11 He that loveth pureness of heart, upon whose lips is grace, the king is his friend.
Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him that speaketh aright.
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has made all this known to thee, there is none [so] discreet and wise as thou. Thou shalt be over my house, and according to thy commandment shall all my people regulate themselves; only concerning the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in clothes of byssus, and put a gold chain on his neck. And he caused him to ride in the second chariot that he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee! and he set him over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh; and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah, and gave him as wife Asnath the daughter of Potipherah the priest in On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh, and passed through the whole land of Egypt. And in the seven years of plenty the land brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities; the food of the fields of the city, which were round about it, he laid up in it. And Joseph laid up corn as sand of the sea exceeding much, until they left off numbering; for it was without number. And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asnath the daughter of Potipherah the priest in On bore to him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh -- For God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And the name of the second he called Ephraim -- For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. And the seven years of plenty that were in the land of Egypt were ended; and the seven years of the dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said. And there was dearth in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And all the land of Egypt suffered from the dearth. And the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, Go to Joseph: what he says to you, that do. And the famine was on all the earth. And Joseph opened every place in which there was [provision], and sold grain to the Egyptians; and the famine was grievous in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph, to buy [grain], because the famine was grievous on the whole earth.
-- this Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah the God of Israel had given. And the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him. (And there went up [some] of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the doorkeepers, and the Nethinim, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.) And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For upon the first of the first month the project of going up from Babylon was determined on, and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had directed his heart to seek the law of Jehovah and to do it, and to teach in Israel the statutes and the ordinances. And this is the copy of the letter that king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a scribe of the words of the commandments of Jehovah, and of his statutes to Israel:
And the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of the heavens. And I said to the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said to me -- the queen also sitting by him, -- For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? And it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
For Mordecai the Jew was second to king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the welfare of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
Thou art fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. The king answered Daniel and said, Of a truth it is that your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, because thou wast able to reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon. And Daniel was in the gate of the king.
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the province of Babylon.
And when he came near unto the den, he cried with a mournful voice unto Daniel: the king spoke and said unto Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, hath thy God whom thou servest continually been able to save thee from the lions? Then Daniel spoke unto the king, O king, live for ever! My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him innocence was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Thereupon was the king exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Proverbs 22
Commentary on Proverbs 22 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 22
Pr 22:1-29.
1. A good name—(Job 30:8, Hebrew); "good" is supplied here from Ec 7:1.
loving favour—kind regard, that is, of the wise and good.
2. Before God all are on the same footing (Pr 14:31; 17:5).
3. are punished—that is, for their temerity; for the evil is not necessarily punitive, as the prudent might otherwise be its objects.
4. humility and the fear of the Lord—are in apposition; one produces the other. On the results, compare Pr 3:16; 8:18.
5. he that … them—Those who properly watch over their own souls are thus preserved from the dangers which attend the way of perverse men (Pr 16:17).
6. Train—initiate, or early instruct.
the way—literally, "his way," that selected for him in which he should go; for early training secures habitual walking in it.
7. The influence of wealth sets aside moral distinctions is implied, and, of course, disapproved (compare Pr 19:6; 21:14, &c.).
8. (Compare Pr 11:18; Ps 109:16-20; Ga 6:7, 8).
the rod … fail—His power to do evil will be destroyed.
9. a bountiful eye—that is, a beneficent disposition.
for he giveth … poor—His acts prove it.
10. Cast out—or drive away. Scorners foster strife by taunts and revilings.
11. (Compare Margin).
pureness of heart—and gentle, kind words win favor, even from kings.
12. preserve—or guard.
knowledge—its principles and possessors.
overthroweth—utterly confounds and destroys the wicked.
13. Frivolous excuses satisfy the indolent man's conscience.
14. The mouth—or flattering speeches (Pr 5:3; 7:5) ensnare man, as pits, beasts. God makes their own sin their punishment.
15. is bound—or firmly fixed. Chastisement deters from crime and so leads to reformation of principle.
16. These two vices pertain to the same selfish feeling. Both are deservedly odious to God and incur punishment.
17. Here begins another division of the book, marked by those encouragements to the pursuit of wisdom, which are found in the earlier chapters. It will be observed that at Pr 22:22-24:12, the proverbs are generally expressed in two verses instead of one (see Introduction).
18. These lessons must be laid up in the mind, and
fitted—or better, "fixed" in the lips so as to be ever ready.
19. That … Lord—This is the design of the instruction.
20. excellent things—or probably of former times.
counsels and knowledge—both advice and instruction.
21. Specially he desires to secure accuracy, so that his pupil may teach others.
22, 23. Here follow ten precepts of two verses each. Though men fail to defend the poor, God will (Pr 17:5; Ps 12:5).
in the gate—place of public gathering (Job 5:4; Ps 69:12).
24, 25. (Compare Pr 2:12-15; 4:14).
25. a snare … soul—The unsuspecting are often misled by bad company.
26, 27. (Compare Pr 6:1; 17:18).
27. should he take, &c.—that is, the creditor.
28. (Compare Pr 23:10). Do not entrench on others (De 19:14; 27:17).
29. Success rewards diligence (Pr 10:4; 21:5).