He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king’s friend.
Parallel Translations
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He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king’s friend.
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He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
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He that loveth pureness of heart, that hath grace in his lips, the king shall be his friend.
Cross-references (13)
Passages linked to Proverbs 22:11 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.
- Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
- Psalms 101:6 My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He who walks in a perfect way, he will serve me.
- Proverbs 14:35 The king’s favor is toward a servant who deals wisely, but his wrath is toward one who causes shame.
- Psalms 45:2 You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.
- Ezra 7:6-11 this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to Yahweh his God’s hand on him. Some of the children of Israel, including some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God on him. For Ezra had set his heart to seek Yahweh’s law, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of Yahweh’s commandments, and of his statutes to Israel:
- Daniel 6:20-23 When he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me; because as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
- Genesis 41:39-57 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you. You shall be over my house. All my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. He made him ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, “Bow the knee!” He set him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh. Without you, no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. In the seven plenteous years the earth produced abundantly. He gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities. He stored food in each city from the fields around that city. Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number. To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, “For”, he said, “God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.” The name of the second, he called Ephraim: “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” The seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end. The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt. All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
- Nehemiah 2:4-6 Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.” The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “How long will your journey be? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time for him.
- Esther 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was next to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted by the multitude of his brothers, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his descendants.
- Daniel 2:46-49 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors to him. The king answered to Daniel, and said, “Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.” Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel was in the king’s gate.
- Daniel 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
- Luke 4:22 All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (20 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain He showeth that princes should use their familiarity, whose…
He showeth that princes should use their familiarity, whose conscience is good, and their talk wise and godly.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 22:11 He that loveth pureness of heart, [for]…
Pro 22:11 He that loveth pureness of heart, [for] the grace of his lips the king [shall be] his friend.
Ver. 11. He that loveth pureness of heart.] That is vexed at his inward pollutions, and affecteth (what he can never fully effect) to be pure as God is pure. {1Jn 3:3} He that hath gotten that pure lip, {Zep 3:9} called here the grace of his lips, and elsewhere the "law of grace," {Pro 31:26} he that can skill of those good words that do ingratiate with God and man (Gen 49:21, compared with Deu 33:23), he is fit to make a courtier, a favourite, such as was Joseph, Mordecai, Daniel, who though he used not always verbis byssinis, soft and silken words, but delivered heavy messages from God to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, yet God so wrought their hearts, though tyrants, that they greatly honoured him and highly preferred him. And when, out of his love to pureness of heart, he chose rather affliction than sin, to be cast to the lions than to bear a lion in his own bosom by offending his conscience, God made the king’s heart yearn towards him; so that this plain dealing "Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian." {Dan 6:28}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain That loveth pureness of heart; who is plain-hearted or…
That loveth pureness of heart; who is plain-hearted or sincere, and abhors dissimulation. For the grace of his lips; for those gracious speeches which naturally and commonly flow from a pure heart. Or, and (understand, loveth, out of the former clause) grace of his lips; whose discourse is gracious and sincere.
The king shall be his friend; the greatest men will, or should, desire and highly prize the acquaintance and advice of such persons, rather than of dissemblers and flatterers, wherewith they are most commonly pestered.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain Here is, 1. The qualification of an accomplished, a…
Here is, 1. The qualification of an accomplished, a complete gentleman, that is fit to be employed in public business. He must be an honest man, a man that loves pureness of heart and hates all impurity, not only pure from all fleshly lusts, but from all deceit and dissimulation, from all selfishness and sinister designs, that takes care to approve himself a man of sincerity, is just and fair from principle, and delights in nothing more than in keeping his own conscience clean and void of offence. He must also be able to speak with a good grace, not to daub and flatter, but to deliver his sentiments decently and ingeniously, in language clean and smooth as his spirit. 2. The preferment such a man stands fair for: The king, if he be wise and good, and understand his own and his people's interest, will be his friend, will make him of his cabinet-council, as there was one in David's court, and another in Solomon's, that was called the king's friend; or, in any business that he has, the king will befriend him. Some understand it of the King of kings. A man in whose spirit there is no guile, and whose speech is always with grace, God will be his friend, Messiah, the Prince, will be his friend. This honour have all the saints.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain He that loveth pureness of heart,.... Though man's heart…
