Proverbs 28

According to the superscription in 25:1, chapter 28 of Proverbs belongs to the "proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out" (chapters 25–29). The preceding chapter, Proverbs 27, offers instruction on neighbors, friends, and livelihood. Chapter 28 makes more frequent use of parallelism (the pairing of two lines for comparison) to set the righteous against the wicked.

Structure

• Verses 1–5: The contrast between the wicked and the righteous; a land whose state is prolonged by a man of understanding; the poor man who oppresses the poor; those who keep the law and those who forsake it
• Verses 6–11: The poor man who walks in his uprightness and the rich man who is perverse (crooked) in his ways; wealth increased by usury; the prayer of one who turns away from hearing the law; the rich man who is wise in his own conceit
• Verses 12–18: The rejoicing of the righteous and the rising of the wicked; the confession of sin; the wicked ruler and the prince who lacks understanding; the man who has shed blood; the deliverance of the one who walks uprightly
• Verses 19–27: Diligence and idleness; the haste to be rich; showing partiality; rebuke and flattery; covetousness and trust in the LORD; the one who trusts in his own heart; giving to the poor
• Verse 28: The chapter closes by restating, in words similar to verse 12, the rising and the perishing of the wicked

Key Verses

• Proverbs 28:13 "Whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" — Because it teaches that sin should not be concealed but confessed and forsaken, this verse is frequently cited in discussions of repentance.
• Proverbs 28:1 "The righteous are bold as a lion" — This verse distills the contrast between the righteous and the wicked that runs throughout the chapter.

People and Places

No named people or places appear in this chapter. God is referred to as the LORD (verses 5, 25).

Points to Consider

• Interpretations differ on the word "law" (Hebrew torah) in verses 4, 7, and 9. Some read it as the Mosaic Law, while others take it in the broader sense of "instruction." The chapter is often discussed as a point where wisdom literature and the legal tradition meet.
• The question of interest in verse 8 is read alongside the law forbidding the taking of interest from a poor fellow Israelite (Leviticus 25).
• Verse 13 is cited together with 1 John 1:7–10 in the New Testament and Psalm 32:5 in the Old Testament. Verse 26 is read in connection with Jeremiah 17:5–10, which warns against trusting in the human heart.
• The next chapter in the same collection, Proverbs 29, continues similar themes concerning the righteous, the wicked, and those who rule.