Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 1:1
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
The Title. Chap. Pro 1:1
1. proverbs ] Properly resemblances. Here used of (1) short, pithy sentences, either couched in the form of a similitude, or comparison, or gathering up under their common principle or issue classes of events or actions, which resemble one another in the identity of that principle or issue; such proverbs forming the bulk of the Book from the 10th chapter to the end: (2) longer and more elaborate didactic addresses, such as are contained in the first nine chapters of the Book, and occasionally interspersed in its later portions. See Introd. ch. ii. p. 18.
of Solomon ] This does not mean that Solomon was the author of the whole Book, for parts of it are distinctly ascribed to other authors (Pro 24:23, Pro 30:1, Pro 31:1), but that in the main it proceeds from him, and that he is the acknowledged father of this kind of Hebrew literature. See Introd. ch. iii. p. 25.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The long exhortation Proverbs 19, characterized by the frequent recurrence of the words my son, is of the nature of a preface to the collection of the Proverbs of Solomon Pro 10:1. On Pro 1:1-7, see the introduction to Proverbs.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 1:1-7
The proverbs of Solomon.
The Book of Proverbs
1. The book does not consist of proverbs entirely. Much of it is the language of pious exhortation and spiritual precept.
2. The book contains many worldly precepts. Some have a selfish, secular sound. But–
(1) It is well to inquire whether the supposed purely prudential maxim is really so entirely a citizen of this world as it seems to be.
(2) It is well to remember that many even of our Saviours discourses might seem open to the charge of being moral and social, rather than spiritual and heavenly.
(3) Such precepts by implication convey the assurance that a religious life is intimately connected with worldly conduct; depends upon it; grows out of it; is bound up with it; fails or flourishes because of it. Illustrate by suretyship.
3. The pre-eminent place in the book is assigned to Wisdom, which is one of the names of Jesus Christ.
4. The proverbs contained in the book are peculiar in form. They are highly antithetical. They often contain a double or threefold antithesis.
5. The point of a proverb may often be missed by inattention; sometimes it needs acuteness to see the point.
6. The matter of the Proverbs calls for attention. Note how they concern the gift of speech, riches, and poverty, such sins as sloth. They proclaim great practical truths, and are often of great strength and sweetness. (Dean Burgon.)
The proverbs of Solomon
1. The proverbs of Solomon are pleasing to refined taste. He was a preacher accustomed to employ acceptable words full of pungent and profitable instruction.
2. In the second place, proverbs are practical in their use. True religion is not of the head only, nor of the heart only; it is the cultivator of all our faculties, and acts upon our whole person, in its legitimate development, as the God of nature forms a tree or flower, unfolding all parts at the same time, breathing life and beauty on every leaf. The portion of sacred record now under consideration is of especial importance to young persons. The inculcation of duty is no less essential than the defence of doctrine. It is the symptom of a diseased condition, when a patient desires intoxicating draughts rather than wholesome aliment. When a religionist is more voracious of excitement than instruction, and is much more prompt to fight for a dogma than to illustrate his infallibility by a noble demeanour, he would do well to search into the divinity of a faith which is so barren of heavenly deeds.
3. Thirdly, sacred proverbs are ennobling in their tendency.
(1) They present the most concise forms of wisdom.
(2) In proverbs we have the most profitable type of wisdom. Their statements of doctrine may not be so explicit as in some later portions of Scripture, but what they do assert is of the very highest importance. In particular we are here taught to combine reflection with action–nourishing a mind that ponders over a heart that prays.
(3) The proverbs of Solomon are invaluable, because they most clearly teach the importance of correct and immovable principles in the heart; conduct full of nobleness and integrity in every walk of life; the necessity and usefulness of self-discipline; and the importance of bringing every purpose as well as every act to the test of Gods holy Word.
4. Fourthly, the scriptural maxims, the merits of which we are discussing, are not only pleasing to the taste, practical in their use, and ennobling in their tendency, but they are saving in their design. (E. L. Magoon.)
Authoritative maxims
This is the meaning of the term Proverbs in the original. A proverb is a weighty sentiment, moral or prudential, expressed in sententious language. It is the recorded verdict of men, sealed by experience, and reserved for future guidance. The proverbs of a people have no small influence upon their character, and sometimes they have a very evil influence. Let one which is erroneous in its morality, or perverted in its application, become current, and it seems to give the sanction of reason, experience, and almost of inspiration to that which is wrong, e.g., Charity begins at home. This has nourished selfishness and checked benevolence. There is this advantage in a proverb, that it directs the conduct without perplexing the mind or burdening the memory. Proverbs are to the morals of a people what gold coin is to its currency–portable, rich, and always passable. The form in which the Bible proverbs are expressed is usually that of parallelism, or in two parts, the second line repeating the sentiment of the first, or sometimes its opposite. (W. H. Lewis, D. D.)
The preacher
Solomon went through a peculiar experience of his own, and God, who in nature gives sweet fruit to men through the root-sap of a sour crab, when a new nature has been engrafted on the upper stem, did not disdain to bring forth fruits of righteousness through those parts of the kings experience that cleaved most closely to the dust. The heights of human prosperity he had reached; the paths of human learning he had trodden farther than any in his day; the pleasures of wealth, and power, and pomp he had tasted in all their variety. The man who has drained the cup of pleasure can best tell the taste of its dregs. The fatal facility with which men glide into the worship of men is a reason why some of the channels chosen for conveying the mind of God were marred by glaring deficiencies. For engraving the life-lessons of His Word, our leather uses only diamonds; but in every diamond there is a flaw, in some a greater, and in some a less; and who shall dare to dictate to the Omniscient the measure of defect that binds Him to fling the instrument as a useless thing away? Two principles cover the whole case. All things are of God. All things are for your sakes.
1. The universality of Gods government.
2. The special use for His own people to which He turns every person and every thing. Here is a marvel. Not a line of Solomons writings tends to palliate Solomons sins. (William Arnot, D.D.)
The proverbs of Solomon
No one subject is long pursued in this treatise, nor is there any coherence and connection between its parts. Yet there is a general design running through it, to instruct young people at their entrance into public and active life. This Book of Proverbs is short and soon read. It will perhaps be slighted on account of its contents, as a mere system of dry morality, by those who had rather deal in discourses of the mystic and enthusiastic kind, and admire that sort of rapturous and ecstatic devotion. But whether they will allow it or no, this book contains the main parts of pure and undefiled religion, and lays down the best of rules for the prudent conduct of life, and for obtaining the favour of God and the testimony of an approving conscience. By wisdom Solomon means true religion and virtue, as by folly he means disobedience and vice. Following is an abstract of the acts of religion and morality recommended by him.
I. Positive duties. The foundation of religion is laid upon the principle of fearing God. He exhorts us to love wisdom and to prize it above all things, as the only way and the infallible way to obtain it. He exhorts us to love wisdom betimes, and to make it the first choice, the first object of our affections. He exhorts young persons to honour and obey their parents, and to regard their instructions. He advises discretion in choosing friends. He exhorts to chastity, purity, contentment, control of temper, meekness, mercifulness, industry, etc.
II. Negative duties. He dissuades from fornication and adultery, from sloth and idleness, from pernicious company; he advises to shun strife, contention, rebellion; to keep the heart free from irregular passions, and not to be vicious in any way, or oppressors. He exhorts to avoid suretyship as a most dangerous indiscretion. He teaches not to trust in riches, in friends, in superior abilities, nor to value ourselves for our oblations and sacrifices, for any of the externals or ceremonials of religion. He earnestly exhorts us not to be scoffers and scorners of religion.
III. The motives by which these moral duties are enforced, and the recompenses which are promised to those who practise them. And they are no less than every advantage that a man can reasonably desire in this life; they are the favour of God and His protection, and along with it the testimony of a good consciences courage and confidence, safety from evil, long life, health, plenty, riches, honours, reputation both present and posthumous, and an inheritance that shall descend to childrens children. (John Jorton, D. D.)
Truths made compact and portable
The late Dr. James Hamilton said justly that we ought to be thankful to any one who makes a great truth portable. Our memories are weak. Like travellers in the desert or amidst Polar ice, we want to be lightly laden; and yet we must carry on our own shoulders the equipments required for all the journey. And some teachers have not the art of packing. They give out their thoughts in a style so verbose that to listen is a feat and to remember would be a miracle. Occasionally, however, there arises a master spirit, who in the wordy wilderness espies the important principle, and who has the faculty of separating it from surrounding truisms, and reproducing it in convenient and compact dimensions. From the mountain of sponge he extracts the ounce of iodine; from the bushel of dry petals he distils the flask of otto; or, what comes nearer our purpose, from bulky decoctions he extracts the nutritious or the fragrant particles, and in a few tiny packets gives you the essence of a hundred meals. Of such truth-condensers the most distinguished in our country is Bacon. Knowledge is power. They are two things–unity and uniformity. Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. Truths like these flash like revelations, or shine as the most brilliant novelties on the page of our mighty thinker; but many of them are truths which he had heard discoursed by drowsy pedants, or vaguely muttered by the multitude, and it is the work of his genius to reduce vagueness to precision, and concentrate an ocean of commonplace into a single aphorism. By making the truth portable he made it useful.
Proverbial sayings of wise men
The seven wise men of Greece acquired their fame from the proverbial sayings they originated or adopted. Solon of Athens took for his motto, Know thyself; Chilon of Sparta, Consider the end; Thales of Miletos, Who hateth suretyship is sure; Bias of Priene, Most men are bad; Cleobulus of Lindos, The golden mean, or Avoid extremes; Pittacos of Mitylene, Seize time by the forelock; Periander of Corinth, Nothing is impossible to industry. (Christian Million.)
Profitable use of the Book of Proverbs
An old man, well known for his goodness, is full of sparkling epigrams, which he attributes to his habit of reading the Book of Proverbs through each month. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
Proverbs
A proverb is the child of experience.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
THE PROVERBS
-Year from the Creation, 3004. -Year before the birth of Christ, 996.
-Year before the vulgar era of Christ’s nativity, 1000.
-Year since the Deluge, according to Archbishop Usher and the English Bible, 1348.
-Year from the destruction of Troy, 185.
-Year before the first Olympiad, 224. -Year before the building of Rome, 247.
CHAPTER I
The design of the proverbs, 1-6.
An exhortation to fear God, and believe his word, because of
the benefit to be derived from it, 7-9;
to avoid the company of wicked men, who involve themselves in
wretchedness and ruin, 10-19.
Wisdom, personified, cries in the streets, and complains of the
contempt with which she is treated, 20-23.
The dreadful punishment that awaits all those who refuse her
counsels, 24-33.
NOTES ON CHAP. I
Verse 1. The proverbs of Solomon] For the meaning of the word proverb, see the introduction; and the dissertation upon parabolical writing at the end of the notes on Mt 13:58. Solomon is the first of the sacred writers whose name stands at the head of his works.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Of Solomon; proceeding from Solomon, and most of them digested by him into this book. See the preface.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1-4. (See Introduction,Part I).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The proverbs of Solomon,…. Who is said to make three thousand proverbs, 1Ki 4:32; but whether any of them are contained in this book cannot be said: however, it is certain that they are not all in it, since, if you except the first “nine” chapters, which are the introduction to the Proverbs, there are but six hundred and fifty-nine verses in it; and if they are taken in, they make but nine hundred and fifteen, which are not a third part of the proverbs said to be made by him: however, here are as many and such as God thought fit should be preserved for instruction in all future ages. It was usual with the ancients in all countries, when any truth was found, and established by experience, to wrap it up in a few apt words, with or without a figure; that it might be the better understood and more easily retained, and which were always venerable and greatly attended to: and of this kind are these proverbs; only with this difference, that these are of divine inspiration, and the others not. The word used for them comes from one which signifies “similitude” and “dominion” g; because many of them are similes or comparisons, and are delivered out in figurative expressions, in metaphors and allegories, and the like; and have all of them a commanding power, authority, and influence upon the mind, obliging to an attention to them. The name of Solomon is put to them, the more to recommend them; who had a wise and understanding heart, as large as the sand of the sea, and was wiser than all men, 1Ki 4:29; and was an eminent type of Christ, who spake in proverbs also,
Joh 16:25. He is further described by his pedigree and office,
the son of David, king of Israel; a wise son of a wise father, and king over a wise and understanding people. These titles are added for the further commendation of the book; and it may be observed that they are such as belong to the Messiah, Solomon’s antitype, one that is greater than he, Mt 1:1.
g A rad. “dominatus est—-lvmn comparatus, similis, consimilis factus est”, Buxtorf. “Mirum est quod radix significans antoritatem cum imperio, significat etiam parabolas vel sermones figuratos—-verba quae vocantur, habent autoritatem, nobis ideam immittunt, dicentis ut nos supereminentis, saltem sapientia, ingenio, doctrina; nos persuadent et pondere suo, quasi imperio noe ducunt”. Gusset. Ebr. Comment. p. 845.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The external title, i.e., the Synagogue name, of the whole collection of Proverbs is ( Mishle), the word with which it commences. Origen (Euseb. h. e. vi. 25) uses the name , i.e., , which occurs in the Talmud and Midrash as the designation of the book, from its contents. In a similar way, the names given to the Psalter, and , are interchanged.
This external title is followed by one which the Book of Proverbs, viewed as to its gradual formation, and first the older portion, gives to itself. It reaches from Pro 1:1 to Pro 1:6, and names not only the contents and the author of the book, but also commends it in regard to the service which it is capable of rendering. It contains “Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.” The books of the and , including the Canticles, thus give their own titles; among the historical books, that of the memoirs of Nehemiah is the only one that does so. has the accent Dech, to separate
(Note: Norzi has erroneously accented with the accent Munach. The is besides the Masoretic majusculum, like the , , and at the commencement of the Law, the Canticles, and Chronicles.)
it from the following complex genitive which it governs, and is made the second hemistich, because it belongs to , not to .
(Note: If it had belonged to , then the sentence would have been accented thus: .)
As to the fundamental idea of the word , we refer to the derivation given in the Gesch. der jud. Poesie, p. 196, from , Aram. , root , Sanskr. tul (whence tul , balance, similarity), Lat. tollere ; the comparison of the Arab. mathal leads to the same conclusion. “ signifies, not, as Schultens and others after him affirm, effigies ad similitudinem alius rei expressa , from in the primary signification premere, premente manu tractare ; for the corresponding Arab. verb mathal does not at all bear that meaning, but signifies to stand, to present oneself, hence to be like, properly to put oneself forth as something, to represent it; and in the Hebr. also to rule, properly with to stand on or over something, with to hold it erect, like Arab. kam with b, rem administravit [ vid. Jesaia, p. 691]. Thus e.g., Gen 24:2, it is said of Eliezer: , who ruled over all that he (Abraham) had (Luther: was a prince over all his goods). Thus , figurative discourse which represents that which is real, similitude; hence then parable or shorter apothegm, proverb, in so far as they express primarily something special, but which as a general symbol is then applied to everything else of a like kind, and in so far stands figuratively. An example is found in 1Sa 10:11. It is incorrect to conclude from this meaning of the word that such memorial sayings or proverbs usually contained comparisons, or were clothed in figurative language; for that is the case in by far the fewest number of instances: the oldest have by far the simplest and most special interpretations” (Fleischer). Hence Mashal, according to its fundamental idea, is that which stands with something = makes something stand forth = representing. This something that represents may be a thing or a person; as e.g., one may say Job is a Mashal, i.e., a representant, similitude, type of Israel ( vide the work entitled , by Ahron b. Elia, c. 90, p. 143); and, like Arab. mathal (more commonly mithl = , cf. , Job 41:25), is used quite as generally as is its etymological cogn. instar ( instare ). But in Hebr. Mashal always denotes representing discourse with the additional marks of the figurative and concise, e.g., the section which presents (Hab 2:6) him to whom it refers as a warning example, but particularly, as there defined, the gnome, the apothegm or maxim, in so far as this represents general truths in sharply outlined little pictures.
Pro 1:2 Now follows the statement of the object which these proverbs subserve; and first, in general,
To become acquainted with wisdom and instruction,
To understand intelligent discourses.
They seek on the one side to initiate the reader in wisdom and instruction, and on the other to guide him to the understanding of intelligent discourses, for they themselves contain such discourses in which there is a deep penetrating judgment, and they sharpen the understanding of him who engages his attention with them.
(Note: is rightly pointed by Lwenstein with Dech after Cod. 1294; vide the rule by which the verse is divided, Torath Emeth, p. 51, 12.)
As Schultens has already rightly determined the fundamental meaning of , frequently compared with the Sanskr. vid, to know (whence by gunating,
(Note: Guna = a rule in Sanskrit grammar regulating the modification of vowels.)
vda , knowledge), after the Arab. wad’a , as deponere, penes se condere , so he also rightly explains by soliditas ; it means properly (from , Arab. hakm , R. hk , vide under Psa 10:8, to be firm, closed) compactness, and then, like , ability, worldly wisdom, prudence, and in the higher general sense, the knowledge of things in the essence of their being and in the reality of their existence. Along with wisdom stands the moral , properly discipline, i.e., moral instruction, and in conformity with this, self-government, self-guidance, from = , cogn. , properly adstrictio or constrictio ; for the of the noun signifies both id quod or aliquid quod ( , ) and quod in the conjunctional sense ( ), and thus forms both a concrete (like = , fetter, chain) and an abstract idea. The first general object of the Proverbs is , the reception into oneself of wisdom and moral edification by means of education and training; and second is to comprehend utterances of intelligence, i.e., such as proceed from intelligence and give expression to it (cf. , Pro 22:21). , Kal, to be distinguished (whence , between, constr. of , space between, interval), signifies in Hiph. to distinguish, to understand; is, according to the sense, the n. actionis of this Hiph., and signifies the understanding as the capability effective in the possession of the right criteria of distinguishing between the true and the false, the good and the bad (1Ki 3:9), the wholesome and the pernicious.
Pro 1:3-5 In the following, 2a is expanded in Pro 1:3-5, then 2b in Pro 1:6. First the immediate object:
3 To attain intelligent instruction,
Righteousness, and justice, and integrity;
4 To impart to the inexperienced prudence,
To the young man knowledge and discretion
5 Let the wise man hear and gain learning,
And the man of understanding take to himself rules of conduct.
With , denoting the reception into oneself, acquiring, is interchanged (cf. Pro 2:1) , its synonym, used of intellectual reception and appropriation, which, contemplated from the point of view of the relation between the teacher and the learner, is the correlative of , , tradere (Pro 9:9). But is that which proceeds from chokma and musar when they are blended together: discipline of wisdom, discipline training to wisdom; i.e., such morality and good conduct as rest not on external inheritance, training, imitation, and custom, but is bound up with the intelligent knowledge of the Why and the Wherefore. , as Pro 21:16, is inf. absol. used substantively (cf. , keeping quiet, Isa 32:17) of (whence , intellectus ), to entwine, involve; for the thinking through a subject is represented as an interweaving, complicating, configuring of the thoughts (the syllogism is in like manner represented as , Aram. , a bunch of grapes), (with which also , a fool, and , to act foolishly, are connected, from the confusion of the thoughts, the entangling of the conceptions; cf. Arab. ‘akl , to understand, and ). The series of synonyms (cf. Pro 23:23) following in 3b, which are not well fitted to be the immediate object to , present themselves as the unfolding of the contents of the , as meaning that namely which is dutiful and right and honest. With the frequently occurring two conceptions (Pro 2:9), (or with the order reversed as in Psa 119:121) is interchanged (or with the order also reversed, Pro 21:3). The remark of Heidenheim, that in the conception of the justum , and in that of the aequum prevails, is suggested by the circumstance that not but signifies (cf. Pro 10:2) in the sense of liberality, and then of almsgiving ( ); but also frequently signifies a way of thought and action which is regulated not by the letter of the law and by talio , but by love (cf. Isa 41:2; Isa 42:6). Tsedek and ts’dakah have almost the relation to one another of integrity and justice which practically brings the former into exercise. (from , to make straight, to adjust, cf. , Arab. sabita , to be smooth) is the right and the righteousness in which it realizes itself, here subjectively considered, the right mind.
(Note: According to Malbim, is the fixed objective right, the righteousness which does not at once decide according to the letter of the law, but always according to the matter and the person.)
(defect. for , from , to be straight, even) is plur. tantum ; for its sing. (after the form ) the form (in the same ethical sense, e.g., Mal 2:6) is used: it means thus a way of thought and of conduct that is straight, i.e., according to what is right, true, i.e., without concealment, honest, i.e., true to duty and faithful to one’s word.
Pro 1:4 This verse presents another aspect of the object to be served by this book: it seeks to impart prudence to the simple. The form
(Note: Like , Psa 104:12, , 1Ch 12:8, cf. Michlol, 196a. In Pro 1:22, Pro 1:32, the mute is wanting.)
(in which, as in , the plur. remains unwritten) is, in this mongrel form in which it is written (cf. Pro 7:7; Pro 8:5; Pro 9:6; Pro 14:18; Pro 27:12), made up of (Pro 1:22, Pro 1:32, once written plene, , Pro 22:3) and (Pro 7:7). These two forms with and the transition of into are interchanged in the plur. of such nouns as , segolate form, “from (cogn. ), to be open, properly the open-hearted, i.e., one whose heart stands open to every influence from another, the harmless, good-natured – a vox media among the Hebrews commonly (though not always, cf. e.g., Psa 116:6) in malam partem : the foolish, silly, one who allows himself to be easily persuaded or led astray, like similar words in other languages – Lat. simplex , Gr. , Fr. nav ; Arab. fatyn , always, however, in a good sense: a high and noble-minded man, not made as yet mistrustful and depressed by sad experiences, therefore juvenis ingenuus, vir animi generosi ” (Fl.). The , not of firm and constant mind, have need of ; therefore the saying Pro 14:15, cf. Pro 8:5; Pro 19:25. The noun (a fem. segolate form like ) means here calliditas in a good sense, while the corresponding Arab. ‘aram (to be distinguished from the verb ‘aram , , to peel, to make bare, nudare ) is used only in a bad sense, of malevolent, deceptive conduct. In the parallel member the word is used, generally (collectively) understood, of the immaturity which must first obtain intellectual and moral clearness and firmness; such an one is in need of peritia et sollertia , as Fleischer well renders it; for is experimental knowledge, and (from , according to its primary signification, to press together, comprimere ; then, referred to mental concentration: to think) signifies in the sing., sensu bono , the capability of comprehending the right purposes, of seizing the right measures, of projecting the right plans.
Pro 1:5 In this verse the infinitives of the object pass into independent sentences for the sake of variety. That cannot mean audiet , but audiat , is shown by Pro 9:9; but is jussive (with the tone thrown back before ; cf. Pro 10:8, and Pro 16:21, Pro 16:23, where the tone is not thrown back, as also 2Sa 24:3) with the consecutive Vav ( ) (= Arab. f): let him hear, thus will he… or, in order that he. Whoever is wise is invited to hear these proverbs in order to add learning ( doctrinam ) to that which he already possesses, according to the principle derived from experience, Pro 9:9; Mat 13:12. The segolate , which in pausa retains its segol (as also , , , , , , and others), means reception, and concretely what one takes into himself with his ear and mind; therefore learning ( with the object of the ), as Deu 32:2 (parallel , as Deu 4:2 ), and then learning that has passed into the possession of the receiver, knowledge, science (Isa 29:24, parall. ). Schultens compares the Arab. lakah , used of the fructification of the female palm by the flower-dust of the male. The part. (the inf. of which is found only once, Isa 10:13) is the passive or the reflexive of the Hiph. , to explain, to make to understand: one who is caused to understand or who lets himself be informed, and thus an intelligent person – that is one who may gain by means of these proverbs. This word, found only in the plur. (probably connected with , shipmaster, properly one who has to do with the , ship’s ropes, particularly handles the sails, lxx ), signifies guidance, management, skill to direct anything (Job 32:7, of God’s skill which directs the clouds), and in the plur. conception, the taking measures, designs in a good sense, or also (as in Pro 12:5) in a bad sense; here it means guiding thoughts, regulating principles, judicious rules and maxims, as Deu 11:14, prudent rules of government, Deu 20:18; Deu 24:6 of stratagems. Fl. compares the Arab. tedbr (guidance, from , to lead cattle), with its plur. tedabr , and the Syr. duboro , direction, management, etc.
Pro 1:6 The mediate object of these proverbs, as stated in Pro 1:2, is now expanded, for again it is introduced in the infinitive construction: – The reader shall learn in these proverbs, or by means of them as of a key, to understand such like apothegms generally (as Pro 22:17.):
To understand proverb and symbol,
The words of wise men and their enigmas.
In the Gesch. der jd. Poesie, p. 200f., the derivation of the noun is traced from , primarily to shine, Sanskr. las , frequently with the meanings ludere and lucere ; but the Arab. brings near another primary meaning. “ , from Arab. root las , flexit, torsit , thus properly oratio detorta, obliqua, non aperta ; hence , mocker, properly qui verbis obliquis utitur : as Hiph. , to scoff, but also verba detorta retorquere , i.e., to interpret, to explain” (Fl.). Of the root ideas found in , to be sharp, pointed ( , perhaps related to the Sanskr. katu , sharp of taste, but not to acutus ), and to be twisted (cf. , , , , harmonizing with the at present mysterious catena ), that the preference is given to the latter already, Psa 78:2. “The Arab. had , to revolve, to turn (whence hid , bend, turn aside!), thence , , cunning, intrigue, as also enigma, dark saying, perlexe dictum ” (Fl.). The comparison made by Schultens with the Arab. hidt as the name of the knot on the horn of the wild-goat shows the sensible fundamental conception. In post-biblical literature is the enigma proper, and poetry (with of poetical prose). The Graec. Venet. translates it .
Pro 1:7 The title of the book is followed by its motto, symbol, device:
The fear of Jahve is the beginning of knowledge;
Wisdom and discipline is despised by fools.
The first hemistich expresses the highest principle of the Israelitish Chokma, as it is found also in Pro 9:10 (cf. Pro 15:33), Job 28:28, and in Psa 111:10 (whence the lxx has interpolated here two lines). combines in itself, as , the ideas of initium (accordingly J. H. Michaelis: initium cognitionis, a quo quisquis recte philosophari cupit auspicium facere debet ) and principium , i.e., the basis, thus the root (cf. Mic 1:13 with Job 19:28).
(Note: In Sirach 1:14, 16, the Syr. has both times ; but in the second instance, where the Greek translation has , (after Psa 16:11) may have existed in the original text.)
Wisdom comes from God, and whoever fears Him receives it (cf. Jam 1:5.). is reverential subordination to the All-directing, and since designedly is used, and not ( ), to the One God, the Creator and Governor of the world, who gave His law unto Israel, and also beyond Israel left not His holy will unattested; the reverse side of the fear of Jahve as the Most Holy One is , Pro 8:13 (post-biblical ). The inverted placing of the words 7b imports that the wisdom and discipline which one obtains in the way of the fear of God is only despised by the , i.e., the hard, thick, stupid; see regarding the root-word , coalescere, cohaerere, incrassari , der Prophet Jesaia, p. 424, and at Psa 73:4. Schultens rightly compares , crassi pro stupidis .
(Note: Malbim’s explanation is singular: the sceptics, from , perhaps! This also is Heidenheim’s view.)
has the tone on the penult., and thus comes from ; the 3rd pr. of would be or . The perf. (cf. Pro 1:29) is to be interpreted after the Lat. oderunt (Ges. 126).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Design of the Proverbs. | |
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. 5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
We have here an introduction to this book, which some think was prefixed by the collector and publisher, as Ezra; but it is rather supposed to have been penned by Solomon himself, who, in the beginning of his book, proposes his end in writing it, that he might keep to his business, and closely pursue that end. We are here told,
I. Who wrote these wise sayings, v. 1. They are the proverbs of Solomon. 1. His name signifies peaceable, and the character both of his spirit and of his reign answered to it; both were peaceable. David, whose life was full of troubles, wrote a book of devotion; for is any afflicted? let him pray. Solomon, who lived quietly, wrote a book of instruction; for when the churches had rest they were edified. In times of peace we should learn ourselves, and teach others, that which in troublous times both they and we must practise. 2. He was the son of David; it was his honour to stand related to that good man, and he reckoned it so with good reason, for he fared the better for it, 1 Kings xi. 12. He had been blessed with a good education, and many a good prayer had been put up for him (Ps. lxxii. 1), the effect of both which appeared in his wisdom and usefulness. The generation of the upright are sometimes thus blessed, that they are made blessings, eminent blessings, in their day. Christ is often called the Son of David, and Solomon was a type of him in this, as in other things, that he opened his mouth in parables or proverbs. 3. He was king of Israel–a king, and yet it was no disparagement to him to be an instructor of the ignorant, and a teacher of babes–king of Israel, that people among whom God was known and his name was great; among them he learned wisdom, and to them he communicated it. All the earth sought to Solomon to hear his wisdom, which excelled all men’s (1Ki 4:30; 1Ki 10:24); it was an honour to Israel that their king was such a dictator, such an oracle. Solomon was famous for apophthegms; every word he said had weight in it, and something that was surprising and edifying. His servants who attended him, and heard his wisdom, had, among them, collected 3000 proverbs of his which they wrote in their day-books; but these were of his own writing, and do not amount to nearly a thousand. In these he was divinely inspired. Some think that out of those other proverbs of his, which were not so inspired, the apocryphal books of Ecclesiasticus and the Wisdom of Solomon were compiled, in which are many excellent sayings, and of great use; but, take altogether, they are far short of this book. The Roman emperors had each of them his symbol or motto, as many now have with their coat of arms. But Solomon had many weighty sayings, not as theirs, borrowed from others, but all the product of that extraordinary wisdom which God had endued him with.