He that loveth pureness of heart,.... Though man's heart is naturally impure, and all that is in it, the thoughts, affections, mind, conscience, understanding, and will; yet there is such a thing as pureness of heart; as where the grace of God is; where there it pure love to God, Christ, and to holy and heavenly things and persons; where there is pure and unfeigned faith in Christ, and a purifying hope of eternal life by him; where the Holy Spirit dwells as a sanctifier, and Christ dwells by faith; where there is sincerity and integrity; and where the heart is sprinkled by the blood of Christ from an evil conscience: and, though none are entirely free from impurity of flesh and spirit, yet every good man hates the impurity that is in him, and loves purity, and is desirous of it, and makes use of all means for it; and he loves a man of a pure heart, as Aben Ezra interprets it; he loves pureness of heart in himself and others. Some versions understand this of God: the Septuagint and Arabic versions are, "God loveth holy hearts"; and so the Targum,
"God loveth the pure in heart:''
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the Syriac version differs,
"he loves God that is pure in heart;''
but all wrong; the sense is as before given;
for the grace of his lips; or, "grace is in his lips"; or, "his lips are grace" (z), or gracious; as the lips of Christ, though in a greater measure and degree, Psa 45:2; as is a man's heart, so are his lips, A man of a pure heart will speak a pure language; a good man will talk of good things; a wise man of wisdom, and a gracious man of the grace of God; of the doctrines of grace he has received; of the blessings of grace bestowed on him; of the promises of grace applied unto him; of the experiences of grace he has been favoured with; of things grateful and acceptable to others, which minister grace, and are to the use of edifying;
the king shall be his friend; carry himself friendly to him, admit him to familiarity with him, take him into his court, and make him of his privy council; this is what a king should do, and what a wise and good king will do, and it is his interest so to do: a man of an upright heart, and of a graceful speech, is or should be regarded by princes; as Hushai the Archite by David; and Daniel even by Nebuchadnezzar, a Heathen king. Jarchi's note is,
"the holy blessed God loves and embraces him;''
and this sense may very well be received: the Lord loves purity of heart; he is good to them that are of a clean heart; he loves graceful lips, or lips speaking grace, in prayer, praise, or Christian conversation: he is a friend to such; to the pure he shows himself pure; the pure in heart shall see him, and ever dwell with him: Christ, who is King of kings and Lord of lords, loves purity and righteousness, and hates iniquity; the lips of his people are pleasing to him, they are like a thread of scarlet; he loves to hear their voice, especially speaking of his own grace; he is a friend unto them, one that loves at all times, and sticks closer than a brother.
(z) "gratia sunt labia ejus", De Dieu, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens; "cujus labia sunt grata", i.e. "gratiosa", Mercerus; "gratia in labiis ejus est", some in Vatablus.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 11. He that loveth pureness of heart] Who…
Verse 11. He that loveth pureness of heart] Who aims to be what God would have him to be - the King of kings shall be his Friend. There is no class of men that value uprightness more than kings; as none stand so much in need of it in their servants.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Pro 22:11. He that loveth pureness of heart —…
Pro 22:11. He that loveth pureness of heart — Who is plain-hearted or sincere, and abhors dissimulation; whose heart is so free from guile that he places his pleasure in the integrity of his mind, and the purity of his conscience; for the grace of his lips — For those gracious speeches which naturally and commonly flow from a pure heart, or whose discourse is gracious and sincere; the king shall be his friend — The greatest men will, or should, desire, and highly prize the acquaintance and advice of such persons, rather than of dissemblers and flatterers, with whom they are too generally surrounded.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain More literally, “He that loveth pureness of heart, his…
More literally, “He that loveth pureness of heart, his lips are gracious, the king is his friend.”
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Charles Bridges 1846 · Public Domain Pureness of heart describes not the natural, but the…
Pureness of heart describes not the natural, but the renewed, man. It is no external varnish, no affectation of holiness; but sincerity, humility, shrinking from sin, conformity to the image of God. He who hath fully attained this pureness is before the throne of God. He who loveth it is the child of God on earth. His perfection is desire, constant progress, pressing towards the mark. (Php 3:12-15 .) When the fountain is cleansed, it sendeth forth sweet waters. When "the tree is made good, the fruit will be good." "Of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." (Mat 12:33-34 .)
Pureness of heart sheds such refinement over the whole character, and pours such grace upon the lips, as attracts the admiration of those, who do not understand its source, and cannot appreciate its principle. (Pro 31:10, Pro 31:26 .) Such was the grace upon the lips of the holy Savior, that "the multitude hung upon them, wondering at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth."†1 The moral influence also of this purity of character is to put impurity to shame.
