Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19 belongs to the collection of "the proverbs of Solomon" that runs from Proverbs 10:1 to 22:16. Like Proverbs 18, it consists mostly of independent two-line sayings, and it continues the themes of the poor and of honesty in speech.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 The poor person who walks in integrity is better than the fool. Zeal without knowledge goes astray, and the foolish person perverts his own way and then frets against the LORD.
• Verses 4–7 Wealth multiplies friends, but poverty drives away even brothers and friends. A false witness will not go unpunished.
• Verses 8–9 Whoever keeps wisdom and understanding finds good. The warning against the false witness is repeated in nearly the same words as in verse 5.
• Verses 10–14 The discretion of being slow to anger, the king's wrath and favor, the foolish son and the contentious wife, and the prudent wife who comes from the LORD.
• Verses 15–17 Laziness brings hunger, and whoever keeps the commandment keeps his own soul. Showing pity to the poor is lending to the LORD.
• Verses 18–21 The discipline of children, a warning about the person of great wrath, the call to hear counsel and receive instruction, and the many plans of human beings set against the will of the LORD.
• Verses 22–25 Kindness and honesty, the fear of the LORD (reverent awe and honor) as leading to life, the sluggard, and the punishment of the scorner.
• Verses 26–29 The child who mistreats his parents, the warning not to heed instruction that leads away from knowledge, the ungodly witness, and the judgments prepared for scorners and fools.

Key Verses

• Proverbs 19:21 "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand." This is a representative verse of wisdom literature, teaching that God's providence takes precedence over human plans. It is treated in detail in the article Proverbs 19:21.
• Proverbs 19:17 "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD." This verse links helping the poor to one's relationship with God. See Proverbs 19:17.
• Proverbs 19:11 "The discretion of a man deferreth his anger." This verse treats the restraint of anger and forgiveness as wisdom.

People and Places

No specific people or places appear in the chapter. The text speaks of general types such as "the king," "the son," "the wife," "the poor," and "the scorner," and God is referred to as the LORD.

Considerations for Reading

• Many interpreters read expressions such as "he shall not be visited with evil" in verse 23 not as individual promises but in the style of wisdom literature, which states general principles of life.
• In verse 18, the Hebrew of the second clause, rendered in some versions as "do not set your heart on his death," is ambiguous. Some read it as a caution against excessive physical punishment, while others read it as a warning not to neglect discipline and thereby bring a child to ruin. Translations differ in their wording; the KJV, for example, reads "let not thy soul spare for his crying."
• New Testament connections include verse 17 read alongside Matthew 10:40–42 and James 2:15–17; verse 21 alongside James 4:13–15; and verse 18 alongside Ephesians 6:4 and Hebrews 12:6–11. Verses 5, 9, and 28, which concern false witnesses, correspond to the law in Deuteronomy 19:18–21.