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Proverbs
Chapter Fifteen
Proverbs 15
Commentary on Proverbs 15:1
(Read Proverbs 15:1)
A right cause will be better pleaded with meekness than
with passion. Nothing stirs up anger like grievous words.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:2
(Read Proverbs 15:2)
He that has knowledge, is to use it aright, for the good
of others.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:3
(Read Proverbs 15:3)
Secret sins, services, and sorrows, are under God's eye.
This speaks comfort to saints, and terror to sinners.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:4
(Read Proverbs 15:4)
A good tongue is healing to wounded consciences, by
comforting them; to sin-sick souls, by convincing them; and it reconciles
parties at variance.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:5
(Read Proverbs 15:5)
If instruction is despised, reprove men rather than
suffer them to go on undisturbed in the way to ruin.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:6
(Read Proverbs 15:6)
The wealth of worldly men increases their fears and
suspicions, adds strength to their passions, and renders the fear of death more
distressing.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:7
(Read Proverbs 15:7)
We use knowledge aright when we disperse it; but the
heart of the foolish has nothing to disperse that is good.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:8,9
(Read Proverbs 15:8,9)
The wicked put other things in the stead of Christ's
atonement, or in the place of holy obedience. Praying graces are his gift, and
the work of his Spirit, with which he is well pleased.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:10
(Read Proverbs 15:10)
He that hates reproof shall perish in his sins, since he
would not be parted from them.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:11
(Read Proverbs 15:11)
There is nothing that can be hid from the eyes of God,
not even man's thoughts.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:12
(Read Proverbs 15:12)
A scorner cannot bear to reflect seriously within his own
heart.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:13
(Read Proverbs 15:13)
A gloomy, impatient, unthankful spirit, springing from
pride and undue attachment to worldly objects, renders a man uneasy to himself
and others.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:14
(Read Proverbs 15:14)
A wise man seeks to gain more wisdom, growing in grace
and in the knowledge of Christ. But a carnal mind rests contented, flattering
itself.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:15
(Read Proverbs 15:15)
Some are much in affliction, and of a sorrowful spirit.
Such are to be pitied, prayed for, and comforted. And others serve God with
gladness of heart, and it prompts their obedience, yet they should rejoice with
trembling.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:16,17
(Read Proverbs 15:16,17)
Believers often have enough when worldly eyes see little;
the Lord is with them, without the cares, troubles, and temptations which are
with the wealth of the wicked.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:18
(Read Proverbs 15:18)
He that is slow to anger, not only prevents strife, but appeases
it, if kindled.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:19
(Read Proverbs 15:19)
Those who have no heart to their work, pretend that they
cannot do their work without hardship and danger. And thus many live always in
doubt about their state, because always in neglect of some duty.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:20
(Read Proverbs 15:20)
Those who treat an aged mother or a father with contempt
or neglect, show their own folly.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:21
(Read Proverbs 15:21)
Such as are truly wise, study that their thoughts, words,
and actions should be regular, sincere, and holy.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:22
(Read Proverbs 15:22)
If men will not take time and pains to deliberate, they
are not likely to bring any thing to pass.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:23
(Read Proverbs 15:23)
Wisdom is needed to suit our discourse to the occasions.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:24
(Read Proverbs 15:24)
A good man sets his affections on things above; his way
leads directly thither.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:25
(Read Proverbs 15:25)
Pride is the ruin of multitudes. But those who are in
affliction God will support.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:26
(Read Proverbs 15:26)
The thoughts of wicked men offend Him who knows the
heart.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:27
(Read Proverbs 15:27)
The covetous man lets none of his family have rest or
enjoyment. And greediness of gain often tempts to projects that bring ruin.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:28
(Read Proverbs 15:28)
A good man is proved to be a wise man by this; he governs
his tongue well.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:29
(Read Proverbs 15:29)
God sets himself at a distance from those who set him at
defiance.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:30
(Read Proverbs 15:30)
How delightful to the humbled soul to hear the good
report of salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ!
Commentary on Proverbs 15:31
(Read Proverbs 15:31)
Faithful, friendly reproofs help spiritual life, and lead
to eternal life.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:32
(Read Proverbs 15:32)
Sinners undervalue their own souls; therefore they prefer
the body before the soul, and wrong the soul to please the body.
Commentary on Proverbs 15:33
(Read Proverbs 15:33)
The fear of the Lord will dispose us to search the
Scriptures with reverence; and it will cause us to follow the leadings of the
Holy Spirit. While we humbly place all our dependence on the grace of God, we
are exalted in the righteousness of Christ.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Proverbs》
Proverbs 15
Verse 2
[2] The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the
mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
Aright — Expressing what he knows prudently and gracefully.
Poureth out — Plentifully, continually, and
vehemently, as a fountain does waters.
Verse 4
[4] A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness
therein is a breach in the spirit.
Wholesome — Which utters sound and useful
counsels.
Tree of life — Is greatly useful to preserve the
present life, and to promote the spiritual and eternal life, both of the
speaker and hearers.
Perverseness — False or corrupt speeches.
A breach — Disturbs and wounds the spirits, both of the speaker
and hearers.
Verse 6
[6] In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in
the revenues of the wicked is trouble.
Revenues — Though he may obtain great revenues, yet they are
attended with much trouble.
Verse 7
[7] The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart
of the foolish doeth not so.
Disperse — Freely communicate to others what they know.
Verse 8
[8] The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the
LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Sacrifice — All the religious services, yea,
the most costly; one kind being put for all the rest.
Prayer — The cheapest and meanest services.
Verse 11
[11] Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more
then the hearts of the children of men?
Destruction — The place of destruction, of
which men know nothing but by Divine revelation.
Verse 14
[14] The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh
knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
Foolishness — Wickedness is meat and drink to
them.
Verse 15
[15] All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is
of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
Afflicted — Of the troubled in mind.
Evil — Tedious and uncomfortable.
Chearful — Heb. of a good heart.
Verse 16
[16] Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great
treasure and trouble therewith.
Trouble — Tumultuous lusts and passions, vexatious cares, and
horrors of conscience.
Verse 19
[19] The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns:
but the way of the righteous is made plain.
An hedge — As a way hedged up with thorns, troublesome,
perplexed, and full of difficulties.
Plain — Is easy and pleasant to him, notwithstanding all its
difficulties.
Verse 22
[22] Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the
multitude of counsellors they are established.
Counsel — When men do not seek, or will not receive advice from
others.
Verse 23
[23] A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word
spoken in due season, how good is it!
The answer — By a wise, or good and seasonable
answer.
Verse 24
[24] The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart
from hell beneath.
The way — The way a wise man takes to obtain life, is to place
his heart, and treasure, and conversation on things above.
Verse 25
[25] The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he
will establish the border of the widow.
