Deuteronomy 16:19

BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

“Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.”

What this verse means

A short, plain-language explanation of Deuteronomy 16:19 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.

Compare translations
BSBPD

“Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.”

Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)
KJVPD

“Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.”

King James Version · Public Domain
ASVPD

“Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.”

American Standard Version · Public Domain
YLTPD

“Thou dost not turn aside judgment; thou dost not discern faces, nor take a bribe, for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.”

Young's Literal Translation · Public Domain
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Cross references

Other passages that echo Deuteronomy 16:19 — 24 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  1. Exodus 23:2You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
  2. Exodus 23:6You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
  3. Exodus 23:8Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
  4. Leviticus 19:15You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
  5. Deuteronomy 1:16At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.
  6. Deuteronomy 1:17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
  7. Deuteronomy 10:17For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.
  8. Deuteronomy 24:17Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.
  9. Deuteronomy 27:19‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
  10. Deuteronomy 27:25‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
  11. 1 Samuel 8:3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
  12. 1 Samuel 12:3Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
  13. Job 31:21if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,
  14. Psalms 15:5who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
  15. Proverbs 17:23A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.
  16. Proverbs 24:23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
  17. Proverbs 24:28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
  18. Ecclesiastes 7:7Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
  19. Isaiah 1:17Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”
  20. Isaiah 1:23Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.
  21. Isaiah 33:15He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—
  22. Jeremiah 5:28They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.
  23. Ezekiel 18:8He does not engage in usury or take excess interest, but he withholds his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between men.
  24. Ezekiel 22:12In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.

Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

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