Proverbs 20:28

Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy. MERCY (TOWARD THE MISERABLE AND NEEDY) AND TRUTH (in fulfilling his word) preserve the king. Truth is not to be sacrificed to mercy, but both to be combined in harmony. As he himself needs the mercy of God, so must he show mercy toward others....

Verse Proverbs 20:28. _MERCY AND TRUTH PRESERVE THE KING_] These are the brightest jewels in the royal crown; and those kings who are most governed by them have the stablest government....

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

MERCY AND TRUTH PRESERVE THE KING,.... Which are two good qualifications in a prince; not ruling his subjects with rigour and cruelty, but with tenderness and clemency; easing them as much as he can of burdens and pressures; showing compassion to the distressed, and pardoning delinquents when the case will admit of it; as also being faithful to his word, promises, and engagements; inviolably adhering to the laws and constitution of the nation, and steady in his administrations of justice; these preserve him in the affections of his people, and make him safe and secure on his throne; and because of these the Lord preserves him from his enemies. It maybe rendered, "grace and truth" l; and applied to Christ, who is full of both, and which are said to preserve him, Psalms 40:11; AND HIS THRONE IS UPHOLDEN BY MERCY; this explains what is meant by the preservation of him, and w

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

MERCY. lovingkindness, grace, or favour....

TEXT Proverbs 20:21-30 21. An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; But the end thereof shall not be blessed. 22. Say not thou, I will recompense evil: Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee. 23. Diverse weights are an abomination to Jehovah; And a false balance is not good. 24. A man's goings are of Jehovah; How then can man understand his way? 25. It is a snare to a man rashly to say, It is holy, And after vows to make inquiry. 26. A wise king winnoweth the wicked, And bringeth the threshingwheel over them. 27. The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, Searching all his innermost parts. 28. Kindness and truth preserve the king; And his throne is upholden by kindness. 29. The glory of young men is their streng

20:28 Mercy (l-1) mercy. (l-13) Or 'kindness,' 'bounty;' _ chesed_ , and so ch. 21.21....

1. RAGING] RV 'a brawler.' IS deceived] RM 'reeleth.' It makes a man sneer, quarrel and reel about....