Proverbs 22:18 (YLT)

Passage

For they are pleasant when thou dost keep them in thy heart, They are prepared together for thy lips.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:16 He is oppressing the poor to multiply to him, He is giving to the rich--only to want.

Proverbs 22:17 Incline thine ear, and hear words of the wise, And thy heart set to my knowledge,

Proverbs 22:18 For they are pleasant when thou dost keep them in thy heart, They are prepared together for thy lips.

Proverbs 22:19 That thy trust may be in Jehovah, I caused thee to know to-day, even thou.

Proverbs 22:20 Have I not written to thee three times With counsels and knowledge?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pleasant", "thou", "dost", "keep", "heart", "prepared", "together", and "lips". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pleasant" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Incline thine ear and hear words of..." into verse 19's "That thy trust may be in Jehovah...", so "pleasant" and "thou" 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 "pleasant" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.