Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 16:14

The wrath of a king [is as] messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

14. messengers of death ] The reckless fury of the Eastern despot (1Sa 22:16-18; Est 7:7-10; Dan 2:5) is but the abuse of the awful justice of the Archetypal King (Mat 22:7; Luk 19:27).

will pacify it ] See Psa 2:10-12.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

While Pro 16:13 depicts the king as he ought to be, this verse reminds us of the terrible rapidity with which, in the despotic monarchies of the East, punishment, even death, follows royal displeasure.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Is as messengers of death; is as terrible as if many messengers were sent to denounce the sentence of death, and to execute it.

Will pacify it; will use all prudent and lawful means to pacify it.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

14. This wrath, so terrible andcertain, like messengers of death (1Ki2:25), can be appeased by the wise.

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

The wrath of a king [is as] messengers of death,…. Or, “angels of death”, as the Targum. As the wrath of Ahasuerus was to Haman; when it is either discovered in the countenance of a king, or expressed by his words, or signified by a messenger; it sometimes has been immediate death to a person, and often as terrible as if a messenger brought the sentence of death; yea, it is as if one messenger after another was sent on such an errand, and therefore the word is in the plural number. How terrible is the wrath of the King of kings; and even to kings themselves, who are represented as flying to rocks and mountains to hide them from it! Re 6:15;

but a wise man will pacify it; by a proper acknowledgment of the offence committed; or by a prudent representation of his case, or the case of his friends; by soft answers and strong arguments, as Jonathan pacified the wrath of King Saul his father against David. He is a wise man that believes in Christ, and pleads his propitiatory sacrifice for the expiation of his sin, at the same time frankly acknowledging it.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

14 The wrath of the king is like messengers of death;

But a wise man appeaseth him.

The clause: the wrath of the king is many messengers of death, can be regarded as the attribution of the effect, but it falls under the point of view of likeness, instead of comparison: if the king is angry, it is as if a troop of messengers or angels of death went forth to visit with death him against whom the anger is kindled; the plur. serves for the strengthening of the figure: not one messenger of death, but at the same time several, the wrinkled brow, the flaming eye, the threatening voice of the king sends forth (Fleischer). But if he against whom the wrath of the king has thus broken forth is a wise man, or one near the king who knows that (Jam 1:20), he will seek to discover the means (and not without success) to cover or to propitiate, i.e., to mitigate and appease, the king’s anger. The Scripture never uses , so that God is the object ( expiare Deum ), because, as is shown in the Comm. zum Hebrerbrief, that were to say, contrary to the decorum divinum , that God’s holiness or wrath is covered, or its energy bound, by the offering up of sacrifices or of things in which there is no inherent virtue of atonement, and which are made the means of reconciliation only by the accommodative arrangement of God. On the contrary, is used here and at Gen 32:21 of covering = reconciling (propitiating) the wrath of a man.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

      14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.   15 In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

      These two verses show the power of kings, which is every where great, but was especially so in those eastern countries, where they were absolute and arbitrary. Whom they would they slew and whom they would they kept alive. Their will was a law. We have reason to bless God for the happy constitution of the government we live under, which maintains the prerogative of the prince without any injury to the liberty of the subject. But here it is intimated, 1. How formidable the wrath of a king is: It is as messengers of death; the wrath of Ahasuerus was so to Haman. An angry word from an incensed prince has been to many a messenger of death, and has struck so great a terror upon some as if a sentence of death had been pronounced upon them. He must be a very wise man that knows how to pacify the wrath of a king with a word fitly spoken, as Jonathan once pacified his father’s rage against David, 1 Sam. xix. 6. A prudent subject may sometimes suggest that to an angry prince which will cool his resentments. 2. How valuable and desirable the king’s favour is to those that have incurred his displeasure; it is life from the dead if the king be reconciled to them. To others it is as a cloud of the latter rain, very refreshing to the ground. Solomon put his subjects in mind of this, that they might not do any thing to incur his wrath, but be careful to recommend themselves to his favour. We ought by it to be put in mind how much we are concerned to escape the wrath and obtain the favour of the King of kings. His frowns are worse than death, and his favour is better than life; and therefore those are fools who to escape the wrath, and obtain the favour, of an earthly prince, will throw themselves out of God’s favour, and make themselves obnoxious to his wrath.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Verse 14 recognizes the fear of death experienced by one who incurs the wrath of a king empowered to exact the death penalty; and commends as wise- the one who pacifies or appeases the wrathful person, Pro 19:12; Pro 20:2; 1Sa 19:1; 1Sa 19:4-6; Eph 4:26.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

14. The wrath of a king is as messengers of death His wrath soon finds executioners. Under the despotic governments of the East there are frequently no forms of trial. A man may not know that he is condemned, or even accused, until the executioner, the “messenger of death,” comes to take his head off; perhaps in his own house, in the midst of his family, or wherever he meets him. The Hebrew is more emphatic than our version.

But a wise man will pacify it Cover or atone “the wrath.” It is the same word as in Pro 16:6 is rendered “purged.” The wise man may be the offender himself; but, knowing how, he skilfully reconciles his sovereign, or, it may be a virtuous and prudent courtier or counsellor who appeases the king’s anger. Illustrations of this proverb in the Bible are numerous. Comp. Pro 19:12; Pro 20:2; 1Ki 2:25, et seq.; Mat 14:10. On second clause, see 1Sa 19:1-6 ; 1Sa 25:24, et seq.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments