Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 15:31
The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
31. of life ] i.e. which tends to life. So, the instruction of wisdom =the instruction which leads to, or bestows wisdom, Pro 15:33 below.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The reproof of life – i. e., The reproof that leads to, or gives life, rather than that which comes from life and its experience.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 31. The ear that heareth the reproof] That receives it gratefully and obeys it. “Advice is for them that will take it,” so says one of our own old proverbs; and the meaning here is nearly the same.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The ear that heareth; the man that hearkeneth to it, and delights in it.
The reproof of life; that reproof and good counsel which leads to life.
Abideth among the wise, Heb. shall or will abide, &. c. Either,
1. He will thereby be made wise, and be esteemed one of that number. Or rather,
2. He seeketh and delighteth in the company and conversation of the wise, by whom he may be admonished; as, on the contrary, fools, who hate reproof, do avoid and abhor the society of wise men and reprovers, Amo 5:10.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
31, 32. (Compare Pr10:17).
reproof of lifewhichleads to life.
abideth . . . wiseisnumbered among them.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
31 An ear which heareth the doctrine of life
Keeps itself in the circle of the wise.
As, Pro 6:33, means instructions aiming at discipline, so here means instructions which have life as their end, i.e., as showing how one may attain unto true life; Hitzig’s , for , is a fancy. Is now the meaning this, that the ear which willingly hears and receives such doctrine of life will come to dwell among the wise, i.e., that such an one (for is synecdoche partis pro persona, as Job 29:11) will have his residence among wise men, as being one of them, inter eos sedem firmam habebit iisque annumerabitur (Fl.)? By such a rendering, one is surprised at the harshness of the synecdoche, as well as at the circumstantiality of the expression (cf. Pro 13:20, ). On the contrary, this corresponds with the thought that one who willingly permits to be said to him what he must do and suffer in order that he may be a partaker of life, on this account remains most gladly in the circle of the wise, and there has his appropriate place. The “passing the night” ( , cogn. , Syr. Targ. , Arab. bat ) is also frequently elsewhere the designation of prolonged stay, e.g., Isa 1:21. is here different in signification from that it had in Pro 14:23, where it meant “in the heart.” In the lxx this proverb is wanting. The other Greek translations have . Similarly the Syr., Targ., Jerome, Venet., and Luther, admitting both renderings, but, since they render in the fut., bringing nearer the idea of prediction (Midrash: ) than of description of character.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
Note, 1. It is the character of a wise man that he is very willing to be reproved, and therefore chooses to converse with those that, both by their words and example, will show him what is amiss in him: The ear that can take the reproof will love the reprover. Faithful friendly reproofs are here called the reproofs of life, not only because they are to be given in a lively manner, and with a prudent zeal (and we must reprove by our lives as well as by our doctrine), but because, where they are well-taken, they are means of spiritual life, and lead to eternal life, and (as some think) to distinguish them from rebukes and reproaches for well-doing, which are rather reproofs of death, which we must not regard nor be influenced by. 2. Those that are so wise as to bear reproof well will hereby be made wiser (ch. ix. 9), and come at length to be numbered among the wise men of the age, and will have both ability and authority to reprove and instruct others. Those that learn well, and obey well, are likely in time to teach well and rule well.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 15:33. Instruction of wisdom, rather a discipline of wisdom, or a training to wisdom.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Pro. 15:31-33
HOW TO GIVE AND TAKE REPROOF
I. Reproof is good when it is given with a good intention and when it is given wisely. Those who undertake to handle the amputating knife should be men who are intent upon the healing of the patient, and must also know where to cut and how much to cut, otherwise the operation may tend to death rather than to life. The reprover, if he would administer a reproof of life, must be wise and kind. He must desire to do good to the man whom he reproves, he must know how to administer the reproof, and must leave off reproving as soon as the necessary wound has been inflicted; if he does not, he may injure the soul instead of destroying the sin.
II. He who takes such reproof displays the highest wisdom and the truest humility. We admire the fortitude of a man who will bear without a murmur a painful operation for the sake of the good that will come to him afterwards. We praise him for the pluck and courage which he shows in enduring bravely, that which we know gives him intense pain of body. And we ought to give as much praise to him who will submit to reproof in a spirit of humility, for there is nothing which is more unpalatable or painful to a mans spirit. Nothing is a surer sign of true wisdom than such submission.
