Proverbs 22:7 (YLT)

Passage

The rich over the poor ruleth, And a servant <FI>is<Fi> the borrower to the lender.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:5 Thorns--snares <FI>are<Fi> in the way of the perverse, Whoso is keeping his soul is far from them.

Proverbs 22:6 Give instruction to a youth about his way, Even when he is old he turneth not from it.

Proverbs 22:7 The rich over the poor ruleth, And a servant <FI>is<Fi> the borrower to the lender.

Proverbs 22:8 Whoso is sowing perverseness reapeth sorrow, And the rod of his anger weareth out.

Proverbs 22:9 The good of eye--he is blessed, For he hath given of his bread to the poor.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rich", "over", "poor", "ruleth", "servant", "borrower", and "lender". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rich" and "over", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Give instruction to a youth about his..." into verse 8's "Whoso is sowing perverseness reapeth sorrow And...", so "rich" and "over" 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 "rich" and "over" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.