BETTER [IS] THE POOR THAT WALKETH IN HIS INTEGRITY,.... In the uprightness of his heart before God and men; who is sincere in the worship of God, and in the profession of his name, and walks in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless; and is upright, harmless, and inoffensive in hi... [ Continue Reading ]
ALSO, [THAT] THE SOUL [BE] WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE, [IT IS] NOT GOOD,.... Without knowledge of things natural and civil, especially without the knowledge of God and Christ, and divine and spiritual things; to be without this is not good, yea, very bad; for men without such knowledge and understanding are,... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FOOLISHNESS OF MAN PERVERTETH HIS WAY,.... The sinfulness of his heart and nature; the folly which is bound up in it causes him to go astray out of the way in which he should go, or makes things go cross with him; so that the ways he takes do not prosper, nor his schemes succeed; but everything... [ Continue Reading ]
WEALTH MAKETH MANY FRIENDS,.... Or "adds" f; it increases the number of them: so the poet g, "donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos"; and to this agrees what the wise man says, Proverbs 14:20; BUT THE POOR IS SEPARATED FROM HIS NEIGHBOUR; or "friend" h; he will not visit him as he did in his p... [ Continue Reading ]
A FALSE WITNESS SHALL NOT BE UNPUNISHED,.... He that bears false witness against his neighbour in an open court of judicature; though be may not be detected by men, and so escape the punishment due to such offenders by the laws of God and men; yet God, who knows all hearts and actions, will not suff... [ Continue Reading ]
MANY WILL ENTREAT THE FAVOUR OF THE PRINCE,.... Or of the liberal and bountiful man; as kings and princes generally are, Luke 22:25; such have many to wait upon them, and are humble petitioners to them. Aben Ezra and Gersom interpret the many of great and honourable men, who are courtiers to kings... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE BRETHREN OF THE POOR DO HATE HIM,.... They despise him on account of his poverty; they neglect him, and do not take care of him; they reckon him a reproach unto them, and do not choose to own him; all which may be interpreted an hatred of him; HOW MUCH MORE DO HIS FRIENDS GO FAR FROM HIM? o... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT GETTETH WISDOM LOVETH HIS OWN SOUL,.... Wisdom and knowledge in things natural and civil; and especially in things divine, spiritual, and evangelical; particularly he that gets Christ, the Wisdom of God, and a saving knowledge of him; see Proverbs 3:13. Or, "he that getteth a heart" p; a goo... [ Continue Reading ]
A FALSE WITNESS SHALL NOT BE UNPUNISHED,.... Proverbs 19:5; AND [HE THAT] SPEAKETH LIES SHALL PERISH; or "be lost", shall be undone for ever; he shall not enter into the holy city, but have his part in the lake of fire: they that speak lies in hypocrisy, doctrinal ones, and are given up to believe... [ Continue Reading ]
DELIGHT IS NOT SEEMLY FOR A FOOL,.... Such an one as Nabal, whose name and nature were alike; and whose prosperity ill became him, and the mirth and delight he had in it, 1 Samuel 25:25; for, as the wise man elsewhere says, "the prosperity of fools shall destroy them", Proverbs 1:26; they do not kno... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DISCRETION OF A MAN DEFERRETH HIS ANGER,.... That he does not show it immediately; but takes time to consider of the offence given him, and makes use of a proper time to resent what is fit should be resented; he is a wise and discreet man that is slow to anger, Proverbs 14:29. He is most like t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KING'S WRATH [IS] AS THE ROARING OF A LION,.... Which is very terrible when hungry, and is after its prey, and has got it. Kings, especially tyrannical ones, are compared to lions; as Nebuchadnezzar by Jeremiah, Jeremiah 4:17; and Nero by the Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 4:7; and the rage of such is... [ Continue Reading ]
A FOOLISH SON [IS] THE CALAMITY OF HIS FATHER,.... Or, "the calamities of his father" q; he brings them to him. A very great affliction he is, and which has many distresses and sorrows in it; as loss of reputation and credit in his family, which is sunk by his behaviour, instead of being supported a... [ Continue Reading ]
HOUSES AND RICHES [ARE] THE INHERITANCE OF FATHERS,.... Which they are careful to provide and leave to their children. This they may and often do, build or purchase houses, and procure great riches, and put their children into the possession of them; AND, or but, A PRUDENT WIFE [IS] FROM THE LORD;... [ Continue Reading ]