II. For what end they were written (v. 2-4), not to gain a reputation to the author, or strengthen his interest among his subjects, but for the use and benefit of all that in every age and place will govern themselves by these dictates and study them closely. This book will help us, 1. To form right notions of things, and to possess our minds with clear and distinct ideas of them, that we may know wisdom and instruction, that wisdom which is got by instruction, by divine revelation, may know both how to speak and act wisely ourselves and to give instruction to others. 2. To distinguish between truth and falsehood, good and evil–to perceive the words of understanding, to apprehend them, to judge of them, to guard against mistakes, and to accommodate what we are taught to ourselves and our own use, that we may discern things that differ and not be imposed upon, and may approve things that are excellent and not lose the benefit of them, as the apostle prays, Phil. i. 10. 3. To order our conversation aright in every things, v. 3. This book will give, that we may receive, the instruction of wisdom, that knowledge which will guide our practice in justice, judgment, and equity (v. 3), which will dispose us to render to all their due, to God the things that are God’s, in all the exercises of religion, and to all men what is due to them, according to the obligations which by relation, office, contract, or upon any other account, we lie under to them. Note, Those are truly wise, and none but those, who are universally conscientious; and the design of the scripture is to teach us that wisdom, justice in the duties of the first table, judgment in those of the second table, and equity (that is sincerity) in both; so some distinguish them.
III. For whose use they were written, v. 4. They are of use to all, but are designed especially, 1. For the simple, to give subtlety to them. The instructions here given are plain and easy, and level to the meanest capacity, the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein; and those are likely to receive benefit by them who are sensible of their own ignorance and their need to be taught, and are therefore desirous to receive instruction; and those who receive these instructions in their light and power, though they be simple, will hereby be made subtle, graciously crafty to know the sin they should avoid and the duty they should do, and to escape the tempter’s wiles. He that is harmless as the dove by observing Solomon’s rules may become wise as the serpent; and he that has been sinfully foolish when he begins to govern himself by the word of God becomes graciously wise. 2. For young people, to give them knowledge and discretion. Youth is the learning age, catches at instructions, receives impressions, and retains what is then received; it is therefore of great consequence that the mind be then seasoned well, nor can it receive a better tincture than from Solomon’s proverbs. Youth is rash, and heady, and inconsiderate; man is born like the wild ass’s colt, and therefore needs to be broken by the restraints and managed by the rules we find here. And, if young people will but take heed to their ways according to Solomon’s proverbs, they will soon gain the knowledge and discretion of the ancients. Solomon had an eye to posterity in writing this book, hoping by it to season the minds of the rising generation with the generous principles of wisdom and virtue.
IV. What good use may be made of them, Pro 1:5; Pro 1:6. Those who are young and simple may by them be made wise, and are not excluded from Solomon’s school, as they were from Plato’s. But is it only for such? No; here is not only milk for babes, but strong meat for strong men. This book will not only make the foolish and bad wise and good, but the wise and good wiser and better; and though the simple and the young man may perhaps slight those instructions, and not be the better for them, yet the wise man will hear. Wisdom will be justified by her own children, though not by the children sitting in the market-place. Note, Even wise men must hear, and not think themselves too wise to learn. A wise man is sensible of his own defects (Plurima ignoro, sed ignorantiam meam non ignoro—I am ignorant of many things, but not of my own ignorance), and therefore is still pressing forward, that he may increase in learning, may know more and know it better, more clearly and distinctly, and may know better how to make use of it. As long as we live we should strive to increase in all useful learning. It was a saying of one of the greatest of the rabbin, Qui non auget scientiam, amittit de ea–If our stock of knowledge by not increasing, it is wasting; and those that would increase in learning must study the scriptures; these perfect the man of God. A wise man, by increasing in learning, is not only profitable to himself, but to others also, 1. As a counsellor. A man of understanding in these precepts of wisdom, by comparing them with one another and with his own observations, shall by degrees attain unto wise counsels; he stands fair for preferment, and will be consulted as an oracle, and entrusted with the management of public affairs; he shall come to sit at the helm, so the word signifies. Note, Industry is the way to honour; and those whom God has blessed with wisdom must study to do good with it, according as their sphere is. It is more dignity indeed to be counsellor to the prince, but it is more charity to be counsellor to the poor, as Job was with his wisdom. Job xxix. 15, I was eyes to the blind. 2. As an interpreter (v. 6) —to understand a proverb. Solomon was himself famous for expounding riddles and resolving hard questions, which was of old the celebrated entertainment of the eastern princes, witness the solutions he gave to the enquiries with which the queen of Sheba thought to puzzle him. Now here he undertakes to furnish his readers with that talent, as far as would be serviceable to the best purposes. “They shall understand a proverb, even the interpretation, without which the proverb is a nut uncracked; when they hear a wise saying, though it be figurative, they shall take the sense of it, and know how to make use of it.” The words of the wise are sometimes dark sayings. In St. Paul’s epistles there is that which is hard to be understood; but to those who, being well-versed in the scriptures, know how to compare spiritual things with spiritual, they will be easy and safe; so that, if you ask them, Have you understood all these things? they may answer, Yea, Lord. Note, It is a credit to religion when men of honesty are men of sense; all good people therefore should aim to be intelligent, and run to and fro, take pains in the use of means, that their knowledge may be increased.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
PREFACE TO THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
The Book of Proverbs was written by Solomon to show man how to live and deal with the varied situations of life. It is intended for all, regardless of age or level of wisdom. Parents should study it for their own benefit, and for guidance in instructing their children. The young also should be encouraged to seek its counsel. It offers a great prize to all who study and heed its teachings, the prize of the wisdom that comes only from God, 2Ch 1:7-12 and Jas 1:5. It should be remembered, however, that the promise of God to give wisdom is effective only to the extent that one obeys the instructions to study and heed the Word of God, Mat 4:4; 2Ti 2:15; Pro 28:9.
Author’s original manuscript reproduced the KJV Scripture text of Proverbs which identifies Jehovah or Yahweh by the word LORD, printed in capitals. He regrets the typesetter’s oversight in failing to show this distinction in reproducing the Scripture text. The distinction is emphasized, however, in the comments throughout the book. (See Comment 1 under Pro 1:7 a, page 3.)
ABOUT THE WRITER
J.C. Howes, son of the late Elder Ben F. Howes, has been an active ordained minister since January 19, 1934. His ministry has included pastorates in South Alabama and Northwest Florida, the labors of assisting in the research and publication work of the Blessed Hope Foundation, and more recently the writing of a commentary on the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament. He also served two years as Moderator of the Florida State Baptist Association, and worked two years in Central American Missions in Panama. His longest pastorate was with Calvary Baptist Church, Panama City, Florida, where he served 23 years, and recently supplied for another year.
Brother Howes attended public schools in his home town of Pensacola, Florida, after which he completed management courses at the Naval Air Training Center which led to high level instructor and supervisory positions with the Navy. His service with the Navy earned a number of commendations and the Meritorious Civilian Service award. More importantly, principles were established which would be helpful later in his ministry.
While In the service of the Navy Brother Howes surrendered to the call to the ministry. At about the same time E. E. Rice, well known pastor, teacher and writer, returned to his former pastorate in Pensacola and established a school with evening classes for young preachers and other interested persons. Brother Howes, his father, and a number of young preachers and others enrolled. These classes continued for several years, supplemented by all-day quarterly Bible Conferences on fifth Saturdays. The establishment and growth of churches in Northwest Florida bear witness to the effectiveness of these classes and conferences.
DEDICATED
To the memory of E. E. Rice who faithfully taught me the authority, unity and sufficiency of the Word of God; and instilled within me an awareness that study was an ongoing necessity to be continued with diligence and careful comparison of Scripture with Scripture.
FOREWORD
This writer regards himself as a student, not a scholar. In keeping with the principle of interpreting Scripture by Scripture, he has sought in this commentary to bring together Scriptures related to the subject matter. He recognizes, however, that there are limitless depths for the earnest seeker to probe, and prays that God will use this effort to stir those who read it to go further in the study of His wonderful Word.
J.C.H., Author
CHART I
Introduction and Key Verse: (1:1-7)
I. A Father Commends Wisdom: (1:8-7:27)
A. Parental Instructions, (1:8-19)
B. Call of Wisdom, (1:20-33)
C. Benefits of Wisdom, (2:1-3:35)
D. Pathways of Life, (4:1-27)
E. Wisdom of Marriage Fidelity, (5:1-23)
F. Warnings, 6:1-7:27
1. Danger of Surety, (6:1-5)
2. Warning to Sluggard, (6:6-11)
3. Warning against the Deceitful, (6:12-1)
4. Warning against the Evil Woman, (6:20-7:27)
II. Wisdom and Folly Personified: (8.1-9:18)
CHART II
III. Proverbs of Solomon:
A. Antithetic or Contrasting Proverbs,
10:1-15:33
B. Synonymous Pro 16:1 to Pro 22:16
IV. Sayings of the Wise: 22:17-24:34
V. Proverbs of Solomon copied by
Hezekiah’s men: 25:1-29:27
VI. Words of Agur: 30:1-33
VII. Words of King Lemuel, 31:1-9
VIII. The Virtuous Woman, 31:10-31
INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS
(Pro 1:1-7)
WHO WRITES: With the possible exception of 22:17 through 24:34, which some regard as wise sayings of others, the affirmations of Pro 1:1; Pro 10:1 Pro 25:1 clearly establish Solomon, son of David, King of Israel, as the writer of chapters 1 through 29. Chapter 30 is introduced as the words of Agur, son of Jakeh. Chapter 31 is said to be the words of King Lemuel. Neither Agur nor Lemuel is further identified. Some scholars are of the opinion that these were poetic names of Solomon.
TO WHOM: Verses 4 and 5 of Chapter 1 address four categories of people:
1) The SIMPLE, the naive, easily led, whether young or old.
2) The YOUNG, the immature and inexperienced because young in years.
3) The WISE, those who have acquired a measure of wisdom.
4) The UNDERSTANDING, the untaught but intelligent and open-minded, who may also benefit from the wise counsels of Proverbs.
The wide range of these categories reveal that Proverbs has something for all people regardless of age or level of wisdom.
FOR WHAT PURPOSE: The purpose of Proverbs is to impart 1) true and factual KNOWLEDGE, 2) UNDERSTANDING of the significance of knowledge, and 3) the WISDOM of applying knowledge as God directs in the varied situations of life. The predominant word for WISDOM throughout the book refers to proper discernment between good and evil, or right or wrong. The intent set forth in verses 2 through 6 is summarized as follows: ,
Vs. 2a, That recipients know wisdom and instruction. Instruction includes the training of discipline or correction, or even chastening, Pro 3:11-12.
Vs. 2b, That recipients comprehend the words of insight or discernment.
Vs. 3, That recipients receive the disciplinary instruction of wise dealing, honesty, justice and fairness, 2:1, 9.
Vs. 4a, That the SIMPLE (the naive, easily led) be taught prudence.
Vs. 4b, That the YOUNG (immature, inexperienced) be taught knowledge through discerning reflection upon the wise counsel of Proverbs.
Vs. 5a, That the wise hear (and heed) the wise teachings and thus increase learning, 9:9, Mat 13:12.
Vs. 5b, That the understanding (intelligent and open-minded) also gain wise counsels to direct life, 11:14; 12:5.
Vs. 6, That all who gain insight through Proverbs better understand difficult sayings that need interpretation. Psa 78:2; Mat 13:35.
THE TWO WAYS:
WISDOM OR FOLLY,
Verse 7a Introduces The Way of Wisdom. Two very significant words appear in the first half of this verse:
1) LORD (printed in capitals (LORD) or indicated by the name Jehovah in some versions) and found 88 times in Proverbs, indicates Jehovah or Yahweh, the self existing, eternal God who revealed Himself to the Hebrews, Exo 3:13-15.
2) FEAR is not the terror of Exo 15:16; nor dread of 2Ch 20:29; Isa 2:19; Isa 2:21; but a knowledge of the LORD as Jehovah that begets trust in and submissive reverence for Him. This concept of the LORD is the beginning -of knowledge and wisdom, Pro 9:10; Pro 15:33; Pro 14:26; Psa 111:10; Job 28:28.
Verse 7b contrasts the way of Folly. This part of the verse uses the term “fool” to show the folly of the arrogant, self sufficient rejecter of wisdom. The extent of this foolish action is emphasized in Pro 12:15; Pro 14:3; Pro 14:9; Pro 15:5; Pro 27:22.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 1:1. Proverbs. See Introduction.
Pro. 1:2. Instruction, properly chastisement, signifying moral training, admonition, then good habits, the practical side of wisdom.
Pro. 1:3. Wisdom. A different word from that in Pro. 1:2. It means prudence. Justice relates to a mans attitude in relation to God, and would be better translated righteousness. Judgment includes our duties to our fellow-men and should be rendered justice. Equity is uprightness, sincerity of purpose.
Pro. 1:4. Subtlety, prudence, Simple, literally the open, those easily persuaded.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Pro. 1:1-4
THE AUTHOR, HIS METHOD, AND HIS OBJECT
I. Four things connected with Solomon would tend to commend his proverbs to the Hebrew nation.
1. His remarkable antecedents. The influence of any man in this world depends very much upon his antecedents. If they happen to be such as are held in esteem by society, they form at once letters of commendation for him, and often prove stepping-stones to great positions. The question, Whence art thou? is more often asked than What art thou? Perhaps this was even more true of Hebrew society than it is of English. Solomon was the son of a king. The king whom he claimed as his father was the man whom God had honoured more than any other since the days of Moses. He was not only a king, but a prophet and a poet, who had no equal in the day in which he lived. He was more than this. His reputation as a warrior, more than anything else, endeared him to a people who looked upon him in this light as the best representative of their nation. The fact that Solomon was the son of David, would ensure him the ear of the Jewish people throughout all their generations.
2. His personal position. He was not only the son of a king but a king himselfa king who had attained the highest pinnacle of royal greatness.
3. His practical wisdom. The instance of this narrated in 1Ki. 3:16-28, proved to Israel that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment. Who so fit to utter proverbs concerning human life as a man who could thus so skilfully bring to light the hidden counsels of the heart? The Son of God Himself speaks of Solomon as a wise man (Mat. 12:42).
4. The variety of his experience. Experience is always a good reason why men should speak their thoughts. Those are most fitted to counsel others who have travelled by the same path before them. Solomons experience had been great and varied. He knew the real value of all that is held in estimation by men. See Eccles., chapters 1 and
2. These considerations gave weight to his words in the day in which he lived and among his own people, and have done so in every succeeding age and in every nation in which his proverbs have been made known.
II. The form in which Solomon communicates his thoughts. A proverb is a large amount of wisdom wrapped up in the fewest possible words. It is like a corn-seed which, though a tiny thing in itself, encloses that which may expand and increase until it furnishes food for millions. Even a child may carry a large sum of money when it is in the form of golden coin, although his strength would be quite unequal to the task if the same amount were in baser metal. One diamond may constitute a small fortune, and may be easily carried and concealed upon the person, but its value in iron could only be lifted by the united strength of many. The proverb stands in the same relation to mental and moral wisdom as gold and diamonds do to copper or iron. It is so portable that it can be carried and retained by the weakest memory.
III. The main object of the utterer of these proverbs. To give subtilty to the simple. The man who has to travel a dangerous path may be ignorant of the way to arrive at his destination in safety. His simplicity arises from his ignorance. Anyone who has gone the same way before, and has thus experimentally gained the knowledge which he lacks, can make him wise upon this subject. Solomon had trodden the greater part of the path of human life, those who had not done so were the simple, or ignorant, to whom he here desires to impart the knowledge which might save them from moral ruin. There were those in the days of Solomon, as there are now, who would take advantage of simplicity to destroy character. Solomon desires to preserve and strengthen character by showing how to avoid and resist sin.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 1:1. The Bible is not given to teach us philosophy, but religion: not to show us the way to science, but the way to holiness and heaven. Notwithstanding, therefore, the extent and variety of Solomons knowledge in botany, in natural history, and other departments of science, we have in preservation none whatever of his discoveries or his speculations on such subjects.Wardlaw.
The Queen of Sheba came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear Solomons wisdom. Did she come so far upon uncertain reports, and shall not we receive with gladness his instructions, since he is come to us to be our teacher?Lawson.
Pro. 1:2. The general idea of wisdom is, that it consists in the choice of the best ends, and of the best means for their attainment. This definition admits of application both in a lower and higher department. In the first place it may be applied to the whole conduct of human life,in all its daily intercourse and ordinary transactions, and amidst all its varying circumstances. To accommodate our conduct to these variationsto suit to all of them the application of the great general principles and precepts of the divine law, and to guide our affairs with discretion in them all, requires wisdom. And for enabling us to act our part rightly, creditably, and usefully, from day to day, there is in this book an immense fund of admirable counsel and salutary direction.
And then, secondly, the knowledge of wisdom may be taken in its higher applicationto interests of a superior order, to spiritual duties, to the wellbeing of the better part, to all that regards true religion and the salvation of the soul. Wisdom, in this book, is generally understood in this its highest application, as might indeed be expected in a book of instructions from God. How important soever may be the successful and prudential regulation of our temporal affairs, yet in a divine communication to man, as an immortal creature, we cannot conceive it to be the only, or the principal subject.Wardlaw.
Pro. 1:3. To perceive the words of understanding is a phrase which may be interpreted as meaning the power of justly distinguishing between good and evil counselbetween that which is right in its principle and salutary in its operations, and that which is unsound and pernicious.Wardlaw.
All through Ecclesiastes and throughout the present book, the more mental aspects of sin are always made prominentpiety is called wisdom. The saints are the wise. The impenitent man is a fool. Nothing could be more natural than that just here there should be the broad assertion that knowledge is piety. Nothing could be more seminal. A new heart comes from a new light. If a man sees, he believes, he loves, he hopes, he serves, he repents, he rejoices; and this as but new forms of the one blessed illumination.Miller.
Pro. 1:4. There are none that need to be politicians more than they that desire to serve God because they have to deal with most politic enemies No gift is worse taken, though never so well bestowed, than this is, where there is no feeling of the want of it. The simple seeth not his defects, the young man thinketh that he seeth great abundance of ability in himself.Jermin.
The teacher offers to save the young and inexperienced from the slower and more painful process of learning by experience.Plumptre.
Over the gates of Platos school it was written: Let no one who is not a geometrician enter. But very different is the inscription over these doors of Solomon: Let the ignorant, simple, foolish, young, enter.Cartwright.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER 1
TEXT Pro. 1:1-9
1.
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2.
To know wisdom and instruction;
To discern the words of understanding;
3.
To receive instruction in wise dealing,
In righteousness and justice and equity;
4.
To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion;
5.
That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning;
And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels;
6.
To understand a proverb, and a figure,
The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7.
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge;
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
8.
My son, hear the instruction of thy father,
And forsake not the law of thy mother:
9.
For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head,
And chains about thy neck.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 1:1-9
1.
Compile background information on Solomon besides the 2 things mentioned in Pro. 1:1.
2.
What other books of the Bible did Solomon write?
3.
The first purpose of Proverbs is to help one know …………. (Pro. 1:2-6).
4.
What is the meaning of discern (Pro. 1:2)?
5.
What is meant by wise dealing (Pro. 1:3)?
6.
What is the meaning of equity (Pro. 1:3)?
7.
What does prudence mean (Pro. 1:4)?
8.
What would be the purpose of Proverbs to one who is already wise (Pro. 1:5)?
9.
What is meant by dark sayings (Pro. 1:6)?
10.
What is the first proverb (or wise saying) in the book Pro. 1:7?
11.
What in Pro. 1:8 shows that mothers should join fathers in laying down the law to their children?
12.
What was a chaplet (Pro. 1:9)?
13.
What New Testament passages also describe virtues as ornaments (Pro. 1:9)?
PARAPHRASE OF 1:1-9
1.
These are the proverbs of King Solomon of Israel, Davids son:
26.
He wrote them to teach his people how to livehow to act in every circumstance, for he wanted them to be understanding, just and fair in everything they did. I want to make the simple-minded wise! he said. I want to warn young men about some problems they will face. I want those already wise to become the wiser and become leaders by exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of truth.
79.
How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust and reverence the Lord! Only fools refuse to be taught. Listen to your father and mother. What you learn from them will stand you in good stead; it will gain you many honors.
COMMENTS ON 1:1-9
Pro. 1:1. A proverb is a wise saying. Solomon (the author of all the book except the final chapters) was famous for the proverbs that he spokeand he spoke 3,000 of them (1Ki. 4:32), which is more than we have in this book. Solomon is the first of the sacred writers whose name stands at the head of his works (Clarke). Because the first 9 chapters of the book are extended material (chiefly on wisdom) rather than short sayings, though the title of the book is Proverbs, Pro. 10:1 is where the actual sayings themselves begin (note that verse). Solomon was Davids son by Bathsheba, who had been the wife of Uriah (Mat. 1:6). He became king of Israel during his fathers final days of infirmity even though his brother Adonijah (Adonijah had a different mother than Solomon) had tried to beat him out of the kingship (1Ki. 1:5-40).
Pro. 1:2. The purpose of this divine book is spelled out in a series of infinitives. Wisdom is the goal, and instruction is the method of gaining it. The end-result is that the listener himself will be able to discern the words of understanding by having this divine wisdom laid up in his mind and heart.
Pro. 1:3. The instruction to be given was to teach wise dealing (wisdom and prudence), righteousness (not show how to beat somebody out of what was rightfully his), and justice and equity (what is fair and honest). Oh, that all our education were bent on making men right, honest, and upright and not merely to make them richer by whatever means they may follow to become such!
Pro. 1:4. Sayings (whether Biblical sayings or otherwise) are made by older, wiser people who have been over many of the roads of life and who desire to pass on portions of their knowledge to the younger and to the lesser experienced. Actually, then, when one knows, quotes, and follows time-honored sayings, he is actually speaking and being guided by a knowledge superior to that which he would know on his own.
Pro. 1:5. This verse goes a step farther: it shows that the wise and experienced also profit by the wisdom and sayings of others. Nobody is a first-hand expert in all fields so that he cannot profit by the wisdom of others in those fields in which he has not the opportunity to turn his special attention. But even if he has, he may still profit by the wisdom couched in such sayings of others. In fact, it is the wise who are always seeking to advance their knowledge, and a wise man is a joy to teach: Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning (Pro. 9:9).
Pro. 1:6. We live in a world where figures of speech, informed comparisons, big and technical words, etc. are often heard. If we are not posted in the understanding and handling of such, we can draw wrong conclusions, misuse words, and in general betray our ignorance. Thus, Pro. 26:7; Pro. 26:9 both speak of a parable in the mouth of fools. The Bible also employs the parabolic in its teachings (I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of oldPsa. 78:2). Jesus spoke many things in parables and at times used language that confounded His hearers. Even the disciples were able to grasp the meaning of other forms of expression more readily: Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no dark saying (Joh. 16:29). Prophecy (especially the book of Revelation) is written in such a way that one needs a good knowledge of history to understand its symbols and predictions. Peter acknowledges that Pauls writings contain some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unstedfast wrest (2Pe. 3:16).
Pro. 1:7. We might say that this verse contains the first actual proverb or saying in the book, and it rightfully begins where the whole Bible itself beginswith God (Jehovah). The fear of the Lord signifies that religious reverence which every intelligent being owes to his Creator…No man can ever become truly wise who does not begin with God (Clarke). Other like passages of the fear of Jehovah as the beginning of wisdom: Pro. 9:10; Psa. 111:10; Job. 28:28. The implied contrast within our verse is that the foolish do not fear Jehovah and, therefore, despise wisdom and instruction. Note Pro. 1:1 for the connection between wisdom and instruction. Those who do not fear come to despise. 2Pe. 2:10 shows this: …despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities. Special instructions, both in the Old and New Testaments, grow out of this fact: Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words (Pro. 23:9): Neither cast your pearls before swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you. (Mat. 7:6).
Pro. 1:8. Though Solomon had many wives and concubines (700 of the first and 300 of the second1Ki. 11:3), and we consequently assume numerous sons, it is a surprising fact that we know the name of only one of his sons (Rehoboam, who succeeded him on the throne in Jerusalem). It is likely that the material presented in Proverbs that says, My son (this verse: Pro. 1:15, Pro. 2:1; Pro. 3:1; Pro. 3:3; Pro. 3:11; etc.), was originally Solomons material to his son Rehobaom. However, the expression, My sons (plural), occurs four times in the book (Pro. 4:1; Pro. 5:7; Pro. 7:24; Pro. 8:32), in which we have Solomons teaching to all of his sons. Solomon employed my son in two noticeable ways: to begin with a section to make the teaching more personal to the son (as in Pro. 1:15; Pro. 6:3; and others. When he uses the expression to begin a section of material, he usually tells what listening to his instruction will mean to his life (see Pro. 1:8-9; Pro. 3:1-2; Pro. 4:10; and others) before actually proceeding to present the section of material. One final thought on our verse: Both parents have important parts in a childs rearingthe instruction of thy father, the law of thy mother. In far too many homes the instruction and rearing of the children becomes the responsibility of but one instead of both, or the mother does the instructing, but the father is the disciplinarian who lays down the law.
Pro. 1:9. A chaplet is a wreath or garland that the victor wore on his head. When Joseph was promoted to a ruler in Egypt, they put a gold chain about his neck, he rode in Egypts second chariot, and they cried before him, Bow the knee (Gen. 41:43). Following the sound teachings of the father would bring the son to great dignity as well as give a beauty to his life. The elements of good character are likened to spiritual ornaments. Women particularly are warned in physical charm: Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing of jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1Pe. 3:3-4). See 1Ti. 2:9-10 and Pro. 3:22.
TEST QUESTIONS OVER 1:1-9
1.
What is a proverb (Pro. 1:1)?
2.
How many proverbs did Solomon speak (Pro. 1:1)?
3.
What is the relation between wisdom and instruction (Pro. 1:2)?
4.
What might be said of the character of the wisdom that Solomon was teaching to his son (Pro. 1:3)?
5.
What can wise sayings do for a young man (Pro. 1:4)?
6.
Who besides young men can also profit by wise sayings (Pro. 1:5)?
7.
What are some Bible examples of dark sayings (Pro. 1:6)?
8.
Comment on fools despising wisdom and instruction (Pro. 1:7).
9.
Discuss my son as included in Pro. 1:8.
10.
What does Pro. 1:9 say that following a fathers instruction will bring?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
1.INTRODUCTION DESCRIBING THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK (Pro. 1:1-6).
(1) Proverbs.For the various senses of the Hebrew mshl thus translated, see Introduction.
Solomon.The absolute quiet and prosperity of the reign of Solomon (the man of peace), as described in 1Ki. 4:20, sqq., would naturally be conducive to the growth of a sententious philosophy; whereas the constant wars and dangerous life of David had called forth the impassioned eloquence of the Psalms.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
TITLE, OBJECT, AND MOTTO, Pro 1:1-7.
1. The Proverbs The first sentence is the title or superscription of the book, though not, as in modern usage, set apart as such, but run in to the body of the text. The same usage is found elsewhere, as in many of the Psalms; for example, Psalms 15 (in the Hebrew.) Also in the New Testament, Mat 1:1, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ;” also, Mar 1:1. Compare Pro 10:1; Pro 25:1.
A proverb is a sententious maxim, or a short, comprehensive, and weighty saying, expressed frequently, but not always, in metaphorical language; or the terms are employed in an unusual and peculiar sense, and are, therefore, more or less obscure, requiring some effort of the mind to apprehend them. This seeming disadvantage is compensated by the stronger impression following such mental effort; and, consequently, by an easier and more perfect retention in the memory. The Hebrew word , meshalim, from , mashal 1, to rule; 2, to liken, to make like, or be like involves the idea of an authoritative, influential, or important saying, implying or expressing a comparison, simile, or metaphor of some kind. Hence it is used, in a very general and comprehensive way, for a similitude or parable, Ezra 17:2; 24:3: Jdg 9:7, etc.; 2Sa 12:1, etc.; 2Ki 14:9; for a sententious saying or apothegm, such as consists in the ingenious comparison of two things, sentiments, etc., as in many of the proverbs of this book; for a proverb proper, or a byword, as in 1Sa 10:12; Eze 12:22-23; for a verse, song, or poem, the members of which, by the laws of parallelism, consist of two hemistichs similar in form and sense, or the one in antithesis with the other. It is specially used of prophecy, Num 23:7; Num 23:18; of a didactic discourse, Job 27:1; Job 29:1; Psa 49:5; Psa 78:2; sometimes of a satirical poem or song of derision, as in Deu 28:37. Our word proverb, in its more specific sense, (taken as an abbreviation of proverbia, for words, that is, many in one, or a word for many,) is a suitable name for this book, a great portion of which consists of short, comprehensive utterances, giving character to the work. But in the more generic sense of the Hebrew word we have the book completely covered. One word, meshalim, stands for the whole.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Introduction To The Prologue ( Pro 1:1-7 ).
The book commences with an introduction which explains its purpose in some depth. Its aim is to pass on ‘the sayings of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel’ so as to give understanding and wisdom with regard to moral living (‘receiving instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice and equity’) in order that those who would might increase in understanding and obtain ‘wise counsels’. Rather than being unusual, the recording of wisdom ‘sayings’ by a king has good precedent (e.g. Khety I; the father of Merikare; Amenemhat I; Shuruppak) and there is thus no good reason for denying to Solomon the authorship of Pro 1:1 to Pro 24:34.
Pro 1:1
‘The sayings of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.’
This is now the heading for the whole book, the contents being described by reference to the main contributor, with the final contributions by Agur and Lemuel being added later (or possibly even appended by Solomon himself). The book thus itself makes quite clear that a small proportion of its contents are not the product of Solomon. These words may, however, originally have been the heading for an earlier compilation, which was then added to (e.g. Pro 1:1 to Pro 24:34, to which was added Pro 25:1 onwards), or one which was transferred, along with what followed it, from a work where the contents were indeed all recognised as being the work of Solomon.
