Proverbs 25:26

A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring. A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring. A RIGHTEOUS MAN FALLING DOWN BEFORE THE WICKED (IS AS) A TROUBLED FOUNTAIN. The righteous, in ceasing to reprove the wicked through fear or favour, not only falls himself, but injures others by his example. He who had been before as a limpid fountain, or "well of life" () for cleansing, refreshing, healing others, now ceases to pour forth pure counsels. Gejer takes it of the righteous falling by oppression of the wicked. But the comparison to "a corrupt spring" implies degeneracy rather than oppression....

FALLING DOWN BEFORE - i. e., Yielding and cringing. To see this instead of stedfastness, is as grievous as for the traveler to find the spring at which he hoped to quench his thirst turbid and defiled....

EXPOSITION VERSE 1-29:27 PART VI. SECOND GREAT COLLECTION OF SOLOMONIC PROVERBS, gathered by "the men of Hezekiah," in which wisdom is set forth as the greatest blessing to the king and his subjects. PROVERBS 25:1 _The_ _superscription: _THESE ARE ALSO PROVERBS OF SOLOMON, WHICH THE MEN OF HEZEKIAH KING OF JUDAH COPIED OUT. The word "also" implies that a previous collection was known to the compiler of the present book—probably the one which we have in Pr 10-22:16, of which nine proverbs are inserted here. But there was still a large number of proverbial sayings attributed to Solomon, and preserved partly by oral tradition and partly in writing, which it was advisable to colle

A RIGHTEOUS MAN FALLING DOZEN BEFORE THE WICKED,.... Either falling into calamity and distress by means of the wicked man, through his malice and cunning, and which be seeing, rejoices at; or crouching unto him, bowing before him, yielding to him, not daring to oppose or reprove him; or falling into sin in his presence, which he ever after reproaches him for, and openly exposes him, so that his usefulness is lost; and especially if he joins with the wicked man in his course of living; and particularly if a civil magistrate, and acts unrighteously in his office: he [IS AS] A TROUBLED FOUNTAIN, AND A CORRUPT SPRING; like a spring or fountain muddied with the feet of men or beasts; so that; he who was before as a clear spring of flowing water, a fountain of justice to his neighbours, from whom good doctrine and wholesome advice flowed, is now of no use by instruction or example, but the co...

IV. THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON COLLECTED BY THE MEN OF HEZEKIAH CHAPTER 25 Here begin the proverbs which the good king Hezekiah, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, added to this book. “This title is interesting as affording a proof that a revival of literary activity accompanied the revival of religion and of national prosperity which marked the reign of Hezekiah. The men of Hezekiah were doubtless a body of scribes engaged under the direction of the king in literary labors.” Very fittingly the opening verses of this collected portion of proverbs relate to the king. While it is the glory of God to conceal a thing, the glory of kings is to search out a matter. God has many things concealed as to Himself, the great universe, creation and His ways in providence; but kings should inquire diligently into the matters brought before them and search them out in their administration of justi...

FIRST DIVISION. In general character this division shows a resemblance to the Sayings of the Wise, containing a number of quatrains and synthetic couplets, and but few antithetic couplets. PROVERBS 25:2 B. A series of three quatrains relating to kings. Proverbs 25:4 b. Very obscure. Refining silver does not produce a vessel, and the parallelism with Proverbs 25:5 b is unsatisfactory. LXX it will be wholly purified probably represents the original text. Proverbs 25:6 f. _cf._ Luke 14:8....

TROUBLED. trampled, or fouled....

_falling down_ Better, with R.V., THAT GIVETH WAY, or (marg.) IS MOVED. To see a righteous man moved from his stedfastness through fear or favour in the presence of the wicked is as disheartening, as to find the stream turbid and defiled, at which you were longing to quench your thirst. Lord Bacon, quoted by Lange, gives the proverb a judicial application: "This proverb teaches that an unjust and scandalous judgement in any conspicuous and weighty cause is above all things to be avoided in the State." And again, "One foul sentence doeth more hurt than many foul examples; for these do but corrupt the stream, the other corrupteth the fountain." _troubled_ Lit. TRAMPLED, i.e. _fouled by the feet_. Comp. Ezekiel 34:18, where the same Heb. word is used of water, with the addition of "with your feet." _corrupt_ Better, CORRUPTED, R.V.

AND A CORRUPT SPRING— See the note on 2 Chronicles 32:4. Besides the methods of stopping up wells and breaking down cisterns there mentioned, the eastern people sometimes practised another way to deprive their enemies of the use of their waters; namely, by throwing into them such filth as rendered them not drinkable. This was done in particular by the people of a place called Bosseret. Accident also has sometimes, after much the same manner, made them unfit for drinking: so, in the description of the expedition of Baldwin III. against the same town, we are told that his army underwent very great thirst at that time; for, going through the country of Trachonitis, which hath no fountains, only cisterns of rain-water, it happened that at the time he passed through it, these cisterns were rendered useless by means of the locusts which had a little before swarmed to an uncommon degree, a

TEXT Proverbs 25:20-28 20. As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon soda, So is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart, 21. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22. For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, And Jehovah will reward thee. 23. The north wind bringeth, forth rain; So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance. 24. It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house. 25. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country. 26. As a troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, So is a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked. 27. It is not good to eat much honey;...