Proverbs 22:11
in Proverbs 22He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips will have the king for a friend.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that loveth pureness of heart, For the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.
KJV
He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
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This verse in Proverbs 22
Commentary
6 notes on this verse"He who loves purity of heart," etc. He who rightly preaches with a pure heart will be numbered among those, about whom the prophet says to the same King and Creator of the ages: "But to me, your friends, O God, are greatly honored" (Ps. …
This site's exposition
Drive out the mocker, and conflict
on Proverbs 22:10-12
"Drive out the mocker, and conflict will depart," so strife has a cause that can be removed. He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips "will have the king for a friend." "The LORD’s eyes keep watch over knowledge," and He frustrates the words of the faithless.
This site's exposition
He who loves a pure heart
Bede lifts the king of this verse to God himself, the King and Creator. The verse joins the inward heart and the outward speech. Bede applies it to the preacher whose words come from a pure heart, and he counts such a man among the friends of God.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He that loveth pureness of heart,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
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.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
More literally, “He that loveth pureness of heart, his lips are gracious, the king is his friend.”
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
He who loves one pure of heart with charm on his lips One whose lips have grace.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֹהֵ֥ב | ʾohev | [one who] loves | H157 → | 211 times |
| טְהָר | tehor- | pure of | H2889 → | 94 times |
| לֵ֑ב | lev | heart | H3820 → | 595 times |
| חֵ֥ן | chen | [the] grace of | H2580 → | 69 times |
| שְׂ֝פָתָ֗יו | sefatav | lips his | H8193 → | 176 times |
| רֵעֵ֥הוּ | reehu | [is] friend his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ׃ | melekh | a king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
אֹהֵ֥ב[one who] loves
ʾohevH157 →211 times
טְהָרpure of
tehor-H2889 →94 times
לֵ֑בheart
levH3820 →595 times
חֵ֥ן[the] grace of
chenH2580 →69 times
שְׂ֝פָתָ֗יוlips his
sefatavH8193 →176 times
רֵעֵ֥הוּ[is] friend his
reehuH7453 →188 times
מֶֽלֶךְ׃a king
melekhH4428 →2525 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
Matthew 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
it leads to
- Psalms 24:4
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.
- Psalms 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
- Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
- Ezekiel 36:25–27
I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
- Psalms 24:4
Through
Psalms 45:2You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.
it leads to
- Luke 4:22
All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
- Song of Solomon 5:10–16
My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.
- Luke 4:22
Through
Psalms 101:6My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me.
it leads to
- Psalms 119:63
I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.
- Psalms 119:63
Where this verse is studied
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); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.