It should be noted that here there is no reference to the name of the person being addressed (the one who is later called ‘my son’). Analogous ancient Near Easter wisdom literature, typically at this point name the ‘son’ to whom the wisdom is addressed, its aim being to prepare him for succession to the office of the writer and indicate his subsequent suitability for the position. But the words of Solomon are addressed to all in Israel who will heed his words. He is speaking on behalf of God to ‘God’s son’, i.e. Israel (Exo 4:22). They are a revelation of God’s wisdom to Israel (Pro 2:5-6).
Others, however, argue that this verse is simply the heading for chapters 1-9 in view of the fact that what are seen as similar headings are found later (Pro 10:1 – ‘the sayings of Solomon’; Pro 24:23 – ‘these also are of the wise’; Pro 25:1 – ‘these also are the sayings of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied out’; Pro 30:1 – ‘the words of Agur the son of Jakeh, an oracle’; Pro 31:1 – ‘the words of King Lemuel, an oracle, which his mother taught him’). To some extent therefore it remains an open question. But in fact the fuller heading in Pro 1:1 reads like a main heading, whilst the more abbreviated Pro 10:1 and Pro 24:23 read as subsidiary headings, and as this is precisely the phenomenon which occurs in wisdom literature elsewhere, it would seem probable that we are to see the work as originally one unit, at least as far as Pro 24:34. Either way it would be underlining the idea that chapters 1-9 are indeed the work of Solomon, and in the light of the findings at Ugarit, which are used by some scholars to illuminate the meaning of Proverbs, there are no good grounds for denying it. And this suggestion that it is genuinely the work of Solomon is backed up by the number of proverbs which deal with court matters.
Pro 1:2-7
‘To know wisdom and instruction,
To discern the words of understanding,
To receive instruction in wise dealing,
In righteousness and justice and equity,
To give shrewdness to the naive,
To the young man knowledge and discretion,
That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning,
And that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsels,
To understand a proverb, and a figure,
The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.’
The fear of YHWH is the beginning of knowledge,
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.’
Note how the aim is that men may ‘know wisdom and instruction’ (Pro 1:2 a), whilst it is ‘the foolish’ who ‘despise wisdom and instruction’ (Pro 1:7). And this has in mind YHWH because it is ‘the fear of YHWH which is the beginning of knowledge’. The aim is that men may ‘discern the words of understanding’ (Pro 1:2 b), and they do this by ‘understanding the words of the wise’ (Pro 1:6). It is that men might ‘receive instruction in wise dealing’ (Pro 1:3) — thus ‘increasing in learning — and attaining to sound counsels’ (Pro 1:5). The chiastic pattern will be noted. It may be presented as follows:
A To know wisdom and instruction (Pro 1:2 a)
B To discern the words of understanding (Pro 1:2 b).
C To receive instruction in wise dealing (Pro 1:3 a).
D To give shrewdness to the naive (Pro 1:4 a).
D To the young man knowledge and discretion (Pro 1:4 b).
C That the wise may hear and increase in learning, and the man of understanding attain to sound counsels (Pro 1:5)
B To understand — dark sayings (Pro 1:6).
A The foolish despise wisdom and instruction (Pro 1:7).
We now learn the purpose of the book. It is intended to be a guide and an enlightener in the pursuit of righteous living and godliness, (for the ‘wisdom’ and ‘instruction’ relate to God’s ways – Pro 2:5-6), giving discernment and instruction in wise behaviour, behaviour which is in accordance with righteousness, justice and equity. In view of Pro 1:7 it could be described as a book on how to ‘live in the light of the fear of God’.
The idea of wisdom in Proverbs is not of philosophical understanding, but of practical understanding based on the fear of God. The wise man heeds ‘instruction accompanied by chastening’ (musar), (or ‘disciplinary instruction’) both from God (Pro 3:11-12) and from godly men (in those days primarily his parents – Pro 1:8) and does what is right. He has skill and expertise in God’s ways because he has listened to the outward instruction of God’s word (torah – Pro 1:8 b) and the inner voice of God (Pro 2:6; compare Pro 3:11-12). He is thus a man of discernment, ‘discerning the words of understanding’ (Pro 1:2 b). He obtains true knowledge and becomes discreet in his ways (Pro 1:2 b, 4). And in Israel this knowledge results in ‘wise dealing, and in righteousness, justice and equity’ (Pro 1:3). It is unquestionably moral and God-pleasing.
Note how the references to ‘wisdom’ and ‘understanding’ are taken up in Pro 1:5 with reference to ‘the wise man’ and ‘the man of understanding’, and again in Pro 1:7 where they are connected with ‘the fear of YHWH’, whilst Pro 2:5-6 bring home to us that this wisdom is given by God, and that it is from His mouth that knowledge and understanding comes. What is being taught is not general wisdom, but divine wisdom from the mouth of YHWH.
Its content is addressed:
‘To the simple’, that is the naive who have not thought about or understood God’s moral requirements, so that they might become shrewd.
‘To the young man’, so that he might learn more about life and gain discretion.
To ‘the wise man’ that he might increase more in wisdom and understanding.
To ‘the man of understanding’ so that he might gain more understanding and become a fit counsellor of others.
It has thus a lesson for all who are facing life and are willing to respond to God’s ways. And it will do this through proverbs and figures designed to arouse interest and understanding, and by bringing home the words of the wise and making clear the meaning of their ‘mysterious sayings’ (compareJdg 14:12; 1Ki 10:1).
Pro 1:7
The fear of YHWH is the beginning of knowledge,
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.’
And at the root of all this is the fear of YHWH. These purposes in Pro 1:2-6 will be achieved in those who ‘fear YHWH’, for in that is the beginning (or prime element) of knowledge. In other words true and worthwhile knowledge about life has its roots in ‘fearing YHWH’ (responding to Him as a loving, but authoritative, figure) and in ‘knowing God’ (Pro 1:29; Pro 2:5-6; Pro 9:10). The emphasis is thus on a ‘spiritual’ life, one lived in conscious dependence on Him. Such a man wants to walk with God. The one who ‘fears YHWH’ (that is, who pays reverent regard to Him and to His requirements in the same way as a man should ‘fear’ his father and his mother – Lev 19:3) will be the one who will take heed because he wants to do what is right in His sight. He walks in a personal relationship with God. He departs from evil (Pro 3:7; Pro 8:13).
In contrast are the foolish who do not fear YHWH (compare Psa 14:1) and who therefore despise such wisdom and instruction. They live their lives mainly heedless, through deliberate choice, of God and His ways. Thus to Solomon ‘wisdom’ is not just a collection of teaching about living, it is rooted in a personal relationship with, and a reverent obedience towards, YHWH, the covenant God.
This idea of the reverent fear of YHWH does not only occur here. It underlies the first nine chapters (see Pro 1:29; Pro 2:5; Pro 8:13; Pro 9:10), and continues on up to chapter 23 (see Pro 10:27; Pro 14:26-27; Pro 15:16; Pro 15:33; Pro 16:6; Pro 19:23; Pro 22:4; Pro 23:17). Thus the idea of the fear of YHWH underlies chapters 1-24. It is this that gives full significance to what is being said. It demonstrates that the teaching reveals the mind of God. It will also be noted that reference to it brings together the words of Solomon and ‘the words of the wise’ (Pro 22:17 to Pro 24:34), as indeed Pro 1:6 emphasises. And it makes them more than just a collection of improving sayings. They have all rather become a guide to living the spiritual life.
Proverbs makes clear that the fear of YHWH (looking for him to exercise the discipline of a father – Pro 3:12; Lev 19:3; Psa 103:13) is a course that men must choose, and that it will be neglected by those who hate true knowledge, spiritual knowledge (Pro 1:29), for the fear of YHWH and the knowledge of God are in parallel (Pro 2:5; Pro 9:10). Those who do fear God will walk in accordance with His instruction (Jer 44:10). They look to Him to be the directer of their paths (Pro 3:6). So it is men’s response to YHWH which makes clear the direction in which their lives are pointed. This parallels the idea of those who walk in the narrow way as spoken of by Jesus, rather than the broad way (Mat 7:13-14). Those who gain true wisdom and understanding will understand the fear of YHWH, and find the true knowledge of God (Pro 2:5). Consequently it leads to a spiritual grasp of the truth. The one who thus finds the fear of YHWH will hate evil (Pro 8:13), and will grow in true spiritual wisdom and understanding (Pro 9:10). The book thus claims to be an inculcator of divine knowledge, rather than just earthly knowledge. It is speaking to the true heart and giving spiritual discernment. In this it is different from much other wisdom literature.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
God the Father’s Foreknowledge: Preordaining Our Journey (The Prologue) – Pro 1:1-6 serves as an introduction, or prologue, to this book of wisdom. These opening verses give us the title of the book (Pro 1:1), in which we have the name of King Solomon is given as the author. The recipients are also identified in this section of verses as those who are simple, or nave as well as for the wise man (Pro 1:4-5). Thirdly, we are told the reason for writing the book is to make one wise (Pro 1:2-6). Its purpose of the book is to give us wisdom by following the words of wisdom. Thus, Proverbs opens with the virtues that are produced by Godly wisdom (Pro 1:2-6). King Solomon understood that if we could gain wisdom, and learn how to walk in the path of wisdom on a daily basis, then all of the other blessings in life would follow. Thus, Proverbs opens with the virtues that are produced by Godly wisdom (Pro 1:2-6). These virtues ring throughout the entire book much like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony opens with four beautiful, harmonious notes and repeats them throughout the entire symphony. As we find ourselves pursuing these four notes throughout the Fifth Symphony, so do we pursue these same virtues throughout the journey in the book of Proverbs. This list of virtues in Pro 1:2-6 not only gives us a brief introduction to wisdom, but these same virtues also become the precious jewels that we are to seek daily along this path. In pursuing these jewels, one is able to remain on the path that leads to us into eternal rest, seen in the final chapter of the book. The application of these various aspects of wisdom develop a person of strong character, as described in the final passage regarding the virtuous woman.
Paul says in Rom 8:29-30 that the destination, or purpose, of every believer is to become like Jesus Christ. To bring this about, we will need to follow this divine plan. It begins with the Father’s foreknowledge, which has two phases: predestination and calling. We then move into justification as we hearken unto this calling and believe in the redemptive work on Calvary. We are kept in this position of justification as Jesus now serves as our Great High Priest making intercession for the saints. The next step is not mentioned, but it is the role of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification. This will bring us into the final phase our redemption, which is glorification. These are essentially the steps that are laid out in Rom 8:29-30.
Regarding the underlying theme of this opening prologue to Proverbs, we find in Rom 8:29-30 that calling is a part of the Father’s divine foreknowledge for every believer. In this passage of Scripture, predestination comes before calling, in which God establishes a purpose, or a plan, for our calling. If we interpret the prologue in Pro 1:1-6 in light of the structure of the book of Proverbs, which follows God’s divine plan of redemption, we see how these opening verses reveal what God has predestined us to become, which is, a person who walks in divine wisdom in every aspect of his life: spiritually, mentally, physically and financially. This is the emphasis that the book of Proverbs makes as one aspect of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. For example, in the book of Luke, we conform to the image of Jesus Christ by walking in the office of the prophet, being filled with the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, we walk in the office of the apostle, taking the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. In the Gospel of Matthew, we become conformed to the image of Christ Jesus by walking in the office of the teacher, making disciples who will in turn teach other generations of disciples about the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Mark’s Gospel, we become conformed to the image of His Son by walking in the office of the evangelist, preaching the Gospel with signs following. In John’s Gospel, we conform to the image of Jesus Christ by walking in the office of the pastor, maintaining fellowship with our Heavenly Father to lead His sheep. Every book of the Holy Bible provides one aspect of God’s plan for His children to be conformed to be like Jesus. In the book of Psalms, we conform to His image by developing a passion for His Word (Psa 1:2). Therefore, in the book of Proverbs, we are conformed by walking in divine wisdom (Pro 1:2-6), which is the way we worship the Lord with all of our mind. We will see the character of this person in the final chapter of Proverbs as it describes the virtuous woman.
The Prologue of Proverbs: Its Recipients Pro 1:2-6 identifies the recipients of the book. These proverbs are written so that the simple person will find the path of wisdom and also for the wise man to continue in this path of wisdom all the days of his life.
Wherever someone is along life’s journey, whether one is naive (Pro 1:4), or extremely wise and full of understanding (Pro 1:5), these words will give further insight in the decisions of life. Whether a young man was being trained in Solomon’s court, or he had been sent out by the king to serve in the kingdom, he needed to continue pursuing wisdom. Pro 1:4-5 identifies the quest for wisdom as belonging to both the young and the old. This passage reveals to us that the more we grow in divine wisdom and in the knowledge of God, the more we understand our dependence upon His daily guidance in our lives. The quest for wisdom is a lifetime journey, which will be with us throughout eternity.
The Prologue of Proverbs: Its Purpose In Pro 1:2-6 the author states the purpose of the book of Proverbs, which is to learn how to follow the path of wisdom. When a man is saved, he begins to walk in the fear of the Lord. This begins a journey of learning God’s ways and avoiding the path of sin. Thus, Proverbs opens with the virtues that are produced by Godly wisdom (Pro 1:2-6). These virtues ring throughout the entire book much like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony opens with four beautiful, harmonious notes and repeats them throughout the entire symphony. As we find ourselves pursuing these four notes throughout the Fifth Symphony, so do we pursue these same virtues throughout the journey in the book of Proverbs.
This list of virtues in Pro 1:2-6 give us a brief introduction to wisdom; but these same virtues also become the precious jewels that we are to seek daily along this path of wisdom. In pursuing these jewels, one is able to remain on the path that leads to us into eternal rest, seen in the final chapter of the book of Proverbs.
The Prologue of Proverbs: Its Theme – The True Treasures of Wisdom Revealed The short passage in Pro 1:2-6 seems to give numerous synonyms to describe the knowledge of God’s ways. It calls our journey in life a quest for wisdom, instruction, perception, understanding, justice, judgment, equity, discretion hearing, learning, and counsel. Wisdom is like a diamond, with its many beautiful angles and colors. All of these virtues are the many facets of divine wisdom as they reveal the manifold and indescribable nature and character of Almighty God. These virtues, in fact, are the manifold aspects of Godly wisdom. We find the phrase “manifold wisdom” in Eph 3:10, telling us that there are many different aspects to God’s ways of working in our lives. Thus, as we take the journey in the book of Proverbs, looking daily for these virtues, we are actually seeing the many different aspects of how divine wisdom guides our lives.
Eph 3:10, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,”
The True Treasures – What Solomon, the richest king on earth, is showing to us are the true treasures that are to be sought in this life. It is the richest man on earth revealing to us the true treasures of life. He could have boasted in the multitude of his people, or in the extent of his kingdom, or in the size of his daily provision or in the size of his army (1Ki 4:20-28). Instead, he boasted in the God who gave him the wisdom to gain such assets (1Ki 4:29-34).
When we take our journey in life and pursue the riches of wisdom, then all other things will be added unto us. The prologue of Proverbs contains the words of the richest man on earth revealing to us the true treasures of life. Thus, as this list of virtues in Pro 1:2-6 also gives us a brief introduction to wisdom, these virtues become the treasures that one seeks after during the journey as one seeks the destination of eternal rest, seen in the final chapter of the book.
Seeking Loyalty from Subjects – Why would a king present to us his greatest treasures immediately in his book? Because a king has subjects, and if he provides for his subjects, they would continue to follow him (Pro 19:6). Solomon promise us his wealth of wisdom in this passage if we will simply fear the Lord. Just as a visiting diplomat from a wealthy nation makes promises of financial support to underprivileged nations out of a sense of obligation, so does this king offer us his best up front so that we will know that he has made provision for us, and thus, we will continue to serve him. Do not the Scriptures say that the lesser is blessed by the greater (Heb 7:7)?
Pro 19:6, “Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts .”
Heb 7:7, “And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.”
When Satan tempted the Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness to bow down and worship him, he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them (Mat 4:1-11). In other words, Satan declared his wealth and displayed it before Jesus Christ. Satan had used this tactic for centuries in gaining dominion over men, but it did not work with Jesus Christ. For this same reason, when King Ahasuerus wanted to secure the favor of his subjects, he threw a great feast in the palace of Shushan in order to declare his wealth (Est 1:1-9). When these people saw the king’s wealth and power, they were more willing to subject themselves to a person of such great authority. In modern times, we see this same situation when a cruel dictator rules a nation by rewarding his military leaders with portions of the nation’s wealth. Such dictators know that to keep their loyalty, he must allow them to share in the accumulated wealth. Thus, Solomon desires that we share in his wealth of wisdom and partake of its fruit as a means of gaining our favor.
Wisdom was Solomon’s Most Valuable Asset – Another reason that Solomon would present his treasures immediately in his book is because when you visit someone’s home, or spend time talking with someone, he will soon show to you or talk to you about his treasures, those things that are most valuable to him. When people visit my home, I often show them my study and talk to them about my Bible studies. This is because this is something that is close to my heart. When you visit a home, the homeowner may show to you his collections of valuables, or talk about those things that interest him in life. You can tell where a person’s heart is by spending time talking with him, because what is in someone’s heart will soon come out. Thus, we see what was in the heart of the king. His love was to pursue the treasures of divine virtues. So, he opens his book by revealing these treasures, much as someone takes us into his home and shows us those things that he values.
Declaring Your Wealth – In Uganda the President’s office periodically organizes probes to investigate corruption within various governmental departments. For example, in the mid-2000’s a team led by a federal judge has investigated both the Uganda Revenue Authority, which collects taxes, and the Electoral Commission, which organizes elections. In this investigation, employees are told to declare their wealth. If their wealth exceeds their salaries by an excessive amount, then corruption is suspected. These employees had to declare items that the judge considered as valuable, such as land, homes and bank accounts. Many of these corrupt employees were found to own very rich homes that exceeded their ability to purchase and maintain based upon their salaries.
In a similar way, Solomon is declaring his wealth to us in Pro 1:2-6. Although he possessed land, homes and gold, he did not declare it to us simply because these material things are not the true riches. Just as Hezekiah opened up his wealth for the Babylonians to see (2Ki 20:12-19), so does Solomon open up his treasures for us to see and desire. In contrast, the sinner will soon declare his wealth in Pro 1:10-19. He will say that if we will follow his path, we can fill our homes with “precious substance”. Thus, the sinner pursues material possession and gains them by evil means, clearly violating the virtues that Solomon declares as the true riches.
Solomon tells us that a person is to begin each day with the attitude of pursuing these divine virtues rather than the riches of this world.
Pro 8:10-11, “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.”
Pro 16:16, “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!”
In his quest to find wisdom, understanding, justice, and these other virtues, he will receive earthly riches. However, he must not be deceived into pursuing such material wealth, as he then will lose sight of these divine virtues and loose the fear of the Lord and walk as the fool walks, for the next verse tells us that the pursuit of these true riches begins with the fear of the Lord (Pro 1:7). The Sermon on the Mount teaches us this true by telling us to seek first the kingdom of God and all of its riches will be added unto us (Mat 6:33). In contrast, the pursuit of the fool is for earthly riches. We are also told this in this same passage in Matthew, when it states that all these things do the Gentiles seek (Mat 6:31-32).
Mat 6:31-32, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ( For after all these things do the Gentiles seek 🙂 for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”
Mat 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
A clear illustration of this biblical truth is seen when God visits Solomon in a dream and asks him what He should give him. Solomon asks for wisdom rather than riches. This request so pleased God that Solomon was promised riches as well as great wisdom (1Ki 3:5-15).
Every day of this journey, we must remember what we are looking for. It is not the riches of this world, but the virtues of wisdom. For these riches will not lead us to our destination of eternal rest, but rather into the deceptions of the fool. It is only by pursuing these virtues will we find peace, rest and contentment in this life and finally eternal life.
The Prologue of Proverbs: Its Structure – The Virtues of Wisdom that are Embedded Within the Book of Proverbs The book of Proverbs opens with seven virtues that are produced by Godly wisdom. Divine wisdom is used throughout the book to refer to these virtues. As Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is built around four beautiful notes that repeat themselves throughout its symphony, so do these seven virtues ring throughout the entire book. As we find ourselves pursuing these four notes throughout the Fifth Symphony, so do we pursue these virtues throughout the journey through the book of Proverbs.
Note the frequent uses of these words in the book of Proverbs:
Wisdom (H2451) 39 of 149 times in Proverbs
Instruction (H4148) 30 of 50 times in Proverbs
Understanding (H998) – 14 of 38 times in Proverbs
Wisdom (H7919) 13 of 63 times in Proverbs
Justice (H6664) 8 of 116 times in Proverbs
Judgment (H4941) 20 of 421 times in Proverbs
Equity (H4339) 5 of 19 times in Proverbs
As this list of virtues in Pro 1:2-6 also gives us a brief introduction to wisdom, they become the goal that one seeks to achieve during the journey as one seeks the destination of eternal rest, seen in the final chapter of the book. The application of these various aspects of wisdom develop a person of strong character, as described in the final passage regarding the virtuous woman.
In addition, Pro 1:7 gives to us sign posts that are posted throughout the journey in order to show to us that we are on the right path; for the way is narrow, and many are the deceptions along the way.
As this list of virtues gives us a brief introduction to wisdom, the following verse, Pro 1:7 b, contrasts this passage with a brief introduction to the fool.
Pro 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction .”
As an illustration of our pursuit of these virtues as we journey through the path of life, I remember how a local radio station in my hometown had its listeners seeking for a hidden treasure. The radio station had hidden a gift somewhere in the city and began to give out hints daily upon the station. The whole town heard about this hidden treasure as many eager souls sought it until it was found.
Such is our daily journey as we seek to find these virtues rather than earthly treasures.
All of these virtues are found in relationships with others, whether it be with the Lord, or family or co-workers. They cannot be expressed in our lives with proper relationships. They cannot exist without coming in contact with other human beings.
If we are to have healthy relationships with other people, it requires us to submit ourselves to them at some point in that relationship. I have known people with a stubborn and rebellious heart who find it impossible to have true, long term relationships in life. At the end of their life, they still have no true friends, having always run from these relationships when submission was required.
Yes, they started many friendships, but they had to draw the line when it came time to submit to others in order to build that relationship strong. This attitude ruins marriages, jobs, and every area of one’s life. But the only way to truly live a life of submission is with the fear of the Lord in one’s heart. Thus, Ephesians adds the fear of the Lord to the command to submit to one another.
Eph 5:21, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Pro 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Pro 1:1
Comments – These proverbs are mostly written in couplets or triplicates, up to eight parallel thoughts. The parallel structure of these proverbial sentences, the repetition, contrast, or comparison of thought, were arranges as to facilitate the efforts of memory.
Although this book of the Old Testament uses proverbs as short saying, this same Hebrew word is also used of the lengthy prophecies of Balaam found in Num 23:7 to Num 24:24 as well as the extended poetry of Job (Job 27:1). Isaiah uses this word in his prophecy against the king of Babylon (Isa 14:4). This word is found in other places in Scriptures, such as when God made a proverb out of the nation of Israel (1Ki 9:7, Psa 69:11).
1Ki 9:7, “Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:”
Psa 69:11, “I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.”
We can also group the synonyms “dark sayings” and “interpretations” (Pro 1:6) into this category of passages called proverbs, as well as the all of the “parables” of Jesus Christ found within the Gospels. It is very likely that the Queen of Sheba was referring to riddles or proverbs when the Scripture tells us that she came to test Solomon with “hard sayings” (1Ki 10:1).
1Ki 10:1, “And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.”
The statements, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1Sa 10:12), “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge,” (Eze 18:2), as well as “Physician, heal thyself,” (Luk 4:23) may all be considered as a type of Oriental proverb. [47] We can add to this list Samson’s riddle as a type of proverb, “Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness.” (Jdg 14:14).
[47] W. J. Deane, S. T. Taylor-Taswell, Walter F. Adeney, T. Whitelaw, R. A. Redford, and B. C. Caffin , Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, in The Pulpit Commentary, vol. 9, ed. H. D. M. Spence and Joseph Exell (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1950), in Ages Digital Library, v. 1.0 [CD-ROM] (Rio, WI: Ages Software, Inc., 2001), “Introduction to Proverbs.”
In summary, the Hebrew idea behind the “mashal” would be anything said that contains a hidden meaning.
Comments – The phrase “the proverbs of Solomon” ( ) is used twice in the book of Proverbs as superscriptions (Pro 1:1; Pro 25:1). We see in 1Ki 4:29-34 that God gave Solomon a tremendous amount of wisdom. This accounts for his ability to author such a work. Although he spoke 3,000 proverbs, we only have a little over 300 recorded within the book of Proverbs. This is because we have only those ten percent that are necessary for our redemption.
1Ki 4:29-34, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. And he spake three thousand proverbs : and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.”
This is also confirmed in Ecc 12:9.
Ecc 12:9, “And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs .”
It is also likely that Solomon collected many of these proverbs from oral sources. He may not have been the originator of them all. In fact, we know that his father, King David, gave him many of these proverbs, but they are his in the sense that he collected them and put them into writing (Pro 4:3-4).
Pro 4:3-4, “For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.”
Note that Solomon, being a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ, was similar in that both Jesus and Solomon spoke in parables as a means of teaching wisdom (Joh 16:25).
Joh 16:25, “These things in similitudes I have spoken to you, but there cometh an hour when no more in similitudes will I speak to you, but freely of the Father, will tell you.”
A proverb has been called a “concentrated parable,” and the parable “an extension of the proverb by a full illustration.” Jesus spoke often in parables as a method of teaching wisdom.
Pro 1:1 “the son of David, king of Israel” Comments 1 – Solomon was a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. In such a comparison, both Solomon and Jesus carried the titles as the son of David and the king of Israel (Mat 1:1, Joh 1:49). Both opened their mouths and taught in parables and both have ruled over God’s people.
Mat 1:1, “A roll of the birth of Jesus Christ, son of David , son of Abraham.”
Joh 1:49, “Nathanael answered and saith to him, ‘Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the king of Israel .”
Comments 2 – Some scholars speculate that Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon when he was young. He may have written the book of Proverbs during his years as a king, and the book of Ecclesiastes in his old age. Matthew Henry makes an interesting comment on the introductions to the three books authored by Solomon:
“In the title of his song he only writes himself Solomon, perhaps because he wrote it before his accession to the throne, being filled with the Holy Ghost when he was young. In the title of his Proverbs he writes himself the son of David, king of Israel, for then he ruled over all Israel. In the title of his Ecclesiastes he writes himself the son of David, king of Jerusalem, because then perhaps his influence had grown less upon the distant tribes, and he confined himself very much in Jerusalem.” [48]
[48] Matthew Henry, Proverbs, in Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, New Modern Edition, Electronic Database (Seattle, WA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1991), in P.C. Study Bible, v. 3.1 [CD-ROM] (Seattle, WA: Biblesoft Inc., 1993-2000), “Introduction.”
Note:
Ecc 1:1, “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.”
Son 1:1, “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.”
Pro 1:1 Comments – Pro 1:1 serves as the title of the book of Proverbs. It is credited to King Solomon because he was the main contributor to this collection of wisdom literature and perhaps because his name became associated with the wisdom literature in Israel. Since we know that the book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings from more than one author, and not of Solomon himself, this opening verse might be interpreted, “This is a collection of sayings of which King Solomon is credited with establishing for the people of Israel.”
Solomon was given his great wisdom by God. Note Solomon’s prayer for wisdom in 1Ki 3:5-15. According to 1Ki 3:12 God gave King Solomon more wisdom than any man has or ever will have in this life, beside the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Ki 4:29, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.”
1Ki 5:12, “And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.”
Pro 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
Pro 1:2
Pro 1:2 Word Study on “wisdom” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “wisdom” ( ) (H2451) means, “skill of an artificer, dexterity, wisdom.” Strong says it means, “wisdom.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 149 times, it is translated in the KJV as, “wisdom 145, wisely 2, skilful Man 1:1 , wits 1.” This Hebrew word is used 39 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:2 Word Study on “instruction” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “instruction” ( ) (H4148) means, “correction, admonition, discipline, instruction, doctrine.” Strong says it means, “chastisement, reproof, warning, instruction, restraint.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 50 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “ instruction 30, correction 8, chasten 4, chastisement 3, check 1, bond 1, discipline 1, doctrine 1, rebuker 1.” This Hebrew word is used 30 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:2 Word Study on “perceive” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “perceive” ( ) (H995) means, “to perceive, to separate.” Strong says it is a primitive root that means, “to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e. (generally) understand.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 170 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “understand 62, understanding 32, consider 22, prudent 8, perceive 7, regard 6, discern 3, instruct 3, misc. 27.” This Hebrew word is used 34 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:2 Word Study on “words” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “words” ( ) (H561) means, “a word, discourse” when used poetically, and it means, “a command, mandate.” Strong says it means, “something said,” and it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H559), meaning, “to say.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 49 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “words 43, speeches 2, sayings 2, appointed 1, answer 1.” This Hebrew word is used 22 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:2 Word Study on “understanding” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “understanding” ( ) (H998) means, “understanding, intelligence, insight.” Strong says it means, “understanding,” and it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H995), which means, “to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e.(generally) understand,” which is the same verb used in this verse that is translated, “to perceive.” Holladay says it means, “insight, perception.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 38 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “understanding 32, Wisdom 2, knowledge 1, meaning 1, perfectly 1, understand 1.” This Hebrew word is used 14 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:2 Comments – Someone once gave a clear distinction between knowledge and wisdom. “Knowledge is the apprehension of the truth in one’s mind, but wisdom is the application of truth to one’s life.” Bob Yandian says that knowledge is taking in the Word of God, and wisdom is the correct output or application of that knowledge. [49] A good example of the difference between knowledge and wisdom can be found in Eph 4:15, “But speaking the truth in love…” This verse in Ephesians tells us that we may have the correct knowledge and information to tell someone, but not be able to manage that knowledge correctly. We may say something to someone in a spirit of pride or anger, rather than in a spirit of love and edification.
[49] Bob Yandian, Salt and Light: The Sermon on the Mount (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Harrison House, c1983, 1988), 11.