The proud — Of the mighty oppressors.
The border — The estate, the border being
often used, for the land within the borders.
Verse 26
[26] The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the
LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.
Pleasant — Acceptable to God.
Verse 27
[27] He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but
he that hateth gifts shall live.
Troubleth — Brings God's curse upon himself
and family.
Gifts — Bribes given to corrupt judgment.
Live — Shall preserve himself and family from ruin.
Verse 28
[28] The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the
mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
Studieth — He speaks considerately.
The mouth — Not the heart; for he rashly
speaks what comes into his mouth, without the direction of his heart or
conscience.
Verse 30
[30] The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good
report maketh the bones fat.
A good report — A good name.
Fat — Not only chears a man for the present, but gives him
such stable comfort as revives his soul, and gives vigour to his body.
Verse 31
[31] The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among
the wise.
The ear — The man that hearkens to that reproof which leads to
life, seeks and delights in the company of the wise.
Verse 33
[33] The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and
before honour is humility.
The instruction — Doth instruct men in true wisdom.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Proverbs》
15 Chapter 15
Verses 1-33
──《The Biblical Illustrator》
15 Chapter 15
Verse 1
A soft answer turneth away wrath,.... Mild words, gentle
expressions, delivered with kindness and tenderness, humility and submission;
these will work upon a man's passions, weaken his resentments, and break and
scatter the storm of wrath raised in his breast, just breaking forth in a very
boisterous and blustering manner; so high winds are sometimes laid by soft
showers. Thus the Ephraimites were pacified by Gideon's mild answer; and David
by Abigail's very submissive and respectful address, Judges 8:1;
but grievous words stir up anger; such as are rough and
menacing, scornful and sneering, reproachful and reviling, proud, haughty, and
overbearing; like those of Jephthah to the Ephraimites; and of the Ephraimites
to the Gileadites; and of Nabal to David's servants, concerning him; and of
Rehoboam, who answered the people roughly: in all which instances anger was
stirred up, and either were or like to have been attended with bad consequences,
Judges 12:1. Or a
"word" causing, or rather expressing, "grief"F18דבר עצב "verbum vel sermo
doloris", Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis; vid. Gussetius, p. 177. ;
upbraiding others with being the cause of grief to them.
Verse 2
The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright,.... As the
heart of a wise and good man is filled with useful knowledge, civil, moral,
spiritual, and evangelical; so he takes care to communicate it, at proper times
and seasons, in proper places, and to proper persons; adapting it to their case
and circumstances, so as it may be for their comfort, edification, and
instruction, and minister grace unto them; which is using knowledge "well",
as the wordF19היטיב "utitur
bene", Castalio; "pulchre", Vatablus. signifies: such an use of
it recommends it, and makes it appear beautiful and lovely, decorates and
adorns it. Thus every good man, out of the good treasure of knowledge in his
heart, brings forth his good things seasonably, to the use of edifying; in like
manner, ministers of the word, scribes well instructed in the things of God,
bring forth both new and old, to the profit of those to whom they minister; so
Christ, as man and Mediator, had the tongue of the learned, to speak a word in
season to weary souls;
but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness; their
knowledge, as they take it to be, but it is no other than folly; this they
throw out in great plenty, in a hurry, without fear or wit; they
"babble" it out, as the wordF20יביע
"effutit, ebullit, fundit", Vatablus; "eructat", Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator; "ebullit", V. L. Tigurine version,
Schultens; "scaturire facit", Michaelis. signifies, as water out of a
fountain; their hearts are full of it, and their mouths proclaim it, Proverbs 12:23.
Verse 3
The eyes of the Lord are in every place,.... Which are
expressive of his omniscience, of the full, clear, distinct, and perfect
knowledge, which he has of all creatures and things; so that nothing is hid
from him, but all open and manifest to him; as they are to Christ the essential
Word, Hebrews 4:13; and
also of the providence of God with respect to all persons in general, and to
his own people in particular; and as he is infinite and immense, omnipresent
and in all places of the world, so his omniscience and providence reach
everywhere, to places most distant and secret, and to persons in them, who
cannot be concealed from him, since he fills heaven and earth, Jeremiah 23:23;
beholding the evil and the good; meaning not evil things
and good things, though that is true; the one he beholds with dislike, the
other with pleasure; but evil men and good men: he beholds them as from a watch
tower, as the wordF21צופוח
"prospectantes velut a specula", Michaelis; "speculatores",
Schultens; "speculantes", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator; "speculatur", Cocceius. signifies, from above, from heaven,
where he is; see Psalm 33:13. By
"evil" men may be meant both profane sinners and carnal professors;
such as are more openly wicked, and declare their sin, as Sodom, or more
secretly so; he sees into all the wickedness there is in their hearts, all
their secret devices against his people; the works done by them in the dark, as
well as their more open ones; and his eyes are upon all of them, to bring them
into judgment at the last day: his eyes are particularly on the proud, to abase
them; such as are under a disguise of religion, and have a form of godliness,
he has his eyes upon; he sees through all their disguises; he knows on what
foot they took up their profession; he discerns between that and true grace; he
sees how they retain their lusts with their profession; observes the springs
and progress of their apostasy; and will fix his eyes on the man without a
righteousness, not having on the wedding garment, and order him into outer
darkness. He also beholds "good" men; he sees all their bad things,
their sins, and corrects them for them; their good things, their graces, and
the exercise of them; their good works, the fruits of his own grace; their
weaknesses, and supports and strengthens them; their wants, and supplies them;
their persons, and never withdraws his eyes from them: these are on them
continually, to protect and defend them; nor will he leave them till he has
brought them safe to heaven; see 1 Chronicles 16:9.
Verse 4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,.... A tongue
that delivers out salutary instructions, wholesome advice and counsel; a
"healing tongue"F23מרפא
"sanans", so some in Vatablus. , as it may be rendered, which
pacifies contending parties, and heals the divisions between them; to have the
benefit of such a man's company and conversation is like being in paradise.
Such is the tongue of a Gospel minister, which delivers out the wholesome words
of our Lord Jesus Christ; sound speech and doctrines, which cannot be
condemned; healing truths to wounded consciences, such as peace, pardon,
righteousness, and atonement by the blood of Christ. These are the means of
quickening dead sinners, reviving and comforting distressed ones, and show the
way of eternal life unto them;
but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit; impure,
unchaste, unsavoury, and corrupt language, does mischief to the spirits of men;
evil communications corrupt the heart and manners, defile the soul and the
conversation; these and unsound doctrines eat as a canker; and as they make the
heart of God's people sad, whom he would not have made sad; so they bring
distress and despair into the spirits of others, and make sad wounds and
breaches there, which are never healed, and that both in the spirits of
speakers and hearers; for damnable heresies bring swift destruction on the
propagators of them, and them that receive them.
