Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 6:17

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

17. A proud look ] Rather, haughty eyes, A.V. margin, R.V. text. Thus the enumeration in the Heb. of the parts of the body: ‘eyes,’ ‘tongue,’ ‘hands,’ ‘heart,’ ‘feet’ is preserved.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

A proud look; pride of heart, which commonly discovers itself by a mans looks and gestures. See Psa 101:5; 131:1; Pro 30:13.

A lying tongue; he that accustometh himself to lying and deceit in his common conversation.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

17. proud lookliterally,”eyes of loftiness” (Ps131:1). Eyes, tongue, &c., for persons.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

A proud look,…. Or, “eyes elated” d; scorning to look down upon others; or looking upon them with disdain; or reckoning them as unworthy to be looked upon, having an high opinion of their own worth and merit. Pride is the first of the hateful things mentioned; it being the first sin committed, as is probable, the sin of the angels, and of the first man; and is a predominant evil in human nature, and is directly opposite to God and to his nature, and against which he sets himself; for “he resisteth the proud”, Jas 4:6; the pride of the heart shows itself in the eyes, or by the looks of a man; Gersom says, the phrase denotes impudence and haughtiness;

a lying tongue; that is the second of the hateful things; a tongue speaking falsehood, knowingly and willingly, with an intention to deceive others; to hurt the character of a neighbour, or to flatter a friend, is a most detestable evil; it ought to be so to men, it must be so to God, who is a God of truth: nor is there anything in which a man more resembles the devil, who is the father of lies;

and hands that shed innocent blood; human blood; and that of persons who have not been guilty of any capital sin, for which they ought to die by the laws of God or men, and yet shed or poured out as common water; such hands must be defiled, and such men must be hateful to God, they destroying his image, and being like to the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning. These “three” sins are plainly to be seen in the son of Belial, antichrist, who exalts himself above all that is called God, the kings and princes of the earth; he and his followers speak lies in hypocrisy; and is the whore that is drunk with the blood of the saints, 2Th 2:4.

d “oculi clati”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Michaelis.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(17) A proud look.Hateful to God, because rendering men unfit to receive grace. Till they acknowledge their weakness, they will not seek for His strength, and without it they can make no progress in holiness. (Comp. 1Pe. 5:5, and Christs commendation of the poor in spirit, Mat. 5:3.)

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Ver. 17. A proud look. ] Heb., Haughty eyes. Men’s hearts usually and chiefly sit and show themselves in oculis, in loculis, in poculis, in their eyes, purses, and cups. The Latins speaking of an arrogant disdainful person say, that he doth supercilium attollere, look loftily. a Odi fastum istius Ecclesiae, said Basil; b I hate the proud stateliness of that Western Church: the Church of Rome he means, which even in those purer times began to look big, and despise all others in comparison of itself. c This he somewhere calls , the Western eyebrow, which occasioned at length that lamentable separation of the Eastern or Greek Church from communion with the Latin: the other four patriarchs dividing themselves from the Bishop of Rome, and at their parting, using these or the like words, – “Thy greatness we know, thy covetousness we cannot satisfy; thine intolerable insolence we can no longer endure, live to thyself,” &c. d God himself “resists” a proud person in a special manner, 1Pe 5:5 and that “afar off”; Psa 138:6 he cannot abide the sight of him, looks aloof at him. For whereas all other vices fly from God, saith Boethius, pride lets fly at him. e No wonder therefore though his soul abhor it, when it “buds especially,” Eze 7:10 and “testifies to a man’s face,” Hos 7:10 breaking forth as the masterpock of the soul in big swelling words, bubbles of vanity, 2Pe 2:18 proud gait, ridiculous gestures, garish attire, lofty and haughty looks, that hate of heaven and gate to hell. David could not endure it in any of his. Psa 101:5 No more could Queen Elizabeth in the greatest favourite about her. Dissension once falling out between her and Essex about a fit man for government of Ireland, he forgetting himself, and neglecting his duty, uncivilly turneth his back, as it were in contempt, with a scornful look. She waxing impatient, gave him a cuff on the ear, bidding him begone with a vengeance, &c. f For avoiding of all discontent and distempers this way occasioned, it were to be wished that men would first get humble hearts, – the apostle makes humble mindedness the first virtue, Eph 4:2 as here a proud look is made the first vice, the master root, – and then, that they would enter into a covenant, as Job did, with his own eyes at least; Job 31:1 such a covenant as was once made at a meeting of the Borderers in the marches between England and Scotland: security was given and confirmed on both sides by oath, according to custom, and proclamation made, saith mine author, g that no man should harm other by word, deed, or look.

