Proverbs 21:27
New International Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!

New Living Translation
The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.

English Standard Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.

Berean Standard Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with ill intent!

King James Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

New King James Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!

New American Standard Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent!

NASB 1995
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent!

NASB 1977
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent!

Legacy Standard Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with a wicked scheme!

Amplified Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable and offensive [to the LORD]. How much more [unacceptable and insulting can it be] when he brings it with evil intention?

Christian Standard Bible
The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable — how much more so when he brings it with ulterior motives!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable— how much more so when he brings it with ulterior motives!

American Standard Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: How much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!

Contemporary English Version
The Lord despises the offerings of wicked people with evil motives.

English Revised Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The sacrifice of wicked people is disgusting, especially if they bring it with evil intent.

Good News Translation
The LORD hates it when wicked people offer him sacrifices, especially if they do it from evil motives.

International Standard Version
What the wicked person sacrifices is detestable— how much more when he offers it with vile motives!

Majority Standard Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable?how much more so when brought with ill intent!

NET Bible
The wicked person's sacrifice is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent!

New Heart English Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind.

Webster's Bible Translation
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

World English Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination— how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The sacrifice of the wicked [is] abomination, "" Much more when he brings it in wickedness.

Young's Literal Translation
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination, Much more when in wickedness he bringeth it.

Smith's Literal Translation
The sacrifice of the unjust is an abomination, for also he will bring it in mischief.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The sacrifices of the wicked are abominable, because they are offered of wickedness.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The sacrifices of the impious are abominable, because they are offered out of wickedness.

New American Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, the more so when they offer it with bad intent.

New Revised Standard Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when brought with evil intent.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; because they bring it in an unjust way.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The sacrifice of the evil ones is detested before LORD JEHOVAH because they bring it in evil.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more, when he bringeth it with the proceeds of wickedness?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The sacrifices of the ungodly are abomination to the Lord, for they offer them wickedly.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The King's Heart
26All day long he covets more, but the righteous give without restraint. 27The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with ill intent! 28A lying witness will perish, but the man who listens to truth will speak forever.…

Cross References
Isaiah 1:11-15
“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. / When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts? / Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly. ...

Amos 5:21-24
“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. / Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard. / Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. ...

Micah 6:6-8
With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? / Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? / He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 23:23-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. / You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. / Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ...

Isaiah 66:3-4
Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and delighted in their abominations. / So I will choose their punishment and I will bring terror upon them, because I called and no one answered, I spoke and no one listened. But they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.”

Jeremiah 6:20
What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”

Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 15:7-9
You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: / ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Mark 7:6-7
Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

Psalm 50:7-15
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God. / I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices, and your burnt offerings are ever before Me. / I have no need for a bull from your stall or goats from your pens, ...

1 Samuel 15:22-23
But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. / For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”

Malachi 1:10-14
“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. / For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts. / “But you profane it when you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is contemptible.’ ...

Luke 11:42
Woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.

Hebrews 10:5-10
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. / In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight. / Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’” ...

Psalm 51:16-17
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. / The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.


Treasury of Scripture

The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind?

sacrifice

Proverbs 15:8
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Proverbs 28:9
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

1 Samuel 13:12,13
Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering…

with a wicked mind

Proverbs 9:9-14
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning…

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Abomination Detestable Disgusting Evil Evil-Doers Intent Mind Offering Proceeds Purpose Sacrifice Wicked Wickedness
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Abomination Detestable Disgusting Evil Evil-Doers Intent Mind Offering Proceeds Purpose Sacrifice Wicked Wickedness
Proverbs 21
1. The king's heart in the hand of the Lord














The sacrifice
In the context of ancient Israel, sacrifices were central to worship and religious practice. The Hebrew word for "sacrifice" is "זֶבַח" (zevach), which refers to offerings made to God, often involving the slaughter of an animal. Sacrifices were meant to be acts of devotion and obedience, symbolizing the worshiper's repentance and desire for reconciliation with God. However, the mere act of sacrifice without genuine faith and repentance was meaningless. This highlights the importance of the heart's condition over ritualistic practices.

of the wicked
The term "wicked" in Hebrew is "רָשָׁע" (rasha), referring to those who are morally wrong, guilty, or hostile toward God. In the biblical context, the wicked are those who live in opposition to God's laws and principles. Their sacrifices, therefore, are not offered out of a sincere heart but are attempts to manipulate or appease God while continuing in sin. This underscores the biblical principle that God desires righteousness and justice over empty religious rituals.

is detestable
The Hebrew word for "detestable" is "תּוֹעֵבָה" (to'evah), which conveys a sense of abomination or something that is utterly repulsive. In the scriptures, this term is often used to describe practices that are abhorrent to God, such as idolatry and moral corruption. The use of this strong language emphasizes God's disdain for insincere worship and the hypocrisy of offering sacrifices while living in rebellion against Him.

how much more
This phrase introduces a rhetorical question that intensifies the statement. It suggests a comparison, indicating that if the initial condition is true, the subsequent condition is even more so. This literary device is used to provoke thought and reflection on the gravity of the situation being described.

when brought with evil intent!
The phrase "evil intent" translates from the Hebrew "בְּזִמָּה" (bezimmah), which implies a deliberate and premeditated plan to do wrong. This highlights the severity of offering sacrifices with ulterior motives, such as seeking personal gain or attempting to deceive God. It serves as a warning that God cannot be fooled by outward appearances and that He judges the intentions of the heart.

(27) How much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?--Plotting at the same time future wickedness, or thinking to make God, by the sacrifice, overlook his sin, and so become, as it were, his confederate.

Verse 27. - The first hemistich occurs in Proverbs 15:8 (where see note). How much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind! rather, for evil, equivalent to "in order to atone for wickedness." The sacrifice of the sinner is abominable, as offered formally without repentance and faith; much more abominable, when he brings his offering to win, as it were, God's connivance in the sin which he commits and has no intention of renouncing, - brings it as a kited of bribe and recompense to compensate or his transgression. Such an outrage on God's purity and justice may well be called an abomination. Septuagint, "The sacrifices of the ungodly are abomination unto the Lord, for they. offer them wickedly (παρανόμως)." The notion of propitiating the Deity by sharing with him the proceeds of sin is expressed in proverbial language. We have the homely saw, "Steal the goose, and give the giblets in alms;" and the Spaniards say, "Huerto el puerco, y dar los pies por Dios," "Steal the pig, and give away the pettitoes for God's sake" (Kelly). (See Ecclus. 31:18, etc.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The sacrifice
זֶ֣בַח (ze·ḇaḥ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2077: A slaughter, the flesh of an animal, a sacrifice

of the wicked
רְ֭שָׁעִים (rə·šā·‘îm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

is detestable—
תּוֹעֵבָ֑ה (tō·w·‘ê·ḇāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8441: Something disgusting, an abhorrence, idolatry, an idol

how much more so
אַ֝֗ף (’ap̄)
Conjunction
Strong's 637: Meaning accession, yea, adversatively though

when
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

brought
יְבִיאֶֽנּוּ׃ (yə·ḇî·’en·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

with ill intent!
בְזִמָּ֥ה (ḇə·zim·māh)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2154: A plan, device, wickedness


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 21:26
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