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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Proverbs 20:26 A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/proverbs/20-26.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/8/20_Pro_20_26.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Proverbs 20:26 - Wine is a Mocker" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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he drives the threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/proverbs/20.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat, then runs his threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/proverbs/20.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/proverbs/20.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/proverbs/20.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/proverbs/20.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />A wise king sifts out the wicked, And brings the threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/proverbs/20.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />A wise king scatters the wicked, And drives a <i>threshing</i> wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/proverbs/20.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/proverbs/20.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the <i>threshing</i> wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/proverbs/20.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />A wise king winnows the wicked, And turns the <i>threshing</i> wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/proverbs/20.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />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].<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/proverbs/20.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/proverbs/20.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/proverbs/20.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />A wise king winnoweth the wicked, And bringeth the threshing #NAME?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/proverbs/20.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />A wise ruler severely punishes every criminal. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/proverbs/20.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />A wise king winnoweth the wicked, and bringeth the threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/proverbs/20.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />A wise king scatters the wicked and then runs them over.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/proverbs/20.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />A wise king will find out who is doing wrong, and will punish him without pity. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/proverbs/20.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />A wise king sifts the wicked, crushing them with the threshing wheel.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/proverbs/20.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/proverbs/20.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />A wise king separates out the wicked; he turns the threshing wheel over them. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/proverbs/20.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />A wise king winnows out the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/proverbs/20.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />A wise king scatterreth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/proverbs/20.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />A wise king winnows out the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel over them. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/proverbs/20.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />A wise king is scattering the wicked, "" And turns the wheel back on them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/proverbs/20.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> A wise king is scattering the wicked, And turneth back on them the wheel.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/proverbs/20.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />A wise king scatters the unjust, and he will turn back a wheel over them.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/proverbs/20.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth over them the wheel. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/proverbs/20.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />A wise king scatters the impious and bends an archway over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/proverbs/20.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />A wise king winnows the wicked, and threshes them under the cartwheel. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/proverbs/20.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />A wise king winnows the wicked, and drives the wheel over them.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/proverbs/20.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />A wise king scatters the wicked and crushes them under the wheel.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/proverbs/20.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />The wise King scatters evil ones and turns a wheel over them.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/proverbs/20.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />A wise king sifteth the wicked, And turneth the wheel over them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/proverbs/20.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />A wise king utterly crushes the ungodly, and will bring a wheel upon them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/proverbs/20-26.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kpUA5ZltBeQ?start=4112" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/proverbs/20.htm">Wine is a Mocker</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">25</span>It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows. <span class="reftext">26</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/2450.htm" title="2450: ḥā·ḵām (Adj-ms) -- Wise. From chakam; wise.">A wise</a> <a href="/hebrew/4428.htm" title="4428: me·leḵ (N-ms) -- King. From malak; a king.">king</a> <a href="/hebrew/2219.htm" title="2219: mə·zā·reh (V-Piel-Prtcpl-ms) -- To scatter, fan, winnow. A primitive root; to toss about; by implication, to diffuse, winnow.">separates out</a> <a href="/hebrew/7563.htm" title="7563: rə·šā·‘îm (Adj-mp) -- Wicked, criminal. From rasha'; morally wrong; concretely, an bad person.">the wicked</a> <a href="/hebrew/7725.htm" title="7725: way·yā·šeḇ (Conj-w:: V-Hifil-ConsecImperf-3ms) -- A primitive root; to turn back transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively; generally to retreat; often adverbial, again.">and drives</a> <a href="/hebrew/212.htm" title="212: ’ō·w·p̄ān (N-ms) -- A wheel. Or pophan; from an unused root meaning to revolve; a wheel.">the threshing wheel</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ă·lê·hem (Prep:: 3mp) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">over them.