The Meaning of Proverbs 18:22 Explained

Proverbs 18:22

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

YLT: Whoso hath found a wife hath found good, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah.

Darby: Whoso hath found a wife hath found a good thing, and hath obtained favour from Jehovah.

ASV: Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, And obtaineth favor of Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Proverbs 18:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The favor God bestows is His blessing.
"The wording, especially in the Hebrews , strikingly resembles that of Proverbs 8:35, and so suggests that after wisdom itself, the best of God"s blessings is a good wife. Proverbs 31:10 makes a similar comparison, putting her price, like wisdom"s ( Proverbs 8:11), above rubies." [1]
Not just any wife is a good thing though; only a good wife is (cf. Proverbs 19:13-14).

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 18

1  A fool delights not in understanding

What do the individual words in Proverbs 18:22 mean?

[He who] finds a wife finds a good [thing] and obtains favor from Yahweh
מָצָ֣א אִ֭שָּׁה מָ֣צָא ט֑וֹב וַיָּ֥פֶק רָ֝צ֗וֹן מֵיְהוָֽה

מָצָ֣א  [He  who]  finds 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
אִ֭שָּׁה  a  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
מָ֣צָא  finds 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
ט֑וֹב  a  good  [thing] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
וַיָּ֥פֶק  and  obtains 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פּוּק 
Sense: to bring out, furnish, promote, go out, issue.
רָ֝צ֗וֹן  favor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָצֹון  
Sense: pleasure, delight, favour, goodwill, acceptance, will.
מֵיְהוָֽה  from  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.