Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 10:21
The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
21. feed ] In the wider sense perhaps which the word commonly has, supply the wants of, as a shepherd does.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Feed – The Hebrew word, like poimainein, includes the idea of guiding as well as nourishing; doing a shepherds work in both.
For want of wisdom – Some prefer, through him who wanteth understanding, referring to a person. The wise guides others to safety; the fool, empty-headed, and empty-hearted, involves others like himself in destruction.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Feed many, by their wise and pious discourses, counsels, and comforts, which are so many evidences of their wisdom.
Die for want of wisdom; they have not wisdom to feed or preserve themselves, much less to feed others.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. Fools not only fail tobenefit others, as do the righteous, but procure their own ruin(compare Pro 10:11; Pro 10:17;Hos 4:6).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The lips of the righteous feed many,…. Not their bodies; words are but wind, and will not feed; it is not enough to say to the distressed, “be ye warmed and filled”, and give nothing; unless this can be understood of obtaining food for others by their prayers, as Jarchi interprets it: but the souls of many; these the righteous feed, by communicating the spiritual knowledge and understanding of divine things they are partakers of; by setting before them the bread of life, the honey and milk of the Gospel, they have under their tongue; and by the good counsel and advice, comforts and admonitions, they give them; see Jer 3:15;
but fools die for want of wisdom: not a corporeal death, which is common to men of every rank and quality; wise men die even as fools; but they continue under the power of a spiritual death, for want of enlightening and quickening grace, and so die an eternal death: not for want of natural wisdom, which they may have a greater share of than those who live spiritually and eternally; but for want of spiritual wisdom and knowledge; the knowledge of Christ, and the way of life and salvation by him, and the knowledge of God in Christ; and not always for the want of the means of such wisdom and knowledge; as the Scriptures, which are able to make a man wise unto salvation; and the Gospel, which is the wisdom of God in a mystery; but through the neglect and contempt of them: though sometimes men perish through want of the means of knowledge, and the neglect of those who should instruct them, Ho 4:6.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
21 The lips of the righteous edify many;
But fools die through want of understanding.
The lxx translate 21a: the lips of the righteous , which would at least require . is, like the post-bibl. pir|neec ( vid., the Hebr. Rmerbrief, p. 97), another figure for the N.T. : to afford spiritual nourishment and strengthening, to which Fleischer compares the ecclesiastical expressions: pastor, ovile ecclesiae, les ouailles ; means leader, Jer 10:21, as well as teacher, Ecc 12:11, for it contains partly the prevailing idea of leading, partly of feeding. stands for , as Pro 10:32, Pro 5:2. In 21b, Bertheau incorrectly explains, as Euchel and Michaelis: stulti complures per dementem unum moriuntur ; the food has truly enough in his own folly, and needs not to be first drawn by others into destruction. is not here the connective form of (Jewish interpreters: for that reason, that he is such an one), nor of (Hitzig, Zckler), which denotes, as a concluded idea, penuria , but like , Pro 21:4, , Pro 6:10, and , Pro 16:19, infin.: they die by want of understanding (cf. Pro 5:23); this amentia is the cause of their death, for it leads fools to meet destruction without their observing it (Hos 4:6).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(21) The lips of the righteous feed manyi.e., sustain them by words of counsel, encouragement, and comfort, giving to each one his meat in due season (Mat. 24:45).
Fools.Headstrong, obstinate persons (Pro. 1:7).
For want of wisdom.Or it may be translated, Through one who is destitute of wisdom. As one righteous man will guide many aright, so one unwise man will lead many fools to ruin.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. Feed many Instruct them with their wisdom and guiding counsels.
