Proverbs 16:5

The Lord abhors ¹  every arrogant person; ²  rest assured ³  that they will not go unpunished. ⁴ 

The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

The LORD despises pride; be assured that the proud will be punished.

GOD can't stomach arrogance or pretense; believe me, he'll put those upstarts in their place.

Everyone who has pride in his heart is disgusting to the Lord: he will certainly not go free from punishment.

All those who are arrogant are an abomination to the LORD; be assured, they will not go unpunished.

Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

The Lord abhors ¹  every arrogant person; ²  rest assured ³  that they will not go unpunished. ⁴ 

¹ tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”) is a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.”

² tn Heb “every proud of heart”; NIV “all the proud of heart.” “Heart” is the genitive of specification; the phrase is talking about people who have proud hearts, whose ideas are arrogant. These are people who set themselves presumptuously against God (e.g., 2 Chr 26:16; Ps 131:1; Prov 18:12).

³ tn Heb “hand to hand.” This idiom means “you can be assured” (e.g., Prov 11:21).

⁴ tc The LXX has inserted two couplets here: “The beginning of a good way is to do justly, // and it is more acceptable with God than to do sacrifices; // he who seeks the Lord will find knowledge with righteousness, // and they who rightly seek him will find peace.” C. H. Toy reminds the reader that there were many proverbs in existence that sounded similar to those in the book of Proverbs; these lines are in the Greek OT as well as in Sirach (Proverbs [ICC], 321-22).

tn The B-line continues the A-line, but explains what it means that they are an abomination to the Lord – he will punish them. “Will not go unpunished” is an understatement (tapeinosis) to stress first that they will certainly be punished; those who humble themselves before God in faith will not be punished.