Proverbs 22:6 (DBY)

Passage

Train up the child according to the tenor of his way, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility [and] the fear of Jehovah is riches, and honour, and life.

Proverbs 22:5 Thorns [and] snares are in the way of the perverse: he that keepeth his soul holdeth himself far from them.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up the child according to the tenor of his way, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor; and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Proverbs 22:8 He that soweth unrighteousness shall reap iniquity, and the rod of his wrath shall have an end.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "train", "child", "tenor", and "depart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "train" and "child", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Thorns and snares are in the way..." into verse 7's "The rich ruleth over the poor and...", so "train" and "child" 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 "train" and "child" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.