Proverbs 19:1-10

CHAPTER 19
TEXT Proverbs 19:1-10

1.

Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity

Than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool.

2.

Also, that the soul be without knowledge is not good;

And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

3.

The foolishness of man subverteth his way;

And his heart fretteth against Jehovah.

4.

Wealth addeth many friends;

But the poor is separated from his friend.

5.

A false witness shall not be unpunished;

And he that uttereth lies shall not escape.

6.

Many will entreat the favor of the liberal man;

And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

7.

All the brethren of the poor do hate him:

How much more do his friends go far from him!

8.

He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul:

He that keepeth understanding shall find good.

9.

A false witness shall not be unpunished;

And he that uttereth lies shall perish.

10.

Delicate living is not seemly for a fool;

Much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 19:1-10

1.

What is a synonym for integrity in Proverbs 19:1?

2.

Why is it not good to remain ignorant (Proverbs 19:2)?

3.

Is all haste sinful or just some (Proverbs 19:2)?

4.

When does the heart fret against Jehovah (Proverbs 19:3)?

5.

When is a poor person separated from his friend (Proverbs 19:3)?

6.

What class of persons likes to make friends of the wealthy (Proverbs 19:4)?

7.

Will it be God or man who will do the punishing (Proverbs 19:5)?

8.

If everybody is a friend to one who gives gifts, why don-'t all people love God because of His gifts (Proverbs 19:6)?

9.

What kind of words does he use as he pursues them (Proverbs 19:7)?

10.

In what sense is love used in Proverbs 19:8?

11.

Why would Proverbs 19:9 and Proverbs 19:5 both be included in the same chapter?

12.

What is delicate living (Proverbs 19:10)?

13.

What does not seemly mean (Proverbs 19:10)?

PARAPHRASE OF 19:1-10

1.

Better be poor and honest and rich and dishonest.

2.

It is dangerous and sinful to rush into the unknown.

3.

A man may ruin his chances by his own foolishness and then blame it on the Lord.

4.

A wealthy man has man friends; the poor man has none left.

5.

Punish false witnesses. Track down liars.

6.

Many beg favors from a man who is generous; everyone is his friend!

7.

Punish false witnesses. Track down liars.

8.

Many beg favors from a man who is generous; everyone is his friend!

9.

A poor man's own brothers turn away from him in embarrassment; how much more his friends! He calls after them, but they are gone.

10.

He who loves wisdom loves his own best interest and will be a success.

11.

A flase witness shall be punished and a liar shall be caught.

12.

It doesn-'t seem right for a fool to succeed or for a slave to rule over princes!

COMMENTS ON 19:1-10

Proverbs 19:1. This is very similar to Proverbs 28:6. Pulpit Commentary: The poor man who lives a guileless, innocent life, content with his lot and using no wrong means to improve his fortunes, is happier and better than the rich man who is hypocritical in his words and deceives others and has won his wealth by such means. There is often a connection between being poorer and honest and being dishonest and getting rich. The fool in this verse is apparently a rich fool.

Proverbs 19:2. A double contrast: Soul without knowledge vs. hasteth with his feet and not good vs. sinneth. It is not good for one to be without knowledge when God has given us minds in which to store and which can use knowledge and many means by which to acquire it. God was pleased that Solomon wanted wisdom (1 Kings 3:9-10). See also Proverbs 19:8. One without knowledge often acts hastily (No sense of caution) and errs as a result.

Proverbs 19:3. Clarke: They get into straits and difficulties through the perverseness of their ways; and...they fret against God; whereas...they are the causes of their own calamities. Romans 1:19-32 gives a running account of the way mankind subverted its way: they began with a knowledge of God; there came a time when they did not glorify Him as they should; darkness set in upon their unspiritual hearts; in their conceit they began making idols, and the longer they went the worse representation of God they made; they came to be filled with all kinds of wickedness; God finally gave up on them until Gospel times.

Proverbs 19:4. Compare Proverbs 19:7. People like to identify with someone who will be a credit to them in the eyes of men, not with someone who will discredit them. The poorest of families don-'t have very many real friends: those who will claim them, invite them over, etc. (Proverbs 14:20). Sometimes even relatives practically disown extreme poverty cases.

Proverbs 19:5. Another case of Hebrew parallelism in which the latter statement is a restatement of the first. This verse is almost identical to Proverbs 19:9. For the punishment of false witnesses, see Proverbs 21:28; Deuteronomy 19:16-19.

Proverbs 19:6. They seek his favor for what he can do for them. A saying: Be an unusual success, and you will have many false friends and true enemies. This can raise the question: Do people love you or what you can do for them? Let a child show up on the school ground with a sack of candy, and everybody wants some; you know me, many will say.

Proverbs 19:7. Compare with Proverbs 19:4; Proverbs 14:20. In Proverbs 19:6 everybody wants to be a friend of the well-to-do, the one who gives gifts; but in this verse a man's friends and relatives even go away from him, not wanting to have anything to do with him. Even the poor man's words of appeal fall on deaf ears.

Proverbs 19:8. He loves his soul because wisdom is good for the soul (Proverbs 19:2). Proverbs pictures wisdom as something to get (Proverbs 4:7). We are to buy the truth (Proverbs 23:23). We are to give wisdom an exalted place in our lives (Proverbs 4:8). But this verse also talks about keeping understanding. Get it, and then forget it not Proverbs 4:5 would tell us.

Proverbs 19:9. A false witness, in those instances of lying about others, would be breaking the 9th Commandment (Exodus 20:16). God says such must be punished (Proverbs 19:5).

Proverbs 19:10. Delicate living is luxurious living. Seemly means fitting for. Both statements of this verse show

somebody out of place: a fool living luxuriously and a servant ruling over princes. Neither one is in order. Appropriately does Proverbs 30:21-23 say, For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, which it cannot bear: For a servant when he is king; And fool when he is filled with food... History tells us of a man who wanted to guard against falling into the very things of which this verse speaks. He was Agathocles, ruler of Syracuse. He rose from the lowly occupation of a potter and to remind himself of his lowly origin, he ate off cheap earthenware.

TEST QUESTIONS OVER 19:1-10

1.

What kind of fool is evidently under consideration in Proverbs 19:1?

2.

Why is the honest poor better off than such a person (v.

1)?

3.

Why does one lacking knowledge often act hastily (Proverbs 19:2)?

4.

What Bible character did not want to live without knowledge (Proverbs 19:2)?

5.

Tell of the account in Romans 1 of mankind subverting its way (Proverbs 19:3).

6.

How does wealth make friends for a person (Proverbs 19:4)?

7.

Sometimes what kind of friends (Proverbs 19:4)?

8.

Why is the poverty-stricken family often ostracized and even disowned by their own relatives (Proverbs 19:4)?

9.

What did God say about punishing false witnesses (Proverbs 19:5)?

10.

What is the problem of friends you make and keep through gifts (Proverbs 19:6)?

11.

Contrast Proverbs 19:6-7.

12.

The two verbs in Proverbs 19:8 talk of doing what two things with knowledge?

13.

A false witness often violates which of the Ten Commandments (Proverbs 19:9)?

14.

According to Proverbs 19:10 what two things are out of order?