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Proverbs 22 Bible study: Train up a child
The new part at 22:17 opens with "the words of the wise", the very Hebrew words the book named at its start (1:6), and its teaching is for one thing: "so that your trust may be in the LORD" (22:19). And the rich and the poor share one Maker (22:2), who will "plead their case" (22:23).
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“A good name is more desirable than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and gold.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Proverbs 22:2 says the LORD is the maker of the rich and the poor.”
Is that in Proverbs 22, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Rich and poor, and one Maker
The chapter opens by weighing: "A good name is more desirable than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and gold" (22:1). Then comes a saying that sets the rich and the poor side by side: "The rich and the poor have this in common: The LORD is the maker of them all" (22:2) (tap poor). The notes on Proverbs 14 look at the sayings that join the poor to their Maker (Proverbs 14:31, 17:5), and in Hebrew 22:2's maker is the word of Maker in both. The rich and the poor come back again and again in this chapter. "The rich rule over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender" (22:7). "He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor" (22:9). "Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty" (22:16). And after the new heading comes a command with its reason: "Don’t exploit the poor because he is poor; and don’t crush the needy in court" (22:22), "for the LORD will plead their case, and plunder the life of those who plunder them" (22:23) (tap plead, plunder). These notes say what the sayings say, and apply them to no modern policy or public debate.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Proverbs 22
- "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (22:6). Is that a promise?
- "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline drives it far from him" (22:15). What does the saying say, and what doesn't it?
- Who is the I of 22:17-21, and what are the "thirty excellent things"?
That was a taste
The rest of Proverbs 22 is waiting in Favor
- Two sayings about a child
- "The words of the wise"
- Sayings met elsewhere in the book
- A boundary stone and a Defender
- 17 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Proverbs 22 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
חָנַךְchanakhsay kha-NAKH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "train up, dedicate". Strong's: "properly, to narrow; figuratively, to initiate or discipline". "Train up a child in the way he should go" (22:6). This is the only time Proverbs has the verb. The Hebrew Bible has it five times, and everywhere else the WEB gives it as dedicate or dedicated: twice in one verse, of a new house (Deuteronomy 20:5), and when "the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the LORD’s house" (1 Kings 8:63; also 2 Chronicles 7:5). The verse doesn't say what training up involves, and these notes take no more from the other verses than the lexicons give.
For your group
Proverbs 22 Bible study questions
- 1"A good name is more desirable than great riches" (22:1). What do you think gives someone a good name, and why might it be worth more than riches?
- 2"Don’t befriend a hot-tempered man" (22:24), "lest you learn his ways" (22:25). How have the people you spend time with shaped your ways, for good or ill?
- 3"Turn your ear, and listen to the words of the wise. Apply your heart to my teaching" (22:17), "so that your trust may be in the LORD" (22:19). What helps a good word go from your ears to your heart?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Proverbs 22 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Proverbs 22 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Proverbs 22 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home