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Solomon doubtless spoke his own determination, that the king should be the friend of the gracious servant. This had been his father’s resolution.†2 This character smoothed the way to royal favor for Joseph,†3 for Ezra,†4 and Daniel.†5 Nay — we find godly Obadiah in the confidence of wicked Ahab.†6 So powerful is the voice of conscience, even when God and holiness are hated! Yet this choice of the gracious lips is to often rather what ought to be, than what is.†7 Well is it for the kingdom, when the sovereign’s choice is according to this rule.†8 Such alone the great King marks as his friends. Such he embraces with his fatherly love.†9 Such he welcomes into his heavenly kingdom.†10 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Mat 5:8 .)
Footnotes:
†1 Psa 19:2, Psa 19:7 . Luk 19:48 ; Luk 4:22 .
†2 Psa 101:6; Psa 119:63 .
†3 Gen 41:37-45.
†4 Ezr 7:6, Ezr 7:21-25 .
†5 Dan 6:1-3, Dan 6:28 .
†6 1Ki 18:3, 1Ki 18:12 . 2Ki 13:14 .
†7 Pro 16:12-13.
†8 Pro 28:2; Pro 25:5 .
†9 Pro 15:9.
†10 Psa 15:1-2; Psa 24:3-4 .
Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain He. Septuagint, "the Lord loveth pious hearts. All the…
He. Septuagint, "the Lord loveth pious hearts. All the irreproachable are acceptable to him. The king feeds with lips," by his just ordinances. (Haydock) --- Kings hate duplicity; but require that the truth should be disclosed to them in a suitable manner.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain (Compare Margin).
(Compare Margin).
pureness of heart--and gentle, kind words win favor, even from kings.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 11. Loveth pureness of heart — He that loves…
11. Loveth pureness of heart — He that loves purity and sincerity.
For the grace of his lips — The sincerity and truthfulness of his speech and life, the king (is) his friend. The verse is obscure. It probably means: He that loves sincerity above all things, and is able to deliver his mind in acceptable language, is a fit companion for a king. On the expression “grace of his lips,” comp. Ecc_10:12. Zockler renders: “He that loveth with a pure heart, whose lips are gracious, the king shall be his friend.” The Septuagint thus: “The Lord loves holy hearts, and all blameless persons are acceptable with him: a king rules with his lips.” Compare Pro_16:13.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 11. for the grace of] If this rendering be…
11. for the grace of] If this rendering be retained, with both A.V. and R.V. text, it will mean that purity of heart, honest and good motives, will produce such winning speech as, by contrast with the empty and hollow flattery of the courtier, will conciliate the favour of the king. Comp. Pro_16:13, and Ecc_10:12 : “the words of the wise are gracious.”
We may render, however, with R.V. marg., “that hath grace in his lips,” and then the meaning will be that if he who has pure motives (loveth pureness of heart) has also a happy gift of expressing himself (grace in his lips), he will be sure to make the king his friend.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (11) For the grace of his lips.—Rather, who has…
(11) For the grace of his lips.—Rather, who has grace of lips; one who loves the truth and can speak it pleasantly.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain He that loveth pureness of heart; he who strives…
He that loveth pureness of heart; he who strives to be pure m heart, (Mat_5:8) free from guile, lust, cupidity, vice of every kind. The next clause carries on the description of the perfect character, and is best translated. And hath grace of lips, the king is his friend. He who is not only virtuous and upright, but has the gift of graciousness of speech, winning manner in conversation, such a man wilt attach the king to him by the closest bonds of friendship. We have had something very similar at Pro_16:13. Some of the versions consider that by the king God is meant. Thus the Septuagint, "The Lord loveth holy hearts, and all blameless persons are acceptable with him." The rest of the clause is connected by the LXX with the following verse, "A king guides his flock (poimainei ) with his lips; but the eyes of the Lord," etc.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace…
Pro_22:11
He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
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Purity
What is purity--this bright and blessed strength of human life? The foundation of all purity must rest upon the body. Without bodily purity no other form of purity is possible. On this must rise the structure of mental and spiritual purity. Our thoughts and words must be not less pure than our actions. Action is ripened thought, and thought is germinating action. No man suddenly falls. The thoughts have grown accustomed to dwell on impurity long before the deed of impurity is committed. In pureness of mind lies our best defence. And purity of mind is essential to clearness of spiritual vision and lofty exaltation of soul. The vision of the Invisible is impossible to the impure. And the beatific vision of God should be mans noblest ambition. Practical suggestions:
1. Cleanliness is a strong defence of bodily purity, and with this must go good moral habits.
2. Wholesome environment and occupation are strong aids to purity. When the surroundings of life are not wholesome, it is a struggle to keep life pure.