But fools The unwise. With the wise there is abundance, with the unwise, famine. The antithesis lies between that which is implied in the first member, plenty, and that which is expressed in the second, “want,” lack, poverty. Compare Pro 10:11; Pro 10:17.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
v. 21. The lips of the righteous feed many,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 10:21. The lips of the righteous feed many i.e. Instruct many: and so it is rendered in several of the versions.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
Ver. 21. The lips of the righteous feed many. ] A great housekeeper he is, hath his doors ever open, and, though himself be poor, yet he “maketh many rich.” 2Co 6:10 He well knows that to this end God put “honey and milk under his tongue,” Son 4:11 that he might look to this spiritual lip feeding. To this end hath he communicated to him those “rivers of water,” Joh 7:38 that they may flow from him, to quench that world of wickedness that, being “set on fire of hell, would set on fire the whole course of nature.” Jam 3:6 They are “empty vines that bear fruit to themselves.” Hos 10:1 Those are void houses, we say, where the doors daily open not. The people hung upon – – our Saviour’s lips as the young bird doth on the dam’s bill. Luk 19:48 Bishop Ridley preached every Lord’s day and holiday, except letted by some weighty business, to whose sermons the people resorted, saith Master Foxe, a swarming about him like bees, and coveting the sweet juice of his gracious discourses. Look how Joseph nourished his father’s household with bread, “according to their families,” or “according to the mouths of their families” b Gen 47:12 So doth the righteous man those of his own charge especially. Welfare Popery for that, saith a grave divine. c I have heard old folks talk, that when in those days they had holy bread, as they called it, given them at church, they would bear a part of it to those that did abide at home. So should heads of families carry home the bread of life to their households.
But fools die for want of wisdom.
a Acts and Mon., fol. 1559.
b Chepi tappam.
c Mr Sam. Hier.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
feed = shepherd: i.e. instruct. Illustrations: Job (Pro 4:3, Pro 4:4; Pro 29:21, Pro 29:22); David (Psa 78:70-72); Peter (Act 4:1-4); Philip (Act 8:5-8); Paul and Barnabas (Act 11:26; Act 14:22-28); Judas and Silas (Act 15:32, Act 15:33).
for = through.
wisdom: Hebrew “heart”, put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6, for understanding.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 10:21
Pro 10:21
“The lips of the righteous feed many; But the foolish die for lack of understanding.”
The kind of food with which the lips of the righteous may feed others is, “The food that abideth unto eternal life” (Joh 6:27), namely, the blessed Truth of the holy gospels, without which, “the foolish die for lack of understanding.”
Pro 10:21. In this verse feed is set over against die. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge (Pro 15:7). Jesus fed multitudes with His teachings. Teachers of Gods Word feed the flock of God (Act 20:28). Paul fed many people in many places. We too can edify (build people up) with our lips (Eph 4:29). People need this knowledge, for they will die for lacking it or for disregarding it (Hos 4:6). Why does a mouse die in a trap or a fish die on the end of a hook? Because they didnt know what would happen by biting the bait.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
feed: Pro 12:18, Pro 15:4, Job 4:3, Job 4:4, Job 23:12, Job 29:21, Job 29:22, Psa 37:30, Ecc 12:9, Ecc 12:10, Jer 3:15, Jer 15:16, Joh 21:15-17, 1Pe 5:2
fools: Pro 1:29, Pro 1:31, Pro 5:12, Pro 5:23, Hos 4:6, Mat 13:19, Joh 3:19, Joh 3:20, Rom 1:28
wisdom: Heb. heart, Pro 17:16
Reciprocal: Deu 6:7 – shalt talk 1Ki 10:8 – happy are these 2Ch 9:7 – General Job 12:20 – the speech of the trusty Psa 71:24 – My tongue Psa 119:144 – understanding Pro 10:11 – mouth of a Pro 10:13 – the lips Pro 10:31 – mouth Pro 15:7 – the heart Pro 18:21 – Death Pro 19:2 – that the Pro 20:15 – but Pro 22:18 – fitted Ecc 10:12 – words Son 4:3 – lips Mat 12:35 – good man Mat 13:52 – which Luk 6:45 – good man Act 20:28 – to feed Col 4:6 – your
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
10:21 The lips of the righteous {i} feed many: but fools die for lack of wisdom.
(i) For they speak truth and edify many by exhortations, admonition and counsel.