Proverbs 18:22

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(22) Whoso findeth a wife . . .—One who deserves the name of wife, as the one described in Proverbs 31:10, sqq.

Benson Commentary

Proverbs 18:22. Whoso findeth a wife — A good wife; one that deserves the name, and performs the duty of that relation. Thus Houbigant interprets it after many of the versions: see Proverbs 19:14. Findeth a good thing — A singular blessing; and obtaineth favour of the Lord — Obtaineth her, not by his own wisdom, or art, or endeavours, merely or chiefly, but by God’s good providence toward him, which orders that and all other events as it pleases him. The LXX. and Vulgate read at the end of this verse, “He that putteth away a good wife, putteth away a good thing; but he who retains an adulteress is foolish and wicked.”

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

18:19. Great care must be taken to prevent quarrels among relations and those under obligations to each other. Wisdom and grace make it easy to forgive; but corruption makes it difficult. 20. The belly is here put for the heart, as elsewhere; and what that is filled with, our satisfaction will be accordingly, and our inward peace. 21. Many a one has caused his own death, or the death of others, by a false or injurious tongue. 22. A good wife is a great blessing to a man, and it is a token of Divine favour. 23. Poverty tells men they must not order or demand. And at the throne of God's grace we are all poor, and must use entreaties. 24. Christ Jesus never will forsake those who trust in and love him. May we be such friends to others, for our Master's sake. Having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end; and we are his friends if we do whatever he commands us, Joh 15:14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The sense seems to require, "Whoso findeth a good wife," as in some Chaldee manuscripts; but the proverb writer may be looking at marriage in its ideal aspect, and sees in every such union the hands of God joining together man and woman for their mutual good. The Septuagint adds "He who casts out a good wife, casts away that which is good: but he that keepeth an adulteress is foolish and ungodly."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

22. The old versions supply "good" before the "wife," as the last clause and Pr 19:14 imply (compare Pr 31:10).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

A wife; either,

1. Simply a wife; for a wife, though she be not the best of her kind, is to be esteemed a blessing, being useful both for society of life, Genesis 2:18, and for the mitigation of a man’s cares and troubles, and for the prevention of sins. Or,

2. Good wife; one that deserves the name and performs the duty of that relation; a wise and worthy wife, as this word may seem to imply, being deduced from the Hebrew word isch, which sometimes notes a man of eminency. And this limitation and explication of the word may be gathered both from the following commendations, which would hardly be given to a bad wife, and from the usage of Scripture, in which this ellipsis is frequent, as a path or way is put for a good path or way, Psalm 119:1 Proverbs 15:10, an answer for a good answer, Proverbs 15:23, a king for a good king, Proverbs 16:10 29:4\, a name for a good name, Proverbs 22:1 Ecclesiastes 7:1, &c.

A good thing; a singular blessing.

Obtaineth favour of the Lord; obtaineth her not by his own wit, or art, or diligence, but by God’s good providence towards him, which ordereth that and all other events as it pleaseth him.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Whoso findeth a wife,.... A good one; so the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, supply it; and so the Targum, though it leaves out the word good in the last clause; and no other can be meant, even a good natured one, wise, prudent, careful, and industrious; a proper helpmeet, a virtuous woman, as in Proverbs 31:10; whoso seeks after such an one, and finds one, especially one that has the grace of God, which he should seek after among his friends, and by their assistance, and by prayer to God:

findeth a good thing; that will be good for him, both upon a civil and spiritual account; the Septuagint version adds,

"he that casts out a good wife casts out good things, but he that retains a whore is foolish and ungodly;''

which is followed by the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, but is not in the Hebrew text. Jarchi interprets it of the law in a mystic sense, but, according to the literal sense, of a good wife;

and obtaineth favour of the Lord; it is from the Lord, and under his direction and guidance in seeking, that he finds a good wife; and which he ought to esteem as a favour from the Lord, and as an evidence of his favour to him, and may encourage himself to hope for others of him (z) Hesiod says, a man cannot obtain anything better than a good wife.

(z) Opera & Dies, l. 2. v. 323.

Geneva Study Bible

Whoever findeth a {p} wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour from the LORD.

(p) He who is joined with a virtuous woman in marriage is blessed by the Lord, as in Pr 19:14.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

22. Compare:

“Happy is the husband of a good wife;

And the number of his days shall be twofold.

A brave woman rejoiceth her husband;

And he shall fulfil his years in peace.

A good wife is a good portion:

She shall be given in the portion of such as fear the Lord.”

