Proverbs 22:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

NIV: One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.

NASB: One who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.

CSB: The one who loves a pure heart and gracious lips—the king is his friend.

NLT: Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech will have the king as a friend.

KJV: He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

NKJV: He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend.

Solomon (Proverbs 10:1) was a king (1 Kings 4:1) who realized the best advisors were righteous men who spoke truth. The general point of this proverb is that tactfully phrased truth gains a person ample respect (Proverbs 15:23; 16:13). This leads to the approval and trust of those in power. "Yes men," who only say what others want to hear, are rarely respected by others. Of course, some petty tyrants refuse to listen to anything but their own words coming from other people's lips (2 Timothy 4:3). Wise kings (Proverbs 11:14) listen to honest advice (Proverbs 15:31), even if it's not what they prefer to be told (Proverbs 18:17; 19:20). Solomon knew who his faithful friends were. They were men whose gracious words flowed from a pure heart.

Another lesson in this statement is the connection between spiritual purity and gracious speech. Foul, biting words reveal an evil heart, but measured, careful speech implies someone with a godly heart (Ephesians 4:29). Addressing the Pharisees, Jesus called them a "brood of vipers," and asked, "How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil" (Matthew 12:34–35). He also warned: "for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:37).

Proverbs 22:1–16 dispenses practical advice about gaining a good reputation, avoiding danger, setting children on a good path, finances, pure living, and the Lord's watchfulness and judgment. These verses also speak on the absurdity of laziness, the danger of evil words, and the sin of oppressing the poor. This completes an extensive list of wise sayings (Proverbs 10:1) attributed to Solomon.

This chapter completes a long string of wise sayings attributed to Solomon (Proverbs 10:1). He notes that reputation and godliness are far better than money. He also notes that godly wisdom keeps a person from various dangers. Loving parents use proper discipline to instill wisdom in their children. The last portion of the chapter introduces a new passage, made up of thirty wise teachings which Solomon endorses. This string of advice continues into chapter 24.

This chapter is the last of the second division of the book, including all of chapters 10—21. This section includes some 375 verses, mostly in paired lines. Chapter 22 completes these statements, then introduces a collection of thirty wise sayings endorsed by Solomon. The first five are negative commands, warning to avoid certain vices. Chapter 23 continues with more sayings of advice.

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.