Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 26:24

He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;

24. and ] But he layeth up &c. (R.V.) gives the sense more forcibly. Comp. 2Sa 3:27.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Pro 26:24-27

He that hateth dissembleth with his lips.

Clandestine hatred

I. It is often greatly disguised. Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.

II. It is excessively corrupt. When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. The word number seven, in Scripture, denotes fulness or completeness. The idea here is, that such a mans heart is full of abominations.

III. It is liable to exposure. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation. Dissembling never answers in the end. The Providence of God brings dark deeds to light. All sin will one day be stripped of its mask, and laid bare in all its putrescent hideousness to the open eye of the universe.

IV. It is self-ruinous. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein. Evil is a hard worker. It digs pits and rolls stones. And what is worse, all its hard work is self-ruinous. Into the pit which they have dug they shall tumble. Those who plot mischief for others will be overwhelmed with it themselves. Moab, in attempting to curse Israel, fell himself under the curse of God. Hamans gallows for Mordecai was his own promotion of shame. The enemies of Daniel were devoured in the ruin which they plotted against him. Thus does God take the wise in his craftiness, the wicked in his wickedness. The malice that meditates the evil is often the cause of its own overthrow.

V. It is socially pernicious. A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

1. It injures by its slanders. A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it.

2. It injures by its flatteries. Flattery is a social curse. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

By injuring others we are ourselves often the greatest sufferers

The wasps sting is provided with a barb, and when he feels particularly vicious, and drives the sting into the flesh, it becomes so firmly imbedded that the only way for him to escape is to leave the sting behind. This, however, is sure to cause his death. He receives himself such a wound that he cannot recover. We sometimes forget that when we hurt others by stinging words and treacherous acts, we ourselves, in the long run, are generally the greatest sufferers. (W. Judson.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Dissembleth, or, carrieth himself like another man; pretends love and kindness; which sense seems to agree best both with the next clause of this verse, and with the two following verses,

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

24. dissembleththough anunusual sense of the word (compare Margin), is allowable, andbetter suits the context, which sets forth hypocrisy.

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

He that hateth dissembleth with his lips,…. He that bears a grudge in his mind, and retains hatred in his heart against any person, hides it all he can, till he has an opportunity of showing it as he would; he pretends a great deal of friendship with his lips, that his hatred might not be known; he would be thought to be a friend, when he is really an enemy; he does not choose as yet to make himself known what he is. Some render it to a sense the reverse, “the enemy”, or “he that hateth, is known by his lips” l; so the Targum, Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions: if you carefully watch him, mark his words, and observe what he says, you will find out the hatred that lies in his heart; he cannot forbear saying something, at one time or another, which betrays the malignity of his mind;

and layeth up deceit within him; or, “though m he layeth up”, c. hides it as much as he can, yet it will show itself in some way or another.

l “agnoscetur”, Montanus, Vatablus “cognoscetur”, Tigurine version; “cognoscitur”, Amama, so Luther. m “quamvis”, Luther. apud Gejerus, Baynus.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Pro 26:24 and Pro 26:25 form a tetrastich.

24 With his lips the hater dissembleth,

And in his heart he museth deceit.

25 If he maketh his voice agreeable, believe him not,

For seven abominations are in his heart.

All the old translators (also the Venet. and Luther) give to the meaning, to become known; but the Niph. as well as the Hithpa. ( vid., at Pro 20:11; Gen 47:17) unites with this meaning also the meaning to make oneself known: to make oneself unknown, unrecognisable = (Arab.) tanakkr , e.g., by means of clothing, or by a changed expression of countenance.

(Note: Vid., de Goeje’s Fragmenta Hist. Arab. ii. (1871), p. 94. The verb , primarily to fix one’s attention, sharply to contemplate anything, whence is derived the meanings of knowing and of not knowing, disowning. The account of the origin of these contrasted meanings, in Gesenius-Dietrich’s Lexicon, is essentially correct; but the Arab. nakar there referred to means, not sharpness of mind, from nakar = , but from the negative signification prevailing in the Arab. alone, a property by which one makes himself worthy of being disowned: craftiness, cunning, and then also in bonam partem : sagacity.)

