Proverbs 18:5 (DRB)

Passage

It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to decline from the truth of judgment.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:3 The wicked man, when he is come into the depths of sins, contemneth: but ignominy and reproach follow him.

Proverbs 18:4 Words from the mouth of a man are as deep water: and the fountain of wisdom is an overflowing stream.

Proverbs 18:5 It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to decline from the truth of judgment.

Proverbs 18:6 The lips of a fool intermeddle with strife: and his mouth provoketh quarrels.

Proverbs 18:7 The mouth of a fool is his destruction: and his lips are the ruin of his soul.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "good", "accept", "person", "wicked", "decline", "truth", and "judgment". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "good" and "accept", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Words from the mouth of a man..." into verse 6's "The lips of a fool intermeddle with...", so "good" and "accept" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "good" and "accept" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.