Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand all things.
Two perceptions are contrasted in Proverbs 28:5, linking moral character to the capacity for clear thinking: Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand all things (v. 5).
The man whose life is ordered toward harm cannot see straight when justice is at stake, because evil men do not understand justice. His own injustice has corrupted his ability to recognize justice elsewhere. He can be eloquent about his own grievances and blind to the grievances of others.
Those who seek the LORD understand all things. The phrase is large. All things, not in the sense of omniscience, but in the sense of understanding the deeper logic of how the LORD orders the world. The man who seeks the LORD develops perception that the unjust man cannot. This can be compared to 1 Corinthians 2:14, "A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God." Justice, like other goods, is finally seen by those whose hearts are turned toward the LORD.
Proverbs 28:5
5 Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the LORD understand all things.
Set to dark mode
Proverbs 28:5 meaning
Two perceptions are contrasted in Proverbs 28:5, linking moral character to the capacity for clear thinking: Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand all things (v. 5).
The man whose life is ordered toward harm cannot see straight when justice is at stake, because evil men do not understand justice. His own injustice has corrupted his ability to recognize justice elsewhere. He can be eloquent about his own grievances and blind to the grievances of others.
Those who seek the LORD understand all things. The phrase is large. All things, not in the sense of omniscience, but in the sense of understanding the deeper logic of how the LORD orders the world. The man who seeks the LORD develops perception that the unjust man cannot. This can be compared to 1 Corinthians 2:14, "A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God." Justice, like other goods, is finally seen by those whose hearts are turned toward the LORD.