3. Go not into the way of temptation, and avoid the companionship of the impure.
4. Reverence your body. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost; let us not defile them with impurity. And whatever else you leave undone, yet believe in pure and sacred love. Love that is not pure is not love. The love of home is a splendid defence against impurity. (Canon Diggle.)
The grace of the lips
I. Pure-heartedness. The moral beauty, the moral affluence of it; what it is and what comes out of it; what is a purehearted man, and how does his pure-heartedness stand related to his life? The proverb speaks of love for pure-heartedness, a recognition of it, and a joy in it, as the greatest and best of possessions.
II. The outcome of pure-heartedness. A pure-hearted man will be pure in speech; his conversation will be seasoned with the salt of his pure feeling. Speech is the blossom of a mans life, and is fair or foul, fragrant or offensive, according to the character of the tree.
1. Conversation is the grace of the lips. Not mere religious talk; not prudery--the over-conscientiousness that detects wrong where no wrong is. Over-sensitiveness is not delicacy.
2. Prayer is a grace of the lips that springs from pure-heartedness.
3. The preaching of a pure-hearted man is a grace of the lips. Because of this grace of the lips which springs from purity of heart, special favours shall be won. The king shall be his friend. Good men win social confidence wherever they are, and the favour of the King of kings. (Henry Allon.)
The good man
This passage leads us to consider the heart, the speech, the influence, and the blessedness of a good man.
I. The heart of the good man. He loveth pureness of heart. Not merely does he love the pure in language, in manners and habits, in outward deportment, but the pure in heart. Pureness of heart in mans case implies--
1. A moral renewal.
2. An urgent necessity. Without pureness of heart there is no true knowledge of God, or fellowship with Him.
II. The speech of the good man. For the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend. By the grace of his lips we are to understand something more than grammatic accuracy, or elegant diction--something more than logical correctness or strict veracity. It means speech that is morally pure--pure in sentiment, pure in aim. It is said of Christ that the people wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. The man of a pure heart will have lips of grace. If the tree is made good, the fruit will be good.
III. The influence of the good man. The king shall be his friend. Solomon here speaks probably of his own determination. He meant to say that he would give his friendship to such men. This, says Mr. Bridges, had been his fathers resolution (Psa_51:6; Psa_119:63). This character smoothed the way to royal favour for Joseph (Gen_41:37-45), for Ezra (Ezr_7:21-25), and Daniel (Dan_6:1-3; Dan_6:28). Nay, we find godly Obadiah in the confidence of wicked Ahab (1Ki_18:3; 1Ki_18:12; 2Ki_13:14). So powerful is the voice of conscience, even when God and holiness are hated! Such alone the great King marks as His friends. Such He embraces with His fatherly love (Pro_15:9). Such He welcomes into His heavenly kingdom (Psa_15:1-2; Psa_24:3-4).
IV. The blessedness of a good man The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge. Three different interpretations have been given to the expression.
1. That the Lord vigilantly watches over His truth in the world. This is a truth, although we are not disposed to accept it as an interpretation of the passage.
2. That what the eyes of the Lord see He remembers for ever. The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge. He retains His knowledge. We do not preserve our knowledge. We forget far more than we retain. But we are not disposed to accept this as the idea of the passage.
3. That the Lord exercises a protecting superintendence over those who possess His knowledge. That it means, in fact, the same as the expression elsewhere. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. This we accept as the true idea. Whilst the Lord keeps the good man, He overthroweth the words of the transgressor. (D. Thomas, D.D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_22:11
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro_22:11
A ROAD TO ROYAL FRIENDSHIP
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I. The pure in heart deserve to be honoured with the friendship of the king. Where there is purity of heart, the springs of moral life are healthy—the whole man is an embodiment of truth and goodness. Such a man is worthy of the honour and confidence of those who stand in the highest positions, inasmuch as purity of heart belongs to the man himself, and is a possession that is counted precious by the best beings in the universe, whereas power and rank are often but accidents of birth, and in themselves alone are valueless in the sight of God, and in the eyes of the greatest and noblest of His creatures.