</a> </span><span class="reftext">27</span>The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching out his inmost being.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/3-12.htm">Matthew 3:12</a></span><br />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.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/41-15.htm">Isaiah 41:15-16</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/3-17.htm">Luke 3:17</a></span><br />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.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/1-4.htm">Psalm 1:4</a></span><br />Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/15-7.htm">Jeremiah 15:7</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/4-12.htm">Micah 4:12-13</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/13-30.htm">Matthew 13:30</a></span><br />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.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/28-27.htm">Isaiah 28:27-28</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/13-3.htm">Hosea 13:3</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/21-18.htm">Job 21:18</a></span><br />Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/35-5.htm">Psalm 35:5</a></span><br />May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/2-35.htm">Daniel 2:35</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/9-9.htm">Amos 9:9</a></span><br />“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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/malachi/4-1.htm">Malachi 4:1</a></span><br />“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.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/25-32.htm">Matthew 25:32-33</a></span><br />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.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">A wise king scatters the wicked, and brings the wheel over them.</p><p class="hdg">wise</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/20-8.htm">Proverbs 20:8</a></b></br> A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_samuel/4-9.htm">2 Samuel 4:9-12</a></b></br> And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, <i>As</i> the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/101-5.htm">Psalm 101:5-8</a></b></br> Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer… </p><p class="hdg">bringeth</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_samuel/12-31.htm">2 Samuel 12:31</a></b></br> And he brought forth the people that <i>were</i> therein, and put <i>them</i> 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.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/28-27.htm">Isaiah 28:27,28</a></b></br> 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… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/proverbs/19-26.htm">Drives</a> <a href="/proverbs/20-8.htm">Scattereth</a> <a href="/job/41-30.htm">Threshing</a> <a href="/proverbs/17-8.htm">Turneth</a> <a href="/psalms/83-13.htm">Wheel</a> <a href="/proverbs/19-28.htm">Wicked</a> <a href="/ruth/3-2.htm">Winnoweth</a> <a href="/proverbs/20-8.htm">Winnows</a> <a href="/proverbs/20-18.htm">Wise</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/proverbs/22-15.htm">Drives</a> <a href="/isaiah/24-1.htm">Scattereth</a> <a href="/isaiah/21-10.htm">Threshing</a> <a href="/proverbs/21-1.htm">Turneth</a> <a href="/proverbs/31-19.htm">Wheel</a> <a href="/proverbs/21-4.htm">Wicked</a> <a href="/ruth/3-2.htm">Winnoweth</a> <a href="/ruth/3-2.htm">Winnows</a> <a href="/proverbs/21-11.htm">Wise</a><div class="vheading2">Proverbs 20</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/20-1.htm">Proper Living</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/proverbs/20.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/proverbs/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/proverbs/20.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>A wise king</b><br>In ancient Israel, the king was seen as God's appointed leader, responsible for maintaining justice and righteousness. Wisdom was a crucial attribute for a king, as seen in Solomon's request for wisdom to govern his people (<a href="/1_kings/3-9.htm">1 Kings 3:9</a>). The king's wisdom is not just intellectual but moral, aligning with God's laws and principles. This phrase emphasizes the importance of discernment and moral integrity in leadership.<p><b>separates out the wicked</b><br>The act of separating the wicked from the righteous is a recurring theme in the Bible, reflecting God's desire for purity among His people. This separation is akin to the process of refining, where impurities are removed to reveal the true value. In a historical context, kings were expected to uphold justice by identifying and punishing wrongdoers, ensuring the community's well-being. This echoes the parable of the wheat and the tares in <a href="/matthew/13-24.htm">Matthew 13:24-30</a>, where the separation of good and evil is ultimately God's work.<p><b>and drives the threshing wheel over them</b><br>Threshing was an agricultural process used to separate grain from chaff, symbolizing judgment and purification. The imagery of a threshing wheel suggests a thorough and decisive action against the wicked. In biblical times, threshing was a familiar process, and its use here underscores the inevitability and thoroughness of divine justice. This phrase can also be seen as a type of Christ, who will execute final judgment, separating the righteous from the wicked (<a href="/matthew/25-31.htm">Matthew 25:31-46</a>). The threshing wheel signifies the king's role in executing justice, reflecting God's ultimate authority and judgment.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/w/wise_king.htm">Wise King</a></b><br>Represents a ruler or leader who exercises discernment and justice. In the context of ancient Israel, this would be a king who follows God's laws and seeks to maintain righteousness in the land.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/w/wicked.htm">Wicked</a></b><br>Refers to those who act in opposition to God's laws and principles, causing harm and injustice within the community.