Proverbs 25:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

NIV: remove wicked officials from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness.

NASB: Take away the wicked before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.

CSB: Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

NLT: Remove the wicked from the king’s court, and his reign will be made secure by justice.

KJV: Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

NKJV: Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.

The prior verse (Proverbs 25:4) used the analogy of refining silver. That sets up the lesson given here. "Dross" is the collection of impurities removed when precious metals are heated. This results in a cleaner, better metal and a superior finished product. Here the analogy is applied to the "substance" of the influence placed on a king. Wicked counselors and associates should be removed from a ruler's circle (Proverbs 13:20) so he can rule righteously. This idea echoes Proverbs 16:12: "It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness." Godly wisdom (Proverbs 1:7) rejects evil and sin (Proverbs 17:3), and a good king listens to wise advisors (Proverbs 14:35; 16:13).

Someday Jesus will rule the earth in righteousness. Before He establishes His righteous reign, He will remove the dross—in that context meaning the wicked—from the earth. Psalm 119:119 says, "All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross." Psalm 101:8 reads: "Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD." Isaiah 9:7 prophesies of Jesus, "Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this."

Proverbs 25:1–10 contains sage advice regarding kingship, both for the ruler and their subjects. Avoiding arrogance is also mentioned. It's better to be humble, then praised by others, instead of being dismissed for exaggeration. This extends also to disputes and lawsuits. Most disputes are best settled in private, when such is possible.

This chapter includes more statements from Solomon, copied by scribes of King Hezekiah many years later. The first section speaks about the risks of arrogance. The next gives comparisons which teach spiritual lessons. The last segment teaches about relationships, reputation, and self-control.

Chapter 25 begins to relate more wise statements from Solomon. Depending on where they are divided or combined, these amount to around one hundred portions of godly wisdom. These were compiled and added about 250 years after Solomon's reign by men under the direction of King Hezekiah. The phrasing used in verse 1 suggests these were copied from other records into the scrolls associated with the prior proverbs. This collection runs through the end of chapter 29.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.