The desire of a man is loving devotion; better to be poor than a liar.
Parallel translations
- WEB That which makes a man to be desired is his kindness. A poor man is better than a liar.
- KJV The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.
- NKJV What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar.
- NASB What is desirable in a person is his kindness, And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.
- NLT Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest.
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
Loyal kindness is what makes a person desirable, and honest poverty beats deceitful wealth. Faithful love and integrity matter more than riches.
Overview
This proverb commends kindness or steadfast love as what makes a person truly attractive, and declares a poor man better than a liar. The verse is variously rendered, but its thrust honors loyal love and honesty above wealth gained by deceit. It reflects God's own steadfast love (chesed) and calls His people to value integrity and faithful kindness, supremely displayed in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 2 Cor 8:12For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
- 2 Chr 6:8But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart.
- Mark 14:6–8But Jesus said, “Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.
- Mark 12:41–44As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts.
- 2 Cor 8:2–3In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.
- Prov 19:1Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse.
- Titus 1:2in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
- 1 Chr 29:2–3Now with all my ability I have made provision for the house of my God—gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and slabs of marble—all in abundance.
- Ps 62:9Lowborn men are but a vapor, the exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor.
- 1 Chr 29:17I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.
- Job 6:15But my brothers are as faithless as wadis, as seasonal streams that overflow,
- Job 17:5If a man denounces his friends for a price, the eyes of his children will fail.
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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 19:22 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.