19 19:1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
2 19:2 Desire1 without knowledge is not good,
and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
3 19:3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the Lord.
4 19:4 Wealth brings many new friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will not escape.
6 19:6 Many seek the favor of a generous man,2
and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
7 19:7 All a poor man’s brothers hate him;
how much more do his friends go far from him!
He pursues them with words, but does not have them.3
8 19:8 Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will discover good.
9 19:9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will perish.
10 19:10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.
11 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
12 19:12 A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 19:13 A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
14 19:14 House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 19:15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
and an idle person will suffer hunger.
16 19:16 Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life;
he who despises his ways will die.
17 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
18 19:18 Discipline your son, for there is hope;
do not set your heart on putting him to death.
19 19:19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,
for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
20 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future.
21 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
22 19:22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
23 19:23 The fear of the Lord leads to life,
and whoever has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm.
24 19:24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish
and will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 19:25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence;
reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26 19:26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and reproach.
27 19:27 Cease to hear instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 19:28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29 19:29 Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
and beating for the backs of fools.
Response
Slavery and Social Class in Proverbs
The swift disqualification of slaves for leadership (Prov. 19:10) is a demotion that might sound elitist and insensitive in our own day. The OT clearly accepts slavery as a reality, though it also sharply condemns the unjust treatment of slaves. The OT also provides for the generous release of slaves every seven years, and the NT encourages slaves to be released as equals in Christ (cf. Philemon). We also know that Joseph took leadership after his release from slavery, which offers an exception to the proverb.
In the very limited context of this proverb, we should imagine the slave as one who leaves his post with a grudge and with no experience handling wealth or the operations of a large nation. Such people are not fit for the complexities of statecraft. One must always remember in this light that no proverb is absolute, speaking for all situations. After all, Joseph was not merely a slave but a racial minority among the Egyptians, yet he showed himself wise and capable of handling their great wealth, allowing him to rule well and to provide for prosperity and justice. He is an excellent counterexample to this saying. And the nature of a proverb is that it always has counterexamples.
How might this apply to us today? Much if not most of the privileged classes in America live in deep regret for the hateful slavery of our nation’s past—a slavery based on economic greed, racially oriented fear, hatred, and opportunity. But deep remorse for our past should not blind us to the fact that slave labor and prisons are often breeding grounds for criminals and scoundrels. Proverbs is not afraid to name this. Nor does it refrain from observing that most of those people who end up in this demise—for whatever variety of reasons—are not good candidates for political rule.
Two more points must be made to balance this observation. First, Proverbs elsewhere deals sharply with the injustices and greed of the elite that so often lead to enslaving the vulnerable classes of society. The ultimate blame falls higher on the social spectrum than on the lower end—a message and the center of the later biblical prophets.
Second, the captivity of a slave envisioned in the ancient world can be applied to the obligations our culture can place on the upper-middle and upper classes. Anyone who has gazed into the windows of offices in New York City, Chicago, London, or Tokyo has witnessed nests of tightly packed cubicle workers slaving away for very long hours in bleak settings for the benefit of service to finance, law, or marketing. It is indeed very hard work that offers little satisfaction beyond financial restitution when one forgets the ultimate ends of such work.
This leads us to recognize that all of us, regardless of class or status, are slaves to sin, self-deception, and the consequences of a fallen world. Here is a greater bondage that none of us can avoid. Paul proclaims that Jesus brings freedom from “sin” so that we might “become slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:18; cf. Gal. 5:1–15). We are often inclined to stop with our freedom from sin and forget the full scope of what Jesus brings to our world. In the familiar beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Luke 4, he reads from the scroll of Isaiah in a prophecy about “liberty to the captives” alongside “good news to the poor,” “sight to the blind,” and “liberty [to] those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18; cf. Isa. 61:1–2; Lev. 25:40–43). The entrance of the kingdom and its work of redemption begins with our spiritual renewal. But then it reaches into every dimension of our social and physical world. Christians are saved from slavery to become slaves of Christ who work to relieve the burden of the slave and the sinner (cf. Philemon) as well as the burden we put on the creation itself in cases of pollution or misuse of resources.
The Weight of Glory
Another set of observations may be made about the word glory, which is thrown haphazardly around in Christian music, casual conversations, and Sunday sermons. What does the word actually mean? In the OT the ESV uses “glory” to translate three Hebrew words in Proverbs: kabod (“glory”), hadarah (“splendor”) and tipʾeret (“beauty”). There is probably no single term in English that captures the essence of these Hebrew words. In most of these contexts the best translation is somewhere between “weight,” “beauty,” “significance,” and “uniqueness.” Wisdom in old age, the strength of youth, and the empire of a king are all glories that distinguish various people in society. The same is true in the NT, in which Paul speaks of the various kinds of glory belonging to the “sun,” “moon,” and “stars” (1 Cor. 15:41), which he references in order to differentiate between the glories of our “earthly bodies” and that of our “heavenly bodies” in the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:40).
