Proverbs 12:11

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding. HE THAT TILLETH HIS LAND SHALL BE SATISFIED WITH BREAD. The occupation must be an honest one, such as agriculture, and one must labour diligently at it. One must not put his sickle into his neighbour's harvest. BUT HE THAT FOLLOWETH VAIN PERSONS IS VOID OF UNDERSTANDING. "Vain persons," i:e., idlers (): such as love vanity, shrink from honest labour, delight in sleep, indolence, play, and idle talk. We must withdraw from the company of such (; 2 Thessalonians 3:11). Being "void of understanding," they, as a necessary consequence, are voi...

Verse Proverbs 12:11. _HE THAT TILLETH HIS LAND_] God's blessing will be in the labour of the honest agriculturist. _BUT HE THAT FOLLOWETH VAIN PERSONS_] He who, while he should be cultivating his ground, preparing for a future crop, or reaping his harvest, associates with _fowlers, coursers of hares, hunters_ _of foxes_, or those engaged in any champaign amusements, is void of understanding; and I have known several such come to beggary. To this verse the _Septuagint_ add the following clause: ος εστιν ηδυς εν οινων διατριβαις, εν τοις εαυτου οχυρωμασι καταλειψει ατιμιαν. "He who is a boon companion in banquets, shall leave dishonour in his own fortresses." This has been copied by the _Vulgate_ and the _Arabic_. That is The man who frequents the ale-house enriches _that_, while he _impoverishes_ his o

The contrast is carried on between the life of industry and that of the idle, “vain person” of the “baser sort” (the “Raca” of Matthew 5:22). We might have expected that the second clause would have ended with such words as “shall lack bread,” but the contrast goes deeper. Idleness leads to a worse evil than that of hunger....

EXPOSITION PROVERBS 12:1 INSTRUCTION; correction, discipline, which shows a man his faults, gives him a lowly opinion of himself, and opens his mind to receive _knowledge, _especially the knowledge of himself and of all moral obligations. IS BRUTISH; is as insensible to higher aspirations, to regret for the past or hope of amendment, as a brute beast (comp. Proverbs 30:2). On this point St. Augustine is quoted: "Quicumque corripi non vis, ex eo sane corripiendus es quia corripi non vis. Non vis enim tua tibi vitia demonstrari; non vis ut feriantur, fiatque tibi utilis dolor, quo medicum quaeras; non vis tibi tu ipse ostendi, ut cum deformem te vides, reformaturum desideres, eique supplices ne in illa remaneas foeditate

HE THAT TILLETH HIS LAND SHALL BE SATISFIED WITH BREAD,.... This was man's work in innocence; this he was doomed to do with the sweat of his brow after his fall; every man has his land to till, or some calling, work, or business, to be employed in, either civil or sacred; and it becomes him to be diligent therein, and such as are shall not want bread, but shall have a sufficiency of it; BUT HE THAT FOLLOWETH VAIN [PERSONS IS] VOID OF UNDERSTANDING: that neglects his business, loiters away his time, spends it in the company of vain, empty, and unprofitable persons; as he shows himself by such a choice that he is void of understanding, or "wants a heart" s, to improve his time and talents; so before long it is much if he does not want a piece of bread. Thus he that is concerned to have the fallow ground of his heart ploughed up, and righteousness, truth, and holiness, sown therein, that i...

CHAPTER 12 THE CONTRAST IN RELATION TO VARIOUS CONDITIONS In these proverbs we have the righteous mentioned, his thoughts, his words, his domestic relationship, his attitude toward animal creation Proverbs 12:10); his diligence; all is contrasted with the wicked in these beautiful antithetic expressions of wisdom. The thoughts of the righteous are right Proverbs 12:5), because his heart is right; his words bring deliverance Proverbs 12:6); in speaking truth he showeth forth righteousness Proverbs 12:17); his tongue is health Proverbs 12:1

PROVERBS 12. Here we have a number of proverbs handling the favourite subject of retribution (Proverbs 12:2 f., Proverbs 12:7; Proverbs 12:14; Proverbs 12:21; Proverbs 12:28). Several deal with speech (Proverbs 12:6; Proverbs 12:13; Proverbs 12:16;...

SHALL BE SATISFIED. Illustrations: Isaac (Genesis 26:12); Jacob (Genesis 31:40; Genesis 32:10). HE THAT FOLLOWETH, &C. Illustrations: Abimelech's followers (Judges 9. Compare Proverbs 24:21); Theudas (Acts 5:36; Acts 5:37). UNDERSTANDING. Hebrew "heart", put by Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Subject), App-6, for sense. Septuagint adds: "He that delighteth himself in the

_vain_persons] We may either supply _persons_, with A.V. and R.V. text: or _things_, with R.V. marg. and LXX. μάταια, Vulg. _sectatur otium_, and in accordance with the usage of this Book in following the Heb. verb here employed by an accus. of a _thing_, Proverbs 11:19; Proverbs 15:9. In the former case the argument expanded will be: To keep bad company argues want of understanding, because it leads not to plenty but to lack of bread. In the latter case we may understand by _vain things_, idle, useless occupations, thus preserving the contrast to the honest labour of the former clause of the verse. The LXX. and Vulg. have an interesting addition: "He that takes pleasure in tarrying long at the wine Shall leave dishonour in his own stronghold;" as an ex

HE THAT TILLETH, &C.— The LXX add to this verse, _He that taketh a pleasure in taverns, shall leave disgrace in his own fortresses._...