Classic KJV - Proverbs 20:10

The LORD hates business fraud. It makes Him ill. What does this tell us about the LORD? It tells us that He’s a passionate being, not an impersonal force like gravity or magnetism. It tells us that He watches business transactions carefully—so He’s not interested just in church issues.

It tells us that He expects justice 24-seven, and He will not tolerate deceit.

The LORD’s visceral reaction to shifty business transactions, is repeatedly emphasized:

• Proverbs 11:1—“A false balance is an abomination to the LORD but a just weight is His delight.”
• Proverbs 16:11—“A just balance and scales belong to the LORD. All the weights of the bag are His concern.”
• Proverbs 20:23—“Differing weights are an abomination to the LORD and a false scale is not good.”

It's unusual to have the same message repeated four times in Proverbs. God wants us to be trustworthy in trading goods and services, with no double standards. God loves business, and He expects it to be done right.

Translation: Differing

The Hebrew text omits the word “differing.” Instead, it reads reads, “Stone… stone… ephah… ephahs…” An ephah is a volume of 40 litres, used for liquids or granular goods like wheat. The text speaks of both weights and measures, so the LORD wants consistency, whether we’re selling liquids, solids, time, bandwidth, dividends, interest, or any other product or service. Prices may fluctuate according to market conditions and the vendor’s assessment, but the good or service being sold must be exactly as represented by the vendor.

A Small Example

In January 2025 a proposed class-action lawsuit launched in British Columbia alleges Loblaw, Walmart Canada and Sobeys “misrepresented” the weight of meat products by including the weight of packaging in calculating prices...The lawsuit alleges grocers are using “deceptive means” that violate federal and provincial regulations by including packaging weight in the price of raw and cooked meat products that are sold by weight...

Loblaw confirmed the discrepancies raised by the report in a statement to Global News and apologized for what it said were issues tied to “a small number of meat products sold in select stores in Western Canada.” “Unfortunately, the error happened as we were converting our meat trays to a more environmentally friendly format and was corrected when discovered,” the Loblaw statement to Global News read. The spokesperson said the grocer has “robust internal processes and controls in place” but that they are “subject to the occasional operational error.”

We need to be grateful that even such small and perhaps unintended violations can be dealt with in the courts of a free nation.

Abomination

What is an abomination? In Hebrew the word is תּועבה (tȏ•'ē•ḇāh, pronounced “tow-eh-vah”), and refers to something that is abhorrent, loathsome, and detestable. tȏ•'ē•ḇāh is used first in the Bible in Genesis chapters 43 and 46 to describe the Egyptians’ view of the Hebrews’ dietary customs and occupations—utterly disgusting. It’s a visceral or brutish response, yet that’s how God reacts to business fraud. From the beginning of His dealings with Israel, God commanded utmost integrity as we see in Leviticus 19:35-36. No cheating!

Why would a vendor use inconsistent standards? Most of the classic commentaries on this text suggest only one motivation: Greed. Greed ruins a business like lust ruins a marriage.

Our Maker, Saviour, and Friend

Jesus warned against every form of greed (Luke 12:15).

He told his followers that an abundance of assets does not increase a person’s quality of life. Therefore, those who cheat customers end up cheated themselves of a treasure greater than money. They end up with less life.

The loss of life is much worse than the loss of assets!