Proverbs 20:25

It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make inquiry. (IT IS) A SNARE (ENTAILING GUILT AND PENALTIES ON BOTH BODY AND SOUL) TO THE MAN (WHO) DEVOURETH (THAT WHICH IS) HOLY (DEDICATED TO SACRED USES) AND AFTER VOWS TO MAKE INQUIRY. "Devoureth" - i:e., greedily appropriates to his own use. So Ananias and Sapphira, after vowing, appropriated a part of what they vowed, and sought means of evading the vow, but perished in the attempt. So Achan sought means of appropriating part of the spoils which had been all "devoted as an accursed thing," (margin, Joshua 6:17-6; Joshua 7:1; cf. Malachi 3:8;...

Verse Proverbs 20:25. WHO _DEVOURETH_ THAT WHICH IS _HOLY_] It is a sin to take that which belongs to _God_, his _worship_, or his _work_, and devote it to one's own use. _AND AFTER VOWS TO MAKE INQUIRY._] That is, if a man be _inwardly_ making a _rash vow_, the fitness or unfitness, the necessity, expediency, and propriety of the thing should be first carefully considered. But how foolish to make the vow first, and afterwards to inquire whether it was right in the sight of God to do it! This equally condemns all rash and inconsiderate conduct. My old MS. Bible translates, _Falling is of men often to vowen to seyntis, and_ _after, the vouw is agen brawen_. Is it possible that _Wiclif_ could have translated this verse thus? as it strongly countenances _vows_ _to_ and invocatio

Better, It is a snare to a man to utter a vow (of consecration) rashly, and after vows to inquire whether he can fulfill them. Both clauses are a protest against the besetting sin of rash and hasty vows. Compare the marginal reference....

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

[IT IS] A SNARE TO THE MAN [WHO] DEVOURETH [THAT WHICH IS] HOLY,.... Which is separated to sacred uses, is devoted to the Lord, as firstfruits, tithes, offerings, c. which if a man converts to his own use is sacrilege, and this is a sin and a snare, and brings ruin on him see Malachi 3:8; AND AFTER VOWS TO MAKE INQUIRY: that is a sin and a snare also; a man should first inquire before he vows, whether it is right for him to make a vow, and whether he is able to keep it; it is too late after the vow is made to inquire about the lawfulness or expedience of it, and how to find out ways and means to dissolve it and be clear of it; for it is better not to vow, than to vow and not pay, Ecclesiastes 5:4; when a thing is in a man's own hands, he may do what he will; but when he has devoted it

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

DEVOURETH. rashly promises. HOLY. See note on Exodus 3:5....

who _devoureth_that which is _holy_ This rendering is retained in R.V. marg., as is also another, _rashly to utter holy_words. But it is better to render, RASHLY TO SAY, _It is_ HOLY (R.V. text), i.e. _consecrated_(comp. _Corban_, Mark 7:11). The sequence is thus preserved: _and after vows_(of consecration, thus rashly taken) _to make enquiry_(as to the wisdom or possibility of keeping them). παγὶς ἀνδρὶ ταχύ τι τῶν ἰδίων ἁγιάσαι, LXX....

IT IS A SNARE TO THE MAN WHO DEVOURETH THAT WHICH IS HOLY— _It is a snare to a man, if he swallow down a vow, or an oath._ Or, as Houbigant renders it, _The man is ensnared who rashly vows a holy thing, and shall delay, retracting his vow._ The verse is generally understood to be directed against sacrilege....