Pro 1:3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
Pro 1:3
Pro 1:3 Word Study on “instruction” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “instruction” ( ) (H4148) means, “correction, admonition, discipline, instruction, doctrine.” Strong says it means, “chastisement, reproof, warning, instruction, restraint.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 50 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “ instruction 30, correction 8, chasten 4, chastisement 3, check 1, bond 1, discipline 1, doctrine 1, rebuker 1.” This Hebrew word is used 30 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:3 Word Study on “wisdom” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “wisdom” ( ) (H7919) means, “to look at, behold, be prudent.” Strong says it is a primitive root meaning, “to be circumspect, intelligent.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 63 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “understand 12, wise 12, prosper 8, wisely 6, understanding 5, consider 4, instruct 3, prudent 2, skill 2, teach 2, misc 7.” This Hebrew word is used 13 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:3 Word Study on “justice” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “justice” ( ) (H6664) means, “straightness, recititude, right, what is right and just.” Strong says it means, “rightness, recititude, justice, virtue, prosperity,” and it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H6663) meaning, “to be (causatively, make) right (in a moral or forensic sense).” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 116 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “righteousness 77, just 11, justice 10, righteous 8, righteously 3, right 3, righteous cause 1, unrighteousness 1, misc 2.” This Hebrew word is used 8 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:3 Word Study on “judgment” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “judgment” ( ) (H4941) means, “judgment, right, that which is just, lawful, according to law.” Strong says it means, “a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or [participant’s] divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant’s right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style,” and it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H8199) meaning, “to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication, to vindicate or punish; by extension, to govern; passively, to litigate (literally or figuratively).” The Enhanced Strong says it is used it is used 421 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “judgment 296, manner 38, right 18, cause 12, ordinance 11, lawful 7, order 5, worthy 3, fashion 3, custom 2, discretion 2, law 2, measure 2, sentence 2, misc 18.” This Hebrew word is used 20 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:3 Word Study on “equity” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “equity” ( ) (H4339) means, “straightness, happiness, peace, friendship.” Strong says it means, “evenness, i.e. (figuratively) prosperity or concord; also straightness, i.e. (figuratively) rectitude (only in plural with singular sense; often adverbially),” and it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H3474) meaning, “to be straight or even; figuratively, to be (causatively, to make) right, pleasant, prosperous.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used it is used 19 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “equity 4, uprightly 3, uprightness 3, right things 2, agreement 1, aright 1, equal 1, right 1, righteously 1, sweetly 1, upright 1.” This Hebrew word is used 5 times in the book of Proverbs.
Pro 1:4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
Pro 1:4
Word Study on “the simple” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “simple” ( ) (H6612) means, “simplicity, folly,” or “a simple person, one easily persuaded and enticed.” Strong says it means, “silly (i.e. seducible),” and it comes from the primitive root verb ( ) (H6601), which means, “to open, i.e. to be roomy,” and in a figurative or moral sense, it means, “to be simple or delude.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 19 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “simple 15, simple ones 2, foolish 1, simplicity 1.” This Hebrew word is used 15 times in the book of Proverbs.
Comments – The word “simple” ( ) (H6612) is plural in the Hebrew text, and is more accurately read as “simple ones,” as revealed in some translations, “For giving to simple ones –prudence, To a youth–knowledge and discretion.” ( YLT) Thus, according to its meaning “to be open,” being “a simple one” is not a vice, but it is a stage of growth that we all must go through as young people. Today, we would call this the impressionable years, the time in a person’s life when someone open himself up and receives what others tell him. In this same sense, Gesenius describes this person as someone who is “easily persuaded and enticed.” We can see this openness of the simple person in Pro 14:15, which states that the simple believe every word. It is the way God created us for our good, that we might receive instruction and lay it as a foundation in our early lives. But Satan attempts to capture these simple ones during this early period of their lives in order to bring them to destruction. For example, in today’s world of Muslim terrorism (2003), we are told to look for young males of Arab descent between the ages of 18 to 35 as a typical profile of someone who is given to commit such terrorist acts. This is because Satan has captured these younger men during their years of simplicity by using religion in order to lay a destructive foundation in these lives.
Pro 14:15, “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.”
This openness to receive what they hear is characteristic of young people in their teens and twenties. It is a period in life when one searches for adventure and for purpose and meaning in life. After this, people tend to become settled in their lifestyles and in their ways of thinking. In is during these years that the Lord wants to train us correctly. According to the book of Proverbs, the goal of the simple will be to become virtuous. We find a profile of this person in the last chapter of Proverbs, being called the virtuous woman. The word virtuous means “strong in character.” This passage describes a person with a strong conviction and determination to live a Godly life. A person’s strength is measured not by the outward man, but by the inner man, by a person who has a character with godly qualities and virtues. This is the goal of the simple one. It cannot be achieved without following the path of wisdom laid out in the book of Proverbs. However, for those simple ones who do not grow, but who stay simple along the journey, the book of Proverbs begins to refer to them in a negative sense (Pro 14:15; Pro 14:18; Pro 22:3; Pro 27:12).
Pro 14:15, “ The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.”
Pro 14:18, “ The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.”
Pro 22:3, “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” (and Pro 27:12)
The author of Hebrews made a similar comment about those believers who should have grown up, but were still babes in Christ, not being able to discern between good and evil (Heb 5:12-14).
Heb 5:12-14, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Scripture References – Note similar verses.
Psa 19:7, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple .”
Psa 119:130, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple .”
Pro 1:4 “to the young man knowledge and discretion” Word Study on “young man” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “young man” ( ) (H5288) means, “boy.” Strong says it means, “a boy from the age of infancy to adolescence, a servant, a girl.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 238 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “young man 76, servant 54, child 44, lad 33, young 15, children 7, youth 6, babe 1, boys 1, young 1.”
Word Study on “knowledge” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “knowledge” ( ) (H1847) means, “knowledge, knowing, intelligence, understanding, wisdom.” Strong says it means “knowledge,” and it comes from the primitive root ( ) (H3045), which means, “to know,” and is used in a great variety of senses throughout the Old Testament. The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 93 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “knowledge 82, know 6, cunning 1, unwittingly 2 + 01097 2, ignorantly + 01097 1, unawares + 01097 1.” This Hebrew word is used 40 times in the book of Proverbs.
Word Study on “discretion” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “discretion” ( ) (H4209) means, “counsel, prudence, craftiness, wickedness.” Strong says it means, “a plan, usually evil,” and sometimes in the good sense, “sagacity,” and it comes from a primitive root ( ) (H2161), which means, “to plan, usually in a bad sense.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 19 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “discretion 4, wicked device 3, device 3, thought 3, intents 1, mischievous device 1, wickedly 1, witty inventions 1, lewdness 1, mischievous 1.” This Hebrew word is used 8 times in the book of Proverbs.
Comments – A young man is generally characterized by being naive and inexperienced in life. Note Psa 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” That is, a young man will cleanse his ways by taking heed, or considering, the consequences of a decision before making it. This is how one uses discretion, by gaining knowledge of a situation first. So, perhaps within the context of this verse in Proverbs, ( ) (H4209) would carry the sense of “to consider.” In other words, to weigh out a situation before making a decision.
Pro 1:4 Comments – In the culture of Israel, a man was considered young until he because twenty years old. The Mosaic Law made a clear distinction of responsibility and maturity in a person’s age. For example, Moses numbered the males who were above the age of twenty (Num 1:3). Below this age, they were grouped with the women and children, who were not numbered. According to the Law, when an individual made a vow, he was to make an offering according to his age. Those who were twenty years old to sixty were given the same offering (Lev 27:3). Thus, it appears that Solomon trained groomed these young men in his court for future service in his kingdom. Thus, this verse makes a clear distinction between these young men and other Israelites.
Num 1:3, “From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.”
Lev 27:3, “And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.”
Pro 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Pro 1:5
Comments – The previous verse refers to “young men,” who were most likely those under the age of twenty, who were being trained in the king’s court. Within this context, the wise men would be those who had finished their training and had been sent out into the kingdom to perform the king’s duties. Thus, Solomon is telling these wise men to continue to learn and grow in the ways of divine wisdom.
Pro 1:5 “and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels” Word Study on “understanding” – Gesenius says the Hebrew word “understanding” ( ) (H995) means, “to perceive, to separate.” Strong says it is a primitive root that means, “to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e. (generally) understand.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 170 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “understand 62, understanding 32, consider 22, prudent 8, perceive 7, regard 6, discern 3, instruct 3, misc. 27.” This Hebrew word is used 34 times in the book of Proverbs.
Word Study on “wise counsels” Strong says the Hebrew word ( ) (H8458) literally means, “steerage (as a management of ropes),” and it can be used figuratively to mean, “guidance or a plan,” and it comes from a verb ( ) (H2254) that means, “to wind tightly (as a rope).” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 6 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “counsel 5, good advice 1.”
Comments – Literally, a man of understanding will gain the skill to steer his life in the right direction just as a seaman learns to steer a ship.
Pro 1:5 Comments – The Hebrew words for “wise” man (H2450) and a man of “understanding” (H995) in Pro 1:5 are also used in Pro 1:2. Thus, Pro 1:5 says when a man begins to seek wisdom and understanding (Pro 1:2), he will learn how to walk and live in the path of divine wisdom, in a lifestyle of learning how to make wise decisions and how to take wise counsel (Pro 1:5).
Pro 1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Pro 1:6
Word Study on “the interpretation” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “interpretation” ( ) (H4426) means, “a mocking song, an interpretation, hence, what needs an interpretation, an enigma, an obscure saying. Strong says it means, “an aphorism,” and it comes from a primitive root ( ) (H3887), which means, “to make mouths,” hence, “to scoff, (from the effort to pronounce a foreign language), to interpret, to intercede.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 2 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “interpretation 1, taunting 1.”
Comments – The phrase “and the interpretation” refers to the message that lies below the surface of a proverb. When someone digs into a proverb and begins to examine it truth, there is a rich storehouse of wisdom that can be found to enrich one’s life. Each proverb is like a priceless jewel. But it is of no value to the one who does not possess its hidden interpretation. This is why Pro 1:6 parallel’s the phrase “its interpretation” with “dark sayings”, since the meaning of a proverb has to be dug out and understood before it has value to its hearers.
Pro 1:6 “the words of the wise, and their dark sayings” – Word Study on “the words of the wise” The phrase “the words of the wise” ( ) is used four times in the Old Testament (Pro 1:6; Pro 22:17, Ecc 9:17; Ecc 12:11). Within the context of Pro 1:6, it serves as a synonym for the word, “proverb.” Note the other three uses:
Pro 22:17, “Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise , and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.”
Ecc 9:17, “ The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.”
Ecc 12:11, “ The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.”
Comments – Wise men played an important role in ancient societies, serving as the king’s chief advisors. We see this in the books of Genesis, Daniel and Esther.
Gen 41:8, “And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.”
Gen 41:33, “Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.”
Exo 7:11, “Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.”
Dan 1:4, “Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.”
Dan 1:20, “And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”
Dan 4:18, “This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.”
Est 1:13, “Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so was the king’s manner toward all that knew law and judgment:”
Many nations set wise men in the positions of leaders and counsellors.
Jer 49:7, “Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?”
These wise men served as leaders in the nation of Israel.
Deu 1:15, “So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.”
They stood with the priests and prophets of the land in shaping the moral fiber of the nation.
Jer 18:18, “Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.”
They often sat at the city gates with the elders (Job 29:7-25).
Wisdom was not limited to the palace or city gates. It was also honoured in the villages and in the homes.
Ecc 9:15, “Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.”
Thus, a society could be divided into two groups; those who have wisdom, and those who lack wisdom. Within the group of people who lacked wisdom, there were two types; the diligent who took counsel, and the fools and the wicked who shunned it. Thus, we see this same group of people within the book of Proverbs.
Word Study on “dark sayings” Gesenius says the Hebrew word “dark sayings” ( ) (H2420) means, “something twisted, involved,” hence, “subtlety, fraud, a difficult sentence, an enigma, a sententious expression.” Strong says this word means, “a puzzle, hence, a trick, conundrum, sententious maxim,” and it comes from a primitive root ( ) (H2330), which literally means, “to tie a knot,” but figuratively used, “to propound or put forth (a riddle).” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 17 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “riddle 9, dark sayings 3, hard question 2, dark sentence 1, proverb 1, dark speech 1.”
Comments – Because a parable is written in the form of a concentrated truth, within its brief words are hidden many deeps sayings that are not easily understood. The apostle Peter uses a similar phrase, “hard to be understood,” in describing Paul’s teachings (2Pe 3:16). For those who are able to interpret spiritual truths with spiritual hearts, these dark sayings are brought to light (1Co 2:13).
2Pe 3:16, “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood , which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
1Co 2:13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
God has always spoken in proverbs or parables and dark sayings. Note:
Psa 49:4, “I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.”
Psa 78:2, “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old.”
1Co 2:7, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom , which God ordained before the world unto our glory:”
1Co 2:13-14, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Only the Holy Spirit can give us true understanding. Why does God not reveal His parables to the wicked? Note:
Mar 4:11-12, “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”
God does not reveal His whole counsel to the wicked because then they would become accountable to live by it. This would bring greater judgment upon their heads on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, in God’s grace and mercy, He allows them to live their lives in ignorance so that their judgment will be less.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Title and the Introduction
v. 1. The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel v. 2. to know v. 3. to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity v. 4. to give subtilty v. 5. A wise man will hear v. 6. to understand a proverb and the interpretation
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
Pro 1:1-6
Part I. THE TITLE AND SUPERSCRIPTION.
The superscription of the Proverbs, which extends from verse 1 to verse 6, furnishes us with an epitome in short and concise language of the general scope and bearing of the book, and points out its specific utility, both to the inexperienced and to those already wise. Thus
(1) in Pro 1:1 it gives the name of the author to whom the proverbs are attributed;
(2) in Pro 1:2-3 it declares the aim, object, or design of the collection, which is to lead to the acquirement of wisdom generally; and
(3) in Pro 1:4-6 it proceeds to indicate the special utility the collection will be to two main classesto the simple and immature, on the one hand, in opening and enlarging their understanding, and so providing them with prudent rules of conduct by which they may regulate the course of life; and, on the other, to the wise and intelligent, in further increasing their knowledge or learning, and thus rendering them competent to comprehend, and also to explain to others less favourably situated than themselves, other proverbs, or enigmas, or sayings, of a like recondite nature to those now to be brought before them.
The title of the book embodied in the text is, ‘The Proverbs of Solomon the son of David, King of Israel,’ but the shorter designation by which it was and is known among the Jews is Mishle (), taken from the word with which the book begins. Analogously, in the Authorized Version it is styled ‘The Proverbs,’ and the heading in the LXX. is . The outside title in the Vulgate is more elaborately given as, ‘Liber Proverbiorum, quem Hebraei Misle appellant’ (‘The Book of the Proverbs, which the Hebrews call Misle’). In the Talmud it is called the ‘Book of Wisdom’; and Origen (Eusebius, ‘Hist. Eccl.,’ 6.25) designates it , the Greek form of the Hebrew Meshaloth (). Among the ancient Greek Fathers, e.g. Clement, Hegesippus, Irenaeus, the book was known by a variety of titles, all more or less descriptive of its contents as a repository of wisdom.
Pro 1:1
The proverbs of Solomon. The word which is here translated “proverbs” is the original mishle (), the construct case of mashal (), which, again, is derived from the verb mashal (), signifying
(1) “to make like,” “to assimilate,” and
(2) “to have dominion” (Gesenius).
The radical signification of mashal is “comparison” or “similitude,” and in this sense it is applied generally to the utterances of the wise. In Num 23:7, Num 23:8 it is used of the prophetic predictions of Balaam; certain didactic psalms, e.g. Psa 49:5 and Psa 78:2, are so designated, and in Job (Job 27:1 and Job 29:1) it describes the sententious discourses of wise men. While all these come under the generic term of meshalim, though few or no comparisons are found in them, we find the term mashal sometimes used of what are proverbs in the sense of popular sayings. Compare “Therefore it became a proverb (), Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1Sa 10:12); and see also other instances in Eze 16:4 and Eze 18:2. In this sense it is also found in the collection before us. The predominant idea of the term, however, is that of comparison or similitude, and as such it is better represented by the Greek (from , “to set or place side by side”), literally, a placing beside, or comparison, than by , “a byword,” or “a trite wayside saying,” though in the Greek of the synoptic Gospels is equivalent to . The English word “proverb” insufficiently renders the wider scope of meaning conveyed in the Hebrew mashal, and is not quite accurately rendered here, since of proverbs in our ordinary signification of that word there are comparatively few in this collection. The Hebrew word here means “maxims,” “aphorisms,” “wise counsels.” Of Solomon. Most modern commentators (Delitzsch, Zockler, Fuerst, Stuart, Plumptre, etc.), while attributing, in a greater or less degree, the authorship of the book to Solomon, regard the insertion of his name in the title as indicating rather that he is the dominant spirit among those wise men of his age, some of whose sayings are here incorporated with his own. King of Israel, as forming the second hemistich of the verse, goes with “Solomon,” and not “David.” This is indicated in the Authorized Version by the position of the comma. The Arabic Version omits allusion to David, and reads, “Proverbia, nempe documenta Salomonis sapientis, qui regnavit super filios Israel.” The proverbial or parabolic form of teaching was a recognized mode of instruction among the Hebrews, and in the Christian Church is recommended by St. Clement of Alexandria (‘Strom.,’ lib. 11, init.).
Pro 1:2
To know wisdom and instruction. In this verse we have a statement of the first general aim or object of the Proverbs. “To know” (, ladaath) is somewhat indefinite in the Authorized Version, and might be more accurately rendered. “from which men may know” (De Wette, Noyes); cf. unde scias (Munsterus). The which is here prefixed to the infinitive, as in verses 2, 8, and 6, gives the clause a final character, and thus points out the object which the teaching of the Proverbs has in view. The teaching is viewed from the standpoint of the learner, and hence what is indicated here is not the imparting of knowledge, but the reception or aprrspriation thereof on the part of the laemer. Schultens states that the radical meaning of (daath) is the reception of knowledge into one’s self. Wisdom. It will be necessary to go rather fully into this word here on its first appearance in the text. The Hebrew is (khokhmah). Wisdom is mentioned first, because it is the end to which all knowledge and instruction tend. The fundamental conception of the word is variously represented as either
(1) the “power of judging,” derived from , “to be wise,” from the Arabic, “to judge” (Oesenlus); or
(2) “the fixing of a thing for cognition,” derived from the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew , as before, which signifies “to fasten” (Zockler), or “compactness,” from the same root as before, “to be firm, or closed.” It is also variously defined
(1) as “insight into that upright dealing which pleases Goda knowledge of the right way which is to be followed before God, and of the wrong one which is to be shunned” (Zockler);
(2) as “piety towards God,” as in Job 28:28 (Gesenius);
(3) as “the knowledge of things in their being and in the reality of their existence” (Delitzsch), The word is translated in the LXX. by , and in the Vulgate by sapientia. The Hebrew khokhmah and the Greek so far agree as philosophical terms in that the end of each is the same, viz. the striving after objective wisdom, the moral fitness of things; but the character of the former differs from that of the latter in being distinctly religious. The beginning and the end of the khokhmah, wisdom, is God (cf. Job 28:7). Wisdom, then, is not the merely scientific knowledge, or moral philosophy, but knowledge , i.e. religious knowledge or piety towards God; i.e. an appreciation of what God requires of us and what we conversely owe to God. “Sapientia est de divinis” (Lyra). Wisdom will, of course, carry with it the notions of knowledge and insight. Instruction. As the preceding word represents wisdom in its intellectual conception, and has rather a theoretical character, so “instruction,” Hebrew, (musar), represents it on its practical side, and as such is its practical complement. The Hebrew musar signifies properly “chastisement,” from the root yasar (), “to correct,” or “chastise,” and hence education, moral training; and hence in the LXX. it is rendered by , which means both the process of education and its result as learning. The Vulgate has disciplina. In relation to wisdom, it is antecedent to it; i.e. to know wisdom truly we must first become acquainted with instruction, and hence it is a preparatory step to the knowledge of wisdom, though here it is stated rather objectively. The words, “wisdom and instruction,” are found in exactly the same collocation in Pro 4:13 and Pro 23:23. In its strictly disciplinary sense, “instruction” occurs in Pro 3:11, with which comp. Heb 12:5. Holden takes this word as “moral discipline” in the highest sense. To perceive the words of understanding; literally, to discern the words of discernment; i.e. “to comprehend the utterances which proceed from intelligence, and give expression to it” (Delitzsch). Understanding; Hebrew, vinah (), connected with the hiph. ( lehavin), properly “to distinguish,” hence “to discern,” of the same clause, signifies the capability of discerning the true from the false, good front bad, etc. With this agrees Cornelius a Lapide, who says, “Unde prudenter discernas inter bonum et malum, licitum et illicitum, utile et noxium, verum et falsum,” and from which you are enabled to know what to do in any circumstances, and what not to do. The LXX. renders the word by , the Vulgate by prudentia. , in Plato and Aristotle, is the virtue concerned in the government of men, manage-merit of affairs, and the like, and means practical wisdom, prudence, or moral wisdom. Van Ess, Allioli, Holden, translate “prudence.”
Pro 1:3
To receive the instruction of wisdom. This verse carries on the statement of the design of the Proverbs. To receive; Hebrew, (lakakhath), not the same word as “to know” (), in verse 2, though regarded as synonymous with it by Delitzsch. Its meaning is well represented by the LXX. , and the Authorized Version “to receive.” The Hebrew, , is infinitive, and means properly “to take, or lay hold of,” hence “to receive,” Greek, , No doubt it conveys the idea of intellectual reception (cf. Pro 2:1). The instruction of wisdom; Hebrew, (musar hasekel); i.e. the discipline or moral training which leads on to reason, intelligence, or wisdom (as Hitzig, Fuerst, Zockler); or discipline full of insight, discernment, or thoughtfulness (as Umbreit, Ewald, Delitzsch). The phrase does not mean the wisdom which instruction imparts. The word musar occurs here in a slightly different sense from its use in verse 2; there it is objective, here its meaning as a medium for the attainment of wisdom is more distinctly brought out. Wisdom (haskel) is properly “thoughtfulness” (so Umbreit. Ewald, Delitzsch, Plumptre). It is strictly the infinitive absolute of (sakal), “to entwine or involve,” and as a substantive it stands for the thinking through of a subject, so “thoughtfulness.” The LXX. renders this sentence, , which St. Jerome understands as “versutias sermonum et solutiones aenigmatum” (“the cunning or craftiness of words and the explication of enigmas”). Justice, and judgment, and equity. These words seem to be the unfolding of the meaning contained in the expression, “the instruction of wisdom.” Holden regards the last four words as objective genitives dependent on “instruction,” but wrongly. Cornelius a Laplde states that “justice and judgment and equity” indicate the same thing in different aspects. “Justice stands for the thing itselfthat which is just; judgment in respect of right reason, which says it is just; and equity in respect of its being agreeable to the Law of God.” Justice; Hebrew, (tsedek), from the root (tsadak), “to be right, or straight;” in a moral sense it means “rectitude,” “right,“ as in Isa 15:2 (Gesenius). The underlying idea is that of straightness. Heidenheim, quoted by Delitzsch, maintains that in tsedek the conception of the justum prevails; but the latter enlarges its meaning, and holds that it also has the idea of a mode of thought and action regulated, not by the letter of the Law, but by love, as in Isa 41:2; Isa 42:6. Plumptre thinks “righteousness” would be a better translation of the word, on the ground that the Hebrew includes the ideas of truth and beneficence. Compare with this the LXX. . Zockler also renders “righteousness,” i.e. “that which is in accord with the will and ordinances of God as Supreme Judge.” In the Authorized Version, in Pro 2:9, where we have the same collocation of words, tsedek is translated “righteousness;” cf. Pro 12:17, “He who utters truth shows forth righteousness (tsedek).“ Judgment; Hebrew, (mishepat), from the root (shapat), “to adjust, judge,” corresponds with the Hebrew in meaning; it is the delivery of a correct judgment on human actions. Compare the LXX. . Equity; i.e. rectitude in thought and action (Delitzsch), or integrity (Zockler). This quality expresses upright demeanour or honoumble action on one’s own part individually, while “judgment” has regard both to our own and the actions of others. The Hebrew, mesharim (), used only in the plural, is from the root (yashar), “to be straight or even,” and is equal to “uprightness.” The plural form is reproduced in the marginal reading “equities;” comp. Psa 17:2, “Let thine eyes beheld the things that are equal (mesharim).” The Vulgate reads aequitas and the Syriac rectitudo. The two ideas in judgment and equity appear to be expressed in the LXX. by the phrase. .
Pro 1:4
To give subtilty to the simple. In this verse and the following we are introduced to the classes of persons to whom the proverbs will be beneficial The with the infinitive, (latheth) shows that in construction this proposition is so ordinate with those in Pro 1:2 and Pro 1:3, and not dependent as represented by (LXX.)and ut detur (Vulgate). Subtilty; Hebrew, (aremah), from the root , (aram), “to be crafty or wily,” properly means “nakedness” or “smoothness;” hence in a metaphorical sense it expresses “the capacity for escaping from the wiles of others” (Umbreit). We have this idea expressed as follows in Pro 22:3, “The prudent man (, arum) foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself.” In the Arabic Version it is rendered by calliditas, “shrewdness,” in a good sense. The Hebrew aremah, like the Latin calliditas, also means “craftiness,” as appears in the use of the cognate adjective arum in Gen 3:1, where we read, “The serpent was more subtle,” etc. For “subtilty” the LXX. has , a Greek word which appears to be employed altogether in a bad sense, as “trickery,” “villainy,” “knavery;” but that scarcely appears to be the meaning of the Hebrew here, since the aim of the Proverbs is ethical and beneficial in the highest degree. The Vulgate astutia, the quality of the astutus, beside the bad sense of craftiness, also boars the good sense of shrewdness, sagacity, and so better represents the Hebrew. “Subtilty may turn to evil, but it also takes its place among the highest moral gifts” (Plumptre). The simple; Hebrew, (phethaim), plural of (peti) from the root (pathakh), “to be open,” properly means the open-hearted, i.e. those who are susceptible to external impressions (Zockler), and so easily misled. The word occurs in Pro 7:7; Pro 8:5; Pro 9:6; Pro 14:18; and Pro 27:12. The LXX. properly renders the word , “unknowing of evil.” The same idea is indirectly expressed in the Vulgate parvuli, “the very young;” and the term is paraphrased in the Arabic Version, iis in quibus non est malitia (“those who are without malice”). The Hebrew here means “simple” in the sense of inexperienced. To the young man knowledge and discretion. The Hebrew naar () is here used representatively for “youth” (cf. LXX; ; Vulgate, adolescens) in general, which stands in need of the qualities here mentioned. It advances in idea beyond “the simple.” Knowledge; Hebrew, (daath), i.e. experimental knowledge (Delitzsch); insight (Gesenius); knowledge of good and evil (Plumptre). The LXX. has , which clasically means perception by the senses and also by the mind. Discretion; Hebrew, (mezimmah), properly “thoughtfulness,” and hence “circumspection” or “caution” (Zockler), or “discernment,” that which sets a man on his guard and prevents him being duped by others (Plumptre). was probably adopted by the LXX. in its primary sense as representing the act of thinking; intellectus (Vulgate), equivalent to “a discerning”.
Pro 1:5
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning. The change of construction in the original is reproduced in the Authorized Version, but has been rendered variously. Thus Umbreit and Elster, regarding the verb (yishema) as conditional, translate, “if the wise man hear;” on the other hand, Delitzsch and Zockler take it as voluntative,” let the wise man hear,” ete. The principle here enunciated is again stated in Pro 9:9, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser,” and finds expression under the gospel economy in the words of our Lord, “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance”. Learning; Hebrew, (lekakh), in the sense of being transmitted or received (Gesenius, Delitzsch, Dunn). A man of understanding (LXX; ; Vulgate, intelligens) is a person of intelligence who lays himself open to be instructed. Wise counsels; Hebrew, (takhebuloth). This word is derived from (khevel), a ship rope, a denominative of (khovel), and only occurs in the plural. It signifies those maxims of prudence by which a man may direct his course aright through life (cf. regimen, Arabic). The imagery is taken from the management of a vessel, and is reproduced in the LXX. , and the Vulgate gubernatio. “Navigationi vitam comparat” (Mariana). The word is almost exclusively confined to the Proverbs, and occurs in Pro 11:14; Pro 12:5; Pro 20:18; and Pro 24:6, usually in a good sense, though it has the meaning of “stratagem” in Pro 12:5. In the only other passage where it is found it is used of God’s power in turning about the clouds; of. Job 37:12, “And it [i.e. the bright cloud] is turned round about by his counsels ( , bethakhebulothau).“ It is the practical correlative of “learning,” in the first part of the verse.
Pro 1:6
To understand a proverb. This verse carries on the idea which is stated in Pro 1:5. The end of the wise and intelligent man’s increase in learning and prudence is that he may be thus enabled to understand other proverbs. Schultens, followed by Holden, takes the verb (lehavin) as a gerund, intelligendo sententias. This rendering does not represent the end, but points to the proverbs, etc; as means by which the wise generally attain to learning and prudence. And the interpretation; Hebrew, (melitsah). It is difficult to determine the exact meaning of this word. By Gesenius it is rendered “enigma, riddle;” by Bertheau and Hitzig, “discourse requiring interpretation:” by Delitzsch, “symbol; by Havernick and Keil, “brilliant and pleasing discourse;” and by Fuerst, “figurative and involved discourse.” By comparing it with the corresponding words, “dark sayings,” it may be regarded as designating that which is obscure and involved in meaning; compare (LXX.). It only occurs here and in Hab 2:6, where it is rendered “taunting proverb.” The marginal reading is “an eloquent speech,” equivalent to facundia, “eloquence.” Vatablus says that the Hebrews understood it as “mensuram et pondus verbi.” The words of the wise; i.e. the utterances of the khakhamim (). This expression occurs again in Pro 22:17, and also in Ecc 9:1-18 :19 and Ecc 12:11. In the latter they are described as “goads and as nails fastened by the ministers of assemblies” (i.e. “authors of compilations,” as Mendelssohn), because they cannot fail to make an impression on everybody good or bad. The expression, as used in Pro 22:17, implies that other than Solomonic proverbs are included in this collection. And their dark sayings; Hebrew, (vekhidotham). The Hebrew khidah (), as melitsah (), its parallel in the preceding hemistich, designates obscure, involved utterances. It plainly has the sense of “enigma” (Fleischer, apud Delitzsch). Compare (LXX.), and aenigmata (Vulgate), which latter is followed by the Chaldea Paraphrase and Syriac (see also Psa 78:2, “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter dark sayings of old”). Gesenius derives it from the root (khud), “to tie knots,” and hence arrives at its meaning as an involved or twisted sententious expression, an enigma.
