Proverbs 20:26 Commentary and Bible Study

The wisdom of the king is shown by the way in which he handles the wicked. He is not wilfully naïve about them, thinking they can be handled softly and gently persuaded to do the right thing. He does not look upon them as if they were open to reason in their sin and only needed to be educated and taught to do the right thing. Certainly those in authority are responsible for instructing the people in what is right and in creating laws consistent with God’s moral law, but the king knows there is something more than ignorance that accounts for wickedness; there is a perversity of heart that loves sin and refuses to depart from it however carefully they are instructed. The word translated ‘scattereth’ by the KJV can also mean ‘winnows’. The first translation suggests the dispersal of the wicked in judgment; the second suggests their deeds are being assessed in judgment and their worthlessness discovered. The illustration is from the harvest when various techniques were used to separate the wheat from the chaff. The winnowing process involved throwing both together into the air and allowing the wind to blow the lighter chaff away, while the heavy grain fell to the ground. The wheel was driven over the grain and straw to break them up and separate them. Since the illustration is applied to the wicked, then it is that God may ‘burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire’ (Matthew 3:12). Both parts of the proverb describe the severity of the Lord in judgment. This severity is required of a wise king because nothing else is capable of restraining wickedness and the warning given by this judgment is essential.