Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 30:28
The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.
28. the spider ] Rather, the lizard. The Heb. word occurs here only.
taketh hold with her hands ] If this rendering be retained, the reference may be to the animal “taking hold of,” catching its prey (“Quid, cum me domi sedentem stellio, muscas captans vel araneas retibus suis implicans, spe intentum fecit?” August. Confess, 10. 35). But it is better to understand it of the marvellous power of “taking hold of,” adhering to, the surfaces over which it glides. “Many members of this family of Saura are characterised by a peculiar lamellated structure on the under surface of the toes, by means of which they are enabled to run over the smoothest surfaces, and even in an inverted position, like house-flies on a cieling.” Smiths Dict. of Bible, Art. Lizard.
The alternative rendering, thou canst seize with thy hands (R.V. marg.) brings out, as in the other three examples in this quatrain, the weak point as a foil to the wisdom exhibited: you can catch the lizard with your hands, and yet she makes her way into king’s palaces. But this is done sufficiently by the former rendering: the lizard has nothing better to rely on than its agility, and yet it gains an entry by it into kings’ palaces.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Spider – Rather, the Gecko (or Stellio), a genus of the lizard tribe, many species of which haunt houses, make their way through crevices in the walls, and with feet that secrete a venomous exudation catch the spiders or the flies they find there.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The spider taketh hold of the thread which she spins out of her own bowels with her hands; with her legs, which he calls hands, because they serve her for the same purpose, to do her work, to weave her web, and to catch gnats or flies, &c.
Is in kings palaces; is not only in poor cottages, but many times in palaces also, where she makes a shift to keep her abode, notwithstanding all the care and pains which is taken to sweep and cleanse it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. spidertolerated, even inpalaces, to destroy flies.
taketh . . . handsor,uses with activity the limbs provided for taking prey.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The spider taketh hold with her hands,…. On the thread she spins, or on the flies and bees she catches in her web. This is a small creature, yet very wise; what a curious thread does she spin! what a fine web does she weave! with what exactness and proportion is it framed! as if she understood the rules of mathematics and architecture;
and is in kings’ palaces; as well as in the houses of poor people, and in temples also; we read y of one in the temple of Ceres, which drew its web over the face of the image: and though her webs are oftentimes destroyed, especially in kings’ palaces; yet such is her constancy and assiduity, and her unwearied application to business, that, as fast as they are destroyed, she attempts to restore them. This creature is an emblem of diligence in things temporal and spiritual; which those that use in the former sense shall stand before kings, and not before mean men; and in the latter sense shall have the presence of the King of kings, and dwell in his palace here and hereafter: also of worldly minded men, who labour to be rich; spend their time, and take a great deal of pains for mere trifles; weave curious webs, and, after all, only catch flies; and those they cannot hold, uncertain riches, which make themselves wings and fly away. Likewise this creature may resemble hypocrites, whose hope and trust are as the spider’s web, built upon their own righteousness, spun out of their own hearts; a fine, thin, slender thread, which cannot bear one stroke of the besom of divine justice; such as these are in the palaces of Christ the King, are in his churches, hypocrites in Zion; see Job 8:13. Aben Ezra interprets it of the ape: the same David de Pomis z observes, and Mr. Weemse a, who seems to incline to this sense; and this creature King Solomon, no doubt, had in his palace, since his navy brought many of these, every three years, from those parts to which it was sent,
1Ki 10:22; and to these hands more properly belong than to spiders, and are taken into king’s palaces for their pleasure and diversion; but to these there is one objection, that this creature is not a little one. Others understand it of the “lizard”, that sort which is called “stellio”; but it is a question whether this is to be found in king’s palaces. Bellonius b makes mention of a kind of lizard, which creeps into walls and catches flies, and is called by the Greeks “samiamiton”, a name very near the Hebrew word here used: and Pliny c speaks of the “stellio”, or lizard, as being in doors, windows, and chambers; and as a very fraudulent and deceitful creature to men, none more so; and also as poisonous, as this creature in the text by its name seems to be: and Austin d makes mention of the lizard as a domestic animal; which catches flies as the spider, with whom he joins it. The Targum, Jarchi, and Gersom, take it to be the spider, as we do; which may be thought most likely, since the creature here meant seems to have its name from the Arabic word “sam”, which signifies poison e; though it is affirmed f the spider is not poisonous; as is well known by persons who have frequently swallowed them, without any more harm than happens to hens, robin red breasts, and other birds, who make them their daily food; and so men have been bit by them, without any ill consequence: wherefore it is still thought by some that the lizard is more probably meant; since some sorts of them are poisonous g, though not all, for some are eatable; [See comments on Le 11:30].
y Aelian. Var. Hist. l. 12. c. 57. z Lexic. fol. 216. 1. a Exercitat. l. 1. exercitat. 4. p. 31. b Apud Dieteric. Antiqu. Biblio. p. 470. c Nat. Hist. l. 3o. c. 10. d Confess. l. 10. c. 35. e Golius, col. 1208. Hottinger. Smegin Oriental. l. 1. c. 7. p. 199. f Philosoph. Transact. abridged, vol. 2. p. 800. and vol. 5. part. 1. p. 24. g Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 22. c. 25. & l. 29. c. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(28) The spider taketh hold with her hands.The lizard, rather than the spider, seems to be here intended. As each first line of these four verses is an expression of weakness, it has been proposed to translate thus: The lizard thou canst catch with the hands, and yet, etc. (Comp. for this praise of wisdom, Ecc. 9:14 sqq.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 30:28. The spider The lizard. Schultens, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 30:28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.
Ver. 28. The spider taketh hold with her hands. ] Some render it the ape, and the Hebrew semamith is somewhat like the Latin simia, a creature that is very witty, active, and imitative, taking hold with his hands (such as they are) and doing strange feats; being therefore much in king’s palaces, who delight to look upon them, as Solomon did, for recreation. If we take it for the spider, she doth her work painfully and curiously, spins a finer thread than any woman can do, builds a finer house than any man can do, in manner and form like to the tent of an emperor. This base creature may teach us this wisdom, saith one, not to be bunglers or slubberers in our works, but to be exact in our trades, and labour so to excel therein, that our doings may be commendable and admirable.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
with her hands. So we, by the hand of faith, shall be found in the palace of the King of kings.
kings’ palaces = king’s palace.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
30:28 The spider taketh hold {o} with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.
(o) If man is not able to compass these common things by his wisdom, we cannot attribute wisdom to man, but folly.