Verse 7-9:18
Part II. INTRODUCTORY SECTION.
The first main section of the book begins here and ends at Pro 9:18. It consists of a series of fifteen admonitory discourses addressed to youth by the Teacher and Wisdom personified, with the view to exhibit the excellence of wisdom, and generally to illustrate the motto, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” or wisdom. It urges strong encouragements to virtue, and equally strong dissuasives from vice, and shows that the attainment of wisdom in its true sense is the aim of all moral effort.
Pro 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. This proposition is by some commentators regarded as the motto, symbol, or device of the book (Delitzsch, Umbreit, Zockler, Plumptre). Others, following the Masoretic arrangement of the Hebrew text, consider it as forming part of the superscription (Ewald, Bertheau, Elster, Keil). As a general proposition expressing the essence of the philosophy of the Israelites, and from its relation to the rest of the contents of this book, it seems rightly to occupy a special and individual position. The proposition occurs again in the Proverbs in Pro 9:10, and it is met with in similar or slightly modified forms in other books which belong to the same group of sacred writings, that is, those which treat of religious philosophythe Khokhmah; e.g. Job 28:28; Psa 111:10; Ecc 12:13; Ecc 1:16, 25. With this maxim we may compare “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom” (Pro 15:33). The fear of the Lord ( , yireath yehovah); literally, the fear of Jehovah. The expression describes that reverential attitude or holy fear which man, when his heart is set aright, observes towards God. The original word, (yireath) for “fear,” is properly the infinitive of , (yare), “to fear or reverence,” and as a substantive means “reverence or holy fear” (Gesenius). Servile or abject fear (as Jerome, Beda, Estius) is not to be understood, but filial fear (as Gejerus, Mercerus, Cornelius a Lapide, Cartwright), by which we fear to offend Godthat fear of Jehovah which is elsewhere described as “to hate evil” (Pro 8:13), and in which a predominating element is love. Wardlaw remarks that the “fear of the Lord” is in invariable union with love and in invariable proportion to it. We truly fear God just in proportion as we truly love him. The fear of the Lord also carries with it the whole worship of God. It is observable that the word Jehovah () is used in the Hebrew, and not Elohim (), a peculiarity which is invariably marked in the Authorized Version by small capitals. The beginning; Hebrew, (reshith). This word has been understood in three different senses:
(1) As initium, the beginning; i.e. the initial step or starting point at which every one who wishes to follow true wisdom must begin (Gejerus, Zockler, Plumptre).
(2) As caput; i.e. the most excellent or principal part, the noblest or best wisdom. This sense is adopted in the marginal reading (comp. also Pro 4:7) (Holden, Trapp).
(3) As the principium (Vulgate); i.e. the origin, or basis, as in Mic 1:12, “She is the origin, or basis (reshith) of the sin of the daughter of Zion.” Delitzsch regards the original, reshith, as embracing the two ideas of commencement and origin, in the same way as the Greek . Wisdom has its origin in God, and whoever fears him receives it if he prays in faith (cf. Jas 1:5, sqq.) (Vatablus, Mercerus, Delitzsch). That the first sense, viz. that of beginning, is to be understood here appears from the parallel passage in Pro 10:10, where the corresponding word is . (tekillath), “beginning,” from the root (khalal), “to begin;” cf. also the LXX. , in this sense, and the initium of the Syriac and Arabic Versions. All previous knowledge to “the fear of the Lord” is comparative folly. He who would advance in knowledge must first be imbued with a reverence or holy fear of God. But fools despise wisdom and instruction; or, according to the inverted order of the words in the original, wisdom and instruction fools despise, the association of ideas in the three words, “knowledge,” “wisdom,” and “instruction,” thus being more continuously sustained. This arrangement links on the two latter words with “the fear of the Lord,” and so helps towards the elucidation of the sense in which “fools” is to be understood Fools; (evilim), plural of (evil), from the root (aval), “to be perverse,” here properly designates the incorrigible, as in Pro 27:22, and those who are unwilling to know God (Jer 4:22), and hence refuse and despise wisdom and salutary discipline, those “who set at nought all his counsel, and will none of his reproof.” The word is opposed to the “prudent” (Pro 12:16) and to the “wise” (Pro 10:14). Delitzsch understands it as “thick, hard, stupid,” from the root aval, coalescere, incrassari. Schultens uses , equivalent to erassi pro stupidis, to represent the original. Dunn takes it in the same sense as “gross or dull of understanding.” Fuerst, adopted by Wordsworth, regards it in the sense of having no moral stamina, from the root meaning “to be slack, weak, lax, or lazy.” But none of these explanations seems, in my opinion, to coincide sufficiently with the evil and depraved activity expressed in the verb “despise,” which follows, and which describes the conduct of this class. The LXX. renders the word or action by , equivalent to impii, “godless,” “profane,” and the Vulgate by stulti. Despise; (bazu) is perfect, but is properly translated by the present, because the perfect here represents a condition long continued and still existing; cf. the Latin odi, memini, etc. The LXX. uses the future , i.e. they will set at nought; the Vulgate, the present (despiciunt). The radical meaning is most probably contemptuous trampling under the feet (Geseuius). Wisdom and instruction (see Pro 27:2). The latter clause of this verse is antithetical to the former, but the antithesis is obscurely expressed. In the Authorized Version it is marked by the adversative conjunction “but,” which, however, is not in the original. The LXX. has a striking interpolation in this verse between the first and second clauses, which is partly taken from Psa 111:10 ( , “And a good understanding have all they that do it: and reverence towards God is the beginning of knowledge”). Compare the Arabic Version, which has the same interpolation: Et intellectus bonus onmibus facientibus eam. Sana religio in Deum est initium prudentiae.
Pro 1:8-19
1. First admonitory discourse. Warning against enticements to robbery and bloodshed.
Pro 1:8
My son, hear the instruction of thy father. The transition in this verse from what may be regarded as filial obedience towards God to filial obedience towards parents is suggestive of the moral Law. The same admonition, in a slightly altered form, occurs again in Pro 6:1-35; “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (cf. also Pro 4:1). My son; (beni) from (ben), “a son.” The form of address here adopted was that in common use by teachers towards their pupils, and marks that superintending, loving, and fatherly care and interest which the former felt in and towards the latter. It occurs frequently in the introductory section (Pro 2:1; Pro 3:1-35 :l, 21; Pro 4:10, Pro 4:20; Pro 5:1; Pro 6:1; Pro 7:1), and reappears again towards the close (Pro 23:15, Pro 23:19, Pro 23:26; Pro 24:13, Pro 24:21; Pro 27:11) in the teacher’s address. The mother of Lemuel uses it (Pro 31:2) in the strictly parental sense. In other passages of the Old Testament the teacher, on the other hand, is represented as a “father” (Jdg 17:10 Isa 10:12; 2Ki 2:21). We find the same relation assumed in the New Testament, both by St. Paul (1Co 4:15; Phm 1:10; Gal 4:19) and by St. John (1Jn 2:1; 1Jn 5:2); but under the economy of the gospel it has a deeper significance than here, as pointing to the “new birth,” which, being a later revelation, lies outside the scope of the moral teaching of the Old Testament dispensation. The instruction (, musar); as carrying with it the sense of disciplinary education (cf. LXX; ; Vulgate, disciplina; see also verse 2), and of the correction with which it may be enforced (cf. Pro 13:24; Pro 22:15; Pro 23:13, Pro 23:14), the writer attributes appropriately to the father, while the milder torah, “law,” he uses of the mother (Delitzsch). Father. The nature of the exhortation conveyed in this verse requires that we should understand the terms “father” and “mother” in their natural sense as designating the parents of the persons addressed, though a symbolical meaning has Been attached to them by the rabbis (see Rabbi Salomon, in loc.), “father” being understood as representing God, and “mother,” the people. But the terms are more than merely figurative expressions (Stuart). Those who look upon the Proverbs as the address of Solomon to his son Rehoboam naturally take “father” as standing for the former. Naamah, in this case must be the mother (1Ki 14:31). It is almost unnecessary to state that pious parents are presupposed, and that only that instruction and law can be meant which is not inconsistent with the higher and more perfect Law of God (Gejerus, Wardlaw). And forsake not the law of thy mother. Forsake. The radical meaning of (tittosh) is that of “spreading,” then of “scattering” (Aiken), and so the word comes to mean “forsake, reject, or neglect.” The LXX. reads , from , abjicere, “to push away, reject.” Cf. abjicias (Arabic). The Vulgate has dimittas, i.e. “abandon,” and the Syriac, obliviscaris, i.e. “forget.” The law; (torath), construct case of (torah), from the root (yarah), “to teach,” hence here equivalent to “a law” in the sense of that which teachesa precept. With one exception (Pro 8:10), it is the term which always expresses the instruction given by Wisdom (Delitzsch). The law (torah) of the mother is that preceptive teaching which she imparts orally to her son, but torah is also used in a technical sense as lex, , that which is laid down and established, a decretum or institutum, and designates some distinct provision or ordinance, as the law of sacrifice (Le Pro 6:7). In Jos 1:8 we find it employed to signify the whole body of the Mosaic Law (sepher hatorah). Mother. Not inserted here as a natural expansion of the idea of the figure required by the laws of poetic parallelism (as Zockler), since this weakens the force of the passage. Mothers are mentioned because of their sedulousness in imparting instruction (Bayne).
Pro 1:9
For they (shall be) an ornament of grace unto thy head. The sentiment here expressed is put forward as an inducement to youth to observe obedience towards the instruction of the father and the law of the mother, and the meaning is that, just as in popular opinion ornaments and jewels are supposed to set off the personal form, so obedience towards parents in the ways of virtue embellishes the moral character (Bayne, Cartwright, Holden). An ornament of grace; Hebrew, (liveyath khen); literally, a wreath or garland of grace. We meet with the same expression in Pro 4:9, “She [i.e. wisdom] shall give to thine head an ornament of grace.” The Hebrew (liveyah) is derived from the root (lavah), “to wind a roll” (Delitzsch) or “to be joined closely with” (Gesenius), and hence signifies an ornament that is twisted, and so a wreath or garland. Gejerus and Schultens translate the phrase by corolla gratiosa, i.e. “a crown full of grace,” and so meaning conferring or producing grace, just as the expression, “the chastisement of our peace” (Isa 53:5), means the chastisement bringing or procuring our peace. So again a “precious stone,” in Pro 17:8, margin, “a stone of grace,” is one conferring gracefulness. The marginal reading, “an adding” (additamentum, Vatablus), conveys, though obscurely, the same idea; and this sense is again reproduced in the Vulgate, ut addatur gratia capiti suo. The LXX. reads, . And chains about thy neck. Chains; properly, necklaces; (anakim), plural of (anak), “a cellar or necklace;” the , or “golden collar,” of the LXX; and torques (i.e. twisted neckchain) of the Vulgate. There is a very apposite parallel to this verse in Pro 6:20, Pro 6:21 (cf. Pro 3:3; see also Jdg 8:26). The gold chain round the neck was a mark of distinction, and was conferred on Joseph by Pharaoh when investing him with authority and dignity (Gen 41:42), and on Daniel by Belshazzar in the same way (Dan 5:29; see So Dan 4:9). The mere adornment of the person with gold and pearls, without the further adornment of the moral character with Christian graces, is deprecated both by St. Paul and St. Peter (see 1Ti 2:9, 1Ti 2:10, and 1Pe 3:3, 1Pe 3:4). Neck, (garegeroth) only occurs in the plural (Gesenius). (See Pro 3:3, Pro 3:22; Pro 6:21.)
Pro 1:10
My son, if sinners entice thee. (As to the form of address, see Pro 1:8.) It is here used because the writer is passing to a warning against bad company, and hence the term is emphatic, and intended to call especial attention to what is said. It is repeated again in Pro 1:15, at a further stage in this address, with the same view. Sinners; (khattaim), the plural of (khatta), from the root (khata), properly “to miss the mark, to err;” cf. Greek, , “to sin” (Gesenius), here equivalent to “habitual, abandoned sinners,” and those especially who make robbery and bloodshed a profession. Not simply peccantes, i.e. sinners as a generic designation of the human race, for “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), but peccatores (Chaldee, Syriac, Pagin; Tigur; Versions and Vulgate). “sinners,” i.e. those who sin habitually, knowingly, wilfully, and maliciously (Gejerus), or those who give themselves up to iniquity, and persuade others to follow their example (Cartwright). In the New Testament they are styled . They are those of whom David speaks in strikingly parallel language in Psa 26:9, “Gather not my soul with sinners (khattaim), nor my life with bloody men” (cf. Psa 1:1). The LXX. has (i.e. ungodly, unholy men). Entice thee; ‘ (yephattukha); the piel form, (pitah), of the kal (patah), “to open,” and hence to make accessible to persuasion, akin to the Greek , “to persuade.” The noun (pethi), is “one easily enticed or persuaded” (Gesenius). The LXX. reads , “let them not lead thee astray.” The idea is expressed in the Vulgate by lactaverint; i.e. “if sinners allure or deceive thee with fair words.” The Syriac, Montan; Jun. et Tremell; Versions read pellexerint, from pellicio, “to entice.” Consent thou not. (, al-tove ). The Masoretic text here has been emended by Kennicott and De Rossi, who, on the joint authority of fifty-eight manuscripts, maintain that (tove ) should be written (tosves). Others read (tavos), i.e. “thou shalt not go,” which, though good sense, is incorrect. (al) is the adverb of negation, i.q. , ne. The Hebrew (toves) is derived from (avah). “to agree to, to be willing” (Gesenius, Delitzsch), the preformative being omitted, and is accurately rendered by the LXX; , and the Vulgate, ne acquiescas. The warning is especially brief and striking. The only answer to all enticements of evil is a decided negative (Plumptre). Compare St. Paul’s advice to the Ephesians (Eph 5:11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”).
Pro 1:11
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood. The teacher here puts into the mouth of the sinners, for the sake of vivid representation, the first inducement with which they seek to allure youth from the paths of rectitude, viz. privacy and concealment (Cartwright, Wardlaw). Both the verbs (arav) and , (tzaphan) mean “to lay in wait” (Zockler). The radical meaning of arav, from which (neerevah), “let us lay in wait” (Authorized Version) is taken, is “to knot, to weave, to intertwine.” Verbs of this class are often applied to snares and craftiness (cf. the Greek , and the Latin insidias nectere, “to weave plots, or lay snares”). Generally, arav is equivalent to “to watch in ambush” (Gesenius); cf. the Vulgate, insidiemur sanguini; i.e. “let us lay wait for blood.” The LXX. paraphrases the expression, , i.e. “let us share in blood.” On the other hand, (tzaphan), from which (nitzepenah), translated in the Authorized Version, “let us lurk privily,” is “to hide or conceal,” and intrans. “to hide one’s self,” or ellipt; “to hide nets, snares” (Gesenius, Holden). This sense agrees with the Vulgate abscondamus tendiculas; i.e. “let us conceal snares.“ Delitzsch, however, holds that no word is to be understood with this verb, and traces the radical meaning to that of restraining one’s self, watching, lurking. in the sense of speculari, “to watch for,” insidiari, “to lay wait for.” The two verbs combine what may be termed the apparatus, the arrangement of the plot and their lurking in ambush, by which they will await their victims. For blood (, ledam). The context (see Pro 1:12 and Pro 1:16), bearing as it does upon bloodshed accompanying robbery, requires that the Hebrew (ledam) should be understood here, as Fleischer remarks, either elliptically, for “the blood of men,” as the Jewish interpreters explain, or synedochically, for the person, with especial reference to his blood being shed, as in Psa 94:21. Vatablus, Cornelius a Lapide. and Gesenius support the latter view (cf. Mic 7:2, “They all lie in wait for blood,” i.e. for bloodshed, or murder. (dam) may be also taken for life in the sense that “the blood is the life” (Deu 12:23). Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause. The relation of the phrase. “without cause” (, khinnam), in this sentence is a matter of lnueh dispute. It may be taken either with
(1) the verb (as in the Authorized Version, Wordsworth, Luther, Van Ess, Noyes, Zockler, Delitzsch, Hatzig, LXX; Syriac, Rashi, Ralbac), and then “lurk privily without cause” is equivalent to
(a) without having any reason for revenge and enmity (Zockler), i.e. though they have not provoked us, nor done us any injury, yet let us hurt them, in the sense of absque causa (Munsterus, Paganini Version, Piscatoris Version, Mercerus), (LXX.), inique (Arabic);
(b) with impunity, since none will avenge them in the sense of Job 9:12 (this is the view of Lowestein, but it is rejected by Delitzsch); or
(2) it may be taken with the adjective “innocent,” in which case it means him that is innocent in vain; i.e. the man whose innocence will in vain protect (Zockler, Holden), who gets nothing by it (Plumptre), or, innocent in vain, since God does not vindicate hint (Cornelius a Lapide). On the analogy of 1Sa 19:5; 1Sa 25:31; Psa 35:19; Psa 69:4; Lam 3:52, it seems preferable to adopt the first connection, and to take the adverb with the verb. In the whole of the passage there is an evident allusion to an evil prevalent in the age of Solomon, viz. the presence of bands of robbers, or banditti, who disturbed the security and internal peace of the country. In the New Testament the same state of things continued, and is alluded to by our Lord in the parable of the man who fell among thieves.
Pro 1:12
Let us swallow them up alive as the grave. A continuation of Pro 1:11, expanding the idea of bloodshed ending in murder, and showing the determination of the sinners to proceed to the most violent means to effect their covetous ends. The enticement here put before youth is the courage and boldness of their exploits (Wardlaw). The order of the words in the original is, “Let us swallow them up, as the grave, living,” which sufficiently indicates the meaning of the passage. Alive; (khayyim), i.e. “the living,” refers to the pronomiual suffix in (nivelaem), as in the Authorized Version and Zockler (cf. Psa 55:15; Psa 124:3). Umbreit and Hitzig are grammatically incorrect in connecting (kisheol) “as the grave,” with “the living,” and translating “like the pit (swallows) that which lives.” The (ki) with a substantive, as here in kisheol, is a preposition, said not a conjunction (see Gesenius, ‘Lexicon’). It denotes a kind of resemblance, but does not introduce a coordinate sentence. The allusion is undoubtedly in the teacher’s mind to the fate of Korah and his company (Num 16:30-33), and as in that case “the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up” in the flush of life, so here the robbers say that they will as suddenly and effectively destroy their victims, (dala); from which niv‘laem, in a figurative sense, means “to destroy utterly” (Geseuius). The change from the singular, “the innocent” (, lenaki), to the plural in “let us swallow them up,” is noticeable. Like the pit (, kisheol); literally, like Sheol, or Hades, the great subterranean cavity or world of the dead. The all-devouring and insatiable character of sheol is described in Pro 27:20, where the Authorized Version translates “Hell (sheol) and destruction are never full,” and again in Pro 30:15, where it (sheol, Authorized Version, “the grave”) is classed with the four things that are never satisfied. Vulgate, infernus; LXX; . And whole, as those that go down into the pit. The parallelism of ideas requires that the word “whole” (, temimim) should be understood of those physically whole (see Mercerus, Delitzsch), and not in a moral sense, as the upright (Luther, Grief, Holden, Plumptre). The word is used in an ethical signification in Pro 2:21. Gesenius gives it the meaning of “safe, secure.” Those that go down into the pit ( , yorde vor); i.e. the dead. The phrase also occurs in Psa 28:1; Psa 30:4; Psa 88:4; Psa 143:7; Isa 38:18). The pit (, vor); or, the sepulchre, the receptacle of the dead, is here synonymous with sheol. The LXX. substitutes for the latter part of the verse, , “And let us remove his memory from the earth.” The robbers, by drawing a comparison between themselves and Hades and the grave, which consign to silence all who are put therein, imply their own security against detection. They will so utterly destroy their victims that none will be left to tell the tale (see Musset, in loc.). This, we know, is a fancied, and at the best only a temporary, security.
Pro 1:13
We shall find all precious substance. This verse carries on the proposal of the sinners one step further, and puts forward a third enticement, viz. that of’ the profit of crime, or the prospect of immediate riches, before youth to join in crime. A short cut to wealth, and to the acquirement of that which costs others long years of steady application and carefulness, is a strong inducement (Wardlaw). We shall find; (nimetza), from (matza), properly “to reach to,” and “to find,” in the sense of “to come upon;” cf. Latin invenio. Substance (, hon); i.e. substance in the sense of riches. The radical meaning of (hun), from which it is derived, is the same as in the Arabic word, “to be light, easy, to be in easy circumstances, and so to be rich” (Gesenius). In its abstract sense, hon, “substance,” means ease, comfort, and concretely riches which bring about that result (see also Fleischer, as quoted by Delitzsch); cf. the LXX. , i.e. collectively, possessions, property. The Piscatoris Version, for “precious substance,” reads divitias, “riches.” Precious; (yakar), properly ” heavy,” is found with (hon), “substance,” in Pro 12:27 and Pro 24:4. The collocation of the ideas of lightness and heavineess in these two words is striking, but we need not necessarily suppose that any oxymoron is intended, as Schnltens. Such combinations occur in other languages, and reside more in the radical meanings of the words than in the mind or intention of the writer or speaker. We shall fill our houses with spoil; i.e. they promise not only finding, but full possession (Gejerus, Muffet). Spoil; (shalal), from (shalal), same as the Arabic verb “to draw,” and hence “to strip off’ (Gesenius); and equivalent to the Greek (LXX.), the arms stripped off a slain enemy, spoils, and the Latin spolia (Vulgate). Shalal is used generally, as here, for “prey,” “booty” (Gen 49:27; Exo 15:9). Our gains, say the robbers, will not only be valuable, but numerous and plentiful.
Pro 1:14
Cast in thy lot among us. The fourth and last enticement put forward, viz. honourable union and frank and open hearted generosity. It has distinct reference to the preceding verse, and shows how the prospect of immediate wealth is to be realized (see Delitzsch, Wardlaw). Cast in thy lot cannot mean, as Mercerus, “cast in your inheritance with us, so that we all may use it in common,” though (goral) does mean “inheritance” in the sense of that which comes to any one by lot (Jdg 1:3) (Gesenius), since that would be no inducement to youth to join the robbers. Goral properly is “a little stone or pebble,” , especially such as were used in casting lots, and so equivalent to a “lot” herethat with which the distribution was made, as in Le Pro 16:8; Neh 10:34; and the custom of freebooters dividing the spoil by lot is here alluded to (Holden); comp. Psa 22:18 in illustration of the practice of casting lots, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” The sense is, “you shall equally with the others cast lots for your share of the spoil” (Zockler, Delitzsch). Let us all have one parse. Purse; (kis), the of the LXX; the marsupium of the Vulgate, is the receptacle in which money is placed for security. In Pro 15:11 it is used for the bag in which traders kept their weights, “the weights of the bag;” and in Pro 23:31 it is translated “cup,” the wine cup. It here signifies the common stock, the aggregate of the gains of the robbers contributed to a common fund. The booty captured by each or any is to be thrown into one common stock, to form one purse, to be divided by lot among all the members of the band. On this community of goods among robbers, compare the Hebrew proverb, In localis, in poculis, in ira. Community of goods among the wicked carries with it community in crime, just as the community of goods among the early Christians implied community in good works and in the religious sentiments of the Christian body or Church. The Rabbi Salomon Isacides offers another explanation: “Si voles, nobiscum spolia partieris, si etiam magis placebit, sociali communique marsupio nobiscum vives“”If thou wilt, thou shalt share with us the booty; ay, if it like thee more, thou ,halt live with us on a confederate and common purse” (see Cornelius Lapide).
Pro 1:15
My son, walk not thou in the way with them. The admonitory strain of Pro 1:10 is again resumed, and in Pro 1:16-19 the teacher states the reasons which should dissuade youth from listening to the temptations of sinners. My son. The recurrence of these words for the third time in this address marks the affectionate interest, the loving solicitude, in which the admonition is addressed. Walk not thou. Immediate and entire abandonment is counselled. The warning is practically a repetition of Pro 1:10, and is given again in Pro 4:14, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.” Way; (derek) means, figuratively, the way of living and acting (Gesenius). “Mores et consuetudines” (Bayne); cf. Pro 12:15, “the fool’s way;” Pro 22:25; and Psa 1:1. The meaning is “associate not with them, have no dealings whatever with them.” Refrain thy foot from their path; i.e. keep back thy foot, or make not one step in compliance, resist the very first solicitations to evil. Compare the legal maxim, Initiis obsta. Refrain; (mana) is from (mana), “to keep back, restrain;’ LXX; (cf. Psa 119:101, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way;” Jer 14:10, “Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet”). Restraining the foot carries with it indirectly the natural inclination or propensity of the heart, even of the good, towards evil (Cartwright). Foot (, regel) is, of course, used metaphorically, and means less the member of the body than the idea suggested by it; hence the use of the singular (Gejerus, Delitzsch). Bayne remarks that the Hebrews understood this passage as meaning “neither in public nor private life have any dealings with sinners.” Path (, nathiv) is a beaten path, a pathway, a byway; from the unused root (nathav), “to tread, trample;” and hence, while “way” may mean the great public high road, “path” may stand for the bypath, less frequented or public. The same distinction probably occurs in Psa 25:4, “Show me thy ways, O Lord; and teach me thy paths.”
Pro 1:16
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. This is the first dissuasive urged to enforce the warning against evil companionship, as showing the extremes to which entering upon the ways of the wicked lead ultimately. At once the youth who listens will be hurried along impetuously to the two crimes of robbery and murder, which God has expressly forbidden in the eighth and sixth commandments respectively of the moral code. Evil (, ra) is “wickedness,” , generally, but hero more specifically highway robbery, latrocinism (Cornelius a Lapide), as appears from Pro 1:11-13, where also murder, the laying in wait for blood, is proposed. The Rabbis Salomon and Salazar understand the evil to refer to the evil or destruction which sinners bring upon themselves, and the shedding of blood to the fact that they lay themselves open to have their own blond shed by judicial process (see also Holden). The former explanation seems preferable to this, as putting a higher law than that of self-preservation before youth. The fear of judges who can condemn to death is notbing comparatively to the fear of him “who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” This verse is wanting in the Vatican LXX; and Arabic, and hence Hitzig has concluded that it is an interpolation made from Isa 59:7, but upon insufficient evidence, as it is found in the Alexandrian LXX; Chaldea Paraphrase, Vulgate, and Syriac Versions, all which follow the Hebrew text. The latter part of the verse is quoted by St. Paul in Rom 3:15.
Pro 1:17
Surely in vain the net is spread in the face of any bird. The teacher here advances a second reason in support of his warning in Pro 1:15, under the form of a proverb in its strict sense. It is based on the ill-advised audacity of sinners in flying in the face of God’s judgments. In vain (, khinnam), see Pro 1:11, may be taken in two senses.
(1) I.e. to no purpose, gratis, frustra (Vulgate, Chaldee Paraphrase, Arabic). The meaning of the proverb here used then is, “to no purpose is the net spread before birds,” i.e. though they see the net spread before them, they nevertheless fly into it (romp. Pro 7:23, “As a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life”). So sinners, when they are plotting for others, plunge into their own destruction with their eyes open. Therefore do not associate with them, do not imitate their crass folly, be warned by their example, or you will share their fate. This view is supported by the LXX. reading, , “For not unreasonably is the net spread before birds;” i.e. they fall into the snare (see Luther, Patrick, Umbreit, Ewatd, Hitzig, Zockler, Plumptre).
(2) Others, as Delitzsch, Ziegler, Beda, Doderlein, Bertheau, Wardlaw, take khinnam in a different sense, as indicating the escape of the birdsthe birds see the snare and fly away, and so in vain the net is spread in their sight. This explanation is in agreement with Ovid’s statement, “Quae nimis apparent retia vitat avis.” The moral motive put before youth in this ease is the aggravation of his guilt if he listens to the enticements of sinners. The teacher seems to say, “Imitate the birds, flee from temptation; if you listen to sinners, you will sin with your eyes open.” Is spread; (m’zorah), expansum, not conspersum est, i.e. besprinkled or strewn with corn as a bait, as Rashi. M’zorah is the participle passive of pual, (zorah), “to be strewn,” from kal (zarah). “to scatter, or disperse” (Gesenius), and means expansum, because when a net is scattered or dispersed it is spread out (see Delitzsch). Of any bird ( , khal-baal khanaph); literally, of every possessor of a wing, or, as margin, of everthing that hath a wing, i.e. of every bird. Compare the same expression in Ecc 10:20, (baal hach’ naphayim); i.e. “that which hath wings” (Authorized Version).
Pro 1:18
And they lay wait for their own blood, etc. The third reason or argument why the teacher’s warning should be followed, drawn from the destruction which overtakes the sinners themselves. “Lay wait,” and “lurk privily,” as in Pro 1:11, from which this verse is evidently borrowed. They propose, as they say, to lay wait for the blood of others; but it is, says the teacher, for their own blood. (l’dhammam), contra sanguinem suum; they lurk privily. as they say, for the innocent, but in reality it is for their own lives; (l’naph’shotham); contra animus suas (Vulgate); or, as the LXX. puts it, , “For they who take part in murder treasure up evils for themselves;” that is, they am bringing a heavier and surer destruction upon themselves than they can ever inflict upon others (Wardlaw). The LXX. adds, at the close of the verse, , “And the overthrowing or destruction of transgressors is wrest, or evil.” The Arabic Version has a similar addition.
