It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty.
Also to punish the just is not good,.... It is evil, and an abomination to the Lord, Pro 17:15. Evildoers indeed should be punished; but to punish the righteous also, as well as them, is far from being commendable; nor to strike princes for equity: to strike princes, judges, civil magistrates, for doing the duty of their place and office, for doing that which is...
Also to punish the just [is] not good, [nor] to strike princes for equity. (n) For their well doing.
Pro 17:26 26 Also to inflict punishment on the righteous is not good; This, that one overthrows the noble on account of his rectitude. Does the גּם [also] refer to a connection from which the proverb is separated? or is it tacitly supposed that there are many kinds of worthless men in the world, and that one from among them is brought forward?