New King James Version
Proverbs 30:22
22For a servant when he reigns, 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,
- English Standard Version (ESV)a slave when he becomes king, and 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 adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wickedness.” 21For three things the earth is perturbed, Yes, for four it cannot bear up: For a servant when he reigns, A fool when he is filled with food, 23A hateful woman when she is married, And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress. 24There are four things which are little on the earth, 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 19:10Luxury is not fitting for a fool, Much less for a servant to rule over princes.
- Proverbs 28:3A poor man who oppresses the poor Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.
- Ecclesiastes 10:7I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants.
- Isaiah 3:4“I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.
- 1 Samuel 25:3The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
- 1 Samuel 30:16And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries