He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of Yahweh.
- KJV Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
- NKJV He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.
- NASB He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the Lord.
- NLT The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Finding a good wife is a blessing and a gift from the LORD. A godly marriage is a sign of God's favor.
Overview
This proverb celebrates the man who finds a wife as one who finds a good thing and receives favor from Yahweh, framing a good marriage as God's gracious gift. It honors marriage as part of God's good design from creation (Gen. 2:18). While not every believer is called to marry, the verse points to God as the giver of every good gift and ultimately to Christ's love for His bride, the church (Eph. 5:25-32).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 19:14Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
- Prov 31:10–31A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.
- Prov 12:4A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.
- Eccl 9:9Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.
- 1 Cor 7:2But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
- Prov 5:15–23Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.
- Gen 2:18The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”
- Prov 8:35For whoever finds me finds life and obtains the favor of the LORD.
- Hos 12:12Jacob fled to the land of Aram and Israel worked for a wife—for a wife he tended sheep.
- Prov 3:4Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man.
- Gen 29:20–21So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her.
- Gen 24:67And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
- Gen 29:28And Jacob did just that. He finished the week’s celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 18:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.