Proverbs 19 - Introduction
_A.M. 3004. B.C. 1000._... [ Continue Reading ]
_A.M. 3004. B.C. 1000._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Better is the poor_ Hebrew, רשׁ, _a poor man; that walketh in his integrity_ Who is upright in his words and actions; he has a better character, is in a better condition, is more beloved, lives to better purpose, and is greater and more excellent in the eyes of God, and of all wise and good men; _t... [ Continue Reading ]
_A false witness shall not be unpunished_ Though he escape the observation and punishment of men, yet he shall not avoid the judgment of God. _And he that speaketh lies_ That accustoms himself to lying, either in giving evidence in courts of justice, or in common conversation; _shall not escape_ The... [ Continue Reading ]
_Many will entreat the favour of the prince_ Or, _of the liberal_, or _bountiful man_, as נדיב may be properly rendered. Kings and princes were anciently called _benefactors, Luke 22:25_. _And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts_ Not sincerely, however, as daily experience shows, but only... [ Continue Reading ]
_He that getteth wisdom_ That takes pains, and labours to get knowledge, grace, and acquaintance with God; _loveth his own soul_ Or, loveth himself, because he procures great and lasting, yea, everlasting good to himself, as sinners, on the contrary, are said to hate their souls, chap. 29:24, becaus... [ Continue Reading ]
Proverbs 19:10. _Delight is not seemly for a fool_ To live in affluence, pleasure, and outward glory, doth not become him, nor suit with him; because prosperity corrupts even wise men, and makes fools mad; and because it gives him more opportunity to discover his folly, and to do mischief both to hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_The discretion of a man deferreth his anger_ Defers the admission of anger, till he has thoroughly considered all the merits of the provocation, seen them in a true light, and weighed them in a just balance; and then defers the prosecution of it, till there be no danger of going into indecencies of... [ Continue Reading ]
_The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion_ The words of a king in anger are as much to be feared as the roaring of a lion; _but his favour is as dew upon the grass_ Any token of his favour and kindness is as comfortable as the dew which refreshes the grass and herbs, parched by the hot beams of... [ Continue Reading ]
_A foolish son_, &c. Two things make a man exceeding unhappy, a dissolute son, and a contentious wife: for the former is a perpetual grief to his father, to see him likely to prove the utter destruction of his family; and the quarrels of a wife spoil a man's happiness, like perpetual droppings, whic... [ Continue Reading ]
_House and riches are the inheritance of fathers_, &c. Parents may bestow on their children houses, and lands, and riches; _but a prudent wife is from the Lord_ Is vouchsafed to a man by the singular providence of God, who is the only searcher and ruler of hearts, exactly discerning who are prudent... [ Continue Reading ]
_Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep_ “As labour makes men vigorous and rich, so sloth and idleness have these two miserable effects, that they insensibly sink the mind into a dull stupidity and unconcernedness about the most necessary things, and thereby reduce a man to extreme want and beggary;... [ Continue Reading ]
_He that hath pity on the poor_ And relieves their necessities; _lendeth unto the Lord_ Doth not empoverish, but enrich himself: for the Lord takes what is done to them as done to himself, because it is done to those whom he has appointed in his own stead to be his receivers, and whom he hath, in a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Chasten thy son while there is hope_ Before custom in sin, and thy indulgence have made him hard-hearted and incorrigible; _and let not thy soul spare for his crying_ Forbear not to give him due and necessary correction, through a foolish and destructive pity, excited by his tears and cries; for it... [ Continue Reading ]
_A man of great wrath_ Or, _he who is of great wrath_, that is, of strong passions; who is of a fierce and furious temper; _shall suffer punishment_ Will certainly bring great mischiefs upon himself; _for if thou deliver him_ If any parent, relation, or friend deliver him out of one trouble, through... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hear counsel_, &c. Be willing to be taught and ruled; to be advised and reproved, when thou art young; _that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end_ Before thy death come. Which he adds, not exclusively, as if a man ought not to be wise before, but emphatically, to show that how foolishly soever he... [ Continue Reading ]
_There are many devices in a man's heart_ Which shall not stand, but be disappointed; many designs and contrivances, which he thinks to be so well devised and planned that they cannot miscarry. _Nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord_ Which ofttimes contradicts, and therefore overrules or defeats the... [ Continue Reading ]
_The desire of a man is his kindness_ This expression is obscure, and will admit of several interpretations. The Seventy render it, Καρπος ανδρι ελεημοσυνη, _alms-giving_, or _charity, is fruit to a man._ The meaning, Le Clerc thinks, is, that there is no virtue a man ought to be so desirous of as b... [ Continue Reading ]
_A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom_ Either to keep it warm in cold weather, or to give it rest, being unwilling to fatigue it with the labour of any action; _and will not bring it to his mouth again_ Namely, to feed himself; as if he expected that the meat should drop into his mouth. “It i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Smite a scorner_ An obstinate and impudent transgressor, a derider of religion and virtue, who rejects and scorns all admonition: that is, punish him; _and the simple will beware_ Though the punishment do him no good, yet other inconsiderate persons, who sin, it may be, through ignorance, imprudenc... [ Continue Reading ]
_He that wasteth his father_ That is, his father's estate, by unjust or riotous courses; _and chaseth away his mother_ Causes her to avoid and abhor his presence and society, and to go from the house where he is; _is a son that causeth shame_ Both to himself, and to his parents and family. But this... [ Continue Reading ]
_Cease, my son, to hear the instruction_, &c. If thou hast done it formerly, yet do not now, any longer, hearken to those false doctrines, or evil counsels, which tend to withdraw thee from the belief or practice of God's holy word. Or, as Bishop Patrick interprets the verse, “My son, beware of thei... [ Continue Reading ]
_An ungodly witness scorneth judgment_ Hath no reverence to the place of justice, nor to the presence of God there, nor to that sacred and solemn work, of executing judgment, but, in spite of all, gives in a false testimony. _And the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity_ Uttereth it with as great... [ Continue Reading ]
_Judgments are prepared for scorners_ Either by men, or, at least, by God; although they be deferred for a time, yet they are treasured up for them, and shall infallibly be inflicted upon them: _and stripes for the back of fools_ Nor shall other sinners escape, who sin through want of consideration,... [ Continue Reading ]