English Standard Version
Proverbs 30:22
22a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled 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,
- New King James Version (NKJV)For a servant when he reigns, A fool when he is filled with food,
- New Living Translation (NLT)a slave who becomes a king, an overbearing fool who prospers,
Context of Proverbs 30:22
20This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I have done no wrong." 21Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food; 23an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly 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 19:10It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.
- Proverbs 28:3A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.
- Ecclesiastes 10:7I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
- Isaiah 3:4And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them.
- 1 Samuel 25:3Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.
- 1 Samuel 30:16And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries