Passage
He that loveth cleanness of heart, for the grace of his lips shall have the king for his friend.
Proverbs 22:11 (DRB)
Nearby Context
Proverbs 22:9 He that is inclined to mercy, shall be blessed: for of his bread he hath given to the poor. He that maketh presents, shall purchase victory and honour: but he carrieth away the souls of the receivers.
Proverbs 22:10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention shall go out with him, and quarrels and reproaches shall cease.
Proverbs 22:11 He that loveth cleanness of heart, for the grace of his lips shall have the king for his friend.
Proverbs 22:12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge: and the words of the unjust are overthrown.
Proverbs 22:13 The slothful man saith: There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the midst of the streets.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "grace", "loveth", "cleanness", "heart", "lips", "shall", "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 shall..." into verse 12's "The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge...", 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.