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/threshing_wheel.htm">Threshing Wheel</a></b><br>An agricultural tool used in ancient times to separate grain from chaff. Symbolically, it represents the process of judgment and purification.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/d/discernment_in_leadership.htm">Discernment in Leadership</a></b><br>A wise leader must have the ability to discern between good and evil, making decisions that promote righteousness and justice.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_justice.htm">The Role of Justice</a></b><br>Justice is a key component of godly leadership. Leaders are called to actively remove wickedness to maintain peace and order.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/symbolism_of_winnowing.htm">Symbolism of Winnowing</a></b><br>Just as winnowing separates grain from chaff, spiritual discernment helps separate truth from falsehood in our lives.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/p/personal_application_of_justice.htm">Personal Application of Justice</a></b><br>While not all are kings, each believer is called to uphold justice in their personal spheres, standing against wickedness in their communities.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_ultimate_judgment.htm">God's Ultimate Judgment</a></b><br>The imagery of the threshing wheel reminds us of God's ultimate judgment, where He will separate the righteous from the wicked.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_proverbs_20.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Proverbs 20</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_often_should_we_forgive_others.htm">What does the Bible say about true friendship?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_can_david_avoid_deceitful_people.htm">In Psalm 101:7, how can David promise no one deceitful will enter his presence when biblical narratives show him associating with flawed individuals?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_mocking_the_poor_go_unpunished.htm">Proverbs 17:5 suggests God is directly involved in consequences for mocking the poor. How do we reconcile this with observable reality where such mockery often seems unpunished?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/father's_past_actions'_effects.htm">What are the consequences of a father's past actions?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/proverbs/20.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(26) <span class= "bld">A wise king scattereth the wicked.--</span>Rather, <span class= "ital">winnows </span>them.<p><span class= "bld">And bringeth the wheel over them.--</span>Comp. <a href="/isaiah/28-27.htm" title="For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about on the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.">Isaiah 28:27</a>. 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. <a href="/matthew/3-12.htm" title="Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.">Matthew 3:12</a>.)<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/proverbs/20.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 26.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">A wise king scattereth the wicked</span> (ver. 8). The verb is <span class="accented">zarah</span>, 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 (<a href="/matthew/3-12.htm">Matthew 3:12</a>), "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. <a href="/jeremiah/15-7.htm">Jeremiah 15:7</a>). Septuagint, "A winnower (<span class="greek">λικμήτωρ</span>) of the ungodly is a wise king." <span class="cmt_word">And bringeth the wheel over them.</span> The threshing wheel is meant (see <a href="/isaiah/28-27.htm">Isaiah 28:27</a>; <a href="/amos/1-3.htm">Amos 1:3</a>). 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 <a href="/2_samuel/12-31.htm">2 Samuel 12:31</a>; <a href="/1_chronicles/20-3.htm">1 Chronicles 20:3</a>; and <a href="/amos/1-3.htm">Amos 1:3</a>. 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, <span class="accented">Incurvat super eos fornicem</span>, "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! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/proverbs/20-26.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">A wise</span><br /><span class="heb">חָכָ֑ם</span> <span class="translit">(ḥā·ḵām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2450.htm">Strong's 2450: </a> </span><span class="str2">Wise</span><br /><br /><span class="word">king</span><br /><span class="heb">מֶ֣לֶךְ</span> <span class="translit">(me·leḵ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4428.htm">Strong's 4428: </a> </span><span class="str2">A king</span><br /><br /><span class="word">separates out</span><br /><span class="heb">מְזָרֶ֣ה</span> <span class="translit">(mə·zā·reh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2219.htm">Strong's 2219: </a> </span><span class="str2">To toss about, to diffuse, winnow</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the wicked</span><br /><span class="heb">רְ֭שָׁעִים</span> <span class="translit">(rə·šā·‘îm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7563.htm">Strong's 7563: </a> </span><span class="str2">Wrong, an, bad person</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and drives</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיָּ֖שֶׁב</span> <span class="translit">(way·yā·šeḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7725.htm">Strong's 7725: </a> </span><span class="str2">To turn back, in, to retreat, again</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the threshing wheel</span><br /><span class="heb">אוֹפָֽן׃</span> <span class="translit">(’ō·w·p̄ān)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_212.htm">Strong's 212: </a> </span><span class="str2">A wheel</span><br /><br /><span class="word">over them.</span><br /><span class="heb">עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם</span> <span class="translit">(‘ă·lê·hem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/proverbs/20-26.htm">Proverbs 20:26 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/proverbs/20-26.htm">OT Poetry: Proverbs 20:26 A wise king winnows out the wicked (Prov. Pro Pr) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/proverbs/20-25.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Proverbs 20:25"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Proverbs 20:25" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/proverbs/20-27.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Proverbs 20:27"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Proverbs 20:27" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>