SLOTHFULNESS CASTETH INTO A DEEP SLEEP,.... Slothful persons are generally sleepy, and are very desirous of sleep, and indulge themselves in it; they spend their time, day and night, in sleep and drowsiness; and are quite careless and unconcerned about either their temporal or eternal good; see Prov... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT KEEPETH THE COMMANDMENT,.... Either of parents, as children ought to do; or of masters, as servants should; or of kings and princes, as is the duty of subjects in all things lawful: or rather of God; every command of his, whether of a moral or positive nature, which, though they cannot be pe... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT HATH PITY UNTO THE POOR LENDETH UNTO THE LORD,.... A man, whose heart is full of compassion to the poor, and whose hands distribute to their necessities, from a true principle of love and charity to men, and with a view to the glory of God, and not from any selfish principle and with a end;... [ Continue Reading ]
CHASTEN THY SON WHILE THERE IS HOPE,.... Of guiding and keeping him in the right way, as long as corrections are or can be hoped to be of use; while in a state of infancy, childhood, and youth; while under parental government; and before habits in sin are grown strong, and the case become desperate,... [ Continue Reading ]
A MAN OF GREAT WRATH SHALL SUFFER PUNISHMENT,.... Either a child that is of a wrathful disposition, and provokes his parent to wrath; or a parent that chastises his child in wrath; each shall suffer for it; or any man that gives way to wrath and anger and is continually quarrelling, he involves hims... [ Continue Reading ]
HEAR COUNSEL, AND RECEIVE INSTRUCTION,.... Of parents, masters, and ministers; especially the counsel and instruction of Wisdom, of Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, the wonderful Counsellor; and of his Gospel and of the Scriptures, which are able to make a man wise unto salvation; THAT THOU MAYEST... [ Continue Reading ]
[THERE ARE] MANY DEVICES IN A MAN'S HEART,.... Some about civil things; to get wealth and riches: to obtain honour and glory among men; to attain to a long life, and to perpetuate their memories after death: some about sinful things; to gratify their carnal lusts and sensual appetites; and to do mis... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DESIRE OF A MAN [IS] HIS KINDNESS,.... Either the grace and kindness of God, which is, desirable by every sensible man, as being most excellent, and better than life and anything in it; or it is his desire to show kindness. A good man is desirous of riches, that he might have it in the power of... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FEAR OF THE LORD [TENDETH] TO LIFE,.... "Godliness", of which the fear of the Lord is a principal part, has "the promise of this life and that to come", 1 Timothy 4:8: the fear of God is the beginning of a spiritual life; and it leads to eternal life, as Gersom observes, and is connected with it... [ Continue Reading ]
A SLOTHFUL [MAN] HIDETH HIS HAND IN [HIS] BOSOM,.... In cold weather to keep it warm, and at other times, as unwilling to use it in labour; it is the proper posture and just attitude of a slothful man. The word for "bosom" is sometimes used for a "pot" or "platter" u; and then the sense is, that he... [ Continue Reading ]
SMITE A SCORNER, AND THE SIMPLE WILL BEWARE,.... That is, give reproof to a man that scoffs at religion, and makes a jest of all that is good; for though it may be of no use to him who will despise it, yet it may be observed, and be useful to another that hears it; who, though void of understanding,... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT WASTETH [HIS] FATHER,.... His father's substance, which he gave him first as his portion, and afterwards by paying his debts, and getting him out of prison and out of broils, and that wastes his spirits and his health, and brings his gray hairs with sorrow to the grave; [AND] CHASETH AWAY ... [ Continue Reading ]
CEASE, MY SON, TO HEAR THE INSTRUCTION,.... The counsel of bad men, or the doctrine of false teachers. The words are spoken either by Solomon to his son; or by Wisdom, that is, Christ, to everyone of his children, to beware of false prophets, and take heed what they hear; see Matthew 7:15; such as t... [ Continue Reading ]
AN UNGODLY WITNESS SCORNETH JUDGMENT,.... Or, "a witness of Belial" z. A false witness is not awed by the place of judgment where he is; nor by the judge before whom he is; nor by the law, the rule of judgment, nor by the punishment of perjury; he scorns all these, and scoffs at them, and proceeds i... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGMENTS ARE PREPARED FOR SCORNERS,.... Either by the civil magistrate, or by the Lord, and indeed by both; and if they miss the one, they will certainly meet the other; though they mock at present punishment and a future judgment, yet everlasting fire is prepared for them, Matthew 25:41; AND STRI... [ Continue Reading ]