II. The king consults his own interest when he shows favour to such men. A man of pure heart is a great blessing to any community. His very life is in itself a light which scatters moral darkness—a well which makes a fertile spot wherever it springs forth. And it is in proportion to the number of such men in a kingdom that the realm enjoys peace and prosperity. If we could find any earthly commonwealth composed entirely of such citizens, we should find a place where the kingdom of God had “come”—a heaven upon earth. But where there is purity of heart there is grace of lips—there is active effort to spread truth and righteousness. The well does not confine itself to the spot where it first issues from the earth, but sends forth health-giving streams far and near. Seeing, then, that such men are the real pillars of a state, he only is a wise king who seeks them out and delights to do them honour.
III. Some kings have recognised their obligations and interest in this matter. Pharaoh discerned the purity of Joseph’s heart by the grace of his lips, and made him the second ruler in his kingdom, and Darius promoted Daniel to the highest office in his realm. David’s resolution was—“Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.” (Psa_101:6.)
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pureness of heart describes not the natural, but the renewed man. It is no external varnish, no affectation of holiness; but sincerity, humility, shrinking from sin, conformity to the image of God. He who hath fully attained this pureness is before the throne of God. He who loveth it is the child of God on earth. His perfection is desire, constant progress, pressing towards the mark. (Philip. Pro_3:12-15).—Bridges.
What Solomon says is rather an encouragement to love and cultivate “pureness of heart,” than a motive to be directly regarded, and allowed to influence us to this duty. It is only one of those indirect results which may be enjoyed as a testimony of the higher approbation of God.… While we thank God for the favour He may give us in the sight of men,—we must see that we seek no friendships, whether among the greatest or the least, the highest or the lowest, by any other means whatever than the “pureness of heart,” and the consistency of life here recommended.—Wardlaw.
Grace in the lips is necessary to recommend pureness of heart. We ought always to speak the words of truth, but we ought to speak it in the most pleasing manner possible, that we may not render it unacceptable by our manner of representing it. Daniel showed his integrity and politeness at once, by the manner of his address to Nebuchadnezzar, when he was called to give him very disagreeable information.—Lawson.
He that hath pureness of heart cannot choose but love it, such is the exceeding beauty and amiableness of it; and he that loveth pureness of heart cannot choose but have it, for that it is which purifieth and cleanseth the heart. Many there be who love a cleanness, and neatness, and pureness of apparel; many there are who love a clearness and pureness of countenance and complexion. No washing or purifying is thought to be enough to make this appear, so that often the heart is defiled by it. And with such puritans the courts of princes are much attended, wooing with this bravery the favour of the court and prince. But it is to the pure in heart that God inclineth in favour the heart of the king. And because the heart is not discernible by the king, God therefore giveth grace unto the lips, in which the purity of the heart shining, tieth the heart of the king as a friend unto him.—Jermin.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain v. 11. He that loveth pureness of heart, for…
v. 11. He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend, literally, "He who loves purity, integrity, of heart, and to whom is grace of lips, the king is his friend," he will stand high in the counsels of the mighty of the earth.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 loves a pure heart
loves a pure heart
It is his own heart that the person wants to be pure. The heart is a synecdoche for the person. AT: "loves having a pure heart" or "wants to be pure" (See: Synecdoche)
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is gracious
"is kind"
The eyes of Yahweh keep watch over
The eyes are a synecdoche for the person. The writer speaks as if Yahweh had physical eyes like a person. AT: "Yahweh keeps watch over" or "Yahweh guards knowledge" (See: Synecdoche and Personification)
keep watch over knowledge
Keeping watch is s metonym for protecting. AT: "protect knowledge" (See: Metonymy)
he overthrows
"he destroys"
the treacherous
The nominal adjective treacherous can be translated as a noun phrase. Translate "treacherous" as in Proverbs 11:3. AT: "a treacherous person" (See: Nominal Adjectives)
translationWords
pure
heart
grace
king
Yahweh
know
word
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 22:11 Even a wicked ruler wants advisers who have…
22:11 Even a wicked ruler wants advisers who have a pure heart—i.e., who are completely loyal—and who can communicate with gracious speech.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.