Proverbs 20:2

The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. THE FEAR OF A KING (THE FEAR WHICH A KING EXCITES) (IS) AS THE ROARING OF A LION: (WHOSO) PROVOKETH HIM TO ANGER SINNETH (AGAINST) HIS OWN SOUL - (.) So Adonijah in provoking King Solomon (). How terrible the consequences to one's self of provoking the King of kings! (.)...

Verse Proverbs 20:2. _THE FEAR OF A KING_] Almost the same with Proverbs 19:12, which see....

SINNETH AGAINST HIS OWN SOUL - i. e., Against his own life (compare Habakkuk 2:10)....

EXPOSITION PROVERBS 20:1 WINE IS A MOCKER; or, scorner, the word (_luts_) being taken up from the last chapter. The liquor is, as it were, personified, as doing what men do under its influence. Thus inebriated persons scoff at what is holy, reject reproof, ridicule all that is serious. Septuagint, Ἀκόλαστον οἶνος, "Wine is an undisciplined thing;" Vulgate, _Luxuriosa res, vinum. _STRONG DRINK IS RAGING; a brawler, Revised Version. _Shekar, _σίκερα (Luke 1:15), is most frequently employed of any intoxicating drink not made from grapes, _e.g. _palm wine, mead, etc. The inordinate use of this renders men noisy and boisterous, no longer masters of themselves or restrained by the laws of morality or decency. Septu

THE FEAR OF A KING [IS] AS THE ROARING OF A LION,.... The wrath and displeasure of a king, which causes fear; see Proverbs 19:12; kings should be terrors to evil works and workers, though not to good ones, Romans 13:3. This is true of the King of kings, who one day will be terrible to the drunkards, the mockers, and murderers of his people, before spoken of; [WHOSO] PROVOKETH HIM TO ANGER SINNETH [AGAINST] HIS OWN SOUL; he exposes his life to danger: the Targum supplies it as we do. It may be rendered, his "soul sinneth" a; he is guilty of sin, as well as is in danger of punishment; see Proverbs 8:36. a חוטא נפשו....

CHAPTER 20 PROVERBS AS TO PERSONAL CONDUCT Proverbs of warning and instructions as to personal conduct are found mostly in this chapter; a number of them are of special interest if applied to Solomon. The first one is concerning wine and strong drink. As the use of wine among the people of Israel was legitimate the warning is against intemperance Deuteronomy 14:26). The Bible gives many illustrations of the truth of this proverb-warning. We may think of Noah, Lot, Nabal, Ben-hadad, Belshazzar and others. From all the good things we select the following. In Proverbs 20:3 is instruction which makes for peace. It is the fool who meddles and thus produces strife, but it is an honor for man to cease from strife. In...

PROVERBS 20. We have still further traces in Proverbs 20:9; Proverbs 20:24 of the sceptical spirit and the obstinate questionings of self characteristic of the later Greek period of Jewish thought. PROVERBS 20:6 A. RV is strained and the Heb. is difficult. Read (_cf._ Syr. and Lat.) Many a man is called kind. Proverbs 20:8. winnoweth (_mg._) is more literal than RV, and conveys better the idea of personal scrutiny (_cf._ the ideal king in Psalms 72 and Isaiah 11). Proverbs 20:9. For the growi

SINNETH. erreth. Hebrew. _chata'._ App-44. SOUL. Hebrew. _nephesh._ App-13....

is _as_ The terror inspired by a king is like that caused by the roaring of a lion in act to spring upon its prey. See 1 Peter 5:8. _soul_ i.e. LIFE, as R.V. with "Heb. _soul_," in the marg. Comp. Habakkuk 2:10....

THE FEAR OF A KING, &C.— Or, _The terror of a king is as the roaring of a young lion: he who rageth against him, sinneth,_ &c. Houbigant renders it, _The threatening of a king._...