Pro 1:19
So am the ways of every one that is greedy of gain. The epiphonema or moral of the preceding address. So are the ways, or such is the lot (as Delitzsch), or such are the paths (as Zockler), i.e. so deceitful, so ruinous, are the ways. (chen,) is here used as a qualitative adverb. Ways; (ar’khoth), the plural of (orakh), a poet. word, equivalent in the first instance to “way,” i.q. (derekh), and metaphorically applied to any one’s ways, his manner of life and its result, and hence lot, as in Job 8:12, and hence the expression coven the three preceding verses. That is greedy of gain ( , botsea batsa); literally, concupiscentis concupiscentium lucri; i.e. eagerly longing after gain; he who greedily desires riches (avari, Vulgate). Gain; batsa in pause, from (betsa), which takes its meaning from the verb (batsa), “to out in pieces, to break,” and hence means properly that which is cut or broken off and taken by any one for himself, and so unjust gainanything whatever fraudulently acquired, as in Pro 28:16, where it is translated “covetousness” (Authorized Version); cf. Isa 33:15; Pro 15:27. The idea of greed and covetousness enters largely into the word. Which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. The pronoun “which” does not occur in the original. The nominative to “taketh away” (, yikkath) is “gain;” the “unjust gain.“ (betsa) takes away the life of its owners, i.e. of those who are under its power. Owners thereof (, b’alayo) does not necessarily imply that they are in actual possession of the unjust gain, but rather refers to the influence which the lust for gain exercises over them. The expression in this second hemistich does not mean that the rapacious take the life of their comrades who possess the gain, as Rabbi Salomon; nor as the Vulgate, “the ways of the avaricious man take away the lives of those who possess them.” For the phrase, “taketh away the life,” as importing a violent taking away, cf. Psa 31:13; 1Ki 19:10. The sentiment of the verse is well expressed in 1Ti 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Pro 1:20-33
2. Second admonitory discourse. Address of Wisdom personified, exhibing the folly of those who wilfully reject, and the security of those who hearken to, her counsels. The sacred writer, in this section, as also in Pro 8:1-36; uses the rhetorical figure of prosopopceia, or impersonation. Wisdom is represented as speaking and as addressing the simple, scorners, and fools. The address itself is one of the noblest specimens of sacred eloquence, expressing in rapid succession the strongest phases of feelingpathetic solicitude with abundant promise, indignant scorn at the rejection of her appeal, the judicial severity of offended majesty upon offenders, and lastly the judicial complacency which delights in mercy towards the obedient. The imagery in part is taken from the forces of nature in their irresistible and overwhelming violence and destructive potency.
Pro 1:20
Wisdom crieth without. Wisdom. The Hebrew word (khochmoth) here used to designate Wisdom seems to be an abstract derivation from the ordinary khochmah. The form is peculiar to the Proverbs and Psalms, in the former occurring four times (Pro 1:22; Pro 9:1; Pro 14:1; Pro 24:7), and in the latter twice only (viz. Psa 49:4; Psa 78:15). As in Pro 9:1 and Pro 24:7, it is a pluralis excellentiae of the feminine gender, a variety of the pluralis extensivus, as Bottcher prefers to denominate it. The feminine form may he determined by the general law which associates purity and serenity with womanhood (Plumptre). The idea of plurality, however, is not that of extension, but of comprehension, i.e. it is not so much all kinds of wisdom which is presented to us, as all the varieties under which wisdom par excellence may be regarded and is comprehended. The plural form of the word denotes the highest character or excellence in which wisdom can be conceived; or, as the marginal reading expresses it, wisdoms, i.e. excellent wisdom. Other instances of the pluralis excellentiae are met with in Holy Writ, e.g. Elohim, God, i.e. “God of Gods,” either from the polytheistic view, or from the monotheistic view as expressive of God’s might in manifestation, passim; k’doshim, “the Holy (God),” Pro 9:10; Pro 30:3; adonim, for adon “lord”. In the conception of Wisdom here presented to us in the text we have the germ of an idea which, on the principles of expansion, developed subsequently in the consciousness of the Christian Church into a definite identification of Wisdom with the Second Person of the blessed Trinity. There is a striking parallel to this passage in Luk 11:49, where Christ speaks of himself as , “the Wisdom of God,” that shall send prophets and apostles into the world, and thereby identifies himself with Wisdom (cf. this with Luk 11:20, Luk 11:21; Luk 7:1-50.). Again, a striking similarity is observable between the teaching of Divine Wisdom and that of the Incarnate Word, as much in their promises as in their threats and warnings. But it is difficult to determine with accuracy to what extent the Messianic import of the personification was present to the consciousness of the sacred writers, and whether Wisdom as here presented to us is simply a poetic and abstract personification or a distinct by-postatizing of the Word. Dorner, with reference to Luk 8:22, etc; says that though Wisdom is introduced speaking as a personality distinct from God, still the passage does not lead clearly to an hypostatizing of the Khochmah. Dollinger (‘Heidenthum und Judenthum,’ bk. 10. pt. 3. sec. 2 a, and Pro 8:22, etc.) maintains that Wisdom is “the personified idea of the mind of God in creation,” rather than the presence of “a distinct hypostasis.” Lucke (see references in Liddon, ‘Bampton Lects.’) holds that in Proverbs Wisdom is merely a personification It is clear that whatever is predicated of Wisdom in Pro 8:1-36. must be also predicated of her in the passage before us, in reference either to the hypostatic or opposite view. On the other hand, a large number of expositors, dating from the earliest periods of the Christian Church down to the present time, see in Wisdom a distinct hypostasis, or personthe Lord Jesus Christ. A fuller investigation of this subject will be seen in our remarks on Pro 8:1-36. For the present we observe that Wisdom is essentially Divine. Her authority, her utterances, whether of promise, threat, scorn, or vengeance, are the authority, the utterances, of God. Crieth; rather, crieth loudly, or aloud. The Hebrew verb ranan () is “to vibrate the voice,” and conveys the idea of the clear loud ringing tones with which proclamations were made; cf. the Vulgate praedicare, and the Arabic clamitate, “to cry with a loud voice.” Fleischer remarks that the Arabic rannan, which is allied to the Hebrew verb, is used of a speaker who has a clear piercing voice. In such a way does Wisdom cry without when making her address. She elevates her voice that all may hear. The verb in the original is tazonnah, the feminine singular of ranan, and predicate to “Wisdom,” according to the rule that verbs in the singular are construed with plural nouns having a singular signification, especially the pluralis excellentiae. Without. (bakhuts) is here used adverbially, as in Gen 9:22, and signifies “in the open places,” i.e. abroad, without, as opposed to the space within the walls. The writer here begins his enumeration of the five places wherein Wisdom preaches, viz.
(1) without,
(2) in the streets,
(3) in chief places of concourse,
(4) in the opening of the gates,
(5) in the city, all of which are public, and thus indicate the publicity of her announcements (with those comp. Pro 8:1; Pro 9:3).
She uttereth her voice; or, causeth her voice to be beard; represented in the Vulgate by dat vocem suam. and in the LXX. by (equivalent to “she observes free-spokenness”). The instrumentality which Wisdom uses in her public preaching are the prophets and teachers (Ecclesiasticus 24:33; Zockler, Vatablus, Mercerus). In the streets; literally, in the wide spares; the Hebrew, (r’khovoth), being, as in Gen 26:22, “wide spaces,” and corresponding to the of the LXX.; plateae, Vulgate. The same places are indicated in Luk 14:21, where, in the parable of the marriage supper, the servants are bidden to go out into the streets () and lanes of the city. The word is connected with the adjective rakhav (), “broad,” “wide;” and in 2Ch 32:6 is used to designate the ample space at the gates of Oriental cities (Gesenius), though here it seems to refer rather to “squares,” large open spaces, not uncommon in Oriental citiesI saw one such at Adenor it may refer to the broad crowded thoroughfares. The Syriac reading, in compitis, gives a different sense, as compitum, equivalent to “crossroads.”
Pro 1:21
She crieth in the chief place of concourse. The chief place is literally the head (, rosh); here used figuratively for the place where streets or roads branch off in different directions, as in Eze 16:25, “the beginning of streets,” or “the head of the way;” comp. Gen 2:10, where it is used of the point at which the four streams branched off; and the corresponding expression in Pro 8:2, “She staudeth in the top (rosh) of high places.” Of concourse; (homiyyoth) is the plural of the adjective, (homi): literally, “those who are making a noise,” or “the tumultuous;” here, as in Isa 22:2 and 1Ki 1:41, used substantively for “boisterous, noisy places” (compare the Vulgate, in capite turbaram). The variation in the LXX; “on high walls,” or “on the tops of the walls” ( , super summos muros), which is adopted also in the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic Versions, arises from reading (khomoth), “walls,” for the Masoretic homiyyoth. In the openings of the gates. The opening ( pethakh) is the opening of the gate, or the entrance by the gate (, shaar), i.e. of the city, the introitus portae of the Chaldee and Syriac Versions. The openings of the gates would be thronged, as courts of justice were held at the gates (Deu 16:18; 2Sa 15:2); business was carried on there, as the selling and redemption of land (Gen 23:10-16; Rth 4:1); markets were also held there (2Ki 7:1-18); and the same localities were used for the councils of the state and conferences (Gen 34:20; 2Sa 3:27; 2Ch 18:9; Jer 17:19; comp. Pro 31:1-31 :33, “Her husband is known in the gates“). In place of the expression, “in the openings of the gates,” the LXX. reads, , “And at the gates of the mighty she sits”an interpolation which only partially represents the sense of the original, and which is adopted in the Arabic. In the next clause, for “in the city” is substituted , “at the gates of the city.” The Vulgate combines the separate clauses of the original in onein foribus portarum urbis, “in the entrances and openings of the gates of the city.” In the city (, bair); i.e. in the city itself (so Aben Ezra, ap. Gejerus), as opposed to the entrance by the gates, and so used antithetically (as Umbreit, Bertheau, Hitzig). The publicity of the teaching of Wisdom, observable in the places she selects for that purpose, also marked the public ministry of our Lord and his disciples, and finds an illustration in his command, “What ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops” (Mat 10:27); i.e. give it all the publicity possible. The spirit of Wisdom, like that of Christianity, is aggressive.
Pro 1:22
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? etc. From this verse to the end of the chapter the sacred writer puts before us the words of Wisdom herself. The discourse begins in the same way as in Psa 4:2 (Zockler), and the classification of the persons addressedthe simple, the scorners, and the sinnersclosely resembles that of Psa 1:1. In the order there is a progression from the least to the most culpable. The simple (, p’thayim), as in Psa 1:4, those who are indifferent through thoughtlessness and inconsiderateness, and are thereby open to evil. The scorners (, letsim); or, mockers, the same as the (, latson) “scornful men” of Pro 29:8, derived from the root (luts), “to deride, mock,” probably by imitating the voice in derision. The mockers are those who hold all things in derision, both human and Divine, who contemn God’s admonitions, and treat with ridicule both threatenings and promises alike. Fools; (ch’silim), a different word from the evilim of Pro 29:7, but signifying much the same, i.e. the obdurate, the hardened, stolidi, those who walk after the sight of their eyes and the imagination of their heartsa class not ignorant of knowledge, but hating it because of the restraint it puts them under. The word occurs in Pro 17:10, in the sense of the incorrigible; in Pro 26:3, Pro 26:4 as a term of the greatest contempt. The enallage, or interchange of tenses in the originalthe verbs “love” and “hate” being future, and “delight” being perfectis not reproducible in English. The perfect is used interchangeably with the future where the action or state is represented as first coming to pass or in progress, and, as Zockler remarks, may be inchoative, and so be rendered “become fond of,” instead of “be fond of.” But it appears to represent not so much a state or action first coming to pass as in progress. Bottcher translates it by concupiverint, i.e. “How long shall ye have delighted in scorning?” The futures express “love” and “hate” as habitual sentiments (Delitzsch). It is to be noted that the language of Wisdom, in Pro 26:22 and Pro 26:23, is expressive of the most tender and earnest solicitude.
Pro 1:23
Turn you at my reproof. A call is here made to repentance. The meaning seems to be “return to my reproof,” i.e. place yourselves under my reproof (as Gejerus, Delitzsch), the Being represented by ad, as in the Vulgate: convertimini ad correptionem meam. It is susceptible, however, of a different reading, i.e. “in consequence of, or because of (propter), my reproof,” the prefix being found in Num 16:34, “They fled at the cry,” i.e. because of the cry. Reproof (, thochakhath); i.e. rebuke, or correction, by words. The LXX. conveys the argumentative conviction which will be present in the reproof. The word occurs again in Num 16:23, Num 16:25, and Num 16:30 of this chapter, and also in Pro 3:11; Pro 5:12; Pro 6:23; Pro 27:5; Pro 29:15. Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. The promise consequent upon, and the encouragement to, repentance. The promise is conditionedif those addressed will heed the reproof of Wisdom, then she will pour forth her Spirit upon them, and cause them to know her words The verb hibbia (), “to stream forth, or gush out,” is here used figuratively. The outflow of the Spirit of Wisdom will be like the abundant and continuous gushing forth of water from the spring or fountain. The verb unites in it the figures of abundant fulness and refreshing invigoration (Umbreit, Elster); comp. Pro 15:2, Pro 15:28; Psa 59:7; Psa 119:171; Ecc 10:1. We have here striking anticipation of the prophecy of Joel (Joe 2:28). The Spirit is that of Wisdom “and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and godly strength, the Spirit of knowledge and true godliness” (see Confirmation Office). The explanation of Beda, that it signifies her anger, is clearly inadmissible. I will make known my words unto you; i.e. as the LXX; “I will teach you my word” (), or as the Vulgate “show” (ostendam), “expound, or make clear.” My words (d’vari); i.e. precepts, or doctrine, or secrets. An intimate relation subsists between the “Spirit” of Wisdom and her “words,” with which it is parallel. The former is the illuminating, invigorating principle which infuses life and power into the “words” of Wisdom, which she has already given, and which are already in our possession. Wisdom stands in the same relation to her words as the Divine Logos does to his utterances, into which he infuses himself. “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (Joh 6:63. See Delitzsch, Wardlaw, in loc.).
Pro 1:24
Because I have called, and ye refused. A pause may be imagined, and seems to be implied, between this and the preceding verses (22 and 23), when the address passes into a new phasefrom that of invitation and promise to that of judgment and stern denunciation (Pro 1:24-27). In the subsection the antecedent clauses are Pro 1:24, Pro 1:25, introduced by the conjunction “because” (, yaan; quia, Vulgate), which expresses the reason or cause for the conclusion in Pro 1:26 and Pro 1:27, introduced by “I also,” to which the “because” answers. A similar grammatical construction and judgment is to be found in Isaiah: “I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I Spake, they did not hear” (Isa 66:4; see also Jer 7:13). Refused; i.e. refused to hearken, as signified in the LXX. . I have stretched out my hand. A forensic gesture to arrest attention. The expression is equivalent to “I have spread out my hands” (Isa 65:2); cf. “Then Paul stretched forth the hand ( )” (Act 26:1). Regarded (, mak’shiv). The original idea of the verb (kashav), used here, is that of erecting or pricking up the ear, like the Latin arrigere, sc. aures, in Plaut; ‘Rud.,’ 5, 2, 6; and cf. “arrectisque auribus adstant” (Virgil, ‘AEneid,’ 1:153).
Pro 1:25
Ye have set at nought; rather, rejected (Umbreit, Ewald, et alii). The Authorized Version rendering here is equivocal, inasmuch as it is capable of meaning “despised,” whereas (para) signifies “to let loose,” “to let go” (cf. the German fahren lassen), and hence “to overlook, or reject.” Its force is fairly represented in the LXX; , “Ye rendered my counsel of no effect.” Counsel (, etsah); i.e. advice, in the sense of recommendations for doing good, as opposed to reproofs for the avoidance of evil (see Pro 1:23 and Pro 1:30). Would none. The same verb, (avah), occurs in Pro 1:10 and Pro 1:30, hence used with the negative (lo) in the sense of (LXX.), “to refuse compliance with,” as in AEschylus, ‘Agam.,’ 1049.
Pro 1:26
I also will laugh at your calamity; or, more accurately, in the time of your calamity; as in the Vulgate, in interitu vestro ridebo. The preposition prefixed to the substantive b‘eyd‘chem () refers to the time, or state, or condition. In the time of their calamity wisdom will exult or rejoice. The LXX; , however, favours the rendering of the Authorized Version. Calamity (, eyd) is heavy overwhelming misfortune, that which oppresses and crushes its victims. The terrific nature of the punishment of the wicked is marked by a succession of terms all of terrible importcalamity, fear, desolation, destruction, distress, and anguish (Pro 1:26, Pro 1:27). When these come upon them, then Wisdom will laugh and have them in derision. The verbs “laugh” (, sakhak) and “mock” ( laag) are the same as in Psa 2:4, where they are rendered “to mock” and “have in derision.” When your fear cometh; i.e. has actually arrived. Fear (, pakhad); here used metonymically for that which causes the fear or terror (id, quod timebatis, Vulgate). There is a similar use of in 1Pe 3:14.
Pro 1:27
When your fear cometh as desolation. The imagery in this verse is borrowed from naturefrom the tempest and whirlwind, which, in their impetuous fury, involve all in irretrievable ruin. The two leading ideas here in the writer’s mind are calamity and fear. Thesetheir fear, that which causes their fear; and their destruction, i.e. calamityboth representing Wisdom’s, and so God’s, judgment, will come on sinners as a wasting tempest and sweeping hurricane. The terror and devastation caused by these latter as they pass over the face of nature are employed to depict the alarm and ruin of sinners. Desolation; (shaavah) is a wasting, crashing tempest (cf. Pro 3:25; Zep 1:15), derived from (shaah). “to make a crash,” as of a house falling. The Vulgate reads, repentura calamitas; the LXX; ; both bringing out the idea of suddenness, and the latter that of the uproar of the tempest. The Khetib, or traditional text of the manuscripts (), is equivalent to the Keri, or emended reading (), and both appear to have the same root meaning. Destruction (, eyd); the same as “calamity ‘ in the preceding verse. Whirlwind; (suphah), from the root (suph), “to snatch, or carry away,” means a whirlwind carrying everything before itthe of the LXX; or hurricane, as in Arist; ‘Mund.,’ 4, 16. Distress and anguish ( , tsarah v’tzukah). A corresponding alliteration occurs in Isa 30:6 and Zep 1:15. The root signification of the former is that of compression, reproduced in the LXX. , and the Vulgate tribulatio; that of the latter is narrowness. LXX; , “a beleaguering;” Vulgate, angustga. The LXX. adds, at the close of this verse, as explanatory.
Pro 1:28
The phase which the address now enters upon continues to the thirty-first verse. The change in this verse from the second to the third person is striking. It implies that Wisdom thinks fools no longer worthy of being addressed personally”Quasi stultos indignos censunt ulteriori alloquio” (Gejerus and Michaelis). The declaration is the embodiment of the laughter and scorn of Pro 1:26. The three verbs, “they shall call,” “they shall seek,” “they shall find,” occur in uncommon and emphatic forms in the original. They are some out of the few instances where the future terminations are inserted fully before the pronominal suffix. I will not answer. The distress and anguish consequent upon their calamity and fear lead them to pray, but there will be no answer nor heed given to their cry. They are not heard, because they do not cry rightly nor in the time of grace (Lapide). See the striking parallel to the tenor of this passage in Luk 13:24-28. They shall seek me early; i.e. diligently. The verb (shakhar) is the denominative from the substantive (shakar), “the dawn, morning,” and signifies to go out and seek something in the obscurity of the morning twilight (Delitzsch, Zockler), and hence indicates diligence and earnestness in the search. Gesenius gives the same derivation, but connects it with the dawn in the sense of the light breaking forth, and thus, as it were, seeking (see also Pro 2:1-22 :27; Pro 7:15; Pro 8:17; Hos 5:15).
Pro 1:29, Pro 1:30
Belong to Pro 1:28, and are not the antecedent clauses to Pro 1:31, as Zochler remarks. They recapitulate the charges already made against the sinners in Pro 1:22 and Pro 1:25, and now set them forth as the ground or reason why Wisdom, on her part, turns a deaf ear to their entreatries. Wisdom will disregard the n because they have previously disregatded her. The connection is denoted in the LXX. by , for the Hebrew takbath ki, equivalent to “because,“ and in the Authorized Version by the punctuation. Did not choose the fear of the Lord. The verb “to choose” (, bakhar) combines in itself the meanings of eligere and diligere (Fleischer), and therefore signifies here not only choice of, but also the fuller sense of love for, the fear of the Lord. They despised; i.e. rejected the reproof with scorn or derision, sneered or turned up their noses at it (, LXX.), disparaged it (detrahere, Vulgate), or, more strongly, as Gejerus says, execrated it. Their rejection of reproof is stigmatized in stronger terms than in Pro 1:25.
Pro 1:31
Therefore they shall eat, etc. A further enlargement of the declaration of Wisdom, showing that their calamity is the result of their own ways. The futures are resumed in the original from Pro 1:28. The word “therefore” does not occur, but it is met with in the LXX; ; in the Vulgate, igitur; and in the Syriac, ideo. The truth here expressed is accordant with the tenor of the teaching of the Scripture (comp. Pro 14:14; Pro 22:8; Job 4:8; Isa 3:10; Gal 6:7, Gal 6:8), and with our daily experience of God’s moral government of the world (see Butler, ‘Analogy,’ part 1, ch. 2, ad fin.). This sentiment of retributive punishment also found expression in Terence, “Tute hoc intristi, tibi omne est edendum” (‘Phorm.,’ 2. 1. 4). When we are punished, the blameworthiness lies not with God, but with us sinners (Wardlaw). They shall be failed; rather, satiated, or surfeited; saturabuntur (Vulgate). The verb (shava) means not only “to fill,” but “to be satiated or cloyed” (cf. Pro 14:14; Pro 25:16; Psa 88:3; Psa 123:4). Michaelis remarks on this word, “Ad nauseam implebuntur et comedent, ita ut consiliorum suorum vehementer tandem, sed nimis sero, ipsos poeniteat” (Michaelis, ‘Notre Uberiores in Prov.’), “They shall be filled and eat ad nauseam, so that at length, but too late, they shall vehemently repent them of their own counsels.” Counsels (, moetsoth); i.e. ungodly counsels, or evil devices. The word only occurs in the plural.
Pro 1:32
Wisdom now brings her address to a close by contrasting the destruction and ruin of the foolish, and the security of those who listen to her voice. The turning away; (m’shuvah), from (shuv), “to turn about, or to return” (which is used metaphorically of conversion), here means defection, turning away; and hence apostasy (aversio Vulgate, Chaldee Paraphrase, Syriac; perversitio, Cast. Version); the “backsliding” of Jer 8:5; Hos 11:7. Abea Ezra understands it to signify “ease,” as in the marginal reading; but there seems no warrant for taking the word in that sense. The LXX. renders the passage quite differently, “For because they wronged the young, they shall be slain;” so also the Arabic. The turning away is from the warnings and invitations of Wisdom, and implies rebelliousness against God. The prosperity. The word in the original (, shal’vah) is here used in a bad sense, and means “carelessness, indolence,” that carnal security which is induced by prosperity and worldly success, as in Jer 22:21, “I spoke to thee in thy prosperity (security), but thou saidst, I will not hear” (cf. Eze 16:49, where it is translated “idleness.” So Dathe translates, “Incuria ignavorum eos perdit.” The Chaldee Paraphrase and Syriac Versions read “error.” It occurs in a good sense as “tranquillity,” “security,” in Pro 17:1 and Psa 122:7. The derivation of the word is from (shalah). “to be tranquil, to be safe, secure.” Marines remarks that it is more difficult to bear prosperity than adversity, because we endure adversity, we are corrupted by prosperity, and prosperity or ease makes fools mad. The false security of the prosperous is illustrated by our Lord in his parable of the rich fool (Luk 12:16-21). The LXX. differs again from the Hebrew in the second clause of this verse, ; i.e. the carefully considered judgment of God concerning them shall destroy them. The LXX, is followed by the Arabia. Them; i.e. the fools themselves, and not other sinners, as Ben Ezra says, though the apparent security of fools, the impunity with which they seem to go on in their wickedness, and the success of their plans, may lead others to destruction.
Pro 1:33
Hearkeneth unto me. Wisdom, in closing her address, draws a beautiful picture of the real security and peace of the righteous, as contrasted with the false security of the wicked. As on the one side rejection of her counsels, her warnings, and invitations, carries with it punishment and irretrievable ruin; so, on the other, the hearkening to her words, and loving obedience, are rewarded by her with the choicest blessings. Shall dwell safely; that is, with confidence, without danger (absque terrore, Vulgate). The phrase, (shachan betakh), is used in Deu 33:12-18 of the safety with which the covenant people should dwell in the land that God had given them; but it is capable of a further extension of meaning beyond mere temporal security, viz. to the spiritual peace of the righteous. The psalmist also employs it to describe the confidence with which he awaits the resurrection, when he says, “My flesh also shall rest in hope [or, ‘dwell confidently’]” (Psa 16:9). So here Wisdom promises that he who hearkens to her shall dwell calmly and undisturbed amidst the distractions of the world. The promise agrees with the description of Wisdom elsewhere that “her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” And shall be quiet; (, shaanan, perfect pilel). Wisdom regards her assurance as already accomplished, and hence the perfect in the original is used for the future. The hearers and doers of her will shall live in tranquillity; nay, they are already doing so. It is a thing not only in prospect, but in possession. From fear of evil; i.e. either without any fear of evil, fear being removed (timore sublato, Vulgate), or, as the Authorized Version expresses it, connecting the phrase more intimately with the verb”quiet from fear of evil.” It is not only evil, (raah), in its substantial form, as calamity, they are to be free from, but even the fear of it. The tranquillity will be supreme.
HOMILETICS
Pro 1:6
Proverbs
It is not surprising to see that proverbs, which are found more or less in the traditional lore of almost all nations, and flourish most abundantly in the East, also enter into the circle of the inspired literature of the Jews. The general characteristics of this portion of the sacred Scriptures are well worthy of our study.
I. THE PROVERBS ARE ALL CONCISE UTTERANCES. In the present age, when time is more precious than ever, it is to be wished that public teachers would correct their prolixity by following the example of these sayings, which certainly contain “the soul of wit.”
1. The conciseness of the proverbs renders them striking. It is not enough to state a truth; we must make it tell. Men’s ears are dull to spiritual ideas. In order to penetrate, words must have point, incisiveness, force.
2. The conciseness also greatly assists memory. Proverbs can be handed from one to another like coins. A truth that is worth uttering is worth remembering.
II. MANY OF THE PROVERBS ARE ILLUSTRATIVE SAYINGS. They are “figures.” The proverb runs into the parable; indeed, a parable is but an expanded proverb. Either by way of arbitrary illustration, or by reason of real correspondence between the material and the spiritual nature, a proverb will often afford lessons of spiritual truth which are more fresh and interesting than bare abstract statements. The popular mind naturally turns to the concrete. What strikes the senses is felt to be most forcible. How well our Lord knew this fact of human nature, and how graciously he condescended to accommodate himself to it, is seen in his own rich picture gallery of parabolic teaching. He who can discern “sermons in stones” and “books in the running brooks” will have his eyes opened to see “good in everything.”
III. SOME OF THE PROVERBS ARE SUGGESTIVE rather than direct teachings. They are “dark sayings”possibly because the truth is so profound that it can only be approached by those who grope after it in difficult research. But more simple truth may be wrapped in enigmatic phrases for the express purpose of testing the genuineness of the desire to possess it, exciting interest, exercising the powers of thought in the learner, and becoming itself a more intelligible and more valuable thing when it is once found (see Mat 13:10-17). Let no man think that the best treasures of thought are scattered prodigally on the surface of life for swine to trample underfoot. They lie deep, and must often be sought with toil and anguish of soul. Yet to the honest seeker after light, if only he follow the Light of the world, it will surely dawn, though for a season
“The intellectual power, through words and things,
Went sounding on, a dim and perilous way.”
IV. THE PROVERBS TREAT OF HUMAN CONDUCT.
1. Next to theology, the highest knowledge is that of human life and duty. The triumphs of physical discovery seem to have thrown us into the opposite extreme from that to which Socrates tended. Surely whatever other studies we may pursue, “the proper study of mankind is man.” No other topic is more profoundly interesting, none requires so much light, none is so replete with practical issues.
2. The wisdom of the proverbs is practical. It deals with conductwhich, as Mr. Matthew Arnold says, “is three-fourths of life.” What we know is of service to us chiefly as it affects what we do.
3. This wisdom concerns itself with the moral and religious guides to practice. We find here no Machiavellian maxims of dishonest expediency, no mere worldly advice in the school of Lord Chesterfield, no Jesuistic cesuistry. Righteousness among men and the fear of God are the leading principles set forth. The least exalted precepts are pure and honest. The highest reach the level of Christian ethics. Though much of the Book of Proverbs falls short of the lofty requirements of the New Testament, many passages in it read like anticipations of the Sermon on the Mount. Thus are we taught that the highest wisdom is one with the purest morality and the noblest religion.