The contrast demands here this latter signification: labiis suis alium se simulat osor, intus in pectore autem reconditum habet dolum (Fleischer). This rendering of is more correct than Hitzig’s (“in his breast) he prepares treachery;” for is to be rendered after , Psa 13:3 ( vid., Hupfeld’s and also our comm. on this passage), not after Jer 9:7; for one says , to place snares, , to lay an ambush, and the like, but not to place or to lay deceit. If such a dissembler makes his voice agreeable ( Piel of only here, for the form Psa 9:14 is, as it is punctuated, Kal), trust not thyself to him ( , with : to put firm trust in anything, vid., Genesis, p. 312)

(Note: The fundamental idea of firmness in is always in the subject, not the object. The Arabic interpreters remark that aman with expresses recognition, and with submission ( vid., Lane’s Lexicon under aman ); but in Hebr. with fiducia fidei , with assensus fidei ; the relation is thus not altogether the same.)

for seven abominations, i.e., a whole host of abominable thoughts and designs, are in his heart; he is, if one may express it, after Mat 12:45, possessed inwardly of seven devils. The lxx makes a history of 24a: an enemy who, under complaints, makes all possible allowances, but in his heart . The history is only too true, but it has no place in the text.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

      24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;   25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.   26 Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

      There is cause to complain, not only of the want of sincerity in men’s profession of friendship, and that they do not love so well as they pretend nor will serve their friends so much as they promise, but, which is much worse, of wicked designs in the profession of friendship, and the making of it subservient to the most malicious intentions. This is here spoken of as a common thing (v. 24): He that hates his neighbour, and is contriving to do him a mischief, yet dissembles with his lips, professes to have a respect for him and to be ready to serve him, talks kindly with him, as Cain with Abel, asks, Art thou in health, my brother? as Joab to Amasa, that his malice may not be suspected and guarded against, and so he may have the fairer opportunity to execute the purposes of it, this man lays up deceit within him, that is, he keeps in his mind the mischief he intends to do his neighbour till he catches him at an advantage. This is malice which has no less of the subtlety than it has of the venom of the old serpent in it. Now, as to this matter, we are here cautioned, 1. Not to be so foolish as to suffer ourselves to be imposed upon by the pretensions of friendship. Remember to distrust when a man speaks fair; be not too forward to believe him unless you know him well, for it is possible there may be seven abominations in his heart, a great many projects of mischief against you, which he is labouring so industriously to conceal with his fair speech. Satan is an enemy that hates us, and yet in his temptations speaks fair, as he did to Eve, but it is madness to give credit to him, for there are seven abominations in his heart; seven other spirits does one unclean spirit bring more wicked than himself. 2. Not to be so wicked as to impose upon any with a profession of friendship; for, though the fraud may be carried on plausibly awhile, it will be brought to light, v. 26. He whose hatred is covered by deceit will one time or other be discovered, and his wickedness shown, to his shame and confusion, before the whole congregation; and nothing will do more to make a man odious to all companies. Love (says one) is the best armour, but the worst cloak, and will serve dissemblers as the disguise which Ahab put on and perished in.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

24. He that dissembleth This seems to be the counterpart of the preceding, and is rendered: “By his lips shall the hater be known, that he putteth deceit within him;” that is, that he cherishes it. Gesenius. The hater, however smooth spoken, can hardly so dissemble as to escape detection. Most interpreters, however, follow the Authorized Version.

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

Pro 26:24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;

Ver. 24. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips. ] And so heaps sin upon sin, till he be transformed into a breathing devil. This is meant not so much of the passion of hatred as of the habit of it; when it hath wholly leavened the heart, and lies watching its opportunity of doing mischief. The devil is at inn with such, as Mr Bradford a phraseth it, and was as great a master, long before the Florentine secretary was born, as since.

a Serm. of Repent.

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