Proverbs 19 Bible study: Many plans, one counsel

In the WEB poor comes in five sayings of the chapter, and in Hebrew they use two words. Three have rush: "Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool" (19:1), "All the relatives of the poor shun him" (19:7), and "A poor man is better than a liar" (19:22) (tap poor in 19:1). Two have dal: "the poor is separated from his friend" (19:4), and "He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD" (19:17) (tap poor in 19:4). Three of the first seven sayings speak of friends: "Wealth adds many friends, but the poor is separated from his friend" (19:4); "everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts" (19:6); and "how much more do his friends avoid him! He pursues them with pleas, but they are gone" (19:7) (tap friend). These sayings say what happens; they don't praise it. Here is what almost everyone misses: the same chapter twice sets a poor man above another, "the poor who walks in his integrity" above one "perverse in his lips" (19:1), and "A poor man" above "a liar" (19:22). And it calls pity on the poor a loan "to the LORD" (19:17). The notes on Proverbs 14 set 19:4 beside a saying close to it: "The poor person is shunned even by his own neighbor, but the rich person has many friends" (Proverbs 14:20).

עֵצָה'etsahsay e-TSAH

Brown-Driver-Briggs: "counsel, advice". Strong's: "advice; by implication, plan". The two sayings that stand side by side both have it: "Listen to counsel and receive instruction" (19:20), and "There are many plans in a man’s heart, but the LORD’s counsel will prevail" (19:21). Proverbs has it ten times in Hebrew. Wisdom used it of her own counsel, refused: "They wanted none of my counsel" (Proverbs 1:30). And later: "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD" (Proverbs 21:30). Isaiah has it with 19:21's will prevail: "My counsel will stand" (Isaiah 46:10).