The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
Receiving gifts in the verse means taking bribes, and taking them overthrows a land. A bribe is any illegal reward taken to sway duty. It includes money, official positions, large tips, and costly favors from associations, corporations, and wealthy individuals in return for votes, influence with the public, and power as interpreters of the laws.
Those who take bribes turn from a just and upright course to illegal, tricky, fraudulent, and rotten deeds. In doing so they become morally paralyzed. This paralysis reaches into town councils, boards of trustees, state legislatures, and houses of Congress.
Receiving gifts in the verse means taking bribes, and taking them overthrows a land. A bribe is any illegal reward taken to sway duty. It includes money, official positions, large tips, and costly favors from associations, corporations, and wealthy individuals in return for votes, influence with the public, and power as interpreters of the laws.
Those who take bribes turn from a just and upright course to illegal, tricky, fraudulent, and rotten deeds. In doing so they become morally paralyzed. This paralysis reaches into town councils, boards of trustees, state legislatures, and houses of Congress.