A good name and goodwill outrank great wealth and precious metal because they cannot be purchased and are harder to replace.
Proverbs 22:1 opens the chapter with a valuation: A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold (v. 1). Solomon, son of David and king of Israel, names two goods worth comparing and rules in favor of the less tangible one.
A good name is the reputation a man has earned in the eyes of those who know him. It is what other people say about him when he is not in the room. Solomon places it above great wealth, not because wealth is bad but because a name accumulated honestly is harder to acquire and harder to replace.
Favor is better than silver and gold names the goodwill a man enjoys with God and with neighbor. Wealth can be inherited, won, or borrowed. Favor cannot be purchased. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says the same: "A good name is better than a good ointment." Solomon is naming the order of what counts.
Proverbs 22:1
On Life and Conduct
1 A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
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Proverbs 22:1 meaning
Proverbs 22:1 opens the chapter with a valuation: A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold (v. 1). Solomon, son of David and king of Israel, names two goods worth comparing and rules in favor of the less tangible one.
A good name is the reputation a man has earned in the eyes of those who know him. It is what other people say about him when he is not in the room. Solomon places it above great wealth, not because wealth is bad but because a name accumulated honestly is harder to acquire and harder to replace.
Favor is better than silver and gold names the goodwill a man enjoys with God and with neighbor. Wealth can be inherited, won, or borrowed. Favor cannot be purchased. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says the same: "A good name is better than a good ointment." Solomon is naming the order of what counts.