Proverbs 22

1 A {reputation} [is] to be chosen {rather than} great riches; {favor is better than silver and gold}.

2 Rich and poor have [much] in common; Yahweh is the maker of all of them.

3 The clever sees danger and hides, but the simple go on and suffer.

4 The reward of humility [is] the fear of Yahweh-- wealth and honor and life.

5 Thorns [and] snares [are] in the way of the perverse; he who guards himself will keep away from them.

6 Train the child {concerning his way}; even when he is old, he will not stray from it.

7 The rich will rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave of {the lender}.

8 He who sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his anger will fail.

9 He [who] {is generous} will be blessed, for he gives to the poor from his [own] bread.

10 Drive out a scoffer and strife will go out; quarrel and abuse will cease.

11 He who loves purity of heart [and has]{gracious speech}, his friend [is the] king.

12 The eyes of Yahweh keep watch over knowledge, but he will overthrow the words of the faithless.

13 A lazy person says "A lion in the street! In the middle of the highway, I shall be killed!"

14 A deep pit is the mouth of an {adulteress}, [he with whom] Yahweh is angry will fall there.

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy; [the] rod of discipline will drive it from him.

16 He who oppresses the poor [in order] to enrich himself, [or] gives to the rich, {will come to poverty}.

Words of the Wise

17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; you shall apply your heart to my teaching.

18 For [it is] pleasant if you guard them {within you}; together they will be ready upon your lips.

19 [In order] for your trust to be in Yahweh, I have made [them] known to you {today}--even you.

20 Have I not written for you thirty [sayings] with admonitions and knowledge?

21 [In order] to show you what is right--sayings of truth-- [in order] to return a true saying to him who sent you.

22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate;

23 For Yahweh will plead their case and despoil those who despoil them of life.

24 Do not befriend an owner of {anger}, and with a man of wrath you shall not associate;

25 lest you learn his way and become entangled in a snare to yourself.

26 Do not be with those who {give a pledge} {by becoming} surety.

27 If there is nothing for you to pay, why will he take your bed from under you?

28 Do not remove an ancient boundary marker which your ancestors made.

29 A man who is skillful in his work, you shall see: before kings, he will serve; he will not serve before the commoners.

Proverbs 22 Commentary

Chapter 22

Verse 1 We should be more careful to do that by which we may get and keep a good name, than to raise or add unto a great estate. Verse 2 . Divine Providence has so ordered it, that some are rich, and others poor, but all are guilty before God; and at the throne of God's grace the poor are as welcome as the rich. Verse 3 . Faith foresees the evil coming upon sinners, and looks to Jesus Christ as the sure refuge from the storm. Verse 4 . Where the fear of God is, there will be humility. And much is to be enjoyed by it; spiritual riches, and eternal life at last. Verse 5 . The way of sin is vexatious and dangerous. But the way of duty is safe and easy. Verse 6 . Train children, not in the way they would go, that of their corrupt hearts, but in the way they should go; in which, if you love them, you would have them go. As soon as possible every child should be led to the knowledge of the Saviour. Verse 7 . This shows how important it is for every man to keep out of debt. As to the things of this life, there is a difference between the rich and the poor; but let the poor remember, it is the Lord that made the difference. Verse 8 . The power which many abuse, will soon fail them. Verse 9 . He that seeks to relieve the wants and miseries of others shall be blessed. Verse 10 . Profane scoffers and revilers disturb the peace. Verse 11 . God will be the Friend of a man in whose spirit there is no guile; this honour have all the saints. Verse 12 . God turns the counsels and designs of treacherous men to their own confusion. Verse 13 . The slothful man talks of a lion without, but considers not his real danger from the devil, that roaring lion within, and from his own slothfulness, which kills him. Verse 14 . The vile sin of licentiousness commonly besots the mind beyond recovery. Verse 15 . Sin is foolishness, it is in the heart, there is an inward inclination to sin: children bring it into the world with them; and it cleaves close to the soul. We all need to be corrected by our heavenly Father. Verse 16 . We are but stewards, and must distribute what God intrusts to our care, according to his will. ( 17-21 ) . To these words, to this knowledge, the ear must be bowed down, and the heart applied by faith and love. To live a life of delight in God and dependence on him, is the foundation of all practical religion. The way to know the certainty of the ( proverbs 22:22-23 ) that robs and oppresses the poor, does so at his peril. And if ( proverbs 22:24-25 ) hearts have so much tinder in them, that it is dangerous to have to do with those that throw about the sparks of their passion. ( proverbs 22:26-27 ) those are not so, who, by folly or other carelessness, waste what they have. Verse 28 . We are taught not to trespass on another man's right. And it is hard to find a truly industrious man. Such a man will rise. Seest thou a man diligent in the business of religion? He is likely to excel. Let us then be diligent in God's work.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "name"
• [b]. Literally "from"
• [c]. Literally "from silver and from gold, favor [is] better"
• [d]. Or "soul," or "life"
• [e]. Literally "on the mouth of his way"
• [f]. Literally "the borrower [belonging] to a man"
• [g]. Literally "the generous of eye"
• [h]. Literally "grace of his lips"
• [i]. Literally "a strange woman"
• [j]. Or "mind"
• [k]. Or "young man," or "adolescent"
• [l]. That is, folly
• [m]. Literally "only loss"
• [n]. Or "mind"
• [o]. Literally "in your belly/womb"
• [p]. Literally "the day"
• [q]. Or "only"
• [r]. Or "soul," or "inner self"
• [s]. Or "master"
• [t]. Literally "nostril"
• [u]. Or "soul," or "inner self"
• [v]. Literally "strike a hand"
• [w]. Literally "in the becomings of"
• [x]. Or "complete"
• [y]. Or "fathers"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 10

This chapter contains an account of the queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon to her great satisfaction, 1Ki 10:1-13, of Solomon's merchandise and riches, and the magnificence of his court, 1Ki 10:14-23, of the rich presents sent to him, and of the purchase of chariots and horses, and other things, he made, 1Ki 10:24-29.