Verse 5
A fool despiseth his father's instruction,.... They are
fools that despise any instruction that is wise, good, and profitable; and
especially a father's instruction, whose love, tender affection, and care, will
not suffer him, knowingly, to give any but what is good and wholesome:
wherefore to despise it is not only a contempt of his authority, but a slight
of his love; which are both very aggravating, and sufficiently demonstrate his
folly; and of which he may be himself convinced when it is too late, and say,
"how have I hated instruction and despised reproof?" Proverbs 5:12. He
is a fool that despises the instruction of anyone superior to him in years and
experience; of ministers of the word; and especially of our Father which is in
heaven, declared in the sacred Scriptures, which are written for instruction in
righteousness;
but he that regardeth reproof is prudent; the reproof
of a father, whose corrections are to be submitted to, and received with
reverence; and especially of the Father of spirits, whose rebukes are in love,
and for profit and advantage; yea, he is a wise man that regards the reproof of
the word of God, and the ministers of it; and indeed of any Christian, whether
his superior, equal, or inferior, as David did, Psalm 141:5.
Verse 6
In the house of the righteous is much treasure,.... God
sometimes blesses the righteous with great riches, as he did Abraham; or, however,
if they have but little, it is better than the riches of many wicked; because
they have what they have with a blessing, and they are content with it: and
they have abundance of spiritual treasure; they have God for their portion;
Christ, and all good things along with him; the rich graces of the Spirit; a
rich experience of the grace of God; and all this is but a pledge and earnest
of what they shall possess hereafter;
but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble; they have
much trouble in getting their riches, by which they pierce themselves through
with many sorrows; they have much trouble in keeping them; cannot rest nor
sleep because of their abundance, lest it should be taken away from them; and
they have much trouble in parting with them, when they are, by one providence
or another, stripped of them; and, besides, they have them with a curse, and
are ever attended with uneasiness, on one account or another.
Verse 7
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,.... Scatter
it about for the benefit of others; they are communicative and diffusive of it
unto others, that fruit may abound to their account: so the first ministers of
the Gospel diffused the savour of the knowledge of Christ and his Gospel in
every place; their words went into all the earth, and their sound to the end of
the world; and so every Gospel minister will speak according to the oracles of
God, and according to the abilities and measure of the gift which he has
received; and to the utmost of his power feeds souls with knowledge and
understanding;
but the heart of the foolish doth not so; does not
disperse knowledge, for he has no solid substantial knowledge in him: or,
"the heart of the foolish is not right"F24לא כן "non erit
rectum", Pagninus, Baynus; "non est rectum", Piscator, Mercerus.
; it is full of folly and wickedness: or "the heart of the foolish does
not disperse that which is right"F25"Spargit quod
abest a recto", Junius & Tremellius, Amama; "eventilant non
rectum", Schultens, Cocceius. ; true and right things, and the knowledge
of them; but, on the contrary, as in Proverbs 15:2,
"pours out foolishness".
Verse 8
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,.... Even
those sacrifices which were of divine appointment under the former
dispensation, when offered by wicked men, without faith in Christ, without any
sense of sin, repentance for it, and reformation from it; when these were used
as a cloak for sin, under which they sheltered and satisfied themselves, and
went on in sin; when they brought them "with a wicked mind", as in Proverbs 21:27;
when either what they brought were not according to the law, the lame and the
blind; or were not their own, but robbery for burnt sacrifice; or supposing
that these would atone for their sins of themselves; when either of these, or
all this, was the case, it was an abomination to the Lord; see Isaiah 1:11.
Wherefore much more must Pagan sacrifices be an abomination to him; which were
not of his appointing, and were offered to devils, and not to him; and which
were many of them very inhuman and shocking; as giving a man's firstborn for
his transgression, and the fruit of his body for the sin of his soul: and so
likewise Papal sacrifices, the sacrifice of the mass; the bloodless sacrifice,
the offering up again of the body and blood of Christ, they pretend to; which,
as it is wicked and blasphemous, is an abomination to the Lord, and perhaps is
chiefly intended. Sacrifice may stand for every religious duty performed by a
wicked man, being hypocritically done, and with no good view; and all their
good works, which seem to be so; and are either not according to the word and
will of God, being never commanded by him, of which sort are many among the
Papists; or they are not done in faith, and so sin, and do not spring from love
to God; but are done with a heart full of enmity to him, and are not directed
to his glory: in short, whatever is done by them, let it have ever such an appearance
of devotion and goodness; yet if it is placed in the room of Christ, and used
to the setting aside of his righteousness, satisfaction, and sacrifice, it is
an abomination to the Lord;
but the prayer of the upright is his delight: the prayer of
such, whose hearts are right with God; who have right spirits renewed in them;
are Israelites indeed; have the truth of grace and root of the matter in them;
are honest, sincere, and upright in heart: the prayer of such, which is an
inwrought one, wrought in his heart by the Spirit of God, and so comes from
God, and is his own breathing in him, must be well pleasing to him; that which
is fervent, earnest, and importunate, which cometh not out of feigned lips, but
from the heart, and is put up with a true heart, in the sincerity of it; the
prayer of faith, the cry of the humble; the prayer which is addressed to God as
a Father, in the name of Christ the Mediator, which comes perfumed with the
incense of his mediation, introduced with the celebration of the divine
perfections, contains humble confessions of sin and unworthiness, ascribes all
blessings to the grace of God, and expresses thankfulness for favours received,
is very acceptable and delightful to God; though it is the prayer of a poor,
mean, despicable creature in his own eyes, and in the eyes of others, Psalm 102:17. This
stands opposed to the pompous rites and ceremonies, the gaudy worship and
costly sacrifices, of wicked men; such as used by the Papists.
Verse 9
The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord,.... The way
his heart devises, which he chooses and delights in, in which he walks; nor
will he leave it, nor can he be diverted from it, but by the powerful grace of
God. This is a way not good, but evil, and so an abomination to the Lord; and
the whole tenor and course of his life, which is meant by his way being evil:
hence his sacrifices, and all his external duties of religion performed by him,
are abominable to the Lord; for, while he continues in a course of sin, all his
religious exercises will be of no avail, cannot be pleasing and acceptable to
God;
but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness; either after
a justifying righteousness; not the righteousness of the law, which the carnal
Jews followed after, but did not attain unto; nor is righteousness to be had by
the works of the law, nor any justification by it, nor can a man be acceptable
to God on account of it; but the righteousness of Christ, which he has wrought
out, and is revealed in the Gospel: to follow after this supposes a want of
one; a sense of that want; a view of the glory, fulness, suitableness, and
excellency of Christ's righteousness; an eager desire after it, sometimes
expressed by hungering and thirsting after it, as here by a pursuit of it;
which means no other than an earnest and importunate request to be found in it:
and such, as they shall be satisfied or filled with it, so they are loved by
the Lord, and are acceptable to him through the righteousness they are seeking
after: or else it may be understood of following after true holiness of heart
and life, without which there is no seeing the Lord; and though perfection in
it is not attainable in this live, yet a gracious soul presses after it, which
is well pleasing in the sight of God.
