Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 27:16
Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, [which] betrayeth [itself].
16. Whosoever hideth &c.] The verse is better rendered:
He that would restrain her restraineth the wind,
And his right hand meets with oil.
“She is as subtle as wind, as slippery as oil,” Rel. Tr. Soc. Comm.
The A.V. takes the second clause of the verse to mean, You might as well try to conceal ointment in your right hand, which would certainly betray its presence, either by its odour, or by trickling through your fingers. But the proverb is at once more forcible and more harmonious, when it speaks of restraining the wind and grasping the oil.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The point is the impossibility of concealment or restraint. A person cannot hide the wind, or clasp it in his hands. If he takes an unguent in his right hand, the odor betrays him, or it slips out. So, in like manner, the contentious woman is one whose faults it is impossible either to hide or check. The difficulty of the proverb led to a different reading, adopted by the versions, The north wind is rough, and yet it is called propitious; it clears off the clouds and brings fine weather.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind] You may as well attempt to repress the blowing of the wind, as the tongue of a scold; and to conceal this unfortunate propensity of a wife is as impossible as to hush the storm, and prevent its sound from being heard.
The ointment of his right hand] You can no more conceal such a woman’s conduct, than you can the smell of the aromatic oil with which your hand has been anointed. The Hebrew is very obscure, and is variously translated. Coverdale thus: “He that refrayneth her, refrayneth the wynde; and holdith oyle fast in his honde.” That is, he attempts to do what is impossible to be done.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Whosoever hideth her, i.e. attempts to smother or bridle her passion, that it may not break forth to her shame, and to his own discomfort and reproach,
hideth the wind; undertakes that which is impossible.
The ointment of his right hand; which being the great instrument of action, by its much stirring diffuseth the savour of it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. hidethor, “restrains”(that is, tries to do it); is as fruitless an effort, as that ofholding the wind.
the ointment of his righthandthe organ of power (Psa 17:7;Psa 18:35). His right handendeavors to repress perfume, but vainly. Some prefer: “Hisright hand comes on oil,” that is, “cannot take hold.”Such a woman cannot be tamed.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind,…. Whoever attempts to stop her brawls and contentions, to repress and restrain them, and hinder her voice being heard in the streets, and endeavours to hide the shame that comes upon herself and family, attempts a thing as impossible as to hide the wind in the palm of a man’s hand, or to stop it from blowing; for as that, by being restrained or pent up by any methods that can be used, makes the greater noise, so, by all the means that are used to still a contentious woman, she is but the more noisy and clamorous, and becomes more shameful and infamous;
and the ointment of his right hand, [which] bewrayeth [itself]: or “will call” or “calls” h, and says, in effect, Here am I; for the smell of it, which cannot be hid when held in a man’s hand, betrays it; and the faster he holds it, and the more he presses and squeezes it, and the more it is heated hereby, the more it diffuses its savour, and is known to be where it is; and so all attempts to stop the mouth of a brawling woman does but cause her to brawl the louder.
h “clamabit”, Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Vatablus, Mercerus; “vocabit”, Baynus; “clamat”, Piscator, Michaelis; “praeconem agit”, Schultens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This verse stands in close connection with the preceding, for it speaks of the contentious woman:
He that restraineth her restraineth the wind,
And oil meeteth his right hand.
