his inmost being.…

Cross References
Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Isaiah 41:15-16
Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. / You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Luke 3:17
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Psalm 1:4
Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.

Jeremiah 15:7
I will scatter them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land. I will bereave and destroy My people who have not turned from their ways.

Micah 4:12-13
But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD or understand His plan, for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. / Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Isaiah 28:27-28
Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin. But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. / Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it.

Hosea 13:3
Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, like smoke through an open window.

Job 21:18
Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?

Psalm 35:5
May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away.

Daniel 2:35
Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Amos 9:9
“For surely I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is sifted in a sieve; but not a pebble will reach the ground.

Malachi 4:1
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”

Matthew 25:32-33
All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. / He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.


Treasury of Scripture

A wise king scatters the wicked, and brings the wheel over them.

wise

Proverbs 20:8
A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

2 Samuel 4:9-12
And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, …

Psalm 101:5-8
Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer…

bringeth

2 Samuel 12:31
And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

Isaiah 28:27,28
For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod…

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Proverbs 20
1. Proper Living














A wise king
The phrase "A wise king" sets the stage for understanding the role of leadership from a biblical perspective. In Hebrew, the word for "wise" is "חָכָם" (chakam), which implies not just intelligence but a deep, God-given understanding and discernment. A wise king, therefore, is one who rules with insight and righteousness, aligning his decisions with divine principles. Historically, kings like Solomon, who authored many of the Proverbs, exemplified this wisdom, seeking God's guidance in governance. The role of a king in ancient Israel was not only political but also spiritual, serving as a shepherd to the people, guiding them in the ways of the Lord.

winnows out the wicked
The term "winnows out" comes from the agricultural practice of separating grain from chaff, which in Hebrew is "זָרָה" (zarah). This metaphor illustrates the king's responsibility to discern and remove evil from his realm. The process of winnowing involves careful examination and separation, symbolizing the king's duty to uphold justice and righteousness. In a spiritual sense, this reflects God's ultimate judgment, where He discerns the hearts of men. The historical context of ancient Israel required kings to maintain purity and holiness within the nation, ensuring that wickedness did not corrupt the community.

and drives the threshing wheel over them
The imagery of "drives the threshing wheel over them" further emphasizes the decisive action against wickedness. The threshing wheel, or "אוֹפַן" (ophan) in Hebrew, was a tool used to crush and break the husks, ensuring that only the valuable grain remained. This phrase suggests a thorough and relentless pursuit of justice, where evil is not merely identified but actively eradicated. In the biblical context, this reflects God's justice, which is both firm and fair. The historical practice of threshing was essential for survival, just as the removal of wickedness is crucial for the spiritual health of a community. This imagery serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of righteous leadership and the divine mandate to uphold justice.

(26) A wise king scattereth the wicked.--Rather, winnows them.

And bringeth the wheel over them.--Comp. Isaiah 28:27. A sort of sledge or cart was driven over the stalks of corn spread upon the threshing-floor, by means of which the grain was separated from the husk. A wise king winnows out evil persons from among his people, thus putting an end to their corrupting influence. (Comp. Matthew 3:12.)

Verse 26. - A wise king scattereth the wicked (ver. 8). The verb is zarah, which means "to winnow, or sift." The king separates the wicked and the good, as the winnowing fan or shovel divides the chaff from the wheat. The same metaphor is used of Christ (Matthew 3:12), "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (comp. Jeremiah 15:7). Septuagint, "A winnower (λικμήτωρ) of the ungodly is a wise king." And bringeth the wheel over them. The threshing wheel is meant (see Isaiah 28:27; Amos 1:3). This was a wooden frame with three or four rollers under it armed with iron teeth. It was drawn by two oxen, and, aided by the weight of the driver, who had his seat upon it, it crushed out the grain, and cut up the straw into fodder. Another machine much used in Palestine was made of two thick planks fastened together side by side, and having sharp stones fixed in rows on the lower surface. It is not implied that the king employed the corn drag as an instrument of punishment, which was sometimes so used in war, as possibly may be inferred from 2 Samuel 12:31; 1 Chronicles 20:3; and Amos 1:3. The idea of threshing is carried on, and the notion is rather of separation than of punishment, though the latter is not wholly excluded. The wise ruler will not only distinguish between the godless and the good, but will show his discrimination by visiting the evil with condign puuishment. Septuagint, "He will bring the wheel upon them;" the Vulgate has curiously, Incurvat super eos fornicem, "He bends an arch over them," which Latin commentators explain as a triumphal arch, meaning that the king conquers and subdues the wicked, and celebrates his victory over them. A patent anachronism which needs no comment!

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
A wise
חָכָ֑ם (ḥā·ḵām)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2450: Wise

king
מֶ֣לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

separates out
מְזָרֶ֣ה (mə·zā·reh)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2219: To toss about, to diffuse, winnow

the wicked
רְ֭שָׁעִים (rə·šā·‘îm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

and drives
וַיָּ֖שֶׁב (way·yā·šeḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

the threshing wheel
אוֹפָֽן׃ (’ō·w·p̄ān)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 212: A wheel

over them.
עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם (‘ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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