Proverbs 26:16

The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. THE SLUGGARD IS WISER IN HIS OWN CONCEIT THAN SEVEN MEN (I:E., THAN THE TOTALITY OF MEN: SEVEN REPRESENTING A COMPLETE WHOLE, ) THAT CAN RENDER A REASON - i:e., that show their wisdom in giving wise answers: than the whole range of wise men. The sluggard thinks that he has found in his own indolent quiet the sum of wisdom and happiness, and so that he is wiser than all the wise who give themselves so much trouble in investigations and active employments....

Verse Proverbs 26:16. _THAN SEVEN MEN THAT CAN RENDER A REASON._] _Seven_ here only means _perfection, abundance_, or _multitude_. He is wiser in his own eyes than a _multitude_ of the wisest men. "Than seven men that sytt and teach." - _Coverdale_; i.e., than seven _doctors_ of the _law_, or _heads_ of the schools of the _prophets_, who always _sat_ while they _taught_....

SEVEN - The definite number used for the indefinite (compare Proverbs 24:16). REASON - Better, a right judgment....

EXPOSITION PROVERBS 26:1 Certain proverbs concerning the fool (_kesil_),_ _with the exception, perhaps, of Proverbs 26:2 (see on Proverbs 1:22). PROVERBS 26:1 AS SNOW IN SUMMER, AND AS RAIN IN HARVEST. Snow in summer would be quite unnatural and unheard of (see on Proverbs 25:13). Rain falls in the usual course of things only at stated times; whence arose the phrase of "the early and of latter rains" (see on...

THE SLUGGARD [IS] WISER IN HIS OWN CONCEIT,.... It is a sort of a solecism, a kind of a contradiction in terms for a sluggard to be wise, who is so slothful as to make no use of the means of getting wisdom and knowledge. And it must be a mere conceit in him that he is wise, and especially that he is wiser THAN SEVEN MEN THAT CAN RENDER A REASON; not alluding to the number of a king's counsellors, who return him an answer to what he inquires of them, as Aben Ezra thinks; such as were the "seven" princes of the king of Persia, Esther 1:14. Since to have such an exact number might not obtain in Solomon's time, either in Persia, or in his own court, or elsewhere: but it signifies a large number, many wise men, as Gersom observes, that render a reason to everyone that asks it of them; who, having been diligent and industrious, have got such a competency of knowledge, that they ar

CHAPTER 26 CONCERNING THE FOOL AND THE SLUGGARD Eleven times we meet the word fool in this chapter. Three different words are used in the Hebrew for fool. The first is “avil” which signifies weakness. The second word “kesil” occurs nearly fifty times, means fat or dense. The third word is the Hebrew “nabal,” which is derived from the verb to fade, or to wither; it means a vulgar, bad man who has given himself over to wickedness. The natural man in his condition, his darkened mind, his sinfulness answers to much that is said about the fool in this book. As snow in summer and rain at harvest time are quiteimpossible in Palestine, so is honor for a fool. A fool may utter a curse, as they often do, and wish something evil, but being causeless, it will not be fulfilled. The fool needs correction, the stripes for his back, he deserves no answer, and if he is answered it must be according to hi...

THE BOOK OF FOOLS. A section containing a series of synthetic couplets dealing with folly (except Proverbs 26:2). The text is unusually corrupt and defective. PROVERBS 26:1. For the opposite use of snow in harvest _cf._ Proverbs 25:13 *. Proverbs 26:2. Directed against the superstitious belief in the magical value of a curse. The simile refers to the aimless wandering of a bird, and is not to be compared with the flying roll of curses in Zechariah 5:1....

MEN. No Hebrew for this word here....

_sluggard_ The A.V. after rendering the Heb. word (which is the same in all four verses), _slothful_, three times, here changes it to _sluggard_. It is better to keep one word throughout. _render a reason_ Or, _answer discreetly_, R.V. marg....

TEXT Proverbs 26:9-19 9. As a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, So is a parable in the mouth of fools. 10. As an archer that woundeth all, So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by. 11. As a dog that returneth to his vomit, So is a fool that repeateth his folly. 12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him. 13. The sluggard saith, There is a lion in the way; A lion is in the streets. 14. As the door turneth upon its hinges, So doth the sluggard upon his bed. 15. The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish; It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth. 16. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit Than seven men that can render a reason. 17. He that pa