The connection of the plur. subject = quicunque eam cohibet , with a sing. predicate, is not to be disputed ( vid., Pro 3:18 and Pro 28:16, Chethb ); but can gain from the meaning of preserving, laying up, also the meanings of keeping, of confining, and shutting up? – for these meanings we have and (cf. , Pro 30:4). In 16b it lies nearer to see in the object of the clause (oil meeteth his right hand) than the subject (his right hand meeteth oil), for the gender of directs to ( e.g., Eze 15:6; cf. 6a, where is as to gender indifferent): it is fem., while on the contrary is generally masc. (cf. Son 1:3). There is no reason for regarding as an adverbial accus. (he meets oil with his right hand), or, with Hitzig, as a second subject (he meets oil, his right hand); the latter, in the order of the words lying before us, is not at all possible. We suppose that , as at Gen 49:1, is equivalent to (Ewald, 116c), for the explanation oleum dexterae ejus praeconem agit (Cocceius, Schultens) does not explain, but only darkens: and oleum dexter su legit , i.e., colligit (Fleischer), is based on an untenable use of the word. As one may say of person to person, , occurrit tibi , Num 25:18, so also ( ), of a thing that meets a man or one of his members; and if we compare and , then for 16b the meaning is possible: oil meets his right hand; the quarrelsome woman is like oil that cannot be held in the hand, which struggles against that which holds it, for it always glides out of the hand. Thus also Luther: “and seeks to hold oil with his hand,” as if he read . In fact, this word was more commonly used as the expression of untenableness than the colourless and singular word , which, besides, is so ambiguous, that none of the old translators has thought on any other than that which signifies “to call,” “to name.” The Jewish interpreters also adhere to this nearest lying , and, moreover, explain, as the Syr., Targ., Aquila, Symmachus, Jerome, and the Venet., , according to the accentuation as genit. connected, e.g., Rashi: he calls for oil to his right hand, viz., as the means of purification from leprosy, Lev 8:14 [Lev 14:16]; and Aben Ezra: even when he calls for oil to his right hand, i.e., would move them to silence with the precious anointing oil. Perhaps Pro 27:16 was originally an independent proverb as follows:
He who layeth up riches in store layeth up the wind,
And he nameth them the fat of his right hand;
i.e., he sees in them that which makes his right hand fat and strong ( , as at Psa 109:24, opp. Zec 11:17; cf. , Isa 10:16, and regarding , the Phoenician god of health, at Isa 59:10), and yet it is only the wind, i.e., something that is worthless and transient, which he stored up ( , as at Pro 13:22, and in , Obad. Oba 1:6). is used as it frequently occurs in the Book of Proverbs, e.g., Pro 11:4, and the whole proverb expresses by another figure the same as Pro 18:11. The fact that ( ), Pro 25:23, and as a contrast thereto in the compass (the south), hovered before the poet, may not have been without its influence on the choice of the words and expression here.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(16) Whosoever hideth her hideth the windi.e., you might as well try and stop the wind from blowing as seek to restrain her.
And the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.Rather, perhaps, and oil meeteth his right handi.e., if he puts out his hand to stop her she slips through it like oil.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Hideth her bewrayeth itself This verse is obscure and variously rendered. The difficulty is chiefly in determining the root of the verb , ( yikra,) translated “bewrayeth.” One root would give us call, call out, declare, etc.; the other, happen, befall, encounter, etc. Different interpreters render according to their idea on this subject. A few specimens may be given: “He that refraineth her refraineth the wind, and holdeth oil fast in his right hand.” Coverdale. “Ointment which discovers itself.” Boothroyd. “Conceal the fragrant oil which is upon his right hand.” Trench. “Cometh upon oil.” Stuart. “Encounters oil.” Conant. “It is altogether as impossible for him to keep the wind from blowing, or to inclose a fragrant oil in his right hand so that its perfume shall not be perceived, as to make her hold her tongue, or to conceal her bawling humour.” Patrick. “He that hideth her, hideth the winde, and she is as ye oyle in his sight that vttereth itself.” Geneva Bible. The proverb is understood to be a sequel to the one preceding.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Pro 27:16. Whosoever hideth her, &c. Whoso locks her up, locks up the winds, and he will take hold of oil with his hand. Wat. See Hiller Hierophut. p. 210. Houbigant renders it, He who will confine her at home may confine the wind; for whatsoever he shall seal with his hand [i.e. whatsoever her husband would wish to keep secret] she will bewray or divulge. The Hebrew is very obscure; He who hideth her, hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand shall cry out. “To attempt to keep such a woman in the house, is to attempt to restrain the wind: and as one cannot touch perfumed oil with the hand, but the odour will discover itself; so it is fruitless to endeavour to conceal the bad qualities of a quarrelsome woman; spite of all endeavours, she will discover herself.” See Calmet and Schultens.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 27:16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, [which] bewrayeth [itself].
Ver. 16. Whosoever hideth her, hideth the wind, ] i.e., One may as soon hide the wind, or hold it from blowing, as hide her shame, or hush her brawling. The wife should make her husband her covering, when she is abroad especially; but many wives are so intemperate and wilful, that a man may as well hide the wind in his fist, or oil in his clutch fist, as his wife’s infirmities. Let this be marked by those that venture upon shrews, if rich, fair, well descended, in hope to tame them and make them better.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9.
And. Supply the Ellipsis, “And [hideth]”, &c.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the ointment: Joh 12:3
Reciprocal: Pro 12:4 – she Pro 21:9 – better Pro 25:24 – General