Proverbs 19:5-9

PROVERBS—NOTE ON Proverbs 19:5 Verses Proverbs 19:5 and Proverbs 19:9 begin and end this section with virtually identical wording. Verse Proverbs 19:5 stresses the importance of honest testimony (for more on the dangers of the false witness, see Proverbs 6:19; Proverbs 12:17; Proverbs 14:5). In this context, which focuses on poverty and misfortune, “false witness” could relate either to those who exploit the poor in the courts or to poor people who give false testimony in return for money.