Verse 10
Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way,.... The right
way, the way of God; the way of his commandments: the Vulgate Latin version is,
"the way of life"; the same with the way of righteousness, which
apostates, having known and walked in, turn aside from; see 2 Peter 2:15. And
such deserve severe correction, the chastisement of a cruel one, correction in
wrath and hot displeasure; which, when they have, is very disagreeable to them;
they behave under it like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, and yet they are
but dealt righteously with. Or the words may be rendered, "he has had
bad discipline" or "instructionF26מוסר
רע "fuit illi mala disciplina, vel
castigatio", Baynus. that forsakes the way"; due care has not been
taken of him; he has not been properly instructed, nor seasonably corrected;
had he, he would not easily have departed from the way in which he should go;
see Proverbs 22:6. The
Targum is,
"the
discipline of an evil man causes his way to err;'
or
him to err from his way;
and he that hateth reproof
shall die; that hates the reproof of parents, masters, and ministers of the
word; as he may be said to do that neglects and rejects it, and does not act
agreeably to it: and such a man, dying in impenitence and without faith in
Christ, dies in his sins; and sometimes shamefully, or a shameful death, as the
Septuagint and Arabic versions, or an untimely one; as well as dies the second
death, an eternal one.
Verse 11
Hell and destruction are before the Lord,.... Or
"the grave"F1שאול
"sepulchrum", Munster, Piscator, Mercerus, so Ben Melech. , which is
the pit of destruction; where bodies being put, putrefy, and are destroyed by
worms: this is known by the Lord, even the grave of everyone from the
beginning; the graves of Adam, Abel, Abraham; he knows where their dust lies,
and will raise it up again at the last day. Hades, or the invisible state of
the departed, as the Septuagint has it, is manifest before him; he knows where
departed spirits are; what their condition and employment be; and so the place
and state of the damned, known by the name of "hell"; and may be
called "destruction", where soul and body are destroyed by the Lord
with an everlasting destruction; and is the destruction which the broad way of
sin leads unto. Now though we know not where this place is, who are there, and
what the torments endured in it; yet all is before the Lord, and known to him:
"tophet" is ordained of old; everlasting fire is prepared by the Lord
for devils and wicked men; see Job 26:6;
how much more then the hearts of the children of men? which, though
desperately wicked, are known by him; who is the searcher of the hearts and the
trier of the reins of the children of men: he to whom hell is naked, and can
look into that outer darkness, the blackness of darkness, can look into a man's
heart, a second hell, in which all manner of wickedness is, and observe it all;
he needs no testimony of man; he knows what is in man, all his secret thoughts,
wicked purposes, designs, and devices; see Jeremiah 17:9.
Verse 12
A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him,.... He that
makes a jest of religion; scoffs at godliness and godly men; treats the Gospel
and the ministers of it with contempt; makes a mock at good men, and all that
is good; a pestilent fellow, as the Vulgate Latin version: such an one not only
does not love, for more is intended than is expressed; but hates him that
reproves him, and especially if publicly, Amos 5:10; he
thinks ill of him; bears him a grudge, and abhors him; and speaks evil of him,
and reproaches him; and does all he can to the injury of his person and name;
hence the advice of the wise man, Proverbs 9:7. Some
render it, he "loves not reproving himself", or "to reprove
himself"F2הוכח לו
"corripere", Gejerus. ; he does not care to look into his own heart
and ways, or to call himself to an account for what he does; nor to check
himself in the pursuit of sin, nor argue with and reprove himself for it;
neither will he go unto the wise; to the private houses of
wise and good men; nor to the house of wisdom, or place of public instruction,
where wise dispensers of the word give good advice and counsel; scorners do not
choose to go to either, lest they should be reproved for their evil ways, and
be advised leave them; neither of which is agreeable to them; see John 3:20.
Verse 13
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance,.... Or, a
"joyful heart"F3לב שמח "cor gaudens", V. L. Baynus. ; that is joyful
in the God of its salvation; that rejoices in Christ Jesus; is filled with joy
and peace through believing in him, in his person, blood, righteousness, and
sacrifice; that has a comfortable view of his justification by his
righteousness, of peace and pardon by his blood, of the atonement of his sins
by his sacrifice; to whom he has said, "be of good cheer, thy sins are
forgiven thee", Matthew 9:2; who
has peace in him, though tribulation in the world: as such a man's heart must
be made glad, this will make his countenance cheerful, or cause him to lift up
his head with joy; as it is in natural things, so it is in spiritual ones;
but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken; a man is
dejected, his spirits sink, and it is seen in his countenance: there is a great
sympathy between the body and mind, the one is much affected by the other; when
the heart is full of sorrow, the animal spirits are low, the nerves are
loosened, the whole frame, of nature is enfeebled, and the body emaciated; this
is often the case through outward troublesF4"Frangit fortia
corda dolor", Tibullus, l. 3. Eleg. 2. v. 6. : physicians sayF5Fernel.
Method. Medendi, l. 7. c. 9. p. 54. that grief weakens the strength, and
destroys the spirits, more than labour does. "The sorrow of the world
worketh death", 2 Corinthians 7:10;
and sometimes, through spiritual troubles, a sense of sin and guilt of it, a
legal sorrow, which produces a legal contrition of spirit; and such "a
wounded spirit who can bear?" Proverbs 18:14.
This is the effect of a mere work of the law upon the conscience; and stands
opposed to the spiritual joy, and the effects of it, the Gospel brings.
Verse 14
The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge,.... He that
has in his heart an understanding of divine and spiritual things, of the Gospel
and of the truths of it, will seek earnestly and diligently in the use of
proper means after more knowledge; as he will desire to know more of Christ,
his person, offices, and grace, he will follow on to know him, and not be
content with the present degree of knowledge he has attained unto; he will hear
and read the word, and pray and meditate, in order to come to a more perfect
knowledge of the son of God, and of those things which relate to his spiritual
peace and eternal welfare;
but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness; on foolish
talking and jesting; on foolish and unlearned questions; on foolish and false
doctrines; on foolish and hurtful lusts; on wind and ashes, a deceived heart
having turned them aside: they take pleasure and satisfaction in those things;
feed their fancy with them and feast upon them, which shows what fools they
are; and such all unregenerate men be.