III. He who will not submit to such reproof can never attain to true honour. There can be no honour where there is ignorance, and there can be no knowledge where there is an unwillingness to receive reproof. The greatest kings and statesmen, who are now enthroned by the honour and submission of millions of their fellow-creatures, had once to submit to the instruction of their nurses and tutors. There is no honour in holding a high position unless he who holds it knows how to fill it worthily; and such knowledge can only be acquired by stooping not only to instruction but to reproof, which is always a necessary element of instruction. (For fuller treatment of the subject of these verses, see Homiletics on chapters Pro. 3:11-12; Pro. 12:1; Pro. 13:18; Pro. 15:10. Pages 247, 323, 410, etc.).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 15:31. There is a reproof not of life, but of death, when hatred seeketh disgrace or ruin by it, and when it is used, as St. Bernard speaketh, not to instruction in the spirit of meekness, but to destruction in the spirit of fury. When it is reproach, and not reproof, it amendeth not, but hardeneth the offender in his wickedness. But with the wise there is the reproof, not of death, but of life; that is, direction unto a virtuous life, and teaching true wisdom, which is the life of the soul. The words of the wise, saith the Preacher, are as nails fastened: for as nails are driven in, but it is not so much to make a hole as to fasten and strengthen; so the words of the wise in reproof do pierce, but it is not so much to wound, as to fasten their reproof, and to give strength unto it.Jermin.
Oh, it is a blessed thing to have others tell us of our faults, and as it were to pull us out of the fire with violence, as Jude speaks; rather to pull us out with violence, with sharp rebukes, than we should perish in our sins. If a man be to weed his ground, he sees need of the benefit of others; if a man be to demolish his house, he will be thankful to others for their help; so he that is to pull down his corruption, that old house, he should be thankful to others that will tell him, This is rotten, and this is to blame; who, if he be not thankful for seasonable reproof, he knows not what self-judging means. If any man be so uncivil when a man shows him a spot on his garment to grow choleric, will we not judge him to be an unreasonable man? And so when a man shall be told, This will hinder your comfort another day; if men were not spiritually besotted, would they swell and be angry against such a man?Sibbes.
Pro. 15:32. Wilt thou destroy that for which Christ died? (1Co. 8:11). What shall a man give in exchange for his soul? There is no great matter in the earth but man; nothing great in man but his soul, saith Faverinus. Whose image and superscription is it but Gods? Give, therefore, to God the things that are Gods, by delivering it up to discipline. Suffer, saith the great apostle, the word of exhortation; suffer them in Gods name, sharp though they be, and set on with some more than ordinary earnestness. Better it is that the vine should bleed, than die. Certes, When the Lord shall have done to you all the good that He hath spoken concerning you, and hath brought you to His kingdom, this shall be no grief unto you, nor offence of heart, as He said in a like case (1Sa. 25:30-31), that you have hearkened to instruction, and been bettered by reproof.Trapp.
There are two things that cause men to rage against reproof.
1. Guilt of the sin objected. Guilt makes men angry when they are searched, and, like horses that are galled, to kick if they be but touched. The mildest waters are troublesome to sore eyes. There is scarce a more probable sign that the crime objected is true than wrath and bitterness against the person that charges, us with it.
2. Love to sin makes men impatient under reproof. When a persons sin is to him as the apple of his eye, no wonder that he be offended at any that touch it.Swinnock.
Pro. 15:33. Abigail was not made Davids wife till she thought it honour enough to wash the feet of the meanest of Davids servants (1Sa. 25:40). Moses must be forty years a stranger in Midian before he become king in Jeshurun. Luther observed that ever, for most part, before God set him upon any special service for the good of the Church he had some sore fit of sickness. Surely as the lower the ebb the higher the tide; so the lower any descend in humiliation the higher they shall ascend in exaltation; the lower this foundation of humility is laid the higher shall the roof of honour be overlaid.Trapp.
Not only doth humility go before honour in the course of things, but is also before honour in the dignity and excellency of it. So that when humility hath brought a man to honour even then his greatest honour is humility.Jermin.
Reproof, which has been twice used, and instruction, or rather discipline, which is now made to balance it in these last important texts, have a respect of painfulness: and Solomon, in this verse, tempers that pain, by showing what discipline really is:The fear of Jehovah. Fear hath torment, says the apostle John (1Jn. 4:18). That fear is not altogether the fear of our text, but is a part of it. I do not remember the fear of the Almighty as a title applied in heaven. The fear of Jehovah has some particle of painfulness; and that painfulness makes it of the nature of discipline. The best discipline of the saints is the abiding fear of the Almighty. The proverb seems to imply that it will not last always; that it is painful; and that we shall not continue pained; that it is necessary for us to be under just that gentle sort of discipline that fear can give while we are in this world. And that necessity he states, in that before glory is affliction. Not honour (as in the English version), so much as weight, or glory. Not humility, but primarily, toil; ergo, more generally, affliction. We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Act. 14:22).Miller.
