Psalms Chapter 18 verse 26 Holy Bible
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.
read chapter 18 in ASV
He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.
read chapter 18 in BBE
With the pure thou dost shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou dost shew thyself contrary.
read chapter 18 in DARBY
With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
read chapter 18 in KJV
With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;
read chapter 18 in WBT
With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
read chapter 18 in WEB
With the pure Thou showest Thyself pure, And with the perverse showest Thyself a wrestler,
read chapter 18 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 26. - With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward; rather, thou wilt show thyself adverse. The same root is not here used for the verb as for the adjective, as is done in the three preceding clauses. The reason is well explained in the 'Speaker's Commentary:' "In dealing with the good, God shows his approval by manifesting attributes similar or identical in essence; in dealing with the wicked, he exhibits attributes which are correlative - in just proportion to their acts," but not identical. God cannot "show himself froward" - he can only show himself opposed, antagonistic, an adversary. What the psalmist means to say is that, if men oppose and thwart God, he in return will oppose and thwart them. But they will act in a perverse spirit, he in a spirit of justice and righteousness.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(26) Froward . . . froward.--The use of this one word to render two different Hebrew terms is so far correct, as they both come from roots meaning primarily to twist. Both are combined in Proverbs 8:8, "froward (margin, twisted) or perverse," and both are contrasted with "righteousness." Plainly the metaphor might apply-either to the character itself, "twisted round," "awry," "perverse," or to the line of conduct pursued, "bent," "crooked," or "wrong," the opposite of "straight," or "right." "Froward" =from ward (opposite to "toward"), seems to have more of the latter idea, but may combine both--a disposition turned away from good. The poet therefore says, "God will turn away from those who turn away from him," a thought which even with the Christian revelation we must admit true, for still it is true that--"He that shuts love out, in turn shall beShut out from love."--TENNYSON.
