The Proverbs verse before this is helpful in understanding that one's patience is very important. > 21 *"A portion hastily gotten at first shall not be blessed in the end."* 22 *"Say not, I will avenge myself on my enemy; but wait on the Lord, that he may help thee."* In other words, when frustrated and angered, its best to take a step back and take pause. Return to a rational state of mind and then the Lord may speak to you. Remember, it is through emotional turmoil clouding our rational thinking to which the Diabolical One works. Your life is a test of your resolve in faith. At Proverbs 20:11, there is more support for this thesis. 11 A youth when in company with a godly man, will be restrained in his devices, and then his way will be straight. In other words, the relationship of a youth to a godly man is analogous to our relationship to God in the above insight to Proverbs 20:22. The temperament of a youth is guided when in the company of a 'godly man'. There is also another important relationship to Proverbs 20:22 with Leviticus 19:18: > 18 *"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but shall love your neighbor as yourself."* So whom is being referred to in Proverbs 20:22? Since the Old Covenant's story is centered around the history of the Israelites, Leviticus tells us. In Leviticus the word 'neighbor' is translated from the Greek word *'plesion'* which is defined by Strong's Concordance as: 4139 ***plesion*** - neuter of a derivative of *pelas* (near); (adverbially) close by; as noun, a neighbor, i.e. fellow (as man, countryman, Christian or friend):--near, neighbour. Even the Hebrew translation agrees with this. From the Tanakh: > *"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. > Love your fellow as yourself."* The verse made it clear that neighbors were *“the sons of your own people”* — in other words, 'neighbor' meant a fellow Israelite and not other peoples. The most recent Jewish translation of the verse uses *“your countrymen”* in place of *“the sons of your own people.”* The Talmud explains in Baba Kamma 113b that the term 'neighbor' specifically does not apply to a Gentile. The Jewish Encyclopedia says it clearly, *“Here the Gentile is excepted, as he is not a neighbor…”* Years later I read an article by Dr. John Hartung in which he explained that the Ten Commandments’ legal proscriptions were clearly directed at offenses against a 'neighbor', which excluded non-Israelites. He pointed out that the scrolls from which the Ten Commandments were translated had no periods, commas, or first-word capitalization. Therefore, the part about *“Thou shalt not kill”* becomes part of a larger context. It could read: Thou shalt not kill, neither shalt though commit adultery, neither shalt thou steal, neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor, neither shalt thou covet your neighbor’s wife and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s. So who are the Israelites proscribed from killing? *“Thou shalt not kill thy neighbor… the children of thy people, the sons of your own people, your fellow Israelites.”* ... In Strong’s Bible Concordance the word 'neighbor' is translated from the Hebrew word - *'reya'* (H7453), meaning - *"An associate (more or less close), brother, companion, fellow, friend, neighbour."* Strong’s however, makes further reference to its primary root word, #7462; the Hebrew word - *'raah'*, which is translated as follows: a primary root, *"to tend a flock, ie. pasture it; instrans. To graze (lit. of fig); generally, To rule, by extension. To associate with (as a friend)'*.