I am not worthy, is the voice of the saints. They know God, and God knows them. Moses was the meekest man upon earth, and therefore God is said to know him by name (Exo. 33:17). I am less than the least of all thy mercies, saith Jacob (Gen. 32:10). Lo, he was honoured to be father of the twelve tribes, and heir of the blessing. Who am I, O Lord? says David. He was advanced from that lowly conceit to be king of Israel. I am not worthy to loose the latchet of Christs shoe, saith John Baptist (Mat. 3:11). Lo, he was esteemed worthy to lay his hand on Christs head. I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, says the centurion, therefore Christ commended him. I have not found so great faith; no, not in Israel (Mat. 8:8). I am the least of the apostles, saith Paul; not worthy to be called an apostle (1Co. 15:9). Therefore he is honoured with the title of the apostle. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, saith the holy virgin; therefore she was honoured to be the mother of the Lord, and to have all generations call her blessed. This non sum dignus, the humble annihilation of themselves, hath gotten them the honour of saints. In spiritual graces let us study to be great, and not to know it, as the fixed stars are everyone bigger than the earth, yet appear to us less than torches. Not to be high-minded in high deserts is the way to blessed preferment. Humility is not only a virtue itself, but a vessel to contain other virtues; like embers, which keep the fire alive that is hidden under it. It emptieth itself by a modest estimation of its own worth, that Christ may fill it. It wrestleth with God, like Jacob, and wins by yielding; the lower it stoops to the ground the more advantage it gets to obtain the blessing. All our pride, O Lord, is from the want of knowing Thee. The leper casts himself down, and Christ bids him arise. Humility is the gentleman-usher to glory. God that sends away the rich empty from His gates loves to fill the hungry with good things (Luk. 1:53). The air passeth by the full vessel, and only filleth that is empty. This is the difference between the proud and beggars; both agree in not having, differ in craving. The proud are pauperes spiritus, the humble are pauperes spiritu. Blessed are, not the poor spirits, but the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, (Mat. 5:3). Such as felt their wants sought and besought God for supply. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain be brought low (Luk. 3:5). The lowly mind shall be exalted, the high-towering ambitious shall be thrown down. How should God say to the merchant that glories in his wealth, to the usurer that admireth his moneys, to the gallant that wonders that his good clothes do not prefer him, Arise! Alas! they are up already; they were never down. A dwarf in a great throng, seeming low on his knees, was bidden by the prince to stand up; alas! he was before at his highest. God cannot be so mistaken as to encourage their standing up who never yet had the manners to cast themselves down. Says Augustine, Descend, that ye may rise up to God; for you have fallen by rising up against God. He that is a mountebank must level himself even with the ground; if humbleness hath once thrown him down and brought him to his knees, he shall hear the patron and pattern of humbleness comforting him with a surgeArise. The guest that sets himself down at the lower end of the table shall hear the feast-maker kindly remove him, Friend, sit up higher (Luk. 14:10). If Esther fall at Ahasuerus feet, he will take her by the hand, and bid her arise. When Peter fell down at Jesus knees, saying, Depart from me; I am a sinful man, O, Lord (Luk. 5:8-10), he presently was raised up with, Fear not, thou shalt catch men.. Who is heard to say with Paul, I am the chief of sinners? (1Ti. 1:15) such a humble confession scarce heard of. But Christ had given him a surge on his former humbling: Arise and bear My name before Gentiles and kings, etc. Let us all thus cast ourselves down in humility, that the Lord may say to us in mercy, Arise.Adams.
The more humble, the fitter to come to God, and He the more willing to come unto the soul and dwell in it. The highest heavens are the habitation of God s glory; and the humble heart hath the next honour, to be the habitation of His grace.Leighton.
The truly humble spirit is, in society, to the proud and haughty, what the valley is to the mountain: if less observed, more sheltered and more blessed, valleys see the stars more brightly than the mountains that often veil their proud heads with clouds. The mountains filter the waters upon which the valleys live, and send down in soft music to their ears the stormy thunders that beat with violence on their lofty brow. The great sun stoops to the valleys and touches them with a warmth which it denies to the high hills; and kind nature, which leaves the towering heights amidst the cold desolations of death, endows the humble vales with richest life, and robes them in the enchanting costume of sweetest flowers.Dr. David Thomas.