Verse 15
All the days of the afflicted are evil,.... And some
are afflicted all their days, from their youth up; so that not only the days of
old age are evil days, in which they have no pleasure, but even the days of
their youth; all their days, as Jacob says, "few and evil have the days of
the years of my life been", Genesis 47:9;
because they had been filled up with affliction and trouble of one sort or
another. Or, "all the days of the poor"F6עני "pauperis", V. L. Pagninus, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus, Michaelis. ; either in purse, who want many of
the good things of life; or in knowledge, as Gersom and Aben Ezra observe;
but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast; a heart that
has "the kingdom of God" in it, which lies "not in meat
and drink, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost",
Romans 14:17, which
has the love of God shed abroad in it by the Spirit, where Christ dwells by
faith; and that lives by faith on him, and on the provisions of his grace; all
this is a constant continual feast to a gracious soul, made joyful hereby.
Verse 16
Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great
treasure and trouble therewith. Not that a "little" is better than
"much" of that which is good, as the things of this world are in
themselves; poverty is not better than riches, simply considered; but as these
are attended with different circumstances: if a man has but little of worldly
substance, yet if he has "the fear of God" in his heart, and before
his eyes; that fear which has God for its author and for its object, and which
is itself a treasure; and may be here put for all grace, for the riches of
grace saints are partakers of; such a man's little is better than another man's
abundance without the fear of the Lord, as the Septuagint and Arabic versions
render it: for such a man, though he has but little, which is the common
portion of good men, yet he does not lack; be has enough, and is content; what
he has he has with a blessing, and he enjoys it, and God in it, and has
communion with him; and has also other bread to eat, the world knows nothing
of: and particularly having the fear of God, the eve of God is upon him with
pleasure; his heart is towards him, and sympathizes with him in all his
troubles; his hand communicates unto him both temporal and spiritual meat,
which is given to them that fear the Lord; his angels encamp about him, his
power protects him; his secrets are with him, and inconceivable and
inexpressible goodness is laid up for him: wherefore he is better off with his
little, having the fear of God, than another with his great abundance and
affluence, being destitute of it: and besides, having a great deal of
"trouble" along with his treasure; trouble in amassing and getting it
together; trouble in keeping it from being lost, or taken away by thieves and,
robbers, for fear of which he cannot sleep; trouble through an insatiable
desire of having more; he has no rest nor peace because he has not so much as
he would have, or others have. Besides, he has what he has with curse; God
sends upon him cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all he sets his hand to, Deuteronomy 28:2;
where the same word is used as here: and he has it also with the cry of the
poor; so some render the word, "a noise" or "tumult"F7מהומה "tumultus", Tigurine version, Montanus,
Vatablus; "strepitus", Mercerus. ; and interpret it of the cries and
tears of those that are oppressed and injured; so Jarchi and Gersom; or,
"with terror"F8"Terror", Aben Ezra. , as some
render it; with the terrors of a guilty conscience, with the fear of hell and
everlasting damnation. Better have a little with a good conscience, than ever
so much attended with such circumstances; it is not any man's little, but the
good man's little, that is preferable to the wicked man's much; see Psalm 37:16.
Verse 17
Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is,.... What
PlautusF9Capteivei, Act. 1. Sc. 2. v. 80. &. 3. Sc. 1. v. 37.
calls "asperam et terrestrem caenam", "a harsh and earthly
supper", made of what grows out of the earth; which is got without much
cost or care, and dressed with little trouble; a traveller's dinner, as the
wordF11ארחת "viaticum",
Montanus, Amama; "commeatus", Cocceius. signifies, and a poor one too
to travel upon, such as is easily obtained, and presently cooked, and comes
cheap. Now, where there are love and good nature in the host that prepares this
dinner; or in a family that partakes of such an one, having no better; or among
guests invited, who eat friendly together; or in the person that invites them,
who receives them cheerfully, and heartily bids them welcome: such a dinner,
with such circumstances, is better
than a stalled ox, and hatred therewith; than an ox
kept up in the stall for fattening; or than a fatted one, which with the
ancients was the principal in a grand entertainment; hence the allusion in Matthew 22:4. In
the times of Homer, an ox was in high esteem at their festivals; at the feasts
made by his heroes, Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Ajax, an ox was a principal part
of them, if not the whole; the back of a fat ox, or a sirloin of beef, was a
favourite dishF12Iliad. 7. v. 320, 321. Odyss. 4. v. 65. & 8. v.
60. Vid. Suidam in voce ομηρος. Virgil.
Aeneid. 8. v. 182. . Indeed in some ages, both among Greeks and Romans, an ox
was abstained from, through a superstitious regard to it, because so useful a
creature in ploughing of the land; and it was carried so far as to suppose it
to be as sinful to slay an ox as to kill a manF13Aelian. l. 5. c.
14. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 45. : and AratusF14Phoenomena, v. 132.
represents it as not done, neither in the golden nor silver age, but that in
the brasen age men first began to kill and eat oxen; but this is to be confuted
by the laws of God, Genesis 9:3; and by
the examples of Abraham and others. Now if there is hatred, either in the host,
or in the guests among themselves, or in a family, it must stir up strifes and
contentions, and render all enjoyments unpleasant and uncomfortable; see Proverbs 17:1; but
where the love of God is, which is better than life, and the richest enjoyments
of it; which sweetens every mercy, and cannot be purchased with money; and
secures the best of blessings, the riches of grace and glory, and itself can
never be lost; where this is, the meanest diet is preferable to the richest and
most costly banquets of wicked men; who are hated and abhorred by the Lord, for
their oppression and injustice, their luxury, or their covetousness; for poor
men may be loved of God, and the rich be abhorred by him, Psalm 10:4.
Verse 18
A wrathful man stirreth up strife,.... A man of a wrathful
disposition, of a furious spirit, of an angry temper; that is under the power
and dominion of such a passion, and indulges it, and takes all opportunities to
gratify it; he stirs up strife and contention where there was none, or where it
was laid; as a man stirs up coals of fire and raises a flame; see Proverbs 26:21. He
stirs up strife in families, sets one relation against another, and the house
in an uproar; he stirs up contentions in neighbourhoods, and sets one friend
and neighbour against another, whence proceed quarrels and lawsuits: he stirs
up strife in churches, breaks brotherly love, and causes animosities and
divisions; he stirs up strife in kingdoms and states, whence come wars and
fightings, confusion, and every evil work;
but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife: a man of a
quiet and peaceable disposition, possessed of the true grace of charity; who is
not easily provoked, longsuffering, bears and endures all things; he allays the
heat of anger; he quenches the coals of contention; he calms the storm and
makes it quiet, as the wordF15ישקיט
"faciet quiescere", Pagninus, Montanus; "sedat", Mercerus,
Michaelis; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus; "sedabit",
Schultens. signifies; he
"mitigates
strifes raised,'
as
the Vulgate Latin version renders it; he composes differences, reconciles the
parties at variance, and makes all hush and still; and so prevents the ill
consequences of contention and strife.
