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Proverbs 22

Chapter Text

Proverbs of Solomon

Sayings of the Wise

Summary

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all. A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. The borrower is servant to the lender. He that has a bountiful eye shall be blessed.

Meaning

The instruction to train up a child in the way he should go is among the most quoted and cherished proverbs. It speaks to the formative power of early instruction and the lasting imprint of faithful parenting on a child's character and destiny.

The declaration that rich and poor meet together, with the Lord as maker of both, levels all human distinctions before the Creator. This truth forbids both the worship of wealth and the contempt of poverty, calling all people to mutual respect.

Background

The Hebrew word for "train" in the command about children carries the sense of dedicating or initiating. Some scholars connect it to the custom of anointing a newborn's palate with date honey, symbolizing the first taste of sweetness.

The proverb about the borrower serving the lender reflects the economic realities of ancient Israel, where debt could lead to indentured servitude under the terms of the Mosaic law.

Chapter Outline

  1. vv. 1-5The worth of a good name
  2. vv. 6-9Training, sowing, and generosity
  3. vv. 10-16Folly, scorners, and the slothful
  4. vv. 17-21Invitation to the words of the wise
  5. vv. 22-27Justice for the poor and warnings on debt
  6. vv. 28-29Ancient bounds and diligent labor

Key Verses

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”— 22:1

A foundational proverb on the supremacy of character and reputation over material wealth, frequently cited in teaching on integrity and ethics.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”— 22:6

One of the most quoted verses in Scripture on parenting and discipleship, anchoring countless treatises on Christian education and the formation of the young.

“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”— 22:7

A pointed observation on the social and spiritual peril of debt, often cited in biblical teaching on financial stewardship and economic justice.

“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”— 22:29

A celebrated proverb on the dignity and reward of skilled diligence, traditionally applied to vocation and craftsmanship as honoring God.

People & Places

People

  • The LORD — Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, presented as Maker of rich and poor and defender of the afflicted.

Places

  • The gate — The city gate, the customary place of legal judgment and civic business in ancient Israel, where the afflicted were not to be oppressed.

Devotional

Proverbs 22 reorders our priorities. A good name outweighs gold, humility opens the door to true riches, and the bountiful eye is blessed in the giving. These are not abstract ideals but daily decisions about how we speak, spend, and treat the vulnerable.

The chapter also warns about the company we keep and the debts we take on. Friendship with an angry man shapes our temper; borrowing chains our freedom. Wisdom asks us to walk diligently, train our children patiently, and trust the LORD who pleads the cause of the poor at the gate.

Literary Style

Hebrew wisdom poetry. Verses 1-16 continue the collection of individual proverbs marked by antithetic and synthetic parallelism, while verses 17-29 begin 'the words of the wise,' a more sustained instructional discourse with imperatives and motive clauses, structurally parallel to Egyptian wisdom literature.