Proverbs 14:9
Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Proverbs 14:9
Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The Hebrew word translated as "guilt offering" can also mean "sin" itself, suggesting that for fools, their very guilt mocks them, promising pleasure but delivering only ruin. The upright, however, don't just avoid sin; they experience true favor, not from empty rituals, but from God's pleasure in their lives.
This proverb appears in a section of Proverbs contrasting the foolish and the wise, focusing on the consequences of their choices. It follows verses that highlight how arrogant boasting leads to downfall and how ill-gotten gains offer no lasting security. The proverb sets up a stark choice between treating sin lightly and acknowledging wrongdoing, with contrasting outcomes of divine judgment versus acceptance.
Understand the original words
ʾāšām · Hebrew Noun
An animal sacrifice made to make atonement for sins or to provide restitution for trespasses against God or man.
yāšār · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
Those who walk in integrity; people whose lives are aligned with God's moral law and who pursue righteousness.
rāṣôn · Hebrew Noun
Favor or approval, especially before God; the state of being reconciled or pleasing to the Creator.
This passage powerfully warns against deliberately continuing in sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, mirroring how fools in Proverbs mock sin rather than taking it seriously.
Isaiah 1:11Here, God expresses disgust with meaningless sacrifices, which aligns with the idea that fools' mockery or insincere offerings are worthless, unlike the sincere heart of the upright.
Luke 18:10-14The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector illustrates the contrast between those who rely on their own righteousness (like fools mocking sin) and the humble sinner who finds favor with God.
Romans 8:1This verse declares 'no condemnation' for those in Christ, highlighting the 'acceptance' or favor that the upright enjoy, a stark contrast to the condemnation that awaits those who mock sin.
gillProverbs 14:9: "Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour."
Fools make a mock at sin,.... At sinful actions, their own or others; they make light of them, a jest of them, call evil good, and good evil; take pleasure in doing them themselves, and in those that do them; yea, sport themselves with the mischief that arises from them unto others; they make a mock at reproofs for them, and scoff at those that instruct and rebuke them; and laugh at a future state, and an awful…
bensonProverbs 14:9: "Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour."
Proverbs 14:9 . Fools make a mock at sin — Wicked men, here meant by fools, please and divert themselves with their own and other men’s sins, which is a high offence to God and all good men. Or, as others render the clause, excuse, or cover sin; they sin against God or men, and then justify or extenuate their sins, which is to double the iniquity. Possibly the Hebrew of this clause, אולים יליצ אשׁם , may be rend…
The Hebrew word translated as "guilt offering" can also mean "sin" itself, suggesting that for fools, their very guilt mocks them, promising pleasure but delivering only ruin. The upright, however, don't just avoid sin; they experience true favor, not from empty rituals, but from God's pleasure in their lives.
This proverb appears in a section of Proverbs contrasting the foolish and the wise, focusing on the consequences of their choices. It follows verses that highlight how arrogant boasting leads to downfall and how ill-gotten gains offer no lasting security. The proverb sets up a stark choice between treating sin lightly and acknowledging wrongdoing, with contrasting outcomes of divine judgment versus acceptance.
This proverb appears in a section of Proverbs contrasting the foolish and the wise, focusing on the consequences of their choices. It follows verses that highlight how arrogant boasting leads to downfall and how ill-gotten gains offer no lasting security. The proverb sets up a stark choice between treating sin lightly and acknowledging wrongdoing, with contrasting outcomes of divine judgment versus acceptance.
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"Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance." — The Hebrew word translated as "guilt offering" can also mean "sin" itself, suggesting that for fools, their very guilt mocks them, promising pleasure but delivering only ruin. The upright, however, d…