V. THE PROVERBS ORIGINATED IN WISDOM, AND NEED WISDOM FOR THEIR INTERPRETATION. They are words of the wise. Inspiration does not dispense with intelligence; it quickens it. Wisdom is itself a gift of the Spirit of God (Jas 1:5). The most simple truth is often the product of the most difficult thinking which has triumphed in thus making plain what was previously obscure. Let us see, however, that the clear utterance is a word of the wise; for there is a tendency to accept a saying because of its neat and apt form, without regard to its truth or falseness. Wisdom is therefore needed in understanding proverbs and in “discerning spirits.” It is not enough that the grammarian explains the words. Higher wisdom is necessary to see where the isolated truth fits into other truths, by what it is qualified, and how it is to be applied; for it is one of the disadvantages of the proverb that its very terseness gives to it an unnatural isolation, and excludes the addition of counterbalancing truths.
Pro 1:7
The relation of religion to knowledge
“The fear of the Lord” being the most common Old Testament name for religion, we must take it here in its large and general sense, and understand that religion in all its relations is set forth as the true basis of knowledge; though it may welt be that awe and reverence for the majesty and mystery of God have a special prominence in regard to the pursuit of truth.
I. RELIGION IS AN IMPORTANT REQUISITE FOR THE ACQUISITION OF ALL KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE. Religionnot theologyclaims this position. The progress of science was arrested for a thousand years by the claims of theology to dominate all regions of inquiry. Theology, or human speculations about Divine things, is the most difficult, and therefore in many respects the most uncertain, of all the sciences. When the schoolmen made the dogmatic assumptions of patristic theology, combined with elaborate deductions from Aristotelian philosophy, the touchstone of all truth, they set up an impenetrable barrier before the investigation of nature. Even when theological dicta are absolutely true, it is irrelevant to bring these to bear upon physical science. Unquestionably Bacon did a great service to the cause of truth in banishing final causes from the science of nature. But the relation of religion to science is of a totally different nature. That relation consists in the influence that religious experience, religious character, religious feelings and motives, must necessarily have upon scientific research. Religion influences all life; intellectual life is no exception.
1. Religion should excite the thirst for truth. It is a mistake to suppose that religion inclines to indolence and ignorance. It inspires all the noblest, endeavours. It is on the side of light and truth. Rightly understood, it will impose the pursuit of science as a duty. Without religion this pursuit is too likely to be followed only from mere inclination, or possibly for ends of self-interest.
2. Religion tends to induce the most wholesome scientific temper. There is great resemblance between the Christian graces and the special dispositions requisite for the successful discovery of truth. The Sermon on the Mount contains the best possible precepts for the character of the model man of science. Loyalty to truth, unselfishness in sacrificing prejudices and crotchets, justice to the work of rivals, diligence in uninteresting but needful inquiries, patience in waiting for solid results, conscientiousness in refraining from mere sensationalism, humility in confessing the smallness of the area really conquered, calmness and generosity under criticism, are among the most essential requisites for the pursuit of science, and they are among the best fruits of religion.
3. Religion tends to open the eyes to truth. It raises us from the gross animalism which is intellectual death. Elevating the whole man, it enlarges the intellect.
II. RELIGION IS THE NECESSARY FOUNDATION OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE. This fact agrees with the great modern doctrine of inductive philosophy. Experience is the basis of knowledge. To know God we must have personal relations with him. Spiritual truths in regard to human life depend on the same Source. We must do the commandment in order to know the doctrine. Indeed, there is a constant interaction between knowledge and experienceevery enlargement of experience increasing our knowledge, and every increment of knowledge throwing light on our way fur future experience; till, in consequence of these two processes, we rise, as one has said, by a sort of “spiritual spiral,” to the coexistent perfection of knowledge and of character. Our independence upon an external and superhuman revelation for our knowledge of Divine things is no exception to this principle, as two considerations will show.
1. Revelation was first vouchsafed through religious men. The fear of God was the beginning of knowledge in the prophets; the love of Christ is its basis in the apostles. Nebuchadnezzar could not have written the prophicies of Isaiah, nor could Judas have written St. John’s Gospel.
2. Revelation can only be understood by religious men. A bad man may be a good verbal commentator, but the essential truth, the spirit which quickens as distinguished from the “letter that killeth,” can only be discerned by those who are in sympathy with it, because “spiritual things are spiritually discerned.”
Pro 1:10
Temptation
I. HOW THE TEMPTATION COMES.
1. From sinners.
(1) It comes from without. The evil of our own hearts inclines us to sin; but were we perfectly innocent we could not escape temptation. The serpent was a denizen of Eden. Christ the Sinless One was tempted. The sights and sounds of the wicked world penetrate to the most carefully guarded soul.
(2) The temptation is famished by those who have themselves succumbed to sin. It is sinners who tempt. Sin is contagious. The worst sin is that of those who, like Jeroboam, “make Israel to sin.” The bad man has terrible power for harm. Example, social influence, friendship, favour his designs.
2. By enticements. Sin is made to be attractive; and it is most important for all of us to know that there are pleasures in sin, in order that we may not be surprised at the discovery of them. The fruit is palatable, though, like apples of Sodom, it soon turns to ashes. If it were not so, who would run the risk of tasting it? If stolen waters were not sweet, who would choose to wear the brand of a thief on his conscience? Herein is the great power of temptation. By slow degrees and soft inducements the evil is wrought. The subtle serpent succeeds where the roaring lion fails. Delilah conquers the man whom no Philistine warrior could overthrow.
“Devils soonest tempt, resembling spirits of light.”
II. HOW THE TEMPTATION IS TO BE MET. “Consent thou not.” Let no man deem himself the helpless victim of temptation. “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able,” etc. (1Co 10:13). We have wills. We can say “Yes ‘ and” No.” We are not responsible for meeting with temptation, since even Christ felt the cruel force of this trial, but we are responsible for the way we behave under it..
“‘Tis one thing to be tempted,
Another thing to fall.”
Now, the resistance to temptation must be immediate and thorough. The tempter entices by gentle degrees, but the tempted must resist at once and with decision. He must not begin with the “retort courteous,” but with “the lie direct.” There is something brusque about the advice, “consent thou not,” very different in tone from the polite enticing manner of the tempter. Yet this is necessary, for all that is wanted by the tempter is complianceno active exercise of will, but a passive yielding. The resistance, however, must be active. The greatest danger is in dallying with temptation.
“Lie in the lap of sin, and not mean harm?
It is hypocrisy against the devil:
They that mean virtuously, and yet do so,
The devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt Heaven.”
The difficulty is to give a decided negative. With some people the hardest word to say is “No.” Remember:
1. There is a Divine grace to which we can appeal for aid in temptation, and a Saviour who can succour (Heb 2:18).
2. We can best keep out sin, not by bare expulsion of the spirit of evil, leaving the soul empty, swept, and garnished, and therefore ready for the advent of worse sins, but by filling our thoughts and affections with pure and worthy objects, by overcoming evil with good.
Pro 1:20-23
The gospel call
This cry of Wisdom is a sort of evangel of the Old Testament religion. It is an anticipation of the gracious invitation subsequently put forth by the Christian truth. That, too, is a cry of Wisdom; for is not Christ the “Wisdom of God” (1Co 1:24), and “made unto us Wisdom” (1Co 1:30)? We of the latter times, therefore, may hear in the preaching of Solomon the call of the glorious gospel of the blessed God.
I. THE CHARACTER OF THE CALL. It is a cry, a loud utterance, arresting attention, arousing the thoughtless. Elsewhere we read that wisdom must be sought for like hid treasures (Pro 2:4), and her most precious gifts are always reserved for diligent inquirers. But before she is found, she calls. Though the choicest blessings of Christ may be pearls to be had only after long search, his call to us is antecedent to our desire to obtain them. God does not wait for us to return to him before he shows a willingness to welcome us. He calls at once in his revelation of truth. It is the duty of Christians to take up and repeat this call, to be heralds of a public truth, not jealous guardians of an esoteric doctrine.
II. THE SCENE OF THE CALL.
1. Without. Before the truth can be enjoyed in the heart it must be heard from without. It is not reserved for the initiated. It is declared in the open.
2. In the streets. The gospel meets men in their busy lives. The streets and lanes must be scoured to furnish guests for the King’s feast, The call is too gracious to contain itself in the conventicle of the elect. Free as the air, it aims to reach all. The faithful preacher of the gospel must seek men in their haunts, not wait till they come to his snug retreat.
3. In the chief place of concourse. The gospel courts inquiry, it declares itself in the full light of day, it challenges comparison with all earthly voices. Let us not think that it can only live in conventual seclusion. It boldly claims a place in the busiest life of the world. If it cannot hold its own there, it is worthless. If Christians had more faith in it, they would be less afraid to bring this truth into all possible relations with science, politics, business, recreation. But alas! our ears are dull, and often when the voice of Wisdom is lifted up clear and kindly, it is drowned in the coarse din of worldly commotion.
III. THE PERSONS CALLED. Simple ones, scorners, fools. Divine wisdom is healing wisdom. It is not so much a reward to the wise as instruction for the foolish. Earthly wisdom comes most readily to those who are most advanced. The gospel of Christ seeks the ignorant, the wayward, the fallen.
IV. THE WAY TO RECEIVE THE CALL. “Turn you,” It is not enough to hear, we must answer; and to answer is to obey, for the call is an invitation; and to obey is to turn and repent, for the gospel of the holy Christ must be a reproof to sinners. This gospel can be of no avail to us until we come to ourselves, turn our backs on our old life, and arise and go to our Father.
V. THE BLESSING PROMISEDthe outpouring of the Divine Spirit. All Divine wisdom is an inspiration. Christ the Wisdom of God can only be received as we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. Thus we receive light, love, purity, peace, strength, and eternal life.
Pro 1:24-30
Left to their doom
Broad and encouraging as are the promises of Divine grace, if we forget the darker facts of life we shall be deluded into a false security; for nothing could be more unreasonable than to suppose that the mercy of God takes no account of moral considerations. Legally our sovereign is vested with an unfettered right of pardoning every criminal, but principles of justice and public order put great restraints upon the exercise of such a right. Bald representations of prayer as a means for securing immediate deliverance from trouble, and especially as a sure door of escape from the consequences of sin, are as false as they are shallow. It is most important that we should know under what circumstances God will reject the prayer of his troubled children and leave them to their doom.
I. AN OBSTINATE REJECTION OF GOD‘S INVITATIONS AND COUNSELS. No word is here said of the great mass of the heathen world, who have never heard the full declaration of God’s will. Clearly it is implied that such men do not come under the same condemnation as that of the persons immediately referred to. For the special accusation is based on the rejection of the overtures of grace, which must have been known to have been refused. The guilt of this rejection may be measured in two directions.
1. By the character of the Divine voice.
(1) It was an invitation, not a mere declaration of truth. “I have called.”
(2) It was a persuading. “I have stretched out my hand.”
(3) It was a warning. “Counsel” and “reproof” are referred to. The sin was plainly demonstrated, the danger clearly revealed. To reject such a Divine message is no slight error.
2. By the character of the rejection itself.
(1) It was an obstinate refusal. There was no indecision. But, practically, not to decide to obey the voice of God is to decide to rebel against him.
(2) It was an insulting indifference. “No man regarded.” They refused, and went on their own ways, to their farms and merchandise and pleasure, without further thought.
II. A CRY FOR DELIVERANCE FROM TROUBLE WITHOUT REPENTANCE OF SIN. The simple ingratitude of sin would be no barrier to the full exercise of God’s pardon in Christ if it were hated and repented of, for “he is able to save to the uttermost,” etc. But without repentance the smallest sin cannot be forgiven. And repentance is not the mere feeling of distress at the consequence of sinevery sane and sentient being would have that feeling; nor is it a mere regret that the wrong thing was done now its horrible fruits are ripening. It must be a hearty abhorrence of the wickedness itself, and a genuine desire to do nothing of the kind in the future. The dying sinner who is appalled at his future prospects, and shrieks for deliverance from the powers of hell, will not be heard, but will be left to his fate, and most reasonably so, if he has experienced no moral change, and feels no compunctions of conscience, but would do all his vile deeds over again if only he could ensure himself against the just penalties of them.
III. AN ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE FROM THE INEVITABLE. The earthly consequences of sin are many of them fixed immutably by laws of nature. Prayer will not heal the shattered constitution of the drunkard, nor restore the squandered fortune of the spendthrift, nor recover the lost reputation of the thief. No doubt many spiritual consequences of sin are also inevitable, and, though God may pardon the sinner, he will take vengeance on his devices. But when there is true penitence and trust in the mercy of God, the incidence of the calamity is shifted, though the calamity itself is not altered, so that it comes as wholesome chastisement, and is then not laughed at by the Divine wisdom, but graciously overruled for the discipline of the penitent.
Pro 1:31
Punishment the natural fruit of sin
The punishment of sin is not an arbitrary penalty, but a natural consequence. It follows by laws of nature. It needs no executioner. The sin works out its own doom. This thought may be regarded from two points of view. From the standpoint of nature it is a proof that Divine justice does not abrogate, but works through natural laws. From the spiritual side it is an evidence that God has planted his moral laws in the very constitution of the world.
I. SIN BEARS FRUIT. Nothing really perishes. Deeds live on in their consequences. Evil is not simply negative; there is a terribly active and even vital power in it. Its vitality may be of a diseased, destructive order, like that of the cancer that grows and spreads to the death of the body in which it is imbedded; but it is none the less vigorous and enduring.
II. THE FRUIT OF SIN HAS A NATURAL AFFINITY TO THE STOCK FROM WHICH IT SPRINGS. The consequences of a sin have an inherent resemblance to the sin. As the Beatitudes are specially related to the graces they crown, so the curses of evil have close relations to particular forms of evil. Each sin bears its own fruit. Hatred provokes hatred; selfishness leads to isolation; falsehood engenders distrust.
III. THE FRUIT OF SIN IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL. We are free to sow the seed or to refrain; we are not free to arrest the growth of the tree. A deed once done is not only irretrievable, but it passes out of our power while it lives on to work out perpetual consequences. It may become a Frankenstein, horribly tyrannizing over its creator.
IV. THE FRUIT OF SIN MUST BE EATEN BY THE SINNER. It will come back to him when it is ripe. There may be a long interval between the sowing of the seed and the gathering of the fruit, but the sower will have to devour the harvest. Herein is the peculiar horror of the doom of sin. Though a man would fain forget the past, it returns in the dreadful resemblance it bears to its consequences, now fully developed and revealed in true colours. Nauseous and poisonous, it must not only be witnessed, but eaten. He will have to receive it in his own life, in most close and intimate union with himself.
CONCLUSION.
1. Let us beware of the thoughtless sowing which must lead to so fearful a harvest.
2. Let us lay hold of the hope of redemption in Christ through which our sins may be buried in the depths of the sea.
Pro 1:32
Fatal prosperity
It is certainly not incumbent on the Christian preacher to maintain that prosperity is in itself an evil. This would involve a strange paradox, since it must be confessed that we all desire prosperity by natural instinct, and seek it in some form, and when we have met with it are exhorted to be thankful for it; all of which things would need to be deprecated if prosperity were essentially evil. So far is it from being thus represented in the Bible, that the Old Testament regards it as the reward of righteousness, and the New Testament as less important indeed and more full of danger, yet still as something to be enjoyed gratefully (see 1Ti 4:4). But experience and revelation both warn us that it brings peculiar perils and temptations, and that there are some people to whom it is nothing less than fatal.
I. CONSIDER WHO ARE THE PERSONS TO WHOM PROSPERITY IS MOST FATAL. It does not affect all alike. One man can stand calmly on a steep height where another reels with giddiness. The success which is fatal to one may develop magnanimous qualities in another. It is not all prosperity, but the prosperity of fools, that is destructive. The character of the men rather than the inherent evil of the thing determines its effects. Note some of the characters most injured by prosperity.
1. The weak, who are moulded by circumstances instead of mastering them. If a man is not strong enough to direct his course, but suffers himself to drift with the currents of external events, prosperity will lead him away into extravagance and folly. He only is safe under it who is independent of it.
2. The short-sightedmen whose views of life are exceptionally limited. These people will be likely to expect too much from prosperity, to forget that riches take to themselves wings and fly away.
3. The empty minded. If people have other resources than external possessions they are the more free to make good use of those possessions. But if they have nothing else, if they have no “inner city of the mind,” if their life is all on the outside, prosperity will become a god and the idolatry of it a fatal delusion.
4. The vicious. A bad man will find in prosperity only enlarged means for evil doing, and so will increase his wickedness and bring the greater doom upon his own head. To the intemperate, the profligate, the lovers of corrupt pleasures, prosperity is nothing less than a curse.
II. CONSIDER THE WAY IN WHICH PROSPERITY BECOMES FATAL.
1. It hides folly. La Bruyere says, “As riches and favour forsake a man, we discover him to be a fool, but nobody could find it out in his prosperity;” and Hare remarks that “nothing hides a blemish so completely as a cloth of gold.” But if folly is hidden, it is unchecked, and grows worse and ripens fatally.
2. It encourages indolence. Prosperity may afford ample means for generous occupation, but weak and foolish people are more likely to be satisfied with idleness and self-indulgence when they find that all their wants are supplied without any effort on their own part. Then the disuse of faculties leads to the loss of them. Hence, as the pressure of adversity quickens our powers, the relaxation of prosperity tends to a sort of atrophy of them.
3. It affords opportunity for the exercise of bad qualities. Many men have tendencies to particular kinds of sin that are checked for want of opportunity. Prosperity will give this with fatal results.
4. It induces satisfaction with itself. Thus it quenches the thirst for deeper satisfaction. Lot, prosperous in Sodom, ceases to be a “pilgrim and stranger,” and forgets to seek a “better country” till he is roused by the shock that puts an end w his worldly successes.
HOMILIES BY E. JOHNSON
Pro 1:1-6
Design and character of proverbial wisdom
We may regard the opening words as a general index of the contents, as a designation of the object, and a statement of the value and profit of the teaching, of the book.
I. ITS DESIGN IS TO IMPART PRACTICAL SENSE.
1. And first, this in general includes the information of the understanding and of the memory by wisdom. This Hebrew word (chokmah) denotes, strictly, all that is fixed for human knowledge. We may render it “insight.” In other places in the Bible, the judge (1Ki 3:28), the artist (Exo 28:3), or the man of skill and renown in general, are thus said to be men of insight, craft, or cunning, in the original and good sense of those words. Applied to religion and conduct, it means insight into the principles of right conduct, the knowledge of how to walk before God, choosier the right and avoiding the wrong paththe knowledge of the way to peace and blessedness.
2. The training of the will. The word rendered “instruction” denotes moral education or training. Here, then, is the practical side of the matter. Not only sound intelligence is aimed at, but pure feeling, right affections, the will guided by the polar star of duty. All this is general.
3. But next, particulars, falling within this great scope, are pointed out, viz. “the attainment of justice and right and fair dealing.” The first is all that pertains to God, the supreme Judgehis eternal order and will. The second refers to established custom and usage among mento law, in the human sense. The third, an expressive word, signifying literally what is straight, points to straightforward, honourable, and noble conduct.
4. But the book has a special object in view, and a special class: “To hold out prudence to simple ones, and knowledge and reflectiveness to boys.“ Each of these words has its peculiar force. The Hebrew expression for the first class is literally the “open ones,” i.e. those who in ignorance and inexperience are open to every impression, good or bad; simple-minded ones (not fools, which is another idea), who are readily governed by the opinions and examples of stronger minds. They need that prudence, or caution, which the hints of proverbial sense may supply, to enable them to glide out of danger and avoid snares (for the word rendered “subtilty” denotes smoothness, like that of the slippery snake). Boys, or youths also, stand in peculiar need of “thoughtfulness”a habit of reflecting with attention and forethought upon life and different modes of conduct. The Book of Proverbs, all must see, is specially adapted for these classes. But not for them alone.
5. The book is a book for all. The wise man may listen and gain instruction; for men “grow old, learning something fresh each day.” And the intelligent man may obtain guidance. For although by middle life the general principles and maxims of wisdom may have been stored up, still the applications of them, the exceptions to them, form a vast field forever growing acquisition. Knowledge is practically infinite; we can think of no bounds to it. New perplexities continually arise, new cases of conscience present themselves, old temptations revive in fresh combinations; and the records of others’ experience continually flash new light from angles of observation distinct from our own.
II. THE CHARACTER AND VALUE OF THE BOOK. (Verse 6.)
1. It is a collection of proverbs. Condensed wisdom. Landmarks in the field of experience. Beacons of warning from dangerous shores. Objects of interest in life’s travel. Finger posts The “wit of many, the wisdom of one.” A portable property of the intellect. A currency honoured in every land. “Jewels five words long, that on the outstretch’d forefinger of all time sparkle forever.” They may be compared to darts, to stings, to goads. They arouse the memory, awake the conscience; they fix the floating impressions of truth in forms not easily forgotten. These Bible proverbs are in poetical form; and of them it may well be said, with George Herbert, “A verse finds him who a sermon flies.”
2. The mode of speech is often figurative. The word rendered “dark saying” means a profound saying, enigma, “thing hidden” (Mat 13:35; Psa 78:2), “obscure allegory”. An example of this parabolic way of speaking is found in Agur’s discourse (Pro 30:1-33.). The power of it, like the power of pictures and of all sensuous symbols and poetical images, lies in the fact that the form “half reveals and half conceals the soul within,” and thus excites the curiosity, fixes the attention, stimulates exertion of thought in the listener. The best preachers leave much for the hearers to fill up for themselves. Suggestive teaching is the richest; it makes the pupil teach himself, Such is the method of our Lord in his parables; but not the only method; to be combined, as with him and here, with the direct mode of statement. The application is: “Take heed how ye hear.” “To him that hath it shall be given.” All wisdom is of God; the teacher and the disciple are both listeners at the living oracle of eternal truth. Knowledge is essential to religion, and growth belongs to both (Luk 17:5; Eph 4:15, Eph 4:16; Col 1:11; Col 2:19; 2Th 1:3; 2Pe 3:18).J.
Pro 1:7
Religion the true beginning
This is the motto of the book. It is often found (Pro 9:10; Sirach 1:16, 25, 26; Psa 111:10). The Arabs have adopted it at the head of their proverbial collections.
I. THE OLD TESTAMENT DESIGNATION OF RELIGION. It is the fear of Jehovah. That is reverence for him who is One, who is eternal, incomparable with any of the gods of the heathen, the Deliverer of Israel in the past and ever, the All-holy, just and merciful One. Such reverence includes practical obedience, trust, gratitude, and love. With this expression we may compare walking before Jehovah and the service of Jehovah, as designations of the practical aspect of religion, as the former indicates the emotional and intellectual.
II. SUCH RELIGION IS THE TRUE GERM OF SOUND KNOWLEDGE. Men have divorced by a logical abstraction science, and often sense, from religion. But ideally, psychologically, historically, they are in perfect unity. Religion is “the oldest and holiest tradition of our race” (Herder). From it as the beginning the arts and sciences sprang. It is ever so. True science has a religious basis.
1. In both the Infinite is implied and is sought through the finite.
2. Both run up into mysteryscience into the unknowable ground or substance behind all phenomena, religion before the inscrutable and unutterable God.
3. The true mood is alike in both, that of profound humility, sincerity, self-abnegation, impassioned love of the truth, the mood of Bacon, of Newton, etc.
III. THE REJECTION OF RELIGION FOLLY. The Hebrew word for “fool” is strong; it is crass, stupid, insensible. “A stock, a stone, a worse than senseless thing.” Folly is always the reversal of some true attitude of the mind and temper. It is the taking a false measure of self in some relation. It is the conceit of a position purely imaginaryamusing in a child, pathetic in a lunatic, pitiful in a rational man. True wisdom lies in the sense that we have little, in the feeling of constant need of light and direction; extreme folly, in the notion that the man “knows all about it.” Most pitiable are learned fools. Without religion, i.e. the constant habit of reference to the universal, all knowledge remains partial and shrunk, is tainted with egotism, would reverse the laws of intelligence, and make the universal give way to the particular, instead of lifting the particular to the life of the universal. Beware of the contemptuous tone in books, newspapers, and speakers. Reserve scorn for manifest evil. The way to be looked down upon is to form the habit of looking down on others. To despise any humblest commonplace of sense and wisdom is to brand one’s self in the sight of Heaven, and of the wise, a fool.J.
Pro 1:8, Pro 1:9
Filial piety
The teacher speaks under the assumed form of a father, like St. Paul (1Co 4:15; Phm 1:10), to give the more affectionate zest to his appeal. And the word “mother” is brought in by poetical parallelism, enhancing the parental image, We may include the parent and the teacher in one conception. The duty owed to both is analogous. And the teacher may be at the same time the parent.
I. DUTY TO PARENTS AND EARLY TEACHERS COMES NEXT TO DUTY TO GOD. It occupies that place in the Decalogue. Pythagoras and Plato, and the wise of antiquity, generally taught that parents came next to the gods, and were to be honoured even as the gods. The family is the keystone of society. Parents are the earliest representatives to children of the principle of authority, of “other will,” and, in this sense, of God.
II. THE TRUE PARENT IS THE BEST EARLY TEACHER,
1. He has the fresh mind to deal with, the opportunity of the first word, the early and deepest impression.
2. He is the most sincere of teachers, or has the least temptation to be insincere. His one object is the child’s good.
3. He is the most loving.
4. The father and the mother should combine in this workthe father to train the young mind to principle, the mother to inspire pure sentiment. The masculine influence deals with the general, with law and relation in life, with the logic or mathematics of conduct; the feminine, with the particular, with the details of behaviour, with the concrete expression of right thought and feeling. Neither can be dispensed with.
III. REVERENCE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS IMPARTS GRACE AND BEAUTY TO THE BEARING. The adoption of their example and instruction is compared, in Oriental illustration, to the wearing of a “pleasant chaplet” on the head (and the necklace of pearls), as at feasts and entertainmentsa wreath of roses or other flowers. The former was a general custom of antiquity, both for men and women. We have no exact parallel to it, and must recur to the thought of good or graceful dress in general. What significance, as we all know, is there in dress to make or mar the personal appearance! But the spiritual, not the material “habit” is the best dress, and will set off the most ungainly form. It is natural to wish to appear graceful, and one of the first manifestations of the artistic instinct in humanity is in this attention to dress. Let the instinct, then, have a moral or religious turn, and true beauty be found above all in the moral idea, in the attire of the soul, “the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price.” The complimentary deferences to one another in polite society, the slight submissions in word and deed, the trifling self-abnegations which give a transient perfume and refinement to social hours,all these do but mimic or represent something of more permanent value, the principle of obedience, the will governed by law, the character formed by the true, which is also the good and the beautiful.J.
Pro 1:10-19
Warnings against the evils of the time
An unsettled time, one of violence and insecurity of life, appears to be indicated, such as has only its occasional parallel in our society. Yet the perverted impulses which lead to open crime are those which induce every species of dishonesty and more subtle attacks upon the life or property of others. We may thus draw from a particular description some general lessons. But it seems to give more point and force to the passage if we view it as attaching to notorious and frequent forms of crime.
I. THE TEMPTER. He is always existing in every state of society, and not hard to find. There are human beings who have come to adopt evil as a trade, and, not content with practising it themselves, must have help and sympathy in their work, and turn recruiting sergeants for the devil. The beautiful laws of our being assert themselves amidst all the perversion of depraved choice. Crime, like sorrow, is lonely, and craves partnership. Remorse would soothe itself by fixing the like sting in the bosoms of others. And the criminal, constantly on his defence against society, learns to acquire an allurement of manner which is not the least of his dangerous qualities. The warning to youth against “enticing sinners” of both sexes can never be obsolete. Beware of persons of “peculiarly fascinating manners.” What is it that fascinates? Generally it will be found to be some species of flattery, overt or concealed, attacking the weak point of the tempted ones. The warning may be so far generalized into “Beware of the flatterer.” Flattery is at the bottom of most temptation.
II. PICTURES OF CRIME.
1. Its aspect of horror. They are to be understood as drawn by the teacher’s hand. He is putting the real meaning of the tempter’s suggestions into vivid descriptions. The tempter himself will take care not to expose the bloody and hideous aspect of his trade.
“Vice is a monster of so hideous mien,
That to be hated needs but to be seen.”
On such a principle the teacher acts. The veil is torn aside from the life of crime, and its repulsive inhumanity disclosed. It is a “lurking for blood,” after the image of the hunter with nets and nooses, watching for his prey. And this too for “the vainly innocent,” i.e. whose innocence will avail him nothing with us (comp. Psa 35:19; Psa 69:5; Lam 3:52), or, in the other interpretation, for the innocent who has given us no cause for hatred or revenge. “Will swallow them up living like the pit [or, ‘abyss’].” An expression for sudden death as opposed to that by lingering sicknessthe earth as it were yawning from its abysses to devour the fated lives (comp. Psa 124:3; Pro 30:16). The expression whole, whether it denotes sound in body or in character (honest men), adds to the force of the description.
2. But there is an attractive aspect in crime. “Thou shall cast thy lot into our midst,” i.e. shall share and share alike with us, as we say, or take an equal chance for the best of the booty, the lot in such cases being the custom of robbers and of soldiers (Psa 22:19; Neh 10:35). There is freedom, communism, good fellowship, in the life of the banditti; no distinction of rank or class, poor or rich. In certain times the picture of such a life has proved of overwhelming fascination for young adventurous spirits. In solemn reiterated warning the teacher raises his voice against the treading of their path and way. This simple biblical figure may remind us that every mode of active life, every profession or occupation, is like a path; it leads somewhither. Unless we could cease from activity, we must all be advancing to some moral issue. What will it be?
3. A summary description of the criminal. He runs toward wickedness, hastes to shed blood. The eagerness, the swiftness, and perseverance of the criminal often arouse intellectual admiration, and shame the slothfulness of those who follow noble callings. But the devotion of ability and energy of a high order to such ends is, indeed, one of the most striking proofs we can have of the corruption of man’s nature. This is crime revealed in its hatefulness, on the one hand, by its cruel and inhuman conduct and effects; on the other, in its dark source, the utter perversion of the criminal’s mind itself.
