Proverbs 15:26

The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(26) The thoughts of the wicked.—Rather, thoughts of evil, wicked designs.

But the words of the pure are pleasant words.—Rather, pleasant words (i.e., kindly meant, soothing words; comp. Proverbs 16:24) are pure in God’s sight; accepted by Him as coming from a well-meaning heart.

Benson Commentary

Proverbs 15:26. The thoughts of the wicked — Their evil intentions and affections, their wicked designs and contrivances, nay, their very thoughts and imaginations; are an abomination to the Lord — Are abhorred, and will be punished by him; but the words of the pure — Which discover and proceed from their thoughts, Matthew 15:19; are pleasant words — Acceptable to God, the reverse of being an abomination to him.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

15:25. Pride is the ruin of multitudes. But those who are in affliction God will support. 26. The thoughts of wicked men offend Him who knows the heart. 27. The covetous man lets none of his family have rest or enjoyment. And greediness of gain often tempts to projects that bring ruin. 28. A good man is proved to be a wise man by this; he governs his tongue well.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Some prefer the margin, and render, words of pleasantness are pure. Gracious words are to God as a pure acceptable offering, the similitude being taken from the Levitical ritual, and the word "pure" in half ceremonial sense (compare Malachi 1:11).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

26. are pleasant words—that is, pleasing to God (Pr 8:8, 9).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The thoughts of the wicked; and much more their words, which express their thoughts; for thoughts are said to be free, and wicked men are seldom and but little concerned for the sins of their thoughts.

The words of the pure, which discover and proceed from their thoughts, Matthew 15:19.

Pleasant; acceptable to God, which is opposed to abomination to him.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,.... They are known unto the Lord, who is the searcher of the heart, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of it; he knows they are vain and sinful, yea, that they are only evil, and that continually, and therefore are hateful and abominable to him; it may be rendered "the thoughts of evil", as by the Targum; or evil thoughts, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and the Oriental versions; but Aben Ezra interprets as we, the thoughts of a wicked man, which are never otherwise but evil; whereas in a good man, though there are many evil thoughts which are abominable to himself, yet there are some good thoughts, and which are pleasing to the Lord, as follows;

but the words of the pure are pleasant words; that is, unto the Lord; which are the same with their thoughts, and are the effect of them, and so stand opposed to the thoughts of the wicked; these, expressed either in a way of prayer or of praise, are sweet and pleasant, and acceptable unto God through Christ; as likewise their words and discourse in religious conversation, which also minister grace unto the hearer, and are very delightful and pleasing to saints; the words may be supplied thus, "but the thoughts of the pure", of such who are pure in heart, whose hearts are purified by faith in the blood of Christ, are "words of pleasantness", so Gersom; there is a language in thought which is known to a man's self, and by the Lord; there is the meditation or discourse of the heart, and this being about divine and spiritual things is pleasing to God; he hearkens to it, and writes a book of remembrance for them that fear him, and have thought on his name; see Psalm 19:14.

Geneva Study Bible

The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are {h} pleasant words.

(h) That is, wholesome and profitable to the hearers.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

26. thoughts of the wicked … pleasant words] Lit. devices of evil … words of pleasantness. The contrast is between these, and then further between the former, as “abomination to Jehovah,” and the latter as “pure,” and therefore acceptable to Him. There is possibly, as Maurer suggests, a sacrificial reference (“sensu Levitico”); comp. Proverbs 15:8 above and “a pure offering,” Malachi 1:11.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 26. - The thoughts of the wicked (or, evil devices) are an abomination to the Lord. Although the Decalogue, by forbidding coveting, showed that God's Law touched the thought of the heart as well as the outward action, the idea here refers to wicked plans or designs, rather than emphatically to the secret movements of the mind. These have been noticed in ver. 11. But the words of the pure are pleasant words; literally, pure are words of pleasantness; i.e. words of soothing, comforting tone are, not an abomination to the Lord, as are the devices of the wicked, but they are pure in a ceremonial sense, as it were, a pure and acceptable offering. Revised Version, pleasant words are pure. Vulgate, "Speech pure and pleasant is approved by him" - which is a pharaphrase of the clause. Septuagint, "The words of the pure are honoured (σεμναί)." Proverbs 15:26

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

26 An abomination to Jahve are evil thoughts;

     But gracious words are to Him pure.

Not personally (Luther: the plans of the wicked) but neutrally is רע here meant as at Proverbs 2:14, and in אושׁת רע, Proverbs 6:24 (cf. Pers. merdi nı̂ku, man of good equals good man), vid., Friedr. Philippi's Status Constr. p. 121. Thoughts which are of a bad kind and of a bad tendency, particularly (what the parallel member brings near) of a bad disposition and design against others, are an abomination to God; but, on the contrary, pure, viz., in His eyes, which cannot look upon iniquity (Habakkuk 1:13), are the אמרי־נעם, words of compassion and of friendship toward men, which are (after 26a) the expression of such thoughts, thus sincere, benevolent words, the influence of which on the soul and body of him to whom they refer is described, Proverbs 16:24. The Syr., Targ., Symmachus, Theodotion, and the Venet. recognise in וּטהורים the pred., while, on the contrary, the lxx, Jerome, and Luther (who finally decided for the translation, "but the pure speak comfortably") regard it as subject. But that would be an attribution which exceeds the measure of possibility, and for which אמרים or דברי must be used; also the parallelism requires that טהורים correspond with 'תועבת ה. Hence also the reference of וטהורים to the judgment of God, which is determined after the motive of pure untainted law; that which proceeds from such, that and that only, is pure, pure in His sight, and thus also pure in itself.