Daily Bible Nugget #680, Proverbs 29:4

The Nugget:

Pro 29:4  The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it. (KJV)

Pro 29:4 A king, by justice, shall establish a land, – but, a man open to bribes, bringeth it to ruin. (EB, Emphasized Bible, Rotherham)

Pro 29:4 A king brings stability to a land by justice,
but one who exacts tribute tears it down. (NET Bible)

Pro 29:4 A king, by right rule, makes the land safe; but one full of desires makes it a waste. (Basic English Bible)

Pro 29:4  A righteous king establishes a country: but a transgressor destroys it. (LXX, Brenton translation)

Pro 29:4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down. (ESV)

Pro 29:4  By means of justice, a king builds up a country, but a person who confiscates religious contributions tears it down. (GW, God’s Word translation)

Pro 29:4 An honest ruler makes the nation strong; a ruler who takes bribes will bring it to ruin. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

Proverbs 29:4 contains more truth and insight than any one English translation can convey. That is why I have shared eight different English translations. Each distinctive translation lets us know more of what the text says in its original language. Some of these ideas may well be illustrated by current events in our own day.

Reading the Bible in more than one English translation can help you get a deeper or more accurate understanding of a verse or passage. This is a good first or early step to take in Bible study.

A second helpful step in Bible study is to look up and carefully consider the cross references given for a verse you want to study more in depth. Cross references are links to other verses in the Bible that shed additional light on the verse you are studying. Many subjects, topics, or themes are not found at length in just one place in the Bible. More often, a theme is mentioned briefly in many different places and contexts throughout the Bible. A theme can best be understood when you have read and taken into account all that the Bible says about that subject. Cross references are collections of  links to themes as they are given elsewhere in the Bible. If you have not been making use of cross references in your Bible reading and study, you cannot imagine the great blessing and encouragement you have been missing!

Here are the cross references for Proverbs 29:4. I give them in a more complete form than what you will find in ordinary Bibles, study Bibles, or reference Bibles. I share these references from The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, and my most recent expansion and so usually more complete source, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.

From The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge: 

Proverbs 29:4

king: Pro 29:14, Pro 16:12, Pro 20:8; 1Sa 13:13; 2Sa 8:15; 1Ki 2:12; Psa 89:14, Psa 99:4; Isa 9:7, Isa 49:8

he that receiveth gifts: Heb. a man of oblations, 2Ki 15:18-20; Jer 22:13-17; Dan 11:20; Mic 7:3

From The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

Proverbs 29:4

king. ver. *Pro 29:14; Pro 16:12; Pro 20:8; *1Sa 13:13; 2Sa 8:15; 1 Ki 2:12; 2Ch 1:1; Psa 89:12; Psa 89:14; Psa 97:2; Psa 99:4; Isa 9:7; Isa 32:1; Isa 32:2; Isa 49:8

he that receiveth gifts. Heb. a man of oblations. 2Ki 15:18-20; *Jer 22:13-17; Dan 11:20; *Mic 7:3

From The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Proverbs 29:4

king by judgment. *Pro 29:14, Pro 16:12; Pro 20:8, *1Sa 13:13, 2Sa 8:15, 1Ki 2:12, 2Ch 1:1, Psa 89:12; Psa 89:14; Psa 97:2; Psa 99:4, *Isa 9:7; Isa 32:1, 2; Isa 49:8, *Jer 22:15.

establisheth the land. 1Ki 2:46, Isa 33:6.

he that receiveth gifts. Heb. a man of oblations. or, is open to bribes (CB). Pro 15:27; Pro 17:23, Exo 23:8, 2Sa 16:1, 2Ki 15:18, 19, 20, *Jer 22:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, Dan 11:20, *Mic 7:3, Act 24:26.