Verse 19
The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns,.... Or,
"strewed with thorns", as the Septuagint and Arabic versions; the
Targum is,
"the
ways of the slothful are briers and thorns.'
Either
really being made so by his own conduct; who, by his slothfulness, has
implicated and entangled himself in such difficulties, that he cannot extricate
himself; his way is not passable, at least not very easily; it is as it were
hedged up with thorns; see Hosea 2:6; or in
his own apprehensions; who raises such difficulties about doing business, which
to him seem insurmountable; at least which discourage him from attempting it,
it being like breaking through thorns and briers; hence he will not plough
because of the cold, nor go abroad because there is a lion in the streets, Proverbs 20:4; or
the way of his duty, especially of virtue and religion, is as troublesome and
disagreeable to him as breaking through a thorn hedge, or treading upon briers
and thorns; to attend the duties of public worship, prayer, and hearing the
word, is very irksome to him; to be present at family worship, at prayer, and
hearing the Scriptures or religious discourses read, is like sitting upon
thorns unto him. This, as Aben Ezra observes, is to be understood of a wicked
man, as the opposition in the next clause shows;
but the way of the righteous is made plain: it is a
castup way, as the wordF16סללה "aggestum",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "eleveta", Mercerus, Gejerus;
"strata", Montanus. signifies; a causeway, a highway, and a plain
one, in which a truly righteous and good man finds no difficulty; yea, it is so
plain, that men, though fools in other respects, shall not err therein, Isaiah 35:8; nor is
it grievous and troublesome, but, on the contrary, very delightful, as the ways
of Christ and wisdom are; his commandments are not grievous, his yoke is easy,
and his paths pleasant; and the righteous man walks at liberty and with
pleasure in them; and without offence or stumbling, as the Vulgate Latin
version renders it.
Verse 20
A wise son maketh a glad father,.... See Gill on Proverbs 10:1;
but a foolish man despiseth his mother; that bore him
and brought him up, and perhaps was too indulgent to him; which aggravates his
sin and her sorrow; See Gill on Proverbs 10:1; or
causes her to be despised by others, as Jarchi interprets it; such a man's sin,
which is great folly, and shows him to be a foolish man, is highly resented by
the Lord, and will be severely punished; see Proverbs 30:17. The
Targum is,
"a
foolish son despises his mother;'
and
so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, which makes the antithesis more
clear; and the Hebrew text designs one grown up to man's estate.
Verse 21
Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom,.... Or
"that wants a heart"F17לחסר לב "carenti corde", Montanus; "ei qui
deficitur", Schultens. , a wise and understanding one; by
"folly" is meant sin, for all sin is folly; and that is very pleasing
and joyous to a wicked he chooses it and delights in it; instead of being
ashamed of it, and sorry for it, he glories in it, and makes his boast of it;
and not only takes pleasure in committing it himself, but also in those that do
it; see Proverbs 10:23;
but a man of understanding walketh uprightly; he who has
his understanding enlightened by the Spirit of God; who has an understanding
given him by the Son of God; who has a spiritual and experimental understanding
of the Gospel, and the truths of it: he walks according to the rule of the
divine word; he walks as he has Christ for an example, and by faith on him; and
after the spirit, and not after the flesh: or "directs himself in
walking"F18יישר לכת
"diriget seipsum ambulando", Montanus; "diriget ambulare, vel ad
ambulandum", Vatablus; "diriget viam suam ad ambulandum",
Mercerus, Gejerus. , his goings, as the Vulgate Latin version, according to the
above rule, example, and guidance, by the assistance of the spirit and grace of
God; otherwise it is not in man that walketh of himself to direct his steps, Jeremiah 10:23.
Verse 22
Without counsel purposes are disappointed,.... If a man
determines and resolves upon a matter, and at once hastily and precipitately
goes about it, without mature deliberation, without consulting with himself,
and taking the advice of others in forming a scheme to bring about his designs,
it generally comes to nothing; see Luke 14:28; or
"without a secret"F19באין סוד "in non secreto", Montanus; "cum non sit
secretum", Baynus; "quum nullum est arcanum", Schultens;
"ubi non est secretum", Cocceius. without keeping one; if a man
divulges his intentions, it is much if they are not frustrated; so the Targum,
"vain
are the thoughts (or designs) where there is no secret;'
if
a man makes no secret of what he designs to do, he is easily counterworked, and
his purposes disappointed;
but in the multitude of counsellors they are established; his purposes
are, as in Proverbs 20:18;
having the advice of others, and these many, he is confirmed that he is right
in what he has thought of and purposed to do; and therefore goes about it with
the greater spirit and cheerfulness, and is most likely to succeed, and
generally does; see Proverbs 11:14.
Verse 23
A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth,.... When his
advice is asked, and he gives good and wholesome counsel, and that being taken
succeeds; it is a pleasure to a man that he is capable of assisting his friend,
and doing him service, or a common good, whether it be in things natural,
civil, or religious; when his speech is with salt, seasoned with grace, and he
knows how he ought to answer every man; when that which is good proceeds from
him, and is to the use of edifying, and ministers grace to the hearers, and is
acceptable to them; when with readiness he gives an answer to every man that
asks him a reason of the hope that is in him, with meekness and fear, Colossians 3:6, Ephesians 4:29;
and a word spoken in due season, how good is it? whether by
way of advice and counsel to such who stand in need of it, or of exhortation
and instruction to those that want it, or of comfort to those that are
distressed; such is a word of promise spoken and applied by the Spirit of God
to the hearts of his people in a time of need; and such is the Gospel of peace,
pardon, righteousness, and salvation, as spoken by Christ and his ministers to
weary and wounded souls; it cannot be well and fully expressed how sweet, how
good, how suitable, as well as seasonable, it is: see Proverbs 25:11.
Verse 24
The way of life is above to the wise,.... Of
"the way of life"; See Gill on Proverbs 10:17;
this is said to be "above", or it tends "to what is
above"; it leads to heaven and happiness above; the life itself it is the
way of or to is above, it is hid with Christ in God; eternal life, glory, and
happiness, is above; it is a house eternal in the heavens, an inheritance
reserved there, and will be there enjoyed by the saints: the way to it is
above; Christ is the way, and he is in heaven, at the Father's right hand,
through whom only men can come at this life; wherefore those who are in the way
of it have their thoughts, their hearts, their affections and conversations,
above, Matthew 6:21.
