Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Proverbs 20:10
What does Proverbs 20:10 mean?
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Proverbs 20:10
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This verse exposes the hidden deception in seemingly small dishonesties. It's not just about using different scales or containers, but about maintaining two standards: one for public view and another for private gain, which God finds utterly detestable.
Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This proverb is part of a larger collection in Proverbs that contrasts wisdom and folly, righteousness and wickedness. It speaks to the everyday integrity required in business dealings, condemning the dishonesty of using different weights and measures to cheat others. This specific verse serves as a strong declaration that such deceptive practices are utterly detestable to God, who values justice and truthfulness in all human interactions.
Why would God call something as mundane as weighing goods an 'abomination'?
This verse paints a vivid picture of ancient commerce. 'Unequal weights and unequal measures' literally meant having two sets of scales or containers: one for buying and one for selling. Imagine a merchant using a heavier stone (weight) or a larger ephah (dry measure) to buy goods, getting more for their money. Then, they'd switch to a lighter stone or smaller ephah to sell, giving less to their customer for the same price. This wasn't just a minor cheat; it was a deliberate, calculated deception that struck at the very foundation of trust and fairness in the community. The Hebrew literally speaks of 'a stone and a stone,' and 'an ephah and an ephah' – highlighting the existence of two different standards. This practice wasn't accidental; it was a chosen method of fraud.
What does it really mean that God finds dishonesty an 'abomination'?
The word 'abomination' is strong, and God doesn't use it lightly. In the Old Testament, it often refers to things that are detestable, impure, and offensive to God's holy nature. For God, who is perfectly just and righteous, any form of deceit, unfairness, or dishonesty is deeply offensive. It violates His character and harms the people He cares about. This isn't just about maintaining order in society; it's about reflecting God's own heart. When we are dishonest, we act contrary to God's nature and sow seeds of distrust and brokenness into the world.
Understand the original words
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to'ebah · Hebrew Noun
Something that is detestable, loathsome, or ethically offensive, particularly in the sight of God.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
Refers to the sovereign Creator and Covenant-keeper of Israel, the personal name of God who is holy and demands righteousness from His people.
This passage directly commands the Israelites to use just balances, weights, and measures, establishing the principle that fairness in commerce is a divine requirement.
Deuteronomy 25:13This verse further reinforces the prohibition against dishonest weights and measures, highlighting that such practices are detestable to the LORD and speak to a deeper need for integrity.
Amos 8:5The prophet Amos condemns the same kind of deception, showing how this practice of unequal weights and measures was a persistent issue that angered God and led to judgment.
Micah 6:11This verse questions whether one can be counted righteous while using dishonest scales and dishonest weights, directly linking commercial dishonesty to a lack of true righteousness before God.
pulpitProverbs 20:10: "Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD."
Verse 10. - Divers weights, and divers measures; literally, stone and stone, ephah and ephah. The stones were used for weighing: dishonest traders kept them of different weights, and also measures of different capacities, substituting one for the other in order to defraud unwary customers. The Septuagint makes this plain by rendering, "A weight great and small, and measures double" (see on Pro…
ellicottProverbs 20:10: "Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD."
(10) Divers weights and divers measures . . .—See above on Proverbs 11:1 .
This verse exposes the hidden deception in seemingly small dishonesties. It's not just about using different scales or containers, but about maintaining two standards: one for public view and another for private gain, which God finds utterly detestable.
This proverb is part of a larger collection in Proverbs that contrasts wisdom and folly, righteousness and wickedness. It speaks to the everyday integrity required in business dealings, condemning the dishonesty of using different weights and measures to cheat others. This specific verse serves as a strong declaration that such deceptive practices are utterly detestable to God, who values justice and truthfulness in all human interactions.
This proverb is part of a larger collection in Proverbs that contrasts wisdom and folly, righteousness and wickedness. It speaks to the everyday integrity required in business dealings, condemning the dishonesty of using different weights and measures to cheat others. This specific verse serves as a strong declaration that such deceptive practices are utterly detestable to God, who values justice and truthfulness in all human interactions.
"Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD." — This verse exposes the hidden deception in seemingly small dishonesties. It's not just about using different scales or containers, but about maintaining two standards: one for public view and another…
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Last reviewed October 2026