Sir 26:1-3.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 22. - Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing. A good wife is meant (as the Septuagint has it, γυναῖκα ἀγαθήν; mulierem bonam, Vulgate), a virtuous, prudent helpmate, as in Proverbs 12:4; Proverbs 19:14; and 31. The epithet is omitted, because the moralist is thinking of the ideal wife, the one whoso union is blessed, who alone deserves the holy name of wife. Thus in ver. 4 we had the ideal man spoken cf. Septuagint, εϋρε χάριτας," findeth graces," viz. peace, union, plenty, ruder (see a different view, Ecclesiastes 7:26-28). And obtaineth favour of the Lord (Proverbs 8:35; Proverbs 12:2); or, hath obtained (Proverbs 3:13), as shown by the consort whom God has given him. Ratson, "good will," "favour," is rendered by the Septuagint ἱλαρότητα, and by the Vulgate, jucunditatem, "cheerfulness," "joyousness" (see on Proverbs 19:12). Ecclus. 26:1, etc., "Blessed is the man that hath a good wife, for the number of his days shall be double. A virtuous (ἀνδρεία) woman rejoiceth her husband, and he shall fulfil the years of his life in peace. A good wife is a good portion which shall be given in the portion of them that fear the Lord." "A good wife," says the Talmud. "is a good gift; she shall be given to a man that feareth God." And again, "God did not make woman from man's head, that she should not rule over him; nor from his feet, that she should not be his slave; but from his side, that she should be near his heart" (Dukes, p. 69). A Greek gnome runs -

Γυνή δικαζα τοῦ βίου σωτηρία The Septuagint and Vulgate here introduce a paragraph which is not in the Hebrew, and only partly in the Syriac. It seems to be a further explanation of the statement in the text, founded on the practice prevalent at the time when the Septuagint Version was composed, which appears to have made divorce a recognized necessity in the case of adultery: "He who casteth away a good a wife casteth away good things; but he who retaineth an adulteress is a fool and impious." The advice of Siracides concerning a wicked wife is austere: "If she go not as thou wouldest have her, cut her off from thy flesh" (Ecclus. 25:26). Nothing is here said about the marriage of divorced persons; but the absolute indissolubility of the marriage bond was never held among the Jews, a certain laxity being allowed because of the hardness of their heart (Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:8, etc.). The original intently of the marriage contract was re-established by Christ. Proverbs 18:22

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

22 Whatso hath found a wife hath found a good thing,

     And hath obtained favour from Jahve.

As ואהביה, 21b, reminds us of Proverbs 8:17, so here not only 22b, but also 22a harmonizes with Proverbs 8:35 (cf. Proverbs 12:2). A wife is such as she ought to be, as Proverbs 18:14, אישׁ, a man is such as he ought to be; the lxx, Syr., Targ., and Vulgate supply bonam, but "gnomic brevity and force disdains such enervating adjectives, and cautious limitations of the idea" (Fl.). Besides, אשׁה טובה in old Hebr. would mean a well-favoured rather than a good-dispositioned wife, which later idea is otherwise expressed, Proverbs 19:14; Proverbs 31:10. The Venet. rightly has γυναῖκα, and Luther ein Ehefraw, for it is a married woman that is meant. The first מצא is perf. hypotheticum, Gesen. 126, Anm. 1. On the other hand, Ecclesiastes 7:26, "I found, מוצא אני, more bitter than death the woman," etc.; wherefore, when in Palestine one married a wife, the question was wont to be asked: או מוצא מצא, has he married happily (after מצא of the book of Proverbs) or unhappily (after מוצא of Ecclesiastes) (Jebamoth 63b)?

(Note: Cf. Gendlau's Sprichwrter u. Redensarten deutsch-jdischer Vorzeit (1860), p. 235.)

The lxx adds a distich to Proverbs 18:22, "He that putteth away a good wife putteth away happiness; and he that keepeth an adulteress, is foolish and ungodly." He who constructed this proverb [added by the lxx] has been guided by מצא to מוציא (Ezra 10:3); elsewhere ἐκβάλλειν (γυναῖκα), Galatians 4:30, Sir. 28:15, is the translation of גּרשׁ. The Syr. has adopted the half of that distich, and Jerome the whole of it. On the other hand, Proverbs 18:23, Proverbs 18:24, and Proverbs 19:1-2, are wanting in the lxx. The translation which is found in some Codd. is that of Theodotion (vid., Lagarde).