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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19: the poor and their friends, a prudent wife from the Lord, and chastening a son while there is hope

General context

Better is the poor that walks in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and a fool. The foolishness of man perverts his way, and his heart frets against the Lord. Wealth makes many friends, but the poor is separated from his neighbour; every man is a friend to him that gives gifts; all the brethren of the poor hate him, and his friends go far from him. A false witness shall not be unpunished, a saying given twice. Delight is not seemly for a fool, much less a servant ruling over princes. Discretion defers anger, and it is a man's glory to pass over a transgression. The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion, his favour as dew on the grass. A foolish son is the calamity of his father and the contentions of a wife a continual dropping; house and riches are the inheritance of fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep. He that has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, who will pay him again. The hearer is told to chasten his son while there is hope. Hear counsel and receive instruction, to be wise in the latter end; there are many devices in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord shall stand. The fear of the Lord tends to life. A slothful man hides his hand in his bosom. Smite a scorner and the simple will beware. He that wastes his father and chases away his mother is a son that causes shame. A verse addressed to "my son" tells him to cease hearing instruction that causes to err. Judgments are prepared for scorners and stripes for the back of fools.

Cited passages: Proverbs 19:1, Proverbs 19:2, Proverbs 19:3, Proverbs 19:4, Proverbs 19:6, Proverbs 19:7, Proverbs 19:5, Proverbs 19:9, Proverbs 19:8, Proverbs 19:10, Proverbs 19:11, Proverbs 19:12, Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 19:14, Proverbs 19:15, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 19:18, Proverbs 19:19, Proverbs 19:20, Proverbs 19:21, Proverbs 19:23, Proverbs 19:24, Proverbs 19:25, Proverbs 19:26, Proverbs 19:27, Proverbs 19:29

Proverbs 19 (KJV)

1Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

2Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

3The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.

4Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

5A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

6Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

7All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.

8He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.

9A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

10Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

11The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

12The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

13A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

14House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord.

15Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

16He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.

17He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

18Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

19A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.

20Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

21There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.

22The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.

23The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

24A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

25Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.

26He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.

27Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

28An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.

29Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

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Historical context

There is no heading, and no person, king or place is named. The Lord is named in verses 3, 14, 17, 21 and 23. Verse 27 addresses "my son", the first such address since 7:1; chapters 8 and 9 and the sayings of chapters 10 to 18 contain none, and the speaker here is not identified. Verses 5 and 9 are almost the same sentence, differing only in the last words, "shall not escape" and "shall perish", and the chapter gives no reason for the repetition. The "prince" of verse 6, the "princes" of verse 10 and the "king" of verse 12 are general. Verse 17 says that pity on the poor is a loan to the Lord which he will repay, stated as a promise without saying how or when. Verse 18 tells a father to chasten his son "while there is hope" and not to spare "for his crying"; the text states this plainly and gives no age or method. The wife appears twice, contentious in verse 13 and prudent in verse 14, and neither is a named person. The sayings about the poor in verses 4, 6 and 7 describe abandonment as an observed fact, without approving it, and verse 7 runs to three lines, longer than the two-line norm.

Cited passages: Proverbs 19:3, Proverbs 19:23, Proverbs 19:27, Proverbs 19:5, Proverbs 19:9, Proverbs 19:6, Proverbs 19:12, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 19:18, Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 19:14, Proverbs 19:7

Literary context

The forms loosen further here. "Better" opens the chapter (verse 1) and returns in verse 22, "much less" appears in verse 10 and "how much more" in verse 7, and direct commands enter at verses 18, 20, 25 and 27. The poor and friendship form the chapter's first cluster: wealth makes friends (verse 4), gifts make friends (verse 6), and the poor man's own brothers hate him (verse 7), so friendship is measured by what a man can give, until verse 17 turns the giving round and makes the poor the occasion of a loan to the Lord. The two wife sayings, verses 13 and 14, are set back to back, each finishing on the wife: a continual dropping, then a gift from the Lord. Sloth is drawn twice, as deep sleep (verse 15) and as the hand hidden in the bosom that will not return to the mouth (verse 24). Witnesses and scorners gather at the end: an ungodly witness in verse 28, judgments and stripes in verse 29, after the scorner smitten in verse 25. The lion image for the king's wrath (verse 12) is used again in 20:2. Verse 21 sets "many devices" in a man's heart against the one counsel of the Lord that stands, the same contrast 16:9 drew between devising and directing.

Cited passages: Proverbs 19:1, Proverbs 19:22, Proverbs 19:10, Proverbs 19:7, Proverbs 19:20, Proverbs 19:4, Proverbs 19:6, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 19:14, Proverbs 19:15, Proverbs 19:24, Proverbs 19:28, Proverbs 19:29, Proverbs 19:25, Proverbs 19:12, Proverbs 20:2, Proverbs 19:21, Proverbs 16:9

Key moments

  1. Better the poor in integrity (Proverbs 19:1). The poor who walks in integrity is ranked above the perverse fool.
  2. The brethren of the poor (Proverbs 19:7). The poor man's brothers hate him and his friends go far from him.
  3. The king's wrath (Proverbs 19:12). A king's wrath is compared to a lion's roar and his favour to dew on grass.
  4. A prudent wife (Proverbs 19:14). House and riches come from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
  5. Lending to the Lord (Proverbs 19:17). Pity on the poor is called lending to the Lord, who repays.
  6. Chasten while there is hope (Proverbs 19:18). A father is told to chasten his son while there is hope.
  7. The counsel that stands (Proverbs 19:21). Many devices fill a man's heart, but the Lord's counsel stands.

For reflection

Verses 4 and 7 say the poor man's neighbour, brothers and friends leave him, and verse 17 says that pity on the poor is a loan to the Lord. In a chapter where everyone else has gone far from him, who is left to lend?