Proverbs 22

1 A [good] name is rather to be chosen than great riches; loving favour rather than silver and gold.

2 The rich and poor meet together; Jehovah is the maker of them all.

3 A prudent [man] seeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

4 The reward of humility [and] the fear of Jehovah is riches, and honour, and life.

5 Thorns [and] snares are in the way of the perverse: he that keepeth his soul holdeth himself far from them.

6 Train up the child according to the tenor of his way, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

7 The rich ruleth over the poor; and the borrower is servant to the lender.

8 He that soweth unrighteousness shall reap iniquity, and the rod of his wrath shall have an end.

9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

10 Cast out the scorner, and contention will depart, and strife and ignominy shall cease.

11 He that loveth pureness of heart, upon whose lips is grace, the king is his friend.

12 The eyes of Jehovah preserve knowledge; but he overthroweth the words of the unfaithful.

13 The sluggard saith, There is a lion without, I shall be killed in the streets!

14 The mouth of strange women is a deep ditch: he with whom Jehovah is displeased shall fall therein.

15 Folly is bound in the heart of a child; the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

16 He that oppresseth the poor, it is to enrich him; he that giveth to the rich, [bringeth] only to want.

17 Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thy heart unto my knowledge.

18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee: they shall be together fitted on thy lips.

19 That thy confidence may be in Jehovah, I have made [them] known to thee this day, even to thee.

20 Have not I written to thee excellent things, in counsels and knowledge,

21 that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?

22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate;

23 for Jehovah will plead their cause, and despoil the soul of those that despoil them.

24 Make no friendship with an angry man, and go not with a furious man;

25 lest thou learn his paths, and get a snare to thy soul.

26 Be not of them that strike hands, of them that are sureties for debts:

27 if thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?

28 Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set.

29 Hast thou seen a man diligent in his work? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before the mean.

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]. Or 'crooked,' 'wayward.'
• [b]. Or 'at the entry.'
• [c]. Roosh, or 'destitute,' 'indigent:' as ch. 28.3.
• [d]. Or 'vanity,' 'mischief.'
• [e]. Or 'treacherous [man].' as ch. 21.18: see chs. 2.22 and 25.19.
• [f]. As ch. 10.15.
• [g]. Or 'He that oppresseth the poor to make increase for himself [and] he that giveth to the rich shall certainly [come] to want.'
• [h]. As 'ways,' Ps. 25.4.

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.