Proverbs 22

On Life and Conduct

1 A ¹good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.

2 The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the ²maker of them all.

3 The ³prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.

5 ⁴Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards himself will be far from them.

6 ⁵Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

7 The ⁶rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender's slave.

8 He who ⁷sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the ⁸rod of his fury will perish.

9 He who is ⁹generous * will be blessed, For he ¹⁰gives some of his food to the poor.

10 ¹¹Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, Even strife and dishonor will cease.

11 He who loves ¹²purity of heart And whose speech is ¹³gracious, the king is his friend.

12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the treacherous man.

13 The ¹⁴sluggard says, "There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!"

14 The mouth of ¹⁵an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is ¹⁶cursed of the LORD will fall into it.

15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The ¹⁷rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

16 He ¹⁸who oppresses the poor to make more for himself Or who gives to the rich, ¹⁹will only come to poverty.

17 ²⁰Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge;

18 For it will be ²¹pleasant if you keep them within you, That they may be ready on your lips.

19 So that your ²²trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you.

20 Have I not written to you ²³excellent things Of counsels and knowledge,

21 To make you ²⁴know the certainty of the words of truth That you may ²⁵correctly answer him who sent you?

22 ²⁶Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Or ²⁷crush the afflicted at the gate;

23 For the LORD will ²⁸plead their case And take the life of those who rob them.

24 Do not associate with a man given to anger; Or go with a ²⁹hot-tempered man,

25 Or you will ³⁰learn his ways And find a snare for yourself.

26 Do not be among those who ³¹give * pledges *, Among those who become guarantors for debts.

27 If you have nothing with which to pay, Why should he ³²take your bed from under you?

28 ³³Do not move the ancient boundary Which your fathers have set.

29 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will ³⁴stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.

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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.

Taken from Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

Cross References 34

1. Proverbs 10:7; Ecclesiastes 7:1
2. Job 31:15; Proverbs 14:31
3. Proverbs 14:16; Proverbs 27:12; Isaiah 26:20
4. Proverbs 15:19
5. Ephesians 6:4
6. Proverbs 18:23; James 2:6
7. Job 4:8
8. Psalms 125:3
9. Proverbs 19:17; 2 Corinthians 9:6
10. Luke 14:13
11. Genesis 21:9, 10; Proverbs 18:6; Proverbs 26:20
12. Psalms 24:4; Matthew 5:8
13. Proverbs 14:35; Proverbs 16:13
14. Proverbs 26:13
15. Proverbs 2:16; Proverbs 5:3; Proverbs 7:5; Proverbs 23:27
16. Ecclesiastes 7:26
17. Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 23:14
18. Ecclesiastes 5:8; James 2:13
19. Proverbs 28:22
20. Proverbs 5:1
21. Proverbs 2:10
22. Proverbs 3:5
23. Proverbs 8:6
24. Luke 1:3, 4
25. Proverbs 25:13; 1 Peter 3:15
26. Exodus 23:6; Job 31:16; Proverbs 22:16
27. Zechariah 7:10; Malachi 3:5
28. 1 Samuel 25:39; Psalms 12:5; Psalms 35:10; Psalms 140:12; Proverbs 23:11; Jeremiah 51:36
29. Proverbs 29:22
30. 1 Corinthians 15:33
31. Proverbs 17:18
32. Exodus 22:26; Proverbs 20:16
33. Deuteronomy 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:17; Job 24:2; Proverbs 23:10
34. Genesis 41:46; 1 Kings 10:8

Footnotes 17

[a]. Lit "meet together"
[b]. Lit "simple"
[c]. Or "reverence"
[d]. Lit "according to his way"
[e]. Lit "has a good eye"
[f]. Lit "has grace on his lips"
[g]. Lit "strange woman"
[h]. Lit "there"
[i]. Lit "much"
[j]. Lit "They together"
[k]. Lit "made you know"
[l]. Or "previous"
[m]. Lit "truth"
[n]. Lit "return to words of truth"
[o]. Lit "rob the soul"
[p]. Lit "take"
[q]. Lit "strike hands"

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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible