Chapter 22

1. Loving favour. Literally, “good favor [or grace].” A worthy name and good favor, both won by an upright life, are true riches (see Eccl. 7:1). Both may be lost by associating with those who lack a good name, even though we do not actually join them in their questionable ways. A young person often finds excitement in the company of those of lower standards of mind and morals without the least thought of imitating them. But the excitement is dearly bought. There is loss of good name and the danger of adopting some of their ways of thought and action after familiarity has blunted the moral sensibilities.

2. Rich and poor. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). All are His children, and He seeks the salvation of all (Titus 2:11). The rich and poor inevitably meet together. The rich are dependent upon the poor for the many services that wealth can buy, and for the acquiring of that wealth. When rich men recognize their brotherhood with, and dependence upon, the poor, and use their wealth for the advancement of the general good, God accepts the action as being done in His service. When poor men faithfully serve those who employ them, they too serve the Master of all (see Prov. 14:31; 17:5; Matt. 25:40; Eph. 6:5, 6; 1 Peter 2:18).

3. A prudent man. There is an interesting contrast between the singular and the plural in the two parts of this verse: “prudent man” is singular and “simple” is plural. Farseeing men are rare, the simple are common.

4. Riches. Riches, honor, and life are the rewards most men covet, but only through humility and godliness can they be truly enjoyed (see ch. 21:21).

6. In the way he should go. Literally, “according to the mouth of his way,” that is “according to his way.” Many parents have taken this verse as sanction for forcing a child to follow the profession or trade they think he ought to. Thus they have brought sorrow and disappointment upon themselves, for the child, on growing up, often goes an entirely different way. The verse rather counsels parents to learn the way in which their particular child can be expected to be of most service to himself and others, and in which he will find most happiness. The specific station in life appointed for a man is determined by his capabilities (Ed 267). To every individual God has assigned a place in His great plan (PK 536). God has equipped man with the capabilities needed to fill this special place. Therefore the choice of a lifework should be in line with the natural bent. The efforts of the parents and the child should be directed toward discovering the kind of work Heaven has already determined. Inspiration declares that this verse enjoins parents to “direct, educate, develop,” but that to do this “they must themselves understand the ‘way’ the child should go” (CT 108).

7. The rich ruleth. There is the contrast between the singular and the plural evident in the Hebrew, “rich” being in the singular and “poor” in the plural (see on v. 3).

8. Reap vanity. We reap what we sow (Job 4:8; Gal. 6:7). The rod of insolence will fall from the hands of the wicked, perhaps now, but certainly when the day of judgment and retribution dawns.

9. Shall be blessed. Another aspect of the rule in v. 8. One who sows bounty reaps blessing (2 Cor. 9:6).

10. Shall go out. Quarreling and abuse cease when scoffing is replaced by respectful acceptance and service of God (see ch. 26:20). To permit the scornful man to remain in our company is to invite trouble. There must be an element of decided selection in our formation of a group of close friends (1 Cor. 5:11).

11. The king. In contrast with the scorner in the previous verse, the pure in heart speaks gently and creates peace wherever he goes. Such a one is welcome even in royal courts, for his praise is so obviously sincere (see ch. 16:13).

12. Preserve knowledge. While the Lord watches over and protects the man who has knowledge, He counters the plans of the disobedient and brings them to nought.

13. A lion without. The absurdity of the excuses a lazy man makes for his sloth reveals the extent of the deterioration wrought in his character. The chances of a man-eating lion or a murderer being loose in the streets of a town or village at any given time were very small, yet are made an excuse for continuing sloth (ch. 26:13).

14. Abhorred. The man whose heart has resisted the appeals of the Spirit of God until he no longer hears the voice of guidance is spoken of as being hated by the Lord (see Ps. 5:5; Prov. 3:32; Rom. 9:13). Without that guidance he falls into the pitfalls of Satan.

15. Foolishness. The outworkings of heredity in the minds of little children so consistently show themselves in waywardness and mischief that foolishness seems an essential part of childishness, and it is the work of parents to endeavor by the judicious use of correction and instruction, to overcome the evil they themselves have passed on to their children (see chs. 19:18; 23:13; 29:15).

16. Come to want. There seems to be no adequate explanation of this verse. A literal translation is, “The oppressor of the poor to cause increase to him, the giver to the rich, only to poverty.” The LXX renders the verse, “He that oppresses the poor, increases his own substance, yet gives to the rich so as to make it less.”

17. Hear the words. Some have thought that this verse, with its call to hearken, is the beginning of a new section of the book (see chs. 1:1; 10:1). Verses 17–21 form a continuous piece of writing in contrast with the brief, isolated proverbs before and after them.

19. Thy trust may be. These proverbs are written that we may put our trust in the Lord rather than in man. While they inculcate wisdom, they emphasize that there is no true wisdom apart from the fear of the Lord (see chs. 1:7; 9:10; 15:33).