Yet this chapter in Proverbs assigns the mark of glory to something that does not come immediately to mind when we think of beauty or significance: being slow to anger and quick to forgive (Prov. 19:11). Proverbs elsewhere advises us to “quit before the quarrel breaks out” and to avoid getting into any conflict that will escalate (17:14; cf. 19:19; 20:3; 25:8).
Labeling this a “glory” is perhaps an unexpected praise. But it is a glorious one, to return to a term that always begs for more. For who of us has ever had a parent, teacher, police officer, employer, judge, tax collector, friend, spouse, or sibling from whom we desperately needed the grace of forgiveness? In those moments slowness to anger and a willingness to overlook a matter is certainly a weighty and beautiful thing.
This should help us to appreciate all the more the degree of grace given to us in the gospel. The very forgiveness that Jesus gives in bearing our sins we find consistently described as his “glory” (cf. John 12:23–28; 13:31–32). Mark presents us with this truth in a scene ripe with irony. Just after Christ has predicted his own arrest, beating, and death, James and John come to him, asking to sit at his right hand and his left when he comes into his “glory” (Mark 10:37). Jesus’ reply points to his cross, where he will offer his life as a “ransom for many” (10:45). Glory is achieved not by going up but by going down and then up.
The cross is thus most surely the beginning and entry of his glory. But it is not the end. In the resurrection, as noted with 1 Corinthians 15 above, Jesus appears in his full glory in order to usher us into ours. In the same way, John records the raising of Lazarus from the dead by marking it as a display of Jesus’ “glory.” In the same scene Martha’s belief in this event is a hope to “see the glory of God” (John 11:4, 40)—a foreshadowing of Jesus’ own death and resurrection. Further still, as do John and Paul, the book of Hebrews leads us to see that we inherit our status as “sons [of] glory” when we look in faith to his “glory” (Heb. 2:10; 5:5–9). As Hebrews imagines it, we enter through the glory of the cross into that glory destined for us from the beginning of creation (Heb. 2:5–9; cf. Psalm 8).Proverbs 19
Proverbs 20
Or A soul
Or of a noble
The meaning of the Hebrew sentence is uncertain
19:1–4 Mention of the “way” in verses 1–3 stands out clearly in these opening verses. The reference to the “poor” in verses 1, 4 encloses the group of sayings as a whole.
The opening saying (v. 1) is a classic better-than comparison meant to teach refined skills of discernment (cf. v. 22):
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
Good and bad speech and poverty and wealth exist as spectrums, not fixed points. One is more or less wealthy; one speaks a little better or a little worse. These two spectrums intersect with each other in various ways in everyday life (e.g., good speech and poor speech have countless intersections on the spectrum between wealth and poverty). What we learn by observing these intersections closely throughout Proverbs is not merely that integrity is more valuable than wealth but that an integral part of wisdom and integrity is knowing all the ways to speak well in various circumstances while avoiding the fool’s many temptations to manipulate circumstances and acquire riches (in this case, the temptation of “crooked speech”).
Verse 2 can be seen as a commentary on verse 1. Desire is neither good nor bad in and of itself; its goodness (or badness) is determined by whether or not it is trained by “knowledge” and patience. The “way” metaphor fits this lesson perfectly. Wisdom is not a matter of any single decision or act but a long series of choices amid countless changing circumstances.
Verse 3 is a further commentary on verses 1–2. The desire for wealth and riches are now oriented to the deeper roots of the “heart” and its premeditated rage against Yahweh. The love of things does not exist on its own but is an inevitable yearning that arises when we fail to desire Yahweh and his ways above all else (cf. 3:5–10; Pss. 1:2; 112:1).
Returning to the focus on poverty (and, by inference, wealth) in Proverbs 19:1, verse 4 concerns the nature in which wealth attracts friends but poverty makes them scarce. This comes as an objective observation rather than an exhortation. In fact, the language is very close to that of 18:23–24, which cautions more explicitly to guard against the coveting of riches and friends (cf. 19:6).
19:5–9 The central proverbs (vv. 6–8) are enclosed on each end by two nearly identical sayings about falsehood (vv. 5, 9). They also play upon images of companionship, whether with people or with prosperity. The outer sayings (vv. 5, 9) dramatize the consequences of the “false witness” and the one who “breathes out lies” (cf. 6:19; 21:28). These two sayings are cleverly arranged to the end that we imagine the false witness as one whose lungs exhale lies rather than air. The sayings are also likely drawn from prohibitions against lying in OT law (Ex. 23:1; Deut. 19:16), as the chapter returns to reflections on the “commandment” and related laws in Proverbs 19:16–20.
