Proverbs 22:27 (GNV)

Passage

If thou hast nothing to paye, why causest thou that he should take thy bed from vnder thee?

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:25 Least thou learne his wayes, and receiue destruction to thy soule.

Proverbs 22:26 Be not thou of them that touch the hand, nor among them that are suretie for debts.

Proverbs 22:27 If thou hast nothing to paye, why causest thou that he should take thy bed from vnder thee?

Proverbs 22:28 Thou shalt not remooue the ancient bounds which thy fathers haue made.

Proverbs 22:29 Thou seest that a diligent man in his businesse standeth before Kings, and standeth not before the base sort.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "hast", "nothing", "paye", "causest", "should", and "take". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "hast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "Be not thou of them that touch..." into verse 28's "Thou shalt not remooue the ancient bounds...", so "thou" and "hast" 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 "thou" and "hast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.