Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
Parallel translations
- WEB Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve kings. He won’t serve obscure men.
- BSB Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
- NKJV Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.
- NASB ¶Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure people.
- NLT Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.
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
A person skilled and diligent in his work will rise to serve the great rather than the obscure.
Overview
Excellence and faithfulness in one's calling tend to bring advancement and honor. The proverb commends diligent craftsmanship as a path that gains the notice of those in authority. Scripture elevates this further, calling believers to work heartily "as for the Lord," knowing they ultimately serve Christ the King (Col. 3:23-24).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Kgs 11:28And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
- Matt 25:21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
- Prov 12:24The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
- Matt 25:23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
- Prov 10:4He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
- Eccl 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
- Gen 41:46And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
- Rom 12:11Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
- 1 Kgs 10:8Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
- 2 Tim 4:2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
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 22:29 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.