Faith, which deals with Christ the way, and by which men walk in him, is
signified by soaring aloft, mounting up with wings as eagles, by entering
within the vail, and dwelling on high, and by looking upwards, and at things
unseen, and being the evidence of them. The Vulgate Latin version renders it,
"the way of life is above the learned man", or wise man; the man that
has no other than natural learning and wisdom, this way of life and salvation
by Christ lies out of his knowledge; it is what the most sagacious and
penetrating man could never discover; it is hid from the wise and prudent, and
revealed to babes; or this is only known to such who are truly wise unto
salvation; it is plain to them, and they highly esteem it, and choose to walk
in it; it is an "ascent to him that understands", as the Syriac
version renders it; it is a going up hill, it is an ascending upwards and
heavenwards; such a man is continually looking upwards unto Christ, the author
and finisher of his faith; pressing towards him, the mark for the prize;
keeping his eye, not on things on earth, things temporal, which are seen here
below, but on things above, things unseen, which are eternal in the heavens;
that he may depart from hell beneath; not from the
grave, as "sheol" sometimes signifies: for wise men die as well as
fools, and come to the grave, which is the house appointed for all living; even
those who are in the way of life that is above do not escape death and the
grave: but such are secured from everlasting ruin and destruction, from being
destroyed soul and body in hell; they steer quite a different course and road
from that; every step they take upwards carries them so far off from hell;
which is the contrary way; the broad road of sin is the lower way, or what
leads to hell and destruction beneath; the narrow way of faith in Christ is the
upper way, and that leads to eternal life above.
Verse 25
The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,.... To whom
he has the utmost aversion; he sets himself against them and resists them, and
will not only destroy them, but their stately houses too, which their have
fancied shall continue for ever; and also their families, their children and
posterity; these shall be as stubble, and shall be burnt up in his wrath, and
neither root nor branch left. Moreover, the man of sin, the son of perdition,
may be more especially intended, that exalts himself above all that is called
God, with all the sons of pride supported by him; his house, which is the house
of the foolish and adulterous woman, the idolatrous church of Rome, shall be
rooted up; the city of Rome, the seat of the beast itself, where his house or
palace is, shall be destroyed, and all that belong unto him, even all they that
have destroyed the earth, Revelation 11:18;
but he will establish the border of the widow; whose
advocate, judge, and defender he is; when men, rich, proud, and oppressive,
attempt to remove the landmark of the widow's border, and so lessen her land
and enlarge their own, God will not suffer it to be done, but will establish it
in its place; that is, such who are weak and helpless, as widows are, and
cannot defend themselves and their property, he will protect them and secure it
for them. So the church of Christ, during the reign of antichrist, being
obliged to flee into the wilderness, looks like a widow deprived of her
husband, and has but "little strength" to support and defend herself,
as is said of the church of Philadelphia, Revelation 3:8; yet
the Lord will secure and preserve her, and firmly settle and establish her,
yea, enlarge her borders, and make them of pleasant stones; spread the kingdom
of Christ from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Frequent
mention is made of the establishing of the church in the latter day, Psalm 48:8, Isaiah 2:2.
Verse 26
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,.... They are
known unto the Lord, who is the searcher of the heart, and a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of it; he knows they are vain and sinful, yea, that they
are only evil, and that continually, and therefore are hateful and abominable
to him; it may be rendered "the thoughts of evil", as by the Targum;
or evil thoughts, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and the Oriental versions;
but Aben Ezra interprets as we, the thoughts of a wicked man, which are never
otherwise but evil; whereas in a good man, though there are many evil thoughts
which are abominable to himself, yet there are some good thoughts, and which
are pleasing to the Lord, as follows;
but the words of the pure are pleasant words; that is, unto
the Lord; which are the same with their thoughts, and are the effect of them,
and so stand opposed to the thoughts of the wicked; these, expressed either in
a way of prayer or of praise, are sweet and pleasant, and acceptable unto God
through Christ; as likewise their words and discourse in religious
conversation, which also minister grace unto the hearer, and are very
delightful and pleasing to saints; the words may be supplied thus, "but the
thoughts of the pure", of such who are pure in heart, whose hearts are
purified by faith in the blood of Christ, are "words of
pleasantness", so Gersom; there is a language in thought which is known to
a man's self, and by the Lord; there is the meditation or discourse of the
heart, and this being about divine and spiritual things is pleasing to God; he
hearkens to it, and writes a book of remembrance for them that fear him, and
have thought on his name; see Psalm 19:14.
Verse 27
He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house,.... Or
"that covets a covetousness"F20בוצע
בצע "appetens concupiscentiam", Montanus;
"qui avaritiam inhiat" Tigurine version; "concupiscens concupiscentiam",
Vatablus. , an evil one, as in Habakkuk 2:9; that
seeks riches by unlawful means, that gathers the mammon of falsehood, or
unrighteousness, as the Targum; he entails a curse and brings ruin and
destruction upon his family; the Septuagint and Arabic versions are, he
"destroys himself"; or "his own soul", as the Syriac
version; it may be understood of a man that is over anxious and eager to be
rich, and hurries on business, and gives his servants no proper time for food
and rest; See Gill on Proverbs 11:29;
but he that hateth gifts shall live; that rejects them with
abhorrence, when offered to bribe him to pervert judgment, or to do an unjust
thing; otherwise gifts may be lawfully received from one friend by another; the
sin is when they are given and taken for the sake of doing what is base and
sinful; and a man that shakes his hand from receiving gifts on such a basis, he
and his family shall prosper and increase in worldly things; and, doing this
from a right principle of grace, shall live comfortably in a spiritual sense,
and thrive and flourish in his soul, and live an eternal life hereafter; see Psalm 16:5.
Verse 28
The heart of the righteous studieth to answer,.... He thinks
before he speaks, meditates what he shall say, what answer to give to men;
whether in things civil, natural, or religious; and what to return to the Lord
when he is reproved by him; or what to say in prayer to him, or by way of
thankfulness for mercies received from him; see Proverbs 3:6;
though our Lord advises his disciples, when summoned before their persecutors,
not to meditate beforehand what they should answer, since they should have
immediate assistance, Luke 21:14; but
this was in extraordinary cases; in common ones the observation of the wise man
should be attended to. A JewishF21Kabvenaki. writer renders the
words, "the heart of the righteous meditates wormwood", or bitter
things; see Proverbs 5:4; as
the judgment of God, death, and hell; this sense is mentioned by Aben Ezra, but
rejected;
but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things; without any
previous thought and consideration, without fear or wit; in great abundance, as
water out of a fountain; thus an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart
brings forth evil things readily and at once, having no concern about the
consequences of things, Matthew 12:25; See
Gill on Proverbs 15:2.
Verse 29
The Lord is far from the wicked,.... Not as to
his essence or powerful presence, which is everywhere, for he is God
omnipresent; but with respect to his favour and good will, he is far from
helping in distress, and from hearing their cries when they apply unto him in
desperate circumstances; nor does he admit them to nearness and communion with
him now, as he does the righteous; nor will he receive them to himself at the
last day, but bid them depart from him; they are far from him and from his law,
and from all righteousness; and he is far from them, and keeps them at a
distance from him;
but he heareth the prayer of the righteous; they draw
nigh to him, and he draws nigh to them; he is nigh to all that call upon him in
truth; and there is none like them that has God so nigh them as they have; his
eyes are upon them, and his ears are open to their cries; he is a God hearing
and answering their prayers, and bestows upon them the favours they ask for,
and stand in need of.