A lying tongue. ] Heb., A tongue of lying – viz., that hath learnt the trade, and can do it artificially. “A friar, a liar,” was the old proverb here, passing for current of that evil generation, those loud and lewd liars. “The proud have forged lies against me”; Psa 119:69 – Assunt mendacium mendacio, so the Hebrew hath it; they sew one lie to another, “until their iniquity be found to be hateful.” Psa 36:2 “A righteous man” – how much more the righteous God! – “hateth lying; but a wicked man” – for his lying – “is loathsome” (Heb., stinketh), “and cometh to shame.” Pro 13:5 Pilate, for instance, – of whom Egesippus saith that he was Vir nequam et parvi faciens mendacium, a naughty man, and that made light of a lie. It may seem so by that scornful question of his What is truth? Joh 18:38 Tacitus also is by Tertullian said to be mendaciorum loquacissimus. Where he speaks of Christians, he writes so many lines, so many lies. Liars pervert the end for which God created speech, which was, to give light to the notions of the mind. Hence , quasi .

And hands that shed innocent blood. ] This is fitly subjoined and set after a lying tongue, because bloodshed is oft occasioned by lying.

“ Nil est audacius illis

Deprensis: iram atque animos ex crimine sumunt. ”

– Juvenal.

Ruffians revenge the lie given them with a stab. Persecutors, as in the French massacre, give out that Christians are the worst of men, not fit to live for their notorious enormities, and therefore not to be pitied if taken from the earth. Those that kill a dog, saith the French proverb, make the world believe he was mad first. So they always belied the Church, and traduced her to the world, and then persecuted her; first “took away her veil,” and then “wounded her,.” Son 5:7 The devil was first a slanderer and liar, and then a murderer. He cannot murder without he slander first. But “God will destroy them that speak lies; the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.” Psa 5:6

a Profecto oculis animus inhabitat – Plin.

b Ep. ad Evagr.

c Quid verum sit neque sciunt, nequc sustinent discerere. – Ibid.

d Dr Field, Of the Church. Gerson. Carleton.

e Sola superbia se Deo opponit.

f Camden’s Elisab. 494.

g Ibid., 279.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

A proud look = eyes lifted up. Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), App-6, put for pride, which is indicated by this act. This is the first, and the others proceed downward; “eyes”, “tongue”, “hands”, “heart”, “feet”, and then the whole man.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

A proud look: Heb. Haughty eyes, Pro 30:13, Psa 10:4, Psa 18:27, Psa 73:6-8, Psa 101:5, Psa 131:1, Isa 2:11, Isa 3:9, Isa 3:16, 1Pe 5:5

lying: Pro 12:22, Pro 14:5, Pro 26:28, Psa 5:6, Psa 120:2, Psa 120:3, Hos 4:1, Hos 4:2, Joh 8:44, Rev 22:15

and hands: Pro 1:11, Deu 27:25, 2Ki 24:4, Isa 1:15, Isa 59:3-6

Reciprocal: Gen 37:20 – and let Deu 19:10 – General Psa 62:4 – delight Psa 109:2 – with Psa 140:11 – an evil speaker Pro 13:5 – righteous Pro 16:5 – that Pro 21:4 – An high look Pro 21:24 – haughty Isa 2:12 – upon Isa 59:7 – feet Isa 65:5 – These Jer 22:3 – neither Jer 26:15 – ye shall Jer 43:2 – all the Eph 4:25 – putting 2Ti 3:2 – proud Jam 4:6 – God

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge