Proverbs 13:5 · Bible study
Proverbs 13:5 Commentary: Righteous Hate Lies, Wicked Bring Shame
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study Proverbs 13:5: does the wicked actively bring shame on others or come to shame himself? Hebrew verbs, interpretive debate, and practical wisdom.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The righteous hate falsehood; the wicked produce shame, either by causing it or by coming into it themselves.
- Key words: Sheqer (falsehood), ba’ash (to stink, act odiously), chapher (to be ashamed, put to shame).
- Main debate: Does the wicked actively shame others (causative reading) or passively come to shame (reflexive/intransitive reading)?
- Theological theme: Truth and falsehood as markers of covenant loyalty; honor and shame as consequences of alignment with God.
- Best use: Ethical teaching on honesty, paired with eschatological hope that truth and righteousness triumph.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.
WEB World English Bible 2000
A righteous man hates lies, but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace.
KJV King James Version 1769
A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
A righteous man hateth lying; But a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
A false word the righteous hateth, And the wicked causeth abhorrence, and is confounded.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
A righteous [man] hateth lying; but the wicked maketh himself odious and cometh to shame.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The just shall hate a lying word: but the wicked confoundeth, and shall be confounded.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
El justo aborrece la palabra de mentira: mas el impío se hace odioso é infame.
O justo odeia a palavra mentirosa, mas o perverso age de forma repugnante e vergonhosa.
Le juste hait les paroles mensongères;
Der Gerechte ist der Lüge feind; aber der Gottlose schändet und schmäht sich selbst.
De rechtvaardige haat leugentaal; maar de goddeloze maakt zich stinkende, en doet zich schaamte aan.
Il giusto odia la menzogna, ma l’empio getta sugli altri vituperio ed onta.
Słowa kłamliwego nienawidzi sprawiedliwy; ale niezbożny staje się obrzydliwym i shańbionym.
Праведник ненавидит ложное слово, а нечестивый срамит и бесчестит себя.
義人 恨惡 謊 言；惡人 有臭名，且致慚愧。
The upright man is a hater of false words: the evil-doer gets a bad name and is put to shame.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Proverbs 13:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The supplied commentators agree on one point: the righteous person genuinely hates lying. Gill notes that the righteous hates lying “as being contrary to honour, truth, and conscience.” Matthew Henry says it is “the undoubted character of every righteous man that he hates lying”, all sin, because every sin is a lie. The dispute emerges around the second half. Does the wicked bring shame and disgrace, or does he himself come to shame? Cambridge Bible observes that the Hebrew for “loathsome” (yav’ish) literally means “stinketh,” and their margin suggests either “causeth shame and bringeth reproach” or “be brought to shame.” Gill reads the causative: the wicked “causes or spreads a stink”, making himself odious and abominable. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown prefer “causeth shame and reproach,” comparing Proverbs 19:26 where a son brings shame on his parents. Keil and Delitzsch argue for the active sense: the godless loves to disgrace and put others to shame. Lange translates the verbs as middle or reflexive: “acteth basely and shamefully.” The consensus is that the righteous hate lies, and the wicked are tangled in shame, whether they inflict it or suffer it.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Active shame (causative): The Hiphil forms יַבְאִישׁ and יַחְפִּֽיר can mean 'causes to stink' and 'puts to shame.' Keil & Delitzsch and JFB argue the wicked actively disgraces others, comparing Proverbs 19:26.
- Reflexive shame (intransitive): The same verbs can be read reflexively: 'makes himself stink / comes to shame.' Matthew Henry and Gill emphasize the wicked becomes loathsome and is brought to shame.
- Both/and: The semantic range allows both implications: the wicked’s actions bring shame on others, and ultimately the wicked himself is confounded. Many modern translations (WEB, BSB) leave the ambiguity open.
What is clear: The righteous hate lies; the wicked are inseparably linked to shame — whether as agents or recipients.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Righteous hatred of lying | All traditions agree the righteous hate lying; this is a defining mark of godly character. | Whether 'lying' is limited to verbal falsehood or includes all sin, since every sin is a lie (Matthew Henry's view). |
| The wicked and shame | The outcome of wickedness is shame and disgrace, either inflicted on others or experienced personally. | Does the wicked actively bring shame on others (Keil & Delitzsch, JFB) or is he himself brought to shame (Matthew Henry, Gill)? The Hebrew Hiphil verbs allow both. |
| Social dimension of sin | Sin has a public, 'stinking' effect that damages community life. | Whether the primary effect is on the sinner's own reputation or on the victim's (e.g., slander). |
| Relationship to eternal judgment | Shame in this life points to ultimate shame at judgment (Daniel 12:2). | Whether the 'shame' in Proverbs refers mainly to temporal disgrace or anticipates final condemnation. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Proverbs 13:5 belongs to the wisdom tradition’s sharp contrast between two ways: the path of righteousness and the path of wickedness. This verse falls between verses on guarding the mouth (v.3) and on righteousness guarding integrity (v.6). The theme of truth versus falsehood runs through the whole chapter and the book.
The word sheqer (falsehood, lie) is a heavy term in Hebrew. It covers deception in court, fraud in business, and misleading words in daily speech. Proverbs 6:17 lists “a lying tongue” among seven things the LORD hates. To hate lying, then, is not a mild dislike; it is a visceral rejection that defines the righteous. In an honor-shame society, truth preserved one’s standing; lies could destroy a reputation or a community.
The Hebrew verb ba’ash (to stink) originally describes rotting food or a corpse. Used figuratively, it exposes the moral decay of wickedness. When Jacob’s sons deceived Shechem, Jacob said they had “made him to stink” among the inhabitants (Genesis 34:30). The wicked’s actions produce a foul odor in the community’s nostrils. The other verb, chapher, means to be ashamed or confounded; in the Hiphil causative, it can mean ”put to shame.” The dual translation “brings shame and disgrace” (WEB, BSB) captures both possibilities, the wicked either spreads shame or lands in it. The grammar leaves the question open, inviting the reader to consider the full consequences of a life built on falsehood.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and lexical sources note no significant textual variants for Proverbs 13:5. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The interpretive difficulty arises not from textual uncertainty but from the semantic range of the verbs yav’ish and yachpir in the Hiphil stem.
Reception History
Proverbs 13:5 has been a staple in Christian ethical teaching on truthfulness. The early church, drawing on the wisdom tradition, used it to support the call for believers to speak truth and avoid hypocrisy. In the medieval period, monastic rules often cited this verse to encourage honest speech within community life. Reformation-era commentators like Matthew Henry and John Gill emphasized the inward disposition of the righteous, hatred of lying as a fruit of grace. The verse also appears in Puritan sermons on the sin of lying, with the vivid image of “stinking” serving as a warning that sin leaves a moral odor. Modern evangelical and Catholic moral teaching both appeal to this proverb to ground the duty of honesty in the character of God, who cannot lie. The interpretive ambiguity, whether the wicked causes shame or suffers it, has received attention from lexical scholars, but the pastoral application remains the same: falsehood leads to dishonor, while truth is aligned with righteousness.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The righteous reject falsehood from the heart. The verb “hates” (שָׂנֵא) is strong. This is not mere avoidance but active disgust. Righteousness aligns with truth because God is truth.
- The wicked deal with shame, however you read it. Whether the wicked causes shame to others through slander and deceit, or comes to shame himself as judgment, the result is the same: shame is the currency of wickedness.
- The choice is between truth and stench. The agricultural image of “stinking” suggests something that spoils. Lies rot relationships, reputations, and the soul. Righteousness preserves life and honor.
Five-Point Outline
- Righteous hatred is not sin. The Bible commands love, but hatred of evil is part of godliness (Psalm 119:163).
- Lying is more than false words. Sheqer covers broken promises, fraud, hypocrisy, and self-deception. Every sin carries a lie within it.
- The wicked’s actions have a smell. The Hebrew behind “brings shame” is literally “makes stink.” Slander and deceit leave a lingering odor in community life.
- Shame can be both given and received. The Hiphil verbs allow either reading. Some interpreters (Keil, Delitzsch) emphasize that the wicked actively disgraces others. Others (Matthew Henry, Gill) see the wicked himself as the one who comes to shame. Both are biblically true.
- The end result: everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2 speaks of awakening to “shame and everlasting contempt.” The contrast in Proverbs points eschatologically to final judgment.
Illustration Hooks
- A business deal where a handshake used to mean something; now contracts are needed because trust has decayed. Lies have a social stench.
- Gossip that destroys a reputation, the speaker “makes to stink” the name of another, only to find his own name eventually tarnished.
- The “white lie” culture: we call them small, but they accumulate, and the person known for “stretching the truth” finds no one believes them when it matters.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Are all lies equally bad? What about lies to protect someone’s feelings?
- If I hate lying, how do I respond when a fellow Christian lies?
- What does it look like practically to “hate lies” in a world of spin and advertising?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in a chapter full of contrasts. The righteous hate lies; the wicked are tangled in shame. But the Hebrew verbs leave room to ask: does the wicked cause shame, or does he suffer it? The question matters because it affects how we understand the active harm of sin and its eventual consequence. Let the group sit with the ambiguity, both readings teach us something.
Discussion Questions
- Read Proverbs 13:5 aloud from two different translations. What differences do you notice in how the second half is phrased?
- The righteous “hates lying.” What forms of lying are most accepted in our culture? Why might the Bible use such strong language?
- The Hebrew verb for “brings shame” (יַבְאִישׁ) literally means “makes stink.” What does this sensory image add to your understanding of sin?
- Some commentators (Keil, Delitzsch) say the wicked actively puts others to shame through slander. Others (Matthew Henry, Gill) say the wicked himself becomes loathsome and comes to shame. Which reading fits your experience more closely? Why?
- How does the righteous person’s hatred of lies affect his or her relationships at work, home, and church?
- Read Daniel 12:2. How does the promise of “everlasting contempt” shape the urgency of Proverbs 13:5?
- Think of a situation where telling the truth was costly. What helped you choose truth? What made it hard?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 119:163 | I hate and abhor falsehood. I love your law. |
| Proverbs 3:35 | The wise will inherit glory, but shame will be the promotion of fools. |
| Proverbs 6:17 | arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, |
| Proverbs 30:8 | Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, |
| Ezekiel 6:9 | Those of you that escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken with their lewd heart, which has departed from me, and with their eyes, which play the prostitute after their idols. Then they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. |
| Ezekiel 20:43 | There you will remember your ways, and all your deeds in which you have polluted yourselves. Then you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that you have committed. |
| Ezekiel 36:31 | “‘“Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. |
| Daniel 12:2 | Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that this verse uses a word meaning stink to describe wickedness. It compares this usage to other places in Scripture where the same Hebrew term appears.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The righteous person not only avoids lies but actively hates them, while the wicked does more than lie—he causes slander and brings shame on others. The commentator highlights that the wicked’s sin is aggressive and harmful, not merely a failure to tell the truth.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
A righteous person hates all kinds of lying (false words that go against honor truth and conscience). He also hates wicked people who are corrupt covered in sin and cause shame. You may find peace through Christ and the hope of resurrection.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that such behavior brings shame and reproach through slander. It is something the righteous person hates.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that the Hebrew word for falsehood appears here as a general concept covering all kinds of untruth. The righteous hate such untruth while the godless actively cause others to be put to shame.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry broadens "lying" here to mean every sin, since all sin is a deception. Where grace rules, the righteous person abhors all falsehood and fraud out of love for truth and conformity to God. Where sin rules instead, the wicked become loathsome to God and good people, and will eventually face public disgrace.