Proverbs 19:22

The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
desire	תַּאֲוַ֣ת ta.'a.Vat	H8378	a longing · noun, common feminine singular construct
man	אָדָ֣ם 'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · noun, common masculine singular absolute
kindness	חַסְדּ֑וֹ chas.Do	H2617	kindness · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
man	רָ֝שׁ rash	H7326	to be destitute · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
better	וְטֽוֹב ve.tov-	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · conjunction + adjective, masculine singular absolute
than	מֵאִ֥ישׁ me.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
liar	כָּזָֽב ka.Zav	H3577	falsehood · noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Corinthians 8:12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
2 Chronicles 6:8 But the LORD said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in th…
Mark 14:6-8 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
Mark 12:41-44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2 Corinthians 8:2-3 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
1 Chronicles 29:2-3 Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, a…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 19:22

Note, 1. The honour of doing good is what we may laudably be ambitious of. It cannot but be the desire of man, if he have any spark of virtue in him, to be kind; one would not covet an estate for any thing so much as thereby to be put into a capacity of relieving the poor and obliging our friends. 2. It is far better to have a heart to do good and want ability for it than have ability for it and want a heart to it: The desire of a man to be kind, and charitable, and generous, is his kindness, and shall be so construed; both God and man will accept his good-will, according to what he has, and will not expect more. A poor man, who wishes you well, but can promise you nothing, because he has no…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 19:22

desire--that is, to do good, indicates a kind disposition (Pro 11:23); and the poor thus affected are better than liars, who say and do not.

John Gill on Proverbs 19:22

The desire of a man is his kindness,.... Either the grace and kindness of God, which is, desirable by every sensible man, as being most excellent, and better than life and anything in it; or it is his desire to show kindness. A good man is desirous of riches, that he might have it in the power of his hands to do good to others; and a beneficent man, who has it in his power, is desirous of an opportunity of showing kindness to his fellow creatures and friends; and such a disposition and conduct render a man very desirable and amiable; it is the beauty of a man, as Ben Melech; yea, a man that is not able to do a kindness to another, yet has a desire to do it, his good will is his kindness, and…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 19:22

The series makes a new departure with a proverb regarding the poor (cf. Pro 19:17): A man's delight is his beneficence; And better is a poor man than a liar. The right interpretation will be that which presses upon תּאות no strange meaning, and which places the two parts of the verse in an inner mutual relation ethically right. In any case it lies nearer to interpret תאות, in relation to man, actively than passively: that which makes man worthy of desire (Rashi), adorns and distinguishes him (Kimchi, Aben-Ezra); or, that which is desired by man, is above all things sought for (Luzzatto); and, in like manner, the Heb. meaning for חסדּו lies nearer than the Aram. (vid., Pro 14:34): the pleasur…

The Church Fathers

A needy man is merciful. He calls the needy humble, who continually remembers that he is in need of eternal goods. Such a one, so that he may obtain mercy from the Lord, never refuses to show mercy to his neighbor. About whom he subsequently adds:
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

And a poor man is better than a lying man. Indeed, better is the humble in heart, who trusts nothing in his own works, than he who, by the excellence of virtues, considering himself worthy of the name of man, is deceived; unaware that while he transfers the glory of God to himself, by pride he loses the goods he has done.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

False Teachers · FALSE WITNESS — FALSE WITNESS
Falsehood · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Kindness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Lying · Poverty preferable to — Poverty preferable to
Poor · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Speaking · EVIL — EVIL

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 19:22

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 19:22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 19:22

John Gill on Proverbs 19:22

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 19:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 19:22

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 19:22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 19:22

John Gill on Proverbs 19:22

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 19:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 19:18

Rashi on Proverbs 19:22