Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 30:22
22a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food,
Proverbs 30:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;
- New International Version (NIV)a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
- English Standard Version (ESV)a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food;
- New King James Version (NKJV)For a servant when he reigns, A fool when he is filled with food,
Context of Proverbs 30:22
20This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” 21The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food, 23an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen. 24Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:
Read all of Proverbs 30Proverbs 30:22 word by word
תַּֽחַת־עֶ֭בֶד כִּ֣י יִמְל֑וֹךְ וְ֝נָבָ֗ל כִּ֣י יִֽשְׂבַּֽע־לָֽחֶם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 30:22
- Proverbs 19:10Luxury is not appropriate for a fool — how much less for a slave to rule over princes!
- Proverbs 28:3A destitute leader who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.
- Ecclesiastes 10:7I have seen slaves on horses, but princes walking on the ground like slaves.
- Isaiah 3:4“I will make youths their leaders, and unstable rulers will govern them.”
- 1 Samuel 25:3The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
- 1 Samuel 30:16So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
Commentaries on Proverbs 30:22
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-23Verses 21-23 Four sorts of persons are very troublesome. Men of low origin and base spirit, who, getting authority, become tyrants. Foolish and violent men indulging in excesses. A woman of a contentious spirit and vicious habits. A servant who has obtained undue influence. Let those whom Providence has advanced from low beginnings, carefully watch against that sin which most easily besets them.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-23This proverb lists four things that make the earth tremble because they disrupt the natural order. who is filled with food: In the ancient Near East, as in many non-industrialized parts of the world today, having enough food was a sign of prosperity.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-2321-23. Pride and cruelty, the undue exaltation of those unfit to hold power, produce those vices which disquiet society (compare Pr 19:10; 28:3).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 30:22
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 30
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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Commentaries