Verses 6–7 return to friends, neighbors, and companions (cf. 18:24–19:4). The verses correspond very closely to the two lines in verse 4—the attraction of many to the wealthy, gift-bearing man and the poor man who ends up alone. While wealth is often a sign of blessing in Proverbs, we are also constantly reminded that wealth lures our most selfish and material desires, leaving divisions, suffering, and injustice in its wake.
Verses 8 stands apart in this group. It echoes a thematic lesson from the rest of Proverbs regarding the urgency of acquiring wisdom (cf. 2:1; 4:4). Proverbs 19:9 closes the group with a return to the topic of falsehood from verse 5.
In 1 Kings 21:1–16 we read of Ahab’s coveting Naboth’s vineyard and conspiring with false witnesses to steal it. Such a narrative, and others like it (cf. Genesis 37), could very well have inspired gathering the sayings in this cluster, as these events play out the dynamics in the relationships between friends and neighbors, lying, and wealth, not to mention the consequences that come to the coveter and the false witness. When wealth gets in the path of crooked desires, many a victim will fall. The themes in and around Ahab and Naboth in 1 Kings 21 can also be found in the following cluster of sayings.
19:10–15 Wealth remains the central concern in these sayings; now it is considered in the context of anger and folly. It is also applied to the kingdom and the household.
Proverbs 19:10 presents a variety of situations that arise at the complex intersection of wealth, political rule, and folly (cf. 26:1; 30:22; Eccles. 2:8; 10:7). This upside-down view of the world is prominent in Proverbs 26:1–12; 30:10–33. Although this verse is only a saying and not an exhortation, readers are nevertheless prompted to imagine their own actions as they lead to situations that increase the likelihood of injustice and social instability. (For thoughts on the apparent insult to the slave cf. Response section.)
Proverbs 19:11 and verse 12 are connected thoughts that follow on the heels of verse 10. This is especially clear given that verse 11 is a close variant of 16:32, which explicitly names the rulers (“the mighty”) emphasized in 19:10, 12. These sayings are thus all broadly concerned with political rule at the crossroads of patience and anger. Looking closely at the content, readers should first notice the way in which being slow to anger and quick to forgive are manifestations of “glory” (cf. Eph. 4:32; for more on the glory of forgiveness cf. Response section).
Two metaphors are used to imagine wrath and patience: “the growling of a lion” and “dew on the grass.” The first metaphor captures the fearful and wild power of leaders that threaten others’ livelihood. The second contrasts this by appealing to man’s deep longing for placidness and safety. In addition to the parallel in Proverbs 16:32, similar reflections about the emotional reactions of political leaders are found in 16:14–15.
Proverbs 19:13–14 forms another pair focused on the house and comparing the relationships of fathers and sons and husbands and wives. Verses 13a and 14a are observations likely aimed at teaching obedience and gratitude: folly will only shame one’s father, and anything inherited is the result of his wisdom, paternal care, and generosity. Verses 13b and 14b, meanwhile, set up a contrast between “quarreling” and “prudent” wives. One is a nagging scourge on life, while the latter is a gift from Yahweh.
Verse 15 closes this section with a vivid saying about the slothful person. To echo 13:4, not to mention 19:24; 22:13; 26:13, the lazy person drifts effortlessly into sleep and finds himself with empty cupboards when he wakes. In a world in which we often work harder at our leisure—golf, tennis, gardening, running—than our vocation, Proverbs’ worldview balances hard work with slow and restorative rest. To get these out of balance leads to hunger, disheveled homes, and worthless fields (cf. 10:4; 20:4; 24:33–34).
19:16–20 The faint allusion to divine commands of work and rest in verse 15 gives way to a series of sayings about the instruction given in the law and the counsel of parents. Verse 16 serves as an introduction and overview of the section—the “commandment” yields “life,” while rejecting it leads to death (cf. 13:13; Luke 10:28; 1 John 2:3).
Proverbs 19:17 is not unlike 14:31, in which generosity to others ultimately serves Yahweh. After all, the creature’s identity is always a reflection of the Creator. Moses exhorts Israel to a similar spirit of generosity (Deut. 15:7–8). Jesus, meanwhile, teaches that treatment of children—those easily overlooked members of our community—will be viewed by the Lord as treatment of him, be that love or neglect (Matt. 10:42; 25:40).