Verse 30
The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart,.... Not so
much the visive power, the faculty of seeing, a strong and clear eyesight;
though this is a great mercy, and from the Lord, and to be prized, and does
give joy of heart; but rather the objects seen by the light of the eyes, as
Jarchi; as green gardens, flowing rivers, pleasant meadows, rising hills, lowly
vales, herbs, plants, trees, birds, beasts, and creatures of every kind; nor is
the eye ever satisfied with seeing; especially light itself beheld rejoiceth
the heart, and particularly that grand luminary and fountain of light, the sun.
"Light is sweet", says the wise man, Ecclesiastes 11:7,
"and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun", which is
a proper comment on this text: and much more pleasant and delightful, cheering
and rejoicing, must be the spiritual light of the eyes of the understanding,
when opened by the Spirit of God at conversion; it is marvellous light souls
are then called into, and wonderful things do they then behold, which rejoice
their hearts; as Christ the sun of righteousness himself, the light of the
world, the glories of his person and office, the fulness of grace that is in
him, pardon of sin by his blood, justification by his righteousness, and free
and full salvation through him for the worst and chief of sinners: in the light
which is thrown into them they see light; the light of God's countenance, his
face and favour, which put gladness into them; the light of the divine word,
and the precious truths of it; yea, the light, joy, and happiness of the world
to come, in the hope of which their hearts rejoice. Jarchi mystically
interprets this of the light of the eyes in the law; but it is much better to
understand it of the light of the eyes in the Gospel, and the mysteries of it;
and a good report maketh the
bones fat; or "a good hearing"F23שמועה
טובה "auditus bona", Vatablus;
"auditio bona", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius. ; not the sense of
hearing, or a quick exercise of that, though a very great blessing; but things
heard. Some understand this of a good or "fame"F24"Fama
bona", V. L. Tigurine version, Pagninus, Mercerus, Gejerus. , which is
sometimes the sense of the phrase; either a good report which a man hears of
himself, which makes his spirit cheerful; and this affects his body and the
juices of it, which fill his bones with marrow, and cover them with fatness; or
which he hears of his friends, and is pleasing to him, as it was to the Apostle
John that Demetrius had a good report of all men, 3 John 1:12. But
rather this is to be understood of the good news, or good hearing, from a far
country, as the same phrase is rendered in Proverbs 25:25; and
here in the Arabic version is so translated, even the Gospel, which is a
report; see Isaiah 53:1; a
report concerning God, the perfections of his nature, the purposes of his
heart, the covenant of his grace, his love, grace, and mercy towards men in
Christ Jesus; a "report" concerning Christ, concerning his person and
offices, concerning his incarnation, obedience, sufferings, and death;
concerning his resurrection, ascension, sitting at the right hand of God,
intercession for his people, and second coming to judgment; and concerning
salvation, peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life by him; a report
concerning the good land, the heavenly Canaan, and the glories of it, the way
unto it, and the persons that shall possess it: and this is a "good"
report; it is good tidings of good things, a report of good things laid up in
covenant, which are come by Christ the great High Priest, which saints are
interested in, and shall partake of here and hereafter; it is a true report,
and to be believed, since it is made by God himself, by Jesus Christ the
faithful witness, and by the apostles of Christ, who were eye and ear witnesses
of the things they reported; and such a report being heard, received, and
embraced, greatly contributes to the spiritual health and prosperity of the
children of God, it makes them fat and flourishing; such pleasant words are as
the honeycomb, sweet to the soul, make glad the heart, and are marrow and
health to the bones; see Proverbs 3:8.
Verse 31
The ear that heareth the reproof of life,.... That is
given according to the word of life, in a warm, fervent, and lively manner,
with zeal, and in good earnest; which reproves the life of another by his own,
as well as by words; and which tends to the spiritual and eternal life of the
person reproved; being taken, a man that diligently hearkens to, kindly and
cordially receives, and cheerfully obeys such reproof given him,
abideth among the wise; he not only chooseth to
be among them, that he may have the advantage of their wise counsels and
reproofs, but he becomes wise himself thereby, and attains to the character of
a wise man, and is numbered among them; such a man abides in the house of
wisdom, the church of God, and attends upon and has conversation with the wise
dispensers of the word, and shall have a part with them in the church above, in
the kingdom of heaven, where the wise will shine as the firmament; the word
here used does not denote a lodging for a night, as it sometimes signifies, but
a perpetual abiding.
Verse 32
He that refuseth instruction,.... The instruction of
parents, masters, ministers, and of God himself; or "correction"F25מוסר "correctionem", Pagninus, Vatablus;
"qui abstrahit se a castigatione", Piscator. , instruction either by
the word or by the rod; he that withdraws himself from it, will not be in the
way of it, that shuns, neglects, and despises it, or carelessly and
contemptuously attends it:
despiseth his own soul; shows that he makes no
account of it, has no regard for it or care about it, when it is so precious a
jewel, and the loss of it irreparable; not that a man can strictly and properly
despise his soul, but comparatively, having a greater regard for his body, and
especially for his carnal lusts and pleasures, than for that; or as a man diseased
and refuses proper medicines may be said to despise his health;
but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding; or "a
heart"F26לב "cor",
Pagninus, Piscator, Schultens, Michaelis. ; he gets understanding by listening
to reproof, and behaving according to it; he better understands himself and his
case, what he should shun and avoid, what he should receive, embrace, and do;
instead of losing his soul, as the man that refuses correction does, he finds
the life of it, and possesses it, and with it a large share of experience and
spiritual wisdom.
Verse 33
The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,.... It is
"the beginning of wisdom", Proverbs 9:10; it leads
unto it, instructs a man in it; by means of it he attains to true spiritual and
evangelical wisdom; it teaches him to abstain from sin, and to serve the Lord;
and to seek the salvation of his soul in the way God has appointed, which is by
his Son Jesus Christ, which to do is the highest wisdom;
and before honour is humility; the fear of
God and humility go together, where the one is the other is; and as the one is
the way to wisdom, the other is the way to glory; Christ's humiliation was
before his exaltation; men are first humbled and laid low in their own eyes,
and then they are raised out of their low estate, and are set among princes;
and shall inherit the throne of glory, being made kings and priests unto God;
it is a frequent saying of Christ's, "he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted", Luke 14:11; such an
one is raised to a high estate of grace, and at last to eternal glory.
──《John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible》