Jane Austen began her famous novel Pride and Prejudice with the words: “It is a universally acknowledged truth that a single man who’s lucky must lack a wife.”
Although a wealthy, single man within the nineteenth centuryp He had the whole lot he needed for a snug life, and he missed his wife. He needed someone to spend his life with, to have a companion in on a regular basis experiences.
Proverbs 18:22 presents an equally memorable statement in Jane Austen’s opening verse. Men throughout the ages have generally found that when and in the event that they do marry, having a wife is sweet.
A person’s eager for a wife goes back to the start of creation, when Adam was lonely and needed a helper. God knew that “it isn’t good for a person to be alone. I’ll make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). Eve was the reply to Adam’s loneliness.
Christians uphold and have a good time the biblical sanctity of marriage. However, this proverb ought to be interpreted appropriately and never transcend its meaning. For example, what does it mean for a person to receive grace from the Lord for having a wife?
How does this apply to men and ladies who decide to remain single to serve Christ? Is it a sure promise that the husband will value his wife? As we meditate on this proverb, we must consider these questions.
Reading Proverbs: Important Reminders for Interpretation
The Book of Proverbs is an element of the Holy Scriptures that are inspired by God and completely infallible because the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16).
However, when interpreting Proverbs or another biblical book, we must keep many things in mind, akin to historical and immediate context and literary genre.
As a part of the wisdom literature, the book of Proverbs presents general truths through memorable statements, often using contrasts. Solomon presented the aim of Proverbs as gaining wisdom, which begins with the fear or reverence of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7).
Those who fear the Lord and meditate deeply on proverbs will gain “wisdom and instruction,” learn to do “good, just, and upright,” and youths might be trained in “knowledge and prudence” (Proverbs 1:2-4).
The proverb presents a general truth, but we must keep in mind that in life not all the time the whole lot ends because the proverb teaches. In addition, they don’t apply to each situation and are usually not meant to be guarantees.
We read, for instance, Proverbs 21:21 that “he who pursues justice and love will find life, prosperity and glory.” While that is true, those that follow God’s justice and strive to do what is sweet and loving sometimes face opposition and hatred from others.
Many faithful followers of Christ world wide who strive to do good live in difficult conditions, face abuse and persecution.
Moreover, believers are usually not promised financial prosperity in life. If someone is wealthy and revered by others, it doesn’t all the time mean that he’s a believer who strives for righteousness and love.
Therefore, we must keep in mind that Proverbs is an inspired book of the Bible and can assist us grow in godly wisdom.
However, these words are usually not meant to be protected guarantees. These are general truths which are normally observed in life, but they are usually not strict rules about how life situations will play out. We must watch out how we use them.
IN Proverbs 18:22we read: “Whoever finds a wife finds something good and gains favor from the Lord” (ESV). If we read this proverb with the thought that it’s a promise from God, we will expect every marriage to be good and lasting.
We may assume that those that are married are more blessed or more favorable to God than those that are single.
The Extended Bible provides further context for the primary a part of this verse: “He who finds [true and faithful] wife found something good and gained favor and approval from the Lord.”
The explanatory wording “true and faithful” contrasts with the various warnings in Proverbs a couple of quarrelsome or quarrelsome wife and a morally handicapped wife (Proverbs 21:19; 25:24; Proverbs 11:22; 12:4; 14:1).
It is sweet to search out a wife with moral strength and character. That’s why we see an exemplary wife (and woman) in Proverbs 31who’s merciful, faithful and firm in faith.
A person who finds a Christ-loving wife finds good, which is a present from the Lord. Such a person doesn’t gain salvation, merit or grace because he marries a virtuous wife. His wife is relatively a treasure price greater than rubies (Proverbs 31:10).
The NET Bible translation conveys this in Proverbs 18:22“Whoever finds a wife finds delight and receives delight from the Lord.”
In the Latin Vulgate and Septuagint translations of this verse, there’s a further section that contrasts the great wife with the adulterous wife.
In Brenton’s translation of the Septuagint, the added a part of the verse reads: “He who leaves a superb wife rejects a superb thing, and he who keeps an adulteress is silly and ungodly” (Brenton’s Septuagint).Proverbs 18:22).
We must keep in mind that most versions of the Bible don’t retain this addition since it isn’t present in the Hebrew manuscripts.
A faithful Christian husband would know from the remainder of Scripture that divorcing his wife is condemned. Jesus explained that the one ground for divorce is adultery (Matthew 5:31-32).
Is there more to this verse?
Proverbs 18:22 is true because a person who has found a superb wife finds good and receives a present from God. However, problems arise once we attempt to apply this proverb to any situation. First, not every wife who follows Christ might be appreciated by her husband.
Many women are stuck in unhappy marriages. When a lady’s husband fails to see her price, she will find comfort within the incontrovertible fact that the Lord loves and values her greater than anyone else.
Similarly, Proverbs 18:22 It doesn’t apply to each marriage. For example, Ahab married Jezebel and didn’t receive what is sweet. He was already an evil king, but Jezebel urged him to do much more evil (1 Kings 21:25).
Solomon also married a whole lot of women, which is unbiblical, and his wives led him astray (1 Kings 11:3).
As I discussed above, this proverb is usually applicable when a person finds a wife who’s virtuous, specifically a follower of Christ. Proverbs 18:22 it doesn’t check with a Christian who marries an unbelieving woman.
In addition, the verse has limitations. A person (or woman, for that matter) who never marries due to life circumstances and chooses to stay single to serve Christ doesn’t lose blessings or grace (1 Corinthians 7:38).
The apostle Paul explains that married couples will experience difficulties that single people don’t (1 Corinthians 7:28). Those who’re married will struggle with undivided commitment to the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:32-35).
Both marriage and singleness have their very own difficulties, but one state isn’t any higher than the opposite. We shouldn’t overuse verses akin to Proverbs 18:22 to make those that are lonely feel unfulfilled or lower than complete. In Christ we’re complete (Colossians 2:10).
What does it mean?
while reading Proverbs 18:22, we must keep in mind that the proverb conveys a general truth. A person who finds a wife finds what is sweet, however the proverb isn’t meant to be a promise or a rule.
There’s more to Proverbs 18:22 it isn’t a promise that the husband will love every wife, that marriage based on unscriptural grounds might be blessed, or that the married person will receive from God a special favor that the single person doesn’t have.
We must concentrate on the restrictions of this proverb with the intention to avoid its misuse and misinterpretation.
For further reading:
/bible/what-it-it-means-to-be-a-noble-character-wife.html”>What does it mean to be a wife of noble-character?
What does the Church consider those that have never been married?
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