Favoritism
“Respect of persons, partiality (literally 'face-taking')”
Summary
Showing partiality or preference to certain individuals over others based on external factors rather than merit, condemned in Scripture as contrary to God's impartial justice.
☩God's Impartiality
Scripture repeatedly affirms that God shows no partiality. 'There is no respect of persons with God' (Romans 2:11). His judgment rests solely on character, uninfluenced by worldly status (Ephesians 6:9) or national considerations (Romans 2:11). The Hebrew phrase 'lift up the face' originally meant to receive a prostrate suppliant with favor, but came to mean 'accept the person instead of the cause' or 'show partiality' (Job 13:8, 10).
☩Commands Against Partiality
God commanded Israel's judges to pronounce sentence without respect of persons, considering neither the poor nor the rich, the weak nor the powerful, but attending only to truth and justice (Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 16:19). Even favoring the poor in judgment was forbidden—justice must be blind to external circumstances. Jesus was commended for teaching truth 'without respect of persons' (Matthew 22:16), and James sternly rebuked the church for showing preference to the rich over the poor (James 2:1-9).
☩Biblical Examples
Parental favoritism caused serious family strife in Scripture. Isaac favored Esau while Rebekah favored Jacob, leading to deception and alienation (Genesis 25:28, 27:6-17). Jacob's favoritism toward Joseph provoked his brothers' jealousy and led to Joseph's being sold into slavery (Genesis 37:3-4). The law explicitly forbade a man with two wives from depriving the firstborn of the unloved wife of his rights (Deuteronomy 21:15-17), acknowledging this tendency to partiality.
Related Verses8 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Respect of Persons," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.John McClintock and James Strong, "Respect Of Persons," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).