New King James Version
Proverbs 22:20
20Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge,
Proverbs 22:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
- New International Version (NIV)Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge,
- English Standard Version (ESV)Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge,
- New Living Translation (NLT)I have written thirty sayings for you, filled with advice and knowledge.
Context of Proverbs 22:20
18For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, 19So that your trust may be in the Lord; I have instructed you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, 21That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you? 22Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
Read all of Proverbs 22Proverbs 22:20 word by word
הֲלֹ֤א כָתַ֣בְתִּי לְ֭ךָ שָׁלִישִׁ֑ים בְּמ֖וֹעֵצֹ֣ת וָדָֽעַת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 22:20
- Proverbs 8:6Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
- Psalms 12:6The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.
- Hosea 8:12I have written for him the great things of My law, But they were considered a strange thing.
- 2 Timothy 3:15and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
- 2 Peter 1:19And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
Commentaries on Proverbs 22:20
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Excellent things - A meaning of the word derived from “the third,” i. e., “the chief of three warriors in a chariot” (compare Exodus 14:7 note). Another reading of the Hebrew text gives “Have I not written to thee long ago?” and this would form a natural antithesis to “this day” of Proverbs 22:19. The rendering of the Septuagint is: “write them for thyself three times;” that of the Vulgate, “I have written it (i. e., my counsel) In threefold form;” the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-21Verses 17-21 To these words, to this knowledge, the ear must be bowed down, and the heart applied by faith and love. To live a life of delight in God and dependence on him, is the foundation of all practical religion. The way to know the certainty of the word of truth, is to make conscience of our duty.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20thirty sayings: Early scribes observed that the Hebrew word for thirty was written in an unusual form (shlshwm) instead of the usual form (shlyshym). All early translations of the Old Testament, such as the Greek Septuagint, Latin Vulgate, and Syriac Peshitta, interpret it as thirty. However, some choose to translate the word as excellent sayings.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. excellent things--or probably of former times. counsels and knowledge--both advice and instruction.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 22:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 22
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries