Proverbs · chapter 22 of 31
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Proverbs 22 opens with the value of a good name and reminds us that rich and poor share the same Maker. It speaks of humility, of training a child in his way, of debt and of fair treatment of the poor. From verse 17 a new section begins, the Words of the Wise, with thirty sayings that call us to listen, trust the Lord and not oppress the weak.
Proverbs 22 closes the large collection of Solomon's proverbs (10:1 to 22:16) and opens another, the Words of the Wise (22:17 to 24:22), with a tone closer to a teacher's speeches to a student. The first sixteen verses group sayings about reputation, wealth and poverty, raising children and justice.
The chapter begins with the value of a good name, worth more than great riches, and of favor, better than silver and gold (v. 1). The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord made them both (v. 2). The prudent sees danger and hides, but the simple keep going and suffer for it (v. 3). The reward for humility and the fear of the Lord is riches, honor and life (v. 4). Verse 6 advises training up a child in his way, so that even when old he will not depart from it. Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity (v. 8), and the generous will be blessed because he shares his bread with the poor (v. 9).
The first part ends with sayings about laziness, which makes excuses by saying there is a lion outside (v. 13), about the mouth of the forbidden woman as a deep pit (v. 14) and about folly tied up in the heart of a child, which the rod of discipline drives far away (v. 15). Verse 16 warns against oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving to the rich, both of which lead only to loss.
From verse 17 on, the Words of the Wise begin. The teacher asks us to incline our ear, apply our heart and trust in the Lord so that the teaching is ready on our lips (vv. 17-19). He says he has written thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge (vv. 20-21). We are not to rob the poor because he is poor or crush the afflicted at the gate, since the Lord will plead their cause (vv. 22-23). We are not to befriend a hot-tempered man, lest we learn his ways (vv. 24-25), nor to pledge security, nor to move the ancient landmark (vv. 26-28). The chapter ends with the person skilled in his work, who will stand before kings (v. 29).
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
A good name is to be chosen over great riches, and favor is better than silver and gold. Integrity that others recognize is a good money cannot buy and that is built day by day.
The rich and the poor meet together, and the Lord is the maker of them all. Before God there are no classes: everyone is his creature, and that truth guides how we treat those who have more or less than we do.
Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when old he will not depart from it. It is a general principle of wisdom, not an absolute promise: it points to the value of faithful formation from an early age.
Do not rob the poor because he is poor or crush the afflicted in court, for the Lord will plead their cause. God presents himself as the defender of the weak, and whoever oppresses them has to face him.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: A good name. — Proverbs 22:1
Answer: The Lord is the maker of them both. — Proverbs 22:2
Answer: Riches, honor and life. — Proverbs 22:4
Answer: To train them in their way, so that when old they will not depart from it. — Proverbs 22:6
Answer: He says there is a lion outside, in the streets. — Proverbs 22:13
Answer: Because the Lord will plead their cause. — Proverbs 22:22-23
Proverbs 22 invites us to guard our reputation as a treasure built with small, steady deeds. In a class or group you can ask what good name we want to go before us, and which decisions this week affect it.
The chapter also speaks to parents, teachers and youth leaders: faithful instruction, repeated with patience and example, is a long-term investment. And from verse 22 it reminds us that God defends the weak; the church is called to stand on their side instead of taking advantage of their need.
Proverbs 22 ends a long block of sayings and opens the Words of the Wise, which continue in chapter 23 with counsel on dining with a ruler, not wearing yourself out to get rich and the dangers of wine.
Proverbs sayings are general principles of wisdom, not absolute guarantees. The verse encourages us to form a child with consistency and trust in the Lord, knowing that each person's faith is also a personal decision and that some return after wandering.
They are a collection of sayings running to 24:22, which the text calls thirty sayings. They have the style of a teacher speaking to a student. Some scholars note similarities with an ancient Egyptian instruction, which shows that God used the wisdom language of the day to teach truth to Israel.