Proverbs 22:29

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. SEEST THOU A MAN DILIGENT IN HIS BUSINESS? HE SHALL STAND BEFORE KINGS - as Joseph, Nehemiah, and Daniel did (; ; ; ; Daniel 6:1; ). The spiritually diligent shall stand before the King of kings (cf. with ;...

Verse Proverbs 22:29. _HE SHALT NOT STAND BEFORE MEAN MEN._] חשכים _chashukkim,_ _dark_ or _obscure persons_; men of no repute. _Na he schal ben before_ _un-noble men_. - Old MS. Bible. "Not amonge the symple people." - _Coverdale_. The general meaning of the proverb is, "Every diligent, active man, shall be at once independent and respectable....

The gift of a quick and ready intellect is to lead to high office, it is not to be wasted on a work to which the obscure are adequate....

EXPOSITION PROVERBS 22:1 A GOOD NAME IS RATHER TO BE CHOSEN THAN GREAT RICHES. It will be observed that "good" in the Authorized Version is in italics, showing that the epithet is not expressed in the Hebrew, which is simply שֵׁם (_shem_)_, _"name." But this word carried with it the notion of good repute, as in Ecclesiastes 7:1; for being well known implied honour and reputation, while being nameless (Job 30:8) signified not only obscurity, but ignominy and discredit. Hence the versions have ὄνομα καλόν_, nomen bonum, _and Ecclesiasticus 41:12, "Have regard to thy name (περὶ ὀνόματος)_, _for that shall continue with thee above a thousan

SEEST THOU A MAN DILIGENT IN HIS BUSINESS?.... In the business of his calling, be it what it will, whether for himself or his master; constant in it, swift, ready, and expeditious at it; who industriously pursues it, cheerfully attends it, makes quick dispatch of it; does it off of hand, at once, and is not slothful in it, nor weary of it; when you have observed and taken notice of such a man, which is not very common, you may, without a spirit of prophecy, foresee that such a man will rise in the world; HE SHALL STAND BEFORE KINGS; HE SHALL NOT STAND BEFORE MEAN [MEN], or "obscure persons" o; he shall not continue in the service of ignoble persons, or keep company with them; but he shall be taken into the service of princes and noble men, and be admitted into their presence, and receive favours from them; as Joseph, who was industrious and diligent in his business in Potiphar's house,...

CHAPTER 22 INSTRUCTIONS CONTINUED Better than great riches, better than silver and gold is a name and loving favor. If a person has riches and a bad name and is not well thought of, he is less honorable than the poor man who has a name and good reputation. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon says: “A good name is better than precious ointment” Ecclesiastes 7:11). The third verse has a wise message: “The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.” The Lord has revealed in His Word the evil which is in store for the sinner and the impenitent. He also has prepared a hiding place, an ark of safety, in His Son, our Lord. The prudent believeth the Word and flees to the refuge; the simple, the unbelieving, pass on and suffer for it when the evil comes. Humility and the fear of the Lord has a reward, while thorns and snares are in the way of the

SEEST THOU... ? Figure of speech _Erotesis._ App-6. MEAN. mean ones: i.e. men who are obscure....

_stand before_ Comp. 1 Kings 10:8. _mean_ "Heb. _obscure_" R.V. marg....

SEEST THOU A MAN DILIGENT IN HIS BUSINESS— Solomon does not merely commend industry and diligence, as some understand it; but something more, which the Hebrew word מהיר _mahir,_ plainly imports; namely, speed, swiftness, readiness, and cheerfulness in the dispatch of business; to which is required a quickness of apprehension in conceiving the fittest means, and a dexterity in the application of them; so that the business is not only done, but done speedily, and without much noise and bustle. Bishop Patrick. Houbigant, in conformity with this remark, renders it, _If any man is intelligent and quick in the dispatch of business._ Upon which Lord Bacon observes, that quickness of dispatch only in the execution of commands, of all other qualities, hath nothing in it which doth not please the minds of princes: the motions of their minds are swift, and not very patient of delay; for they imagin...

TEXT Proverbs 22:22-29 22. Rob not the poor, because he is poor; Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: 23. For Jehovah will plead their cause, And despoil of life those that despoil them. 24. Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go: 25. Lest thou learn his ways, And get a snare to thy soul. 26. Be thou not one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts. 27. If thou has not wherewith to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee? 28. Remove not the ancient landmark, Which thy fathers have set. 29. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall stand before mean men. STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 22:22-29