You must go to honour before humility. This is the lawthe law of God. It cannot be changed. It has its analogies in the material creation. Every height has its corresponding depth. As far as the Andes pierce into the sky, so far do the valleys of the Pacific, at their base, go down into the heart of the earth. If the branches of a tree rise high in the air, its roots must penetrate to a corresponding depth in the ground; and the necessity is reciprocal. The higher the branches are, the deeper go the roots; and the deeper the roots are, the higher go the branches. This law pervades the moral administration as well as the higher works of God. The child Jesus is set for the fall and the rising again of many in Israel; but it is first the fall and then the rising; for before honour is humility. Fall they must at the feet of the Crucified before they can rise and reign as the children of the Great King. There are two mountains in the land of Israel, equal in height, and standing near each other, with a deep, narrow valley between. At an interesting point in the peoples history, one of these mountains bore the curse, and the other received the blessing (Deu. 11:26-29). If you had stood then on Ebal, where the curse was lying, you could not have escaped to Gerizim to enjoy the blessing without going down to the bottom of the intervening gorge. There was a way for the pilgrim from the curse to the blessing, if he were willing to pass through the valley of humiliation; but there was no flight through the air, so as to escape the going down. These things are an allegory. All men are at first in their own judgments on a lofty place, but the curse hangs over the mountains of their pride. All the saved are also on a lofty height, but God dwells among them, and great is the peace of His children. All who have reached this mountain have been in the deep. They sowed in tears before they went forth rejoicing to bear home the sheaves.Arnot.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(31) The ear that heareth the reproof of lifei.e., one which does not refuse reproof, or instruction, which leads to life. (Comp. Pro. 6:23.) The ear is put for the person, as in Job. 29:11.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
31. The reproof of life Life-giving; such as tendeth to life. Some think, however, that it may mean sharp, strong, or vigorous reproof, one that bears sharp reproof of his faults.
Abideth (shall dwell) among the wise Shall be one of them. Comp. Pro 6:23; Pro 13:20.
Ear The person who hears.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
v. 31. The ear that heareth the reproof of life,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 15:31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.
Ver. 31. The ear that heareth the reproof of llfe. ] That is, lively and life giving reproofs. Veritas aspera est, verum amaritudo eius utilior et integris sensibus gratior quam meritricantis linguae distillans favus; a – Truth is sharp, but be it bitter, yet it is better and more savoury to sound senses than the honey drops of a flattering tongue.
a Joh. Sarif., de ungis curialium .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
of = tending or leading to. Genitive of Relation. See App-17(5).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 15:31
Pro 15:31
“The ear that hearkeneth to the reproof of life shall abide among the wise.”
Frankenberg has a good alternate reading for Pro 15:31, “…who harkens to life-giving admonitions. “The ear that heeds wholesome admonition will lodge among the wise.” The advice one heeds must be good.
Pro 15:31. Pro 15:5 said that the person who regarded reproof would get wisdom. This verse says that such will abide among the wise. See Pro 15:10; Pro 15:12 also. An old proverb: Advice is for them that will take it. Stephen referred to his hearers ears as uncircumcised (Act 7:51). The ear cannot always hear what is pleasing and commendatory, as much as we would like it that way. Praise may be pleasing, but reproof may be more profitable. All of us need both.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
ear: Pro 15:5, Pro 1:23, Pro 9:8, Pro 9:9, Pro 13:20, Pro 19:20, Pro 25:12, Isa 55:3
abideth: Joh 15:3, Joh 15:4, 1Jo 2:19
Reciprocal: Pro 6:23 – and reproofs Pro 13:18 – Poverty Ecc 7:5 – better 2Ti 3:16 – for reproof
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 15:31-33. The ear that heareth the reproof of life The man that hearkens to and delights in that reproof and good counsel which lead to life; abideth among the wise He will thereby be made wise, and be esteemed one of that number: or rather, he seeks and delights in the company and conversation of the wise, by whom he may be admonished; as, on the contrary, fools, who hate reproof, avoid and abhor the society of wise men and reprovers, Amo 5:10. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul Which he thereby exposes to the danger of utter destruction, and so shows his folly; but he that heareth, &c., getteth understanding Whereby he saves his soul. Hebrew, , possesseth a heart, which the Hebrews make the seat of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the instruction, &c. Doth instruct men in, or lead them to, true wisdom, whence it is said to be the beginning of wisdom; and before honour Or, the ready way to honour, both from God and men; is humility Whereby men submit to God, and yield to men, which gains them love and respect; whereas pride procures them hatred and contempt, both from God and man.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
15:31 The ear that heareth the {i} reproof of life abideth among the wise.
(i) That suffers himself to be admonished by God’s word, which brings life: and so amends.