Proverbs 19:18 turns from concern for the poor to responsibilities toward children. The son, mentioned also in verses 13, 27, is now brought to the father’s attention to discipline him at the proper time (cf. 13:24; 23:13). Modern cultural trends have sought to imagine most parental discipline as an antiquated form of torture. But sober parents know too well that children do not raise themselves and that godly correction is for their good and their future “hope” (cf. Response section to Proverbs 22). The context of the Mosaic law is clearly still in the background (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; 21:18).
Proverbs 19:19 warns us against rescuing a “man of great wrath,” who will only have to be bailed out again—a recalcitrant fool bent on his anger. This closely parallels verse 11 and also reminds readers of the cities of refuge in the Mosaic law. Designed to protect the one who avenged the blood of his neighbor, those cities were bound to become places to which those who committed premeditated murder fled for refuge. There is no justification, however, for protecting such fools (Deut. 19:11–13).
Proverbs 19:20 is a broad, general warning like the one that opened this cluster (v. 15). Now, in addition to giving heed to God’s commands, we are reminded of the responsibility to listen to the counsel of others.
19:21–24 This short section pours cold water on the dreams and ambitions of youth. It is a strength and a weakness of modern universities that they lead our children to think they can chase their passions, pursue their dreams, and change the world. On the one hand, the prophet Joel promised that “young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). Ambitious visions are the gift of youth (cf. Prov. 20:29). But the other side of this truth is often covered over: the world can be subject to rapid change and often punishing to those with ambitious flights of fancy.
Thus 19:21 starts with the frank reminder that our plans often hold no sway against the Lord and his will, for he does whatever he pleases (Pss. 33:11; 135:5–6). “Plans” (lit., “the musings of our hearts”) is in plural from. Our desires are inclined to go in many directions at once, in contrast to the one “purpose” of Yahweh. The human path of sanctification and growing in wisdom has much to do with aligning one’s wandering impulses to the straight way of the Lord.
How does one go about this process of aligning his or her life well? Proverbs 19:22 begins an answer by pointing to the heart of God’s deepest “purpose.” A surface reading of the proverb leads readers to see that they should pursue love and honesty. But on a deeper level life’s experience teaches that these virtues sometimes require people to forfeit the safety and privilege offered when they accumulate wealth.
The first line of verse 22 requires further comment. A flat translation of the Hebrew would read, “The desire of a person is steadfast love.” Does this mean that we desire love as a guide to our own personal conduct, or that this is how we wish to be treated? Or, further still, is love a virtue we desire in others? Remaining sensitive to the power of poetry, we cannot eliminate any of these possibilities. Indeed, God desires love in us and desires us to seek and encourage love in others.
Verse 23 may pick up on the image of poverty in the previous verse. The “fear of Yahweh” is a more secure state than whatever comes with wealth, which is always fleeting and often gained by deceit (cf. v. 22).
Verse 24 can be grouped here or with the collection of scoundrels in verses 25–29. It is included here because it addresses the topic of desire, which is common in all the previous three sayings. The “sluggard” here is creatively portrayed in a way that mocks his body for its inability to keep up with his undisciplined cravings. This ties us back to verses 21–23, which show that God’s desires for life are better, surer, and truer than the aimless yearnings of hearts that go in countless directions.
19:25–29 The chapter ends like a rap sheet of bad behaviors: scoffing, folly, lying, violence, wickedness, and scoffing again. The central sayings (vv. 26–27) situate these proverbs in the home, specifically the instruction of the mother and father and their shame and ruin that come when the son rejects their counsel.
Verses 25 and 27 are a pair. Each offers an exhortation for avoiding the behaviors of the wicked. The first (v. 25) is an example of the Jewish qol wahomer, an argument that moves from the smaller to the greater. The “scoffer” requires physical punishment as a motivation to gain “prudence,” but the mature person only needs reproof to “gain knowledge.” Wisdom is acquired in both cases, no doubt, but one would prefer verbal reproof to lashes from a whip. Verse 27 transforms verse 25 into a warning: to refuse correction in either case is to follow a path away from wisdom into the permanent company of fools.
The teaching in verse 26 reflects the law that provided for rebellious children in Deuteronomy 21:18. It also anticipates similar warnings in Proverbs 28:24; 30:11, 17.
The Hebrew of 19:28 pictures a “worthless witness” (Hb. “witness of Belial”; cf. comment on 6:12–15), whose speech mocks “justice” and “devours iniquity.” There is a verbal play between “worthless” (belliyaʿal) and “devour” (yeballa) at the beginning and end of the saying.
The chapter closes in 19:29 by repeating the image of punishing “scoffers” from verse 25 at the start of the cluster. While verse 25 hints at a possibility of hope for foolish rogues when they are disciplined, verse 29 resorts to a blunt resolve for those who have not yet turned from their ways (cf. 9:8; 28:6; Ps. 141:5; Eccles. 7:5).