Proverbs 22

29 verses

Chapter 22 concludes the first Solomonic collection (10:1-22:16) with counsel on various matters including reputation, prudence, child-rearing, and associating with the wrathful, then introduces the section "Words of the Wise" (22:17-24:34) with a new style and approach. The chapter opens by asserting that a good name is more desirable than great wealth and that the rich and poor meet together with the LORD as maker of them all, recapitulating key themes and establishing the book's orientation toward justice and humility. The famous passage on child-rearing—"Train up a child in the way they should go; when old, they will not depart from it"—emphasizes that early instruction has lasting formative power, a principle underlying the entire pedagogical vision of Proverbs. Memorable images include the prudent seeing danger and taking refuge while the simple go forward and pay the penalty; the gift that makes room for the giver; and the borrower becoming servant to the lender. The chapter warns against associating with those given to anger and cautions against surety-taking, while celebrating those who cultivate humility and maintain faithful relationships. With verse 17, a new title appears: "The Words of the Wise," signaling a shift in tone and form as the aphorisms become less antithetical and more comparative, often dealing with conduct and consequences over a longer narrative arc.

VERSES IN THIS CHAPTER

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS