Proverbs 18:22
in Proverbs 18He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, And obtaineth favor of Jehovah.
KJV
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.
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This verse in Proverbs 18
Commentary
4 notes on this verseWhoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing - Marriage, with all its troubles and embarrassments, is a blessing from God; and there are few cases where a wife of any sort is not better than none, because celibacy is an evil; for God himself hath said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” None of the versions, except the Chaldee, are pleased with the naked simplicity of the Hebrew text, hence they all add good: “He that findeth a Good wife findeth a good thing;” and most people, who have not deeply considered the subject, think the assertion, without this qualification, is absurd.
This site's exposition
He who finds a wife finds
on Proverbs 18:22-24
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and "obtains favor from the LORD." Beside it the poor man pleads for mercy and the rich man answers harshly. A man of many companions may come to ruin, "but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother."
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Whoso findeth a wife,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The sense seems to require, “Whoso findeth a good wife,” as in some Chaldee manuscripts; but the proverb writer may be looking at marriage in its ideal aspect, and sees in every such union the hands of God joining together man and woman for their mutual good. The Septuagint adds “He who casts out a good wife, casts away that which is good: but he that keepeth an adulteress is foolish and ungodly.”
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מָצָ֣א | matza' | he finds | H4672 → | 455 times |
| אִ֭שָּׁה | ʾishah | a wife | H802 → | 781 times |
| מָ֣צָא | matza' | he finds | H4672 → | 455 times |
| ט֑וֹב | tov | a good thing | H2896 → | 538 times |
| וַיָּ֥פֶק | vaiyafek | and he obtained | H6329 → | 7 times |
| רָ֝צ֗וֹן | ratzon | pleasure | H7522 → | 56 times |
| מֵיְהוָֽה׃ | meyahweh | from Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
מָצָ֣אhe finds
matza'H4672 →455 times
אִ֭שָּׁהa wife
ʾishahH802 →781 times
מָ֣צָאhe finds
matza'H4672 →455 times
ט֑וֹבa good thing
tovH2896 →538 times
וַיָּ֥פֶקand he obtained
vaiyafekH6329 →7 times
רָ֝צ֗וֹןpleasure
ratzonH7522 →56 times
מֵיְהוָֽה׃from Yahweh
meyahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Corinthians 7:2But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:28
In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
- Ephesians 5:33
Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
- 1 Corinthians 7:9
But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
- Ephesians 5:28
Through
Ecclesiastes 9:9Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your…
it leads to
- Proverbs 5:18–19
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 5:18–19
Through
Proverbs 19:14Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
it leads to
- Proverbs 31:10–31
A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.
- Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.
- Proverbs 3:6
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
- Proverbs 31:10–31
Through
Proverbs 12:4A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.
it leads to
- Proverbs 31:10–25
A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.
- Proverbs 31:10–25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.