Bible/Proverbs/24

Proverbs 24:22

24:21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: them: Heb. changers
For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

KJV

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for their calamity will rise suddenly; the destruction from them both — who knows?

For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knows the ruin of them both?

24:23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

What does Proverbs 24:22 mean?

Proverbs 24:22 is a verse in the book of Proverbs, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include אֵיד (ʼêyd), קוּם (qûwm), פִּתְאוֹם (pithʼôwm). It connects to 12 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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For
their
calamityאֵידʼêyd/ade/H343oppression; by implication misfortune, ruin
shall
riseקוּםqûwm/koom/H6965to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)
suddenly;פִּתְאוֹםpithʼôwm/pith-ome'/H6597instantly
and
who
knowethיָדַעyâdaʻ/yaw-dah'/H3045to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.)
the
ruinפִּידpîyd/peed/H6365(figuratively) misfortune
of
them
both?שְׁנַיִםshᵉnayim/shen-ah'-yim/H8147two; also (as ordinal) twofold

Commentary on Proverbs 24:22

HENRY_FULL · Proverbs 24:21–22
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both? Note, 1. Religion and loyalty must go together. As men, it is our duty to honour our Creator, to worship and reverence him, and to be always in his fear; as members of a community, incorporated for mutual benefit, it is our duty to be faithful and dutiful to the government God has set over us, Rom. xiii. 1, 2 . Those that are truly religious will be loyal, in conscience towards God; the godly in the land will be the quiet in the land; and those are not truly loyal, or will be so no longer than is for their interest, that are not religious. How should he be true to his prince that is false to his God? And, if they come in competition, it is an adjudged case, we must obey God rather than men. 2. Innovations in both are to be dreaded. Have nothing to do, he does not say, with those that change, for there may be cause to change for the better, but those that are given to change, that affect change for change-sake, out of a peevish discontent with that which is and a fondness for novelty, or a desire to fish in troubled waters: Meddle not with those that are given to change either in religion or in a civil government; come not into their secret; join not with them in their cabals, nor enter into the mystery of their iniquity. 3. Those that are of restless, factious, turbulent spirits, commonly pull mischief upon their own heads ere they are aware: Their calamity shall rise suddenly. Though they carry on their designs with the utmost secresy, they will be discovered, and brought to condign punishment, when they little think of it. Who knows the time and manner of the ruin which both God and the king will bring on their contemners, both on them and those that meddle with them? 23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. 24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Exodus 34:6

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Exodus 34:7

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Deuteronomy 7:9

Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Jeremiah 33:11

The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 33:20

Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

Jeremiah 33:21

Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

Micah 7:20

Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Luke 1:50

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

Romans 15:8

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

Romans 15:9

And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.

Titus 1:2

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; In: or, For

Hebrews 6:13

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

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Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Proverbs 24:22.

Genesis 19:1

And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Genesis 19:15

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. are here: Heb. are found iniquity: or, punishment

Genesis 19:33

And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

Genesis 19:35

And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

Genesis 19:8

Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

Genesis 22:3

And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

Genesis 3:7

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. aprons: or, things to gird about

Genesis 32:22

And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

Frequently asked questions

What does Proverbs 24:22 say?

Proverbs 24:22 (King James Version) reads: "For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?"

Is Proverbs 24:22 in the Old or New Testament?

Proverbs 24:22 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Proverbs.

Reflect

As you read Proverbs 24:22, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

Plan a sermon or study on Proverbs 24:22
24:21Read all of Proverbs 2424:23