Proverbs 22:11 (ASV)

Passage

He that loveth pureness of heart, [For] the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; For he giveth of his bread to the poor.

Proverbs 22:10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will go out; Yea, strife and ignominy will cease.

Proverbs 22:11 He that loveth pureness of heart, [For] the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.

Proverbs 22:12 The eyes of Jehovah preserve [him that hath] knowledge; But he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man.

Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard saith, There is a lion without: I shall be slain in the streets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "loveth", "pureness", "heart", "lips", "king", and "friend". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "loveth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Cast out the scoffer and contention will..." into verse 12's "The eyes of Jehovah preserve him that...", so "grace" and "loveth" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "grace" and "loveth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.