Proverbs 22:23 (DBY)

Passage

for Jehovah will plead their cause, and despoil the soul of those that despoil them.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:21 that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest carry back words of truth to them that send thee?

Proverbs 22:22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate;

Proverbs 22:23 for Jehovah will plead their cause, and despoil the soul of those that despoil them.

Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man, and go not with a furious man;

Proverbs 22:25 lest thou learn his paths, and get a snare to thy soul.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "plead", "cause", "despoil", and "soul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "plead", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Rob not the poor because he is..." into verse 24's "Make no friendship with an angry man...", so "jehovah" and "plead" 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 "jehovah" and "plead" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.