20. Excellent things. Heb. shalishom, obviously a misspelling and so corrected in Masoretic tradition to shalishim, which means “officers” (see on 2 Kings 7:2). From this new reading some have derived the improbable meaning “excellent things.” The consonantal Hebrew of the text may also be translated “formerly,” that of tradition, “thirty,” and here, “thirty sayings.” The LXX adopts the numerical idea and reads, “three times,” perhaps in the sense of “repeatedly.”

21. The certainty. The wise man well understood the desire for certainty. Many evidently came to him, or sent messengers to find an assured answer to the problems of life and death. It is possible that a number of proverbs that follow were especially written for such a messenger to take back to his master. If this was the case, it may be that the entire section to the end of ch. 24 was part of this reply, since ch. 25 begins the proverbs copied out by Hezekiah’s scribes (see ch. 25:1).

22. Because. This counsel would seem to be for judges who sat “in the gate” (see Ruth 4:1–11), to warn them against favoring the rich and oppressing the poor in order to gain personal profit.

23. Plead their cause. The Lord will take up the cause of the afflicted and will bring them justice, sometimes by miraculous means (see 2 Kings 4:1–7).

Spoil the soul. That is, take the life.

24. No friendship. One danger in consorting with a man given to fits of passion is that his anger and impatience may breed a similar reaction in his associates. There is also the possibility of suffering directly from his rage.

26. Sureties for debts. Compare chs. 6:1; 11:15; 17:18; 20:16. The idea that this is a special selection of proverbs written for an inquirer is supported by this repetition.

28. Ancient landmark. Land was marked out by little piles of stones or by larger pillars where these were available. Without accurate surveying methods it was easy to move a landmark and defy the one defrauded to prove that it had been moved. That such removal was a common offense may be judged from the enactments against it (Deut. 19:14; 27:17; cf. Job 24:2; Prov. 15:25).

29. Diligent. Diligence is not sufficient in itself to advance a man to high office, although it is a very necessary quality for success in any sphere. The Hebrew word has also the meaning of “skillful” (translated “ready” in Ezra 7:6). Combined, the idea presented is of a man quick, skillful, and ready to serve.

Stand before kings. The Bible narrative provides glowing accounts of the lives of men in whom the truth here stated was exemplified. The Christian can find no better human examples than those of such men as Joseph, Daniel, and Paul.

additional note on chapter 22

In 1922 the scholarly world learned through a preliminary announcement that another Egyptian work of wisdom literature had been discovered, which swelled the number of such works known from ancient Egypt. This document, written on a papyrus scroll and purchased by the British Museum in 1888, was published by Sir Ernest A. W. Budge in 1923. It contained a collection of proverbs whose author bears the name Amenemope. In 1924, Prof. A. Erman published a study in which he pointed out that there are numerous parallels between this Egyptian book of proverbs and the proverbs of Solomon, notably those found in chapters 22 and 23. Since that time many scholarly treatises have appeared on this subject, and modern Bible commentators, generally, hold that Solomon borrowed certain proverbs from Amenemope.

That there are a number of close parallels is evident, but this does not prove the direction of dependency. Since the fame of Solomon’s wisdom spread to distant nations, Amenemope may have taken over proverbs from Solomon just as well as Solomon may have from Amenemope. The solution of the problem of priority depends on the time of origin of both collections of proverbs. The history of Israel knows of only one possible author of Proverbs in Old Testament times, and that was Solomon, who lived in the 10th century b.c., as all historians agree.

On the other hand, the time in which Amenemope lived is not known. A study of the document containing his proverbs presents the following picture. The experts, dating ancient Egyptian manuscripts by the form of handwriting, say that it can hardly have been written before the Egyptian king Takelot I (about 893–870 b.c.) of the Twenty-second Dynasty, but may have been written as late as the 4th century b.c. The names found in the document occur in Egypt from 1100–600 b.c., and the grammar and vocabulary employed fit the time from about 800–500 b.c. Hence, a study of the handwriting, personal names, grammar, and vocabulary shows that these four criteria used for dating Amenemope’s work overlap between 800 and 600 b.c. This leads to the conclusion that the proverbs of Amenemope originated during that period, and that they are at least 150 years younger than those of Solomon.

Only scholars who do not accept the Solomonic authorship of the Biblical book of Proverbs, holding that it originated several centuries after Solomon’s time, can argue for a priority of Amenemope. Students of the Bible, however, who accept the Solomonic authorship of Proverbs explain the parallels between this book and that of Amenemope by assuming that some of Solomon’s proverbs found their way to Egypt, and were used by Amenemope in his collection of proverbs, where they are now found in an Egyptian garb.

Ellen G. White comments

1    AH 404; 4T 588, 656; 5T 595

2     DA 403

6     AH 184, 205, 235, 264, 317; CG 38, 39; CT 108, 143, 161; FE 57; ML 261; 3T 131; 4T 429; 5T 320, 424

7     AH 391; Ed 136

11   Ed 237; MB 44

15   CG 87

16   Ed 136

17–19MH 447

20, 21  MH 448

26   1T 200

29   AH 391; Ed 135; FE 199; ML 104; 4T 459; 5T 178