He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Proverbs 17:15
What does Proverbs 17:15 mean?
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Proverbs 17:15
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This verse isn't just about judges in a courtroom; it highlights that any act that acquits the guilty or condemns the innocent, whether by official decree or by condoning their actions, turns justice on its head. God detests this confusion of right and wrong, seeing both the "not guilty" verdict for a wrongdoer and the "guilty" sentence for an innocent person as equally offensive to His righteous nature.
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse sits within a section of Proverbs that contrasts wisdom with foolishness, and right living with wickedness, often in the context of justice and leadership. It directly follows verses discussing quarrels and the desire for justice versus favoritism, emphasizing the LORD's deep displeasure with any perversion of fairness, whether by acquitting the guilty or condemning the innocent. The surrounding counsel consistently calls for integrity and righteousness, highlighting that turning justice upside down is an offense God cannot tolerate.
We often focus on punishing the bad guys. But what about when the innocent suffer? This verse shines a spotlight on both extremes.
Proverbs 17:15 slams the door shut on two critical ways justice is perverted:
Acquitting the Guilty
This is when someone who has done wrong is declared innocent. Think of a judge letting a guilty person go free, or even worse, publicly defending their bad actions. It's like saying wrong is right.
Condemning the Innocent
This is the flip side – an innocent person is declared guilty. This happens when someone is punished for something they didn't do, or when their good character is attacked and slandered. It’s declaring right as wrong.
Both actions twist God's order and disrespect the truth.
The verse doesn't just say these actions are 'wrong'; it calls them an 'abomination.' What makes them so offensive to God?
The word 'abomination' (Hebrew: to'evah) signifies something deeply detestable, repulsive, and contrary to God's very nature and will. When we pervert justice:
We Rebel Against God's Character
God is inherently righteous and just. His law is a reflection of His own moral order. To justify the wicked or condemn the righteous is to go against the very heart of who God is.
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We Undermine His Kingdom
God's desire is for a world where truth prevails, good is rewarded, and evil is held accountable. Perverted justice tears down the fabric of a just society, which is meant to reflect God's rule.
We Confuse Right and Wrong
When justice is twisted, the lines between good and evil become blurred. This creates chaos and leads people away from God, who is the source of all truth and goodness.
The Bible uses 'justify' in different ways. How does Proverbs 17:15's use differ from how we are 'justified' before God?
It's crucial to distinguish between human justice and God's divine justice.
Human Justice: Forensic Pronouncement
In Proverbs 17:15, 'justify' refers to a legal declaration – like a judge acquitting someone in court. It's about declaring someone righteous in the eyes of the law or society, regardless of their actual deeds.
Divine Justification: Imputed Righteousness
When the Bible speaks of sinners being 'justified' before God (e.g., Romans 5:1), it means something profound and different. It's not about declaring an unrighteous person righteous based on their own actions (which would be an abomination!). Instead, it's about God graciously crediting the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ to the believer's account. This is a gift received by faith, not a judicial error.
Understand the original words
matsdiq · Hebrew Verb (Hiphil Participle)
To justify is a legal or judicial term meaning to declare someone righteous, innocent, or in the right. In the context of wisdom literature, justifying the wicked is a perversion of justice because it refuses to hold moral wrongdoers accountable.
rashaʿ · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
The wicked are those who have abandoned the path of moral integrity and divine law; they are characterized by their harmful actions toward others and their ongoing defiance of the Creator.
marshiaʿ · Hebrew Verb (Hiphil Participle)
To condemn is the judicial act of declaring someone guilty or pronouncing a penalty upon them. Condemning the righteous is a grievous injustice that attacks those who strive to live according to God's standard.
tsaddiq · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
A righteous person is one whose life aligns with the requirements of God's law and who acts with integrity, uprightness, and moral correctness in their dealings with others.
toʿebah · Hebrew Noun
An abomination denotes something detestable, disgusting, or morally abhorrent to God; it represents a fundamental violation of His holy character and the moral order He established.
This passage directly parallels Proverbs 17:15 by condemning those who 'acquit the guilty' and 'condemn the righteous,' highlighting the consistent biblical denouncement of perverted justice.
Deuteronomy 25:1This Old Testament law commands judges to 'justify the righteous and condemn the wicked,' underscoring the divine mandate for fairness that Proverbs 17:15 upholds.
Psalm 82:3-4The psalmist cries out for leaders to 'defend the weak and the fatherless' and 'uphold the cause of the afflicted and the needy,' a call to righteous judgment that contrasts sharply with the actions condemned in Proverbs.
Matthew 27:24-26Pilate's decision to 'justify the wicked' Barabbas and 'condemn the righteous' Jesus, despite recognizing Jesus' innocence, serves as a stark biblical example of the abomination described in Proverbs.
barnesProverbs 17:15: "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD."
People need to be warned against an unjust acquittal, no less than against unjust condemnation. The word "justifieth" has its forensic sense, "to declare righteous," to acquit.
bensonProverbs 17:15: "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD."
Proverbs 17:15 . He that justifieth the wicked — That acquitteth him as innocent by a judicial sentence, or otherwise approveth or commendeth his evil practices; and he that condemneth the just — Or, contributes to his condemnation, defeats the end of government, which is to protect the good, and punish the bad; and therefore they both are abomination to the Lord — Who w…
This verse isn't just about judges in a courtroom; it highlights that any act that acquits the guilty or condemns the innocent, whether by official decree or by condoning their actions, turns justice on its head. God detests this confusion of right and wrong, seeing both the "not guilty" verdict for a wrongdoer and the "guilty" sentence for an innocent person as equally offensive to His righteous nature.
This verse sits within a section of Proverbs that contrasts wisdom with foolishness, and right living with wickedness, often in the context of justice and leadership. It directly follows verses discussing quarrels and the desire for justice versus favoritism, emphasizing the LORD's deep displeasure with any perversion of fairness, whether by acquitting the guilty or condemning the innocent. The surrounding counsel consistently calls for integrity and righteousness, highlighting that turning justice upside down is an offense God cannot tolerate.
This verse sits within a section of Proverbs that contrasts wisdom with foolishness, and right living with wickedness, often in the context of justice and leadership. It directly follows verses discussing quarrels and the desire for justice versus favoritism, emphasizing the LORD's deep displeasure with any perversion of fairness, whether by acquitting the guilty or condemning the innocent. The surrounding counsel consistently calls for integrity and righteousness, highlighting that turning justice upside down is an offense God cannot tolerate.
"He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD." — This verse isn't just about judges in a courtroom; it highlights that any act that acquits the guilty or condemns the innocent, whether by official decree or by condoning their actions, turns justi…
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Last reviewed October 2026