Removing the scoffer removes the contention, strife, and dishonor that traveled with him.
A practical instruction for community arrives in Proverbs 22:10: Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, even strife and dishonor will cease (v. 10). Solomon names the usefulness of a clear boundary.
Drive out the scoffer is direct counsel. A scoffer, in Proverbs, is the man who refuses correction and treats wisdom with contempt (Proverbs 9:7-8). His presence is corrosive in a household, a workplace, or a circle of friends because he keeps inviting others into his contempt.
Contention will go out, even strife and dishonor will cease. Three forms of trouble travel with the scoffer:contention (active dispute), strife (ongoing friction), and dishonor (the loss of standing that follows mockery). All three leave when he leaves. The verse names the real difference one removed person can make in the health of a community. Compare 1 Corinthians 5:6: "A little leaven leavens the whole lump."
Proverbs 22:10
10 Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out,
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Proverbs 22:10 meaning
A practical instruction for community arrives in Proverbs 22:10: Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, even strife and dishonor will cease (v. 10). Solomon names the usefulness of a clear boundary.
Drive out the scoffer is direct counsel. A scoffer, in Proverbs, is the man who refuses correction and treats wisdom with contempt (Proverbs 9:7-8). His presence is corrosive in a household, a workplace, or a circle of friends because he keeps inviting others into his contempt.
Contention will go out, even strife and dishonor will cease. Three forms of trouble travel with the scoffer: contention (active dispute), strife (ongoing friction), and dishonor (the loss of standing that follows mockery). All three leave when he leaves. The verse names the real difference one removed person can make in the health of a community. Compare 1 Corinthians 5:6: "A little leaven leavens the whole lump."