Proverbs 10:16

The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin. THE LABOUR OF THE RIGHTEOUS TENDETH TO LIFE: THE FRUIT OF THE WICKED TO SIN. This contrasts with men's false view of riches being a stronghold, and poverty "destruction" () - the true view of what brings life and what brings destruction. "The labour" or 'reward,' answering in parallelism to "the fruit" - i:e., the revenue or produce from the wicked man's ways (cf. ). The words are fitly chosen: "labour" in honest industry is the righteous man's ordinary way of living. 'Revenue' not gained by honest labour is frequently the wicked man's livelihood. The righteous man may or may not acquire by labour a splendid livelihood; but he certainly receives from God the "life" of grace here and of glory hereafter. On...

1 The comfort of parents much depends on their children; and this suggests to both, motives to their duties. Proverbs 10:2; Proverbs 10:3. Though the righteous may be poor, the Lord will not suffer him to want what is needful for spiritual life. Proverbs 10:4. Those who are fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, are likely to be rich in faith, and rich in good works. Proverbs 10:5. Here is just blame of those who trifle away opportunities, both for here and for hereafter. Proverbs 10:6. Abundance of blessings shall abide on good men; real blessings....

Verse Proverbs 10:16. _THE LABOUR OF THE RIGHTEOUS_] The good man labours that he may be able to _support life_; this is his _first_ object: and then to have _something to divide with the poor_; this is his _next_ object. _THE FRUIT OF THE WICKED TO SIN._] This man lives to eat and drink, and his property he spends in riot and excess. God's blessings are cursed to him....

A warning against the conclusion to seek wealth first of all, which men of lower natures might draw from Proverbs 10:15. “_Quaerenda pecunia primum est;_ _Virtus post nummos_?” _Horace, _Ephesians 1_. i. 53._ Such an inference is met by the experience, that while wealth gotten by honest industry is not only, like inherited riches a defense, but also a blessing, the seeming profit (rather than “fruit”) of the wicked tends to further sin 1 Timothy 6:10, and so to punishment.

EXPOSITION VERSE 1-22:16 PART III. FIRST GREAT COLLECTION (375) OF SOLOMONIC PROVERBS. VERSE 1-12:28 First section. The sections are noted by their commencing usually with the words, "a wise son." PROVERBS 10:1 THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON. This is the title of the new part of the book; it is omitted in the Septuagint. There is some kind of loose connection in the grouping of these proverbs, but it is difficult to follow. "Ordo frustra quaeritur ubi nullus fuit observatus," says Mart. Geier. Wordsworth considers the present chapter to contain exemplifications of the principles and results of the two ways of life displayed in the preceding nine chapters. The antitheti

THE LABOUR OF THE RIGHTEOUS [TENDETH] TO LIFE,.... To natural life, and the support of it; all that he labours for is to get a livelihood for himself and family; that is all he desires, nor does he seek great things for himself: or to spiritual life; so his spiritual exercises in praying, reading, and hearing the word, and waiting upon ordinances, have a tendency to promote and maintain a spiritual life in him: or to eternal life; not that the works of a righteous man (so the Targum, Septuagint, and Arabic versions, render it in the plural number) are meritorious of eternal life; for life and righteousness are not to be had by the works of men, but by the grace of God; yet, as the righteous man labours for the meat which endures to everlasting life, given by the Son of God, his labour may be said to tend to life eternal, John 6:27; THE FRUIT OF THE WICKED TO SIN; whatever he enj

II. THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON: CHAPTER S 10--19:19 Beginning with the tenth chapter we have the collection of proverbs given by inspiration through Solomon. In this section the personal address, “My son,” and the personal exhortations are missing. It will be noticed that each verse in this section contains a proverb, consisting each of two lines, mostly of an antithetic character, except Proverbs 19:7, which has three lines instead of two (a tristich). It is impossible to give a detailed analysis of these Chapter s, nor can we take up each proverb separately for meditation. This must be left to each reader. By comparing Scripture with Scripture, and a prayerful study of these terse sayings, the heavenly wisdom given in these Chapter s can readily be found. There is no end to practical application. Yet even in these Chapter s a certain order is maintained. The contrast in each chap

PROVERBS 10:2 (_cf._ Psalms 3:7). RIGHTEOUSNESS: the growth of the conception of righteousness is an important subject. As in the Pss., there is a specific class the righteous opposed to the wicked. The righteous are generally synonymous with the poor and afflicted remnant, sometimes equivalent to the Hasidim of the Greek period. In general the tendency of the conception of righteousness is towards a specific moral character, rather than towards the fulfilment of legal duties. This is important in view of the implied contrast in the Synoptic Gospels between the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, and such a righteousness as our Lord taught to be the condition of entrance into the kingdom of God (_cf._ Matthe

FRUIT. produce. THE WICKED. a lawless one. SIN. Hebrew. _chata_ App-44....

_fruit_ or, _increase_, R.V. It has been thought that a contrast is here drawn between the actual "labour" of the righteous which, however toilsome in itself, has its issue in life, and the "increase," the fruit of labour, of the wicked, which is sin. Comp. Proverbs 10:2 above. But "labour" may mean "the fruit of labour", or "increase", which for the righteous tends to what truly may be called "life." The same Heb. word is rendered "wages," Leviticus 19:13, and "reward," Psalms 109:20. _sin_ which involves death, the opposite of "life" in the first clause of the parallelism. The _Speaker's Comm_. suggests that this maxim is intended to guard against a misunderstanding of...