The Bible Says Commentary on Proverbs 22

A good name and goodwill outrank great wealth and precious metal because they cannot be purchased and are harder to replace.

The rich and the poor share a common bond as creatures of the same Maker, which keeps the wealthy from contempt and the poor from despair.

The prudent man reads danger and steps aside, while the naive walks on into trouble he could have avoided.

Humility joined to the fear of the LORD tends, over time, toward riches, honor, and life.

The way of the perverse is full of thorns and snares, but the man who watches over his own way stays clear of them.

Early training in the right way tends to hold over a lifetime, even into old age.

Wealth tends to translate into power over the poor, and the borrower places himself in the lender's hand.

The man who plants injustice reaps emptiness, and his rod of fury eventually breaks.

The man whose eye sees the poor and whose hand gives them food receives the LORD's blessing.

Removing the scoffer removes the contention, strife, and dishonor that traveled with him.

The man with a pure heart and gracious speech wins the friendship of the king.

The LORD preserves true knowledge and dismantles the words of the treacherous.

The sluggard invents a lion in the streets to avoid the work waiting for him.

The mouth of the adulteress is a deep pit that captures the man whose life is already drifting from the LORD.

Children arrive with folly bound up in their hearts, and patient discipline is the means of removing it.

Oppressing the poor to gain or flattering the rich for favor are two paths that both end in poverty.

The teacher calls the student to receive the words of the wise so that trust in the LORD and truthful speech may grow together. Wisdom received deeply prepares a person to answer faithfully and rightly.

The student is warned not to exploit the poor or take advantage of the vulnerable through power or injustice. The LORD Himself defends the afflicted and stands against those who oppress them.

Do not bind yourself to a consistently angry person, because close companionship teaches destructive patterns. Living near uncontrolled anger gradually becomes a trap for one’s own life

Do not place yourself under another man’s debt by guaranteeing what you may not be able to repay. If the debt cannot be covered, the loss will eventually reach even the necessities of your own life.

Do not erase the boundaries established by those who came before, whether in inheritance, wisdom, or rightful order. Faithful skill and diligent work eventually bring a man into places of honor and responsibility