Proverbs 22:1

1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

Proverbs 22:1 in Other Translations

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

1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

1 Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

1 A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

1 A [good] name is rather to be chosen than great riches, [And] loving favor rather than silver and gold.

1 A good name is more desirable than great wealth. Respect is better than silver or gold.

1 A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold.

1 You should want a good name more than you want great riches. To be highly respected is better than having silver or gold.

Proverbs 22:1 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 22:1

A [good] name [is] rather to be chosen than great riches
The word "good" is not in the text, but is rightly supplied, as it is by the Targum, Septuagint, and Vulgate Latin versions; for it is not any name that is more eligible than riches; nor is it a need name among any sort of persons; for to have a good name with some turns to a man's reproach rather than to his credit; but a good name among good men, a name in the house of God, which is better than sons and daughters; a new name, the name of the children of God, which no man knoweth but he that receiveth it; this is to be preferred to a multitude of riches: it is not to be procured by them, and is where they are not, or are lost, but this continues; see ( Ecclesiastes 7:1 ) ; [and] loving favour rather them silver and gold;
favour with God and man, especially with God, whose loving kindness is better than life, and all the enjoyments of it: or, as it may be rendered, "grace [is] better than silver and gold" ^F16; the grace of God through Christ, the grace of Christ, in whom all fulness of it dwells, the grace of the Spirit of Christ; faith is more precious than gold that perisheth; and if a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would be contemned; the Spirit and his grace are not to be purchased for money.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 (bwj Nx) "gratia melior", Munster, Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Michaelis; so Schultens.

Proverbs 22:1 In-Context

1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

2 Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.

3 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

4 Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life.

5 In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

Cross References

• 1. Ecclesiastes 7:1