Maybe It's Just a Coincidence (Proverbs 19)

“Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity

than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.”

　　　　　　　　(Proverbs 19:1)

טוֹב־רָשׁ הוֹלֵךְ בְּתֻמּוֹ

(Tov-rash holekh betummo)

מֵעִקֵּשׁ שְׂפָתָיו וְהוּא כְסִיל

(Me‘iqqesh sefataiv vehu kesil)

　　　※Hebrew is read from right to left.

Let's take a closer look at the first half.

טוֹב

(tov)

Good, better, desirable.

רָשׁ

(rash)

A poor person, one who lacks.

הוֹלֵךְ

(holekh)

One who walks, one who keeps walking.

(From the root הלך, “to walk.”)

בְּתֻמּוֹ

(betummo)

In his integrity.In his wholeness.

From the root תם (tam):

• whole

• complete

• sincere

• undivided

• unmingled

A literal sense of the first half might be:

Better is the poor person who walks in his wholeness.

Proverbs 18 began with:

“One who separates himself.”

(נִפְרָד — nifrad)

Proverbs 19 begins with:

“One who walks.”

(הוֹלֵךְ — holekh)

Not a person who closes himself off,

but a person who walks.

Not a rich person.

Not even a successful person.

A poor person (רָשׁ) who walks in integrity (תֹּם).

What does it mean to walk in integrity?

The Hebrew root תם (tam) carries the sense of:

• not lacking

• not divided

• being one

• being whole

Perhaps “integrity” here is broader than merely being honest or telling the truth.

It may describe a person whose inner and outer life are not divided,

whose heart and words are not separated,

whose life before God and before people is not double-minded.

What a fascinating picture.

Proverbs 18 began with separation and withdrawal.

Proverbs 19 begins with wholeness and integrity.

From separation and closure,

to wholeness and integrity.

It almost feels like a small path opening in the forest.

Maybe it's just a coincidence. 

A person who walks steadily in integrity, without being carried away by the crowd.