A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

PROVERBS 20:26KJV
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Proverbs 20:26 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 20:26 mean?

Proverbs 20:26 describes how a wise king deals with those who do evil: he scatters the wicked and brings the wheel over them, meaning he takes strong action to break up and punish wrongdoing. The verse uses the image of a king actively removing and crushing evil to keep his kingdom just and orderly.

This proverb is part of a collection of sayings offering practical wisdom about leadership and justice. The writer, traditionally understood as Solomon, addresses anyone seeking wisdom, especially rulers or those in authority. The “wheel” refers to a heavy cartwheel used in threshing grain, symbolizing thorough and decisive judgment against those who do harm.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 20:26

  • חָכָם (ḥākām, “wise”): This word points to a king who acts with skill and discernment, not just power. The wisdom here is practical and moral, showing that good leadership requires more than authority.
  • זָרָה (zārah, “scattereth”): This verb often means to winnow or separate, like tossing grain into the air to remove chaff. The image is of a king who separates the wicked from the community, protecting what is good.
  • אוֹפֶן (’ōp̄en, “wheel”): The “wheel” was part of a threshing cart used to crush grain. Here, it symbolizes strong, sometimes harsh, measures to deal with persistent evil, not just a gentle correction.

Why Proverbs 20:26 matters

  • This verse clarifies that wisdom in leadership includes the courage to confront and remove evil, not just to rule gently or passively.
  • The agricultural imagery shows that justice sometimes requires forceful action, not just words or warnings.
  • Proverbs 20:26 connects to the wider theme of Proverbs about the importance of justice and discernment, especially for those in authority. It reminds readers that true wisdom is active and protective of the community.

Where else these words appear

“wheel” Hebrew H212 · used in 22 verses

  • Exodus 14:25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
  • Ezekiel 1:16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
  • Ezekiel 10:10 And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

“scattereth” Hebrew H2219 · used in 38 verses

  • Exodus 32:20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
  • Isaiah 30:22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.
  • Ezekiel 6:5 And I will lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

“wise” Hebrew H2450 · used in 133 verses

  • Genesis 41:8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
  • Proverbs 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
  • Ecclesiastes 2:16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.