Proverbs 11:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Like a gold ring in a pig 's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.

NIV: Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

NASB: As a ring of gold in a pig’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

CSB: A beautiful woman who rejects good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

NLT: A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

KJV: As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

NKJV: As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.

Women in Israel often wore nose rings for ornamental purposes, as is common in many cultures throughout the world, even today. The comparison made here is meant to be slightly shocking, as pigs were considered unclean animals. Beauty is represented by something small and insignificant, as compared to the disgusting, filthy, and enormous problem of indiscretion.

The virtue praised here is what modern English speakers would call "good taste." This is a person's awareness of what is appropriate, respectable, well-mannered, or dignified. A woman with "discretion," in this case, is one who acts sensibly and with self-control, as opposed to one who is crude, offensive, or "tacky."

Proverbs 31:10 describes a truly virtuous woman as "far more precious than jewels." The apostle Peter stresses that genuine attractiveness is not achieved by adorning the body but by adorning "the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious" (1 Peter 3:4).

Queen Jezebel's death provided a grisly example of the difference between outward beauty and inner discretion. She is traditionally assumed to be very beautiful, but clearly lacked moral character. On balance, in the eyes of God, she was ugly as a pig (Proverbs 6:16–19). She wickedly killed the Lord's prophets (1 Kings 18:4), led Israel into Baal worship (1 Kings 21:25–26), and put a contract on the life of the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:1–2). The earth's last glimpse of Jezebel saw her with a painted face and an adorned head (2 Kings 9:30). But moments later, she was thrown from a window, trampled by horses, and eaten by dogs (2 Kings 9:31–37). Her lack of morality brought her to a horrific end.

Proverbs 11:16–22 continues Solomon's series of contrasts. Here he compares the beautiful life of those who pursue God's truth with that of those who live in their own sinful ways. He also contrasts the righteous person's end of life with that of the wicked person. He portrays the wicked person as an abomination in the sight of the Lord, whereas the righteous person is a delight to the Lord.

This continues a long passage filled with Solomon's general, common-sense observations. As in chapter 10, Solomon presents a variety of contrasts. We see distinctions such as those between integrity and dishonesty, trust in wealth and trust in the Lord, wise and foolish talk, true riches and false riches, the blessing of the righteous and the harm caused by the wicked, and the respective rewards of the godly and those who are evil.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.