Chapter 22
First 2 are single verse proverbs.
3 is a contrast between wise and unwise.
Most of the verses through 16 are the single verse types, with either elaboration, consequence or amplification in the second part. I have noticed that a lot of the other kind - the ones that show a contrast between the consequences of wise vs unwise behavior, have the connector "but" in them. And a lot of them could easily have that word but seem to avoid it so that not all verses read the same. A few of the "but" version are in the first sixteen here - 3, 12, and 15. There are also some where the second half starts with "and", 1, 7, 8, and 10.
Verses 17 through 21 start a new section called "words of the wise" in my TCR/ESV. Vs 17 starts with "Incline your ear..." to introduce this section. Verse 20 indicates that there will be 30 such "words".
2021 - "thirty" does not show up in all translations. So...don't hang your hat on making sure there are exactly 30 here.
Verses 22 and 23 are a single proverb, with the connector "for".
24 and 5 are a single with "lest" connecting them.
26 and 27 are a single with two separate sentences, no connector.
28 and 29 are each a separate proverb.
So in Chapter 22, we get the first 5 of the thirty perhaps?
2021-This verse:
10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. [Pro 22:10 ESV]
This does not seem to be about family. There were no churches in Solomon's time. It seems most likely that this is business advice. Labor relations advice perhaps. Scoffer's - doubters, "I know better", distrusters of management - those who always see an ulterior motive to oppress the workers instead of a genuine effort to make the company better - which was me most of the time. Getting rid of such people lowers the conflict level where people are assembled with a common goal. This is a fine line, because it is not about getting rid of all ideas but our own, but getting rid of those who criticize and scoff but never offer a better choice. We should watch for these people. If we're in charge, we should get rid of these people.
Second time - I've noticed this verse many times, so want to highlight it here. It is an unusual thought:
14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it. [Pro 22:14 ESV] The word forbidden can also be translated strange, as in a woman of different culture, different country, different customs. Seems to encourage us to stick with women close by. But until this proverb, it never occurred to me that exotic, foreign women and their ways were in fact a sign of God's anger toward someone.
2021 - The word used here transliterates "zoor", rhymes with poor. KJV never translates this word as prostitute or harlot. In KJV it is invariably about foreign. This word is a verb. Looks like an adjective in this verse. The interlinear says it is indeed a feminine plural adjective. So must have to do with the inflected form more than the root. The root is a verb. In fact, this one word is translated as the prepositional phrase "of forbidden women". But again, KJV never does this. It is always foreign or strange in the sense of "You're not from around here are ya?" In KJV, it is translated "of strange women", but NKJV changed that to "immoral". NKJV also changed it to singular. It is decidedly not singular, so that is just wrong. NIV translates it "an adulterous woman", going with the NKJV in changing it to singular and adding(?) a "sexual fidelity" connotation to the word. ESV and ASV use "forbidden" and "strange" respectively. RSV uses "loose". Here is the thing. There is no way for me to know why each of these translations chose the word they did. I cannot tell if common Hebrew usage of the time, in other extra-biblical scrolls that we still have, was of a foreign woman - or occasionally a local woman who's a bit wild in her sexuality - with a "lower bar" when it came to sexual partners or maybe what we would call faithfulness to one husband, or is an inserted idea from the translator. An interpretation of what the word meant rather than strictly what the word says. I believe, myself, and this is interpretation most certainly, is that the idea of an outsider with different - looser might be the best word - and less restrictive ideas about morality is what is in view. I can see where such women were called foreigners since this "looseness" would not have been the teaching within Israel. So this woman is less restricted morally than a good Hebrew woman would be. These women, with these ideas, are to be avoided and viewed as a dangerous pit that one might fall into and be injured or killed. This word is used 14 times in Proverbs. Try reading these with this idea of what "strange" really means.
When proverbs talks about women, there is this forbidden/strange woman, and there is the adulteress/foreign woman. I assume they are different words, and it might make an interesting study to see what is said of each one, to try and characterize them using more modern terms. However, Pro 5:20 uses both words in the same proverb maybe. Need to see the underlying, but it is worded "...a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress." This crosses over my two observations above.