III. THE RECOIL OF EVIL ON THE DOERS. Here again are powerful pictures. Like thoughtless birds, which rush with open eyes into the net, so do these miscreants, in preparing destruction for others, themselves run headlong upon their fate (comp. Job 18:8). While they are lurking for others’ blood and laying snares for others’ lives, their own are forfeited. This self-defeat of wickedness is a central thought in biblical wisdom (comp. Pro 15:32; Pro 16:27; Ecc 10:8; Psa 7:16; Rom 2:5; Gal 6:8; 1Ti 6:9, 1Ti 6:10; Jas 5:3-5). Thus wisdom and folly form an antithesis in their nature, their powers, and their result.
1. Wisdom is at one with religion and morality; folly casts off God and right.
2. Wisdom pursues good ends by good means; folly pursues evil by evil means.
3. The result of wisdom is life and blessedness, health and peace; that of folly is self-undermining, self-overthrow, or “slow suicide.”
III. THE ROOT OF CRIME. It is like that of all sin, in desire, in misdirected desire, the greed of “unlawful gain,” to give the fuller force of the expression. Note:
1. The prevalence of this passion. By far the largest proportion of men’s worst actions are probably to be traced to it. Read the reports of the courts of law, listen to the gossip of the hour for illustrations.
2. Its intoxicating, illusory power. The victim of it deceives himself, as in other passions: it is thrift, it is due regard to what is of substantial value to one’s interests, etc. And how difficult to distinguish that desire for more, which is the spring of action in commerce as in honourable ambition, the pursuit of knowledge, etc.! The question must be carried to the conscience and to God.
3. Its unsocial character. More than any passion, it separates man from his kind, and assimilates him to the beast of prey.
4. Its suicidal effect. If it does not destroy the man’s body, it certainly corrodes and eats away his soul. It dehumanizes him. There is no object more shadowy in one aspect, more unreal, in another more monstrous, than the miser, as depicted by Balzac and other great writers. Covetousness is self-slaughter.J.
Pro 1:20-33
Warning cry of Wisdom
In dramatic style, Wisdom is presentiated, personified, endued with visible and audible attributes. As contempt for religion has been animadverted upon, so now contempt for Wisdom calls for rebuke. The motto (Pro 1:7) is still in the preacher’s mind.
I. THE CRY OF WISDOM IS PUBLIC AND CLEAR. In the street, “where merchants most do congregate,” and in all places of general resort, the cry is heard. Hers is no esoteric doctrine; it is popularly exoteric, it is for all. She has no concealments. She is not ashamed of her message. She seeks the weal of each and of all. Like her Divine embodiment, she is the Friend of the simple and the meek, yea, of the fools and the sinners (Mat 10:27; Luk 14:21). It is a voice to be heard above the mingled sounds of these thronged centres. The state of the markets and of the weather, passing events, the gossip of the hour, news of success and of failure, all have a moral meaning, run up into moral calculations, may be reduced to expressions of moral law.
II. HER TONE.
1. It is commanding and superior. She appeals to different classes of the frivolous, the free-thinking, the scoffers of the time. The times of Solomon, as pointed out by Delitzsch, were times of widespread worldliness and religious indifference. The lezim, or “scorners,” must have been a numerous class. They scoffed at sacred things, laid claim to superior sense (Pro 14:6), were contentious and full of debate (Pro 22:10). They avoided the chakanim, or “wise men,” and hence received the name of scoffers or mockers. They were like our modern free-thinkers, and have left their clear traces on the biblical page. The “wise men” were a kind of practical philosophers, not a professional class, but belonging to different callings. Religion and worship have never been exempt from criticism, have in every age been exposed to that “ridicule which is the test of truth.” In these conflicts the tone of truth is ever commanding, conscious of authority, calm; that of the scoffer irritable and wanting in weight. Wisdom is commanding, because she holds the conscience. She bandies no arguments with the scoffer, who will only find in them fuel for his contentious spirit; she aims directly at the conscience, accuses and judges the perverted heart. “Turn at my denunciation” from your evil ways] “I will cause my Spirit to stream forth upon you.”
2. Her tone is hortatory and promising. The Spirit of wisdom is compared to a mighty, forth-bubbling, never-exhausted fountain. So Christ cried in the last great day of the feast in Jerusalem, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”
(1) There is a rich fulness in having wisdom, in contrast to which are the dry negations which are all the scoffer has to offer.
(2) It is a refreshing and a strengthening supply. It is not pedantry, the wisdom of words, nor abstract science of logic and metaphysics, but vital truth, the knowledge of facts and laws of the inner and outer world, which we need foreveryday consumption, for the life of the mind.
(3) Its impartation is conditioned by the will of the recipient. There must be the turning and the seeking, that there may be the finding and the enjoying of it; the opening of the mouth before it can be filled.
3. Her tone is threatening and prophetic of retribution. The day of grace is now conceived as past, the hour gone that will not return. She has called, has stretched out the hand, in token of pleading for attention, has lavished both counsel and rebuke; but has been responded to by sullen refusal, averted looks, scornful depreciation, obstinate resistance. This relation of forbearance and good will has been strained to the last degree; in the law of things it must be succeeded by a reaction. The places will be reversed. The scoffer will be the scoffed; the mocker will afford material for mirth. And here the pictures accumulate their dread impression on the imagination; the tempest and the tempest whirlwind answer in nature to the calamity and the horror, the anguish and constraint, of the faithless soul. All moral teaching carries in it a twofold prophetic element; a prophecy of penal retribution and a prophecy of blessed recompense. Retribution is the logical consequence of certain acts; and it involves a correspondence. The relation which has been wrongly denied comes in the end to be affirmed; and that which was affirmed, to be in the end denied. The manner of the sin foretells the manner of the penalty. Those who turned from pleading Wisdom, plead in the end with her in vain; seeking her now with zeal (“early”), their search is vain, The attitude which the soul refused to assume in its pride, it is forced into by its distress. The wheel comes full circle; the sinner is smitten in the very place of his sin; and outraged conscience is avenged.
4. Above all, the tone of Wisdom is reasonable. These are no arbitrary, cruel, capricious dealings with the sinner. They rest upon the law of things (Pro 1:29-31). “Because they hated reasonable doctrine, and coveted not the fear of Jehovah, fared not on the way of my counsel, and despised all my rebuke; therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their way, and be satiated with their counsels!” It is the law of causality applied to moral things. “The curse causeless shall not come!” The most obvious example of the law of cause and effect in naturethe connection of seed and crop, sowing and reapingbest illustrates the process in the human spirit. We cannot deceive God, cannot evade law; whatsoever we sow, we must reap, and that according to quantity, to kind or quality. Again, the figure of a surfeit is forcible as applied to this experience of the consequences of guilt. We find it also in Isa 3:10; Psa 88:4; Psa 123:4. It brings out the principle that all spurious pleasures, i.e. those which are rooted only in egotism, cloy, and so turn the man against himself. Self-loathling, self-contempt, is the deep revelation of an inner judgment. If any one asks with the anger of the atheistic poet, “Who made self-contempt?” let him turn to this passage for an answer.
5. Wisdom is declarative of moral laws. The turning away, the resistance and recalcitrancy of the simple, murders them (Jer 8:5; Hos 11:5), and the security (idle, easy, fleshly carelessness, Jer 22:21) destroys them.
“More the treacherous calm I dread
Than tempests sailing overhead.”
(See South’s powerful sermon, with his usual splendid illustrations, on “Prosperity ever dangerous to Virtue,” vol. 2, ser. 6.)
6. She is prophetic of good to the obedient. In bright contrast to the spurious peace of the dulled conscience is the true peace of the wise and God-fearing, “He who listens to me shall dwell securely, and have rest. without terror of calamity.” It is like that of ordered nature”central peace abiding at the heart of endless agitation.” In this profound union with God, the parables of life are but superficial and transient as the waves of ocean, while the depths are calm as eternity. The method of personified Wisdom is that of Christ, with which it may be compared at every point.
(1) Sin is clearly exposed, in its effects and its cause.
(2) Judgment is clearly announced.
(3) Promises of eternal good are no less emphatically given.
(4) Refuge from evil, and the way of salvation both temporal and eternal, are pointed out.J.
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
Pro 1:1-6
The ideal teacher
Solomon had all possible advantages to qualify him for the work of a teacher of men. He had
(1) special endowments from the hand of his Creator (1Ki 3:1-28.);
(2) a heritage of rich experience from the life of his father, beside parental counsels from his lips;
(3) the best instruction which the kingdom could afford, and surely there must have been much wisdom to learn from so wise and faithful a teacher as the Prophet Nathan (2Sa 12:1-31.). Who, then, should be so well able as he was to give us the ideal of a true teacher? We are reminded by these verses that he is the man who
I. IS AFFECTED BY THE PRESENCE OF IGNORANCE AND ERROR. He notices the “simple” man and the “young man” (Pro 1:4); he has regard to the fact that there are those about him who need to be led into the paths of “justice and judgment and equity”(Pro 1:3). His eye rests on these; his mind perceives how urgently they need the “instruction” and “understanding” which will save them from the perils to which they are exposed; his heart goes out to them; his sympathies embrace them; he desires “to give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.” He is, therefore, the man who
II. CONVEYS KNOWLEDGE.
1. He seeks to impart a knowledge of facts; to give “instruction” (Pro 1:2); to make known to the simple-minded and inexperienced the truth that “all is not gold that glitters,” that men are often very different from that which they seem to be, that under a fair exterior there may lurk uttermost corruption, that the sweetest morsels may be the introduction to bitterest consequences, etc.
2. He seeks also to convey a knowledge of principles; to give “understanding;” to make plain to the mind distinctions between that which is true and that which is false, that which is honourable and that which is shameful, that which elevates and that which lowers, that which is permissible and that which is desirable. He is, further, the man who
III. IMPARTS WISDOM. He will not be content until he has instilled into the mind and introduced to the heart discretion (Pro 1:4) and wisdom itself (Pro 1:2). Wisdom is the pursuit of the highest end by the surest means. No teacher of men who recognizes his true position will ever be contented until he has led his disciples to walk in the path of wisdomto be seeking after the noblest ends for which God gave us our being, and to be seeking them by those ways which are sure to lead thereto.
1. Our highest wisdom is to seek “the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Mat 6:33).
2. Our one “Way” is the Son of God himself (Joh 14:6). The true teacher thus becomes the man who
IV. CONDUCTS TO MORAL EXCELLENCE. For he who is the child of wisdom will also receive the instruction of “justice and judgment and equity.” He will be a man who will have continual regard to the claims of his fellow men; who will shrink from encroaching on their rights; who will endeavour to give to them the consideration, the care, the kindness, which they may rightly look for as children of the same Father, as disciples of the same Saviour, as citizens of the same kingdom, as travellers to the same home. The ideal teacher will also be a man who
V. FOSTERS INTELLECTUAL GROWTH. (Pro 1:5, Pro 1:6.) We ourselves are not truly and satisfactorily progressing except our mental capacities are being developed, and thus truth and wisdom are being seen with clearer eye and held with tighter grasp. The wise man is therefore bent on training, exercising, bracing the intellectual faculties of his disciple, so that he “will increase learning,” will “attain to wise counsels,” will think out and see through the proverbs and problems, the puzzles and perplexities, which come up for investigation. We know something in order that we may know much. We are wise that we may become wiser. We climb the first slope of the hill of heavenly truth that we may ascend the one which is beyond; we master the “deep things of God” that we may look into those which are deeper and darker still. Ours is ever to be the spirit of holy inquiry; not of querulous impatience, but of patient, untiring effort to understand all those truths which are within our reach, waiting for the fuller revelation of the days which are to come.C.
Pro 1:7
The foundation truth
These words invite our attention to
I. THAT WHICH CONSTITUTES THE FEAR OF GOD. “The fear of the Lord” was the chief note of Hebrew piety. It expressed itself in that form (see Gen 42:18; Exo 18:21; Le Exo 19:14; Neh 5:15; Psa 66:16; Ecc 12:13, etc.). What did it signify? Evidently something more and other than mere dread. The piety of the Jews was an immeasurably higher thing than the abject terror with which the heathen shrank from the capricious and malignant power of the deities they worshipped. It included:
1. Reverence for his Divine nature.
2. Sense of the Divine presence: “The Lord before whom I stand.”
3. Regard for the Divine will, shown in the two ways of
(1) obedience to his commands, and
(2) submission to his appointments.
II. THE FACT THAT THE FEAR OF GOD CONSTITUTES THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH WE BUILD. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” The sense of God, the belief that he is, that he reigns, that he is the Source and Fountain of all life and blessingthis is the foundation on which all wisdom, all success, all excellency, rests. How truly fundamental is this fear of God is seen when we consider:
1. That it is implanted, as one of the earliest thoughts, in the human mind. The very little child can entertain it; it enters his opening mind with the first conceptions which are cherished there. As soon as we begin to think we begin to fear God. That sentiment, which never once affected the life of the most intelligent of the brute creation in any land or age, strikes deep root and bears fairest fruit in the spiritual nature of the “little child.” “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” even in time.
2. That the acceptance of God is the basis on which all truth must rest. There are mysteries in theism which may baffle and sometimes perplex us. But in atheism we are utterly at sea. Not to start from the acceptance of an originating, designing, fashioning, con; trolling, out-working Intelligence is to be “all abroad” in the region of human investigation and inquiry. Accepting that, the universe is indeed mysterious, but it is not an all-shrouding mist in which we ourselves and everything around us are hopelessly lost. The fear of the Lord, the reverent acceptance of the truth that God is, and that he reigns, lies at the foundation, is the beginning, of knowledgeof the truth which makes the world comprehensible to the understanding, and life valuable to the soul.
3. That the fear of God is the ground of all heavenly wisdom. We cannot know our own Divine Father, our own spiritual nature with all its high and ennobling capacities, the excellency of moral and spiritual worth, the supreme blessedness of self-surrender, if we do not know God, if we have not the mind of Christ revealed to us and accepted by us. The fear of the Lord is the beginning, and is the very substance of that knowledge which constitutes the “life eternal” (Joh 17:3).
III. THE FOLLY OF SPIRITUAL INDIFFERENCE. “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The foolish man does not care even to begin to know; he despises the very elements of instruction; he will not take the first step in the path of wisdom. He wanders off at his own will, and he goes in the direction of the thick darkness. He is turning from him who is the Light of life, and is travelling to that dreary region where it is always night, away from God, from wisdom, from holiness, from love.C.
Pro 1:8, Pro 1:9
The duty and the beauty of filial piety
The wise teacher here commends to us the excellency of the filial spirit. And it is worthy of notice that he exhorts the young to be obedient to their mother as well as mindful of the counsels of their father. We think of
I. THE DUTY OF FILIAL PIETY, based upon and arising from:
1. The relation itself. It is enough that our parents are our parents, and that we are their offspring. On that simple ground it behoves us to listen and to obey.
2. The fact that they have expended on us far more than any other beings. Who shall measure the thought, the anxiety, the solicitude, the prayers, the labours, the sacrifices, which they have cheerfully devoted to us?
3. The fact that it is the will of God that we should render such filial honour (Exo 20:12; Le Exo 19:3; Deu 5:16; Eph 6:2).
II. THE BEAUTY OF FILIAL PIETY. “They shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck” (Pro 1:9). Youth, especially young manhood, is apt to think that there is something unbecoming, ungraceful if not disgraceful, in rendering filial obedience; it is apt to imagine that there is something admirable in breaking away, in even early years, from parental guidance, and establishing an independence of judgment and action. In truth, there is nothing more offensive, nothing morally uglier, than such premature assertiveness. On the other hand, nothing is more comely, nothing more attractive, nothing more intrinsically beautiful, than filial devotedness. It has all the best elements of spiritual excellency:
(1) humility, a lowly view of ourselves;
(2) responsiveness to strong and tender love;
(3) the recognition of real worth, of the claims of age and wisdom;
(4) cheerful acceptance of the ordination of nature, and acquiescence in the will of God.
Those who illustrate the duty of filial piety live in the admiration of the wise, and walk in the sunshine of the smile of the Supreme.C.
Pro 1:10-19
The peril and the wisdom of youth: a sermon to the young
Hew many human lives are nothing better than failures! How many souls are there that “make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience”! Over how many of the children of men do the wise and the holy mourn, as those who might have done well and wrought good, but who have turned aside to folly, guilt, and ruin! As a rule, these have gone astray in their younger days. Temptation assailed them when they were comparatively unarmed, attacked them when least prepared to resist, and they were overcome. Our text suggests
I. THE PECULIAR PERIL OF YOUTH. Youth is endangered by three things.
1. The invitations of the unholy. “Sinners entice it.” Companionship is dear to the young. and is very powerful over it. Its heart is open, trustful, responsive. It rejoices with a keen delight in the confidences of friendship. And when one whose advances have been received, and who has been welcomed as a congenial companion, says, “Come,” it is hard for friendship to refuse; this more especially when the solicitation comes from him who has a strong will or an amiable and fascinating disposition. The heart of youth is very powerfully drawn, sometimes to good, but too often to evil, by the charm of early friendship.
2. The subtlety of sin (Pro 1:17). Sin makes a very fair promise, but its word is false, its coin is counterfeit.
(1) It professes disinterestedness (Pro 1:14), but it is utterly selfish at heart.
(2) It affects to be able to hide all traces and elude all evil consequences of its acts (Pro 1:12), but it cannot: the blood which it sheds will cry to Heaven for retribution.
(3) It offers gain and satisfaction (Pro 1:13, Pro 1:19), but it constantly fails to secure its immediate object, and it never brings real and lasting joy to the soul. The fowler does not spread the net in sight of the bird, or he would fail. Sin keeps its snares well out of view; it proceeds with cruel cunning; it shows the present pleasure, and hides the coming shame, and so it secures its victims.
3. The appeal to powerful instincts. The love of daring exploits has led many a young man to consent when sinners have said, “Come, let us attack the victim, that we may seize the prey” (Pro 1:11, Pro 1:12). Guilty violence shapes itself as manly daring. And the instinct of acquisition, the desire to obtain and to possess (Pro 1:13, Pro 1:19), often leads astray. Greediness of gain begins in a desire to be rich, an ambition to have abundance.
II. THE EARNEST SOLICITUDE OF THE WISE. There is an air of earnestness, a tone of deep solemnity, about these words of the wise man. “My son, if sinners entice thee,” etc. (Pro 1:10); “My son, walk not thou in the way,” etc. (Pro 1:15). Here is the urgency of a tender solicitude; here are the pleadings of profound affection. And why? Because the wise man (the father, minister, teacher) knows;
1. That sin means ruin to others (Pro 1:16). The path of evil is marked with blood: it is the track which is trodden by death itself; it is red with the blood of souls.
2. That sin is the supreme mistake. It is really laying wait for itself, to compass its own miserable end (Pro 1:18); it is robbing itself of all the excellency of life in order to secure its gains (Pro 1:19). Men too often “lose their life for the sake of the means of living.” They expend on the means all those resources of their manhood which should be devoted to life itself. Sin is suicidal; the young who are yielding themselves to a life of ungodliness and guilt may well be the object of the most fervent anxiety, of the most tender, tearful pity of the wise.
III. THE WAY OF VICTORY. And there is no other way than that of decisive refusal at once. As soon as the alluring voice says, “Come,” let the resolute reply be heard, “I will not.” Let the lips of holy resentment open at once to say, “Depart from me, ye evil doers; I will keep the commandments of my God” (Psa 119:115). To hesitate is to risk everything. Speak a strong, unwavering refusal on the spot.C.
Pro 1:20-23
The voice of Wisdom
Wisdom is here personified; it is the language of poetic inspiration. Later on, “in the dispensation of the fulness of times,” Wisdom was manifested in human form, and spake in the hearing of men. But its voice has never been silent altogether, from the beginning until now. We are reminded of it
I. THAT THERE ARE MANY CHANNELS THROUGH WHICH WISDOM UTTERS ITS VOICE. The plural form of the word (“wisdoms”) suggests the manifoldness of the utterance. God teaches us his truth, makes known his mind to us, through
(1) the objects and laws of the physical world around us;
(2) the constitution of our own frame;
(3) the teachings of our own spiritual nature, the judgments of our conscience and the conclusions of our reason;
(4) his providential orderings;
(5) the admonitions of his Spirit;
(6) the words of Jesus Christ: he is the “Wisdom of God” (1Co 1:24).
II. THAT THE VOICE OF WISDOM IS AUDIBLE TO ALL WHO WILL LISTEN. “Wisdom crieth without; she utters her voice in the streets: she crieth in the chief place of concourse,” etc. (Pro 1:20, Pro 1:21). Wisdom, Divine truth, does not merely whisper its doctrine in secret places where there are few to hear; she does not reserve her teaching to the closed classroom to which only some favoured ones find admittance; she speaks “in the open,” where the “ways meet,” in “the chief places of concourse.” “Upon whom doth not God’s light arise?” (Job 25:3). The friendly voices speak in the ear of childhood; they address the mind of youth; they have a message for manhood; they find their way to the sanctuary of age. Wisdom waits upon the pure and holy, walks by the side of spiritual indifference to win its ear, and confronts sin in its most secret haunts, Nothingor nothing but the most hardened iniquity which calls evil good and good evilshut its doors so fast that the monitory voice cannot enter the chambers of the soul.
III. THAT WISDOM SPEAKS WITH A HOLY AND LOVING ENERGY. Wisdom “crieth,” “utters her voice in the streets.” There is an energy and an urgency in her tones and in her language (Pro 1:29, Pro 1:23). The utterance of Wisdom is none other than the voice of God. It is our Father who pleads with us; it is our Saviour who calls to us; it is our Divine Friend who implores us. It is no hard voice as of a court doomster that assaults us; it is the pleading, plaintive, pathetic voice of One who loves us with fatherly affection, and yearns over us with more than motherly solicitude, that arrests us in our course and touches the tender and sacred feelings of our heart.
IV. THAT WISDOM SPARES NOT TO TELL US EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE. She does not mince her words; she does not cut away the knots of the cord with which we are to be stirred to newness of life. She calls men simpletons, scorners, fools, and upbraids them for their stupidity and their folly (Pro 1:22). When we listen to the voices which are from above we must expect plain speaking. We must not start back with offence if we find ourselves condemned in strong terms. “Thou art the man!” follows the narrative which transfixes the cruel and heartless robber of his neighbour’s all “Ye fools and blind!” said the Wisdom of God, as he rebuked the hypocrisy of his day, We are not to be repelled from, but attracted to, the man who, speaking for the only wise God, puts sacred truth into the strongest and even the sternest language.
V. THAT WISDOM SEEKS TO IMPART ITS OWN SPIRIT TO ITS DISCIPLES. “Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you” (Pro 1:23). Its aim is spiritual and beneficent. God wounds only that he may heal. He sends “poverty of spirit” that he may thereby make rich forevermore. He humbles that he may exalt. His one desire is to make us like himself; to put his own Spirit within us, that we may be “the children of our Father who is in heaven.”C.
Pro 1:24-33
The Divine ultimatum
There is something which is fearful and appalling in these verses. We are ready to tremble as we read them. We are ready to exclaim, “How far may human perversity, and Divine retribution gel” With hushed voice, with subdued spirit, as those before whose eyes the lightnings of heaven are flashing, we consider the significance of the words. But first we see
I. THAT GOD MAKES MANY APPEALS TO THE HUMAN SOUL. He calls, and we refuse; he stretches out his hands, and no man regards (Pro 1:24). He multiplies his counsel and his reproof (Pro 1:25 and Pro 1:30). Thus his statement is sustained by his dealings with us; he gives us the repeated and manifold admonitions of our own conscience, of the house, of the sanctuary, of friendship, of his Word, of his Spirit, etc.
II. THAT HUMAN PERVERSITY GOES AS FAR AS THE DIVINE PATIENCE. Man “refuses,” “regards not” (turns away his eyes, closes his ears), “sets at nought,” “will not have,” “hates,” does not choose (deliberately rejects), all the counsel of God. Perhaps the course of human perversity may be thus traced: first temporizing, with the idea of submitting; then postponing, without any such intention; then disregarding, hearing without heeding; then positively disliking and getting away from; then actually hating, cherishing a feeling of rebellious aversion, ending in mockery and scorn. So far may human perversity go. God’s wonderful patience in seeking to win is extended far, but not further than human opposition and resistance. To every “Come” from Heaven there is an answer, “I will not,” in the human spirit.
III. THAT GOD FINALLY ABANDONS SIN TO ITS DOOM. We must, of course, understand the language of Pro 1:26, Pro 1:27 as highly figurative. No proverb is to be pressed to its fullest possible meaning. The author always assumes that it will be applied with intelligence and discrimination. This is the language of hyperbole. No one could for a moment believe that the eternal Father of our spirits would, literally and actually, laugh and mock at our calamity and alarm. The significance of the passage is that, after a certain point of perverse refusal has been past, God no longer pleads and strives with his wayward children. He interposes no further between a man and the consequences of his folly. He “leaves him alone” (Hos 4:17). He “gives him up” (Act 7:42; Rom 1:26). He permits sin to do its own sad work in the soul, and to produce its own natural results in the life; he removes his restraining hand, and suffers them “to eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices” (Pro 1:31). This is the end of impenitence. We see it only too often illustrated before our eyes. Men act as if they might defy their Maker, as if they might draw indefinitely on the patience of their Divine Saviour, as if they might reckon on the unlimited striving of the Holy Spirit. They are wrong; they make a fatal mistake; they commit the one unpardonable sin! They try to go beyond the Divine ultimatum. God’s marvellous patience reaches far, but it has its bounds. When these are passed his voice is still, his hand is taken down, his interposing influence is withdrawn. Sin must bear its penalty. But this awful passage closes with a word of hope. Let us turn to a brighter aspect, and see
IV. THAT SO LONG AS MAN HONESTLY DESIRES GOD‘S SERVICE, HE MAY FIND PEACE AND REST. (Pro 1:33.) If at any time it is in our heart to obey the voice of the All-wise, to lend an attentive ear to the Divine counsel, we may reckon on his grace and favour. Happy the heart that heeds the voice of Wisdom! Others may be rocked and tossed on the heaving billows of care and anxiety, of alarm and dread; but he, “dwelling in the secret place of the Most High,” hiding in the Rock of his salvation, shall “dwell safely, and be quiet from fear of evil.” God will hide him in his pavilion; he will “rest in the Lord.”C.
Pro 1:32
The prosperity of fools.
“The prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” Few men fear prosperity; but if they had enough wisdom to know their own weakness, they would see that there was nothing which they had so much reason to dread. We approach the truth of the text by seeing
I. THAT IT IS IN OUR HUMAN NATURE TO ASPIRE TO PROSPERITY AND TO STRIVE AFTER IT. The Author of our nature has made us hunger fur success as the food of the soul.
II. THAT THE PROSPERITY OF THE WISE IS AN EMINENTLY DESIRABLE THING. For it
(1) will do them no harm, and
(2) will multiply their influence for good.
III. THAT THE PROSPERITY OF THE FOOLISH IS A CALAMITOUS THING.
1. It results in ruin to other peopleoften their temporal, still more often their spiritual, ruin.
2. It ends in their own destruction. It leads down to death; for:
(1) It fosters pride, and “pride comes before a fall.”
(2) It ministers to passion, and passion conducts to the grave in every sense.
(3) It induces worldliness, and the man who loses himself in the cares, engagements, and excitements of the world is “dead while he lives.”
The conclusion of the matter is this:
1. Let those to whom God has denied prosperity cheerfully accept their lowliness. In their humble position they are comparatively safe. They live where many arrows of destruction do not fly.
2. Let those who have attained prosperity ever recognize that the post of honour and of power is the place of danger, and that they need peculiar grace from God that they may not fall,
3. Let those who are being injured by their prosperity beware lest they go down fast to utter and irretrievable ruin.C.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Pro 1:1. The Proverbs of Solomon Solomon is the first of the sacred writers whose name appears at the head of his works. The name alone of so wise and so great a prince, is a sufficient recommendation to engage men to hear and to read. We naturally love to see and to listen to persons of illustrious name and extraordinary capacity; particularly when those qualities are joined with sovereign power. The stile of his work, the brevity of his sentences, and the parabolical turn, close, short, sententious, are also reasons for studying it; long discourses fatigue; all men have not leisure to attend to, or penetration to comprehend them. But precepts delivered in parable are always pleasing to hear. It is generally known, that this method of treating the most serious subjects was very common and familiar with the Jews. Jesus Christ, for the most part, delivered his instructions to the people in parables. See Mat 13:3. &c. Pro 24:34. In short, they serve well to teach wisdom, truth, and justice; and to caution men against error, vice, and dissipation. Calmet. Bishop Warburton observes, that short isolated sentences were the mode in which ancient wisdom delighted to convey its precepts, for the regulation of human conduct: but when this natural method had lost the grace of novelty, and a growling, refinement had new coloured the candid simplicity of ancient manners, these instructive sages found a necessity of giving to their moral maxims the seasoning and poignancy of paradoxes. In these the son of David, we are told, most excelled. We find them to abound in the writings which bear his name, and we meet with frequent allusions to them in all the parts of Sacred Writ, under the name of riddles, parables, and dark sayings.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
General Superscription to the Collection
Announcement of the Author of the Collection, of its Object, and of its great value
Pro 1:1-6
1Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David,
the King of Israel:
2to become acquainted with wisdom and knowledge,
to comprehend intelligent discourse,
3to attain discipline of understanding,
righteousness, justice and integrity,
4to impart to the simple prudence,
to the young man knowledge and discretion;
5let the wise man hear and add to his learning,
and the man of understanding gain in control,
6that he may understand proverb and enigma,
words of wise men and their dark sayings.
Introductory Section
True wisdom as the basis and end of all moral effort, impressed by admonition and commendation upon the hearts of youth
Pro 1:7 to Pro 9:18
7The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge;
wisdom and discipline fools despise.
First group of Admonitory or Gnomic Discourses
Pro 1:8 to Pro 3:35
1. The teacher of wisdom admonishes his son to avoid the way of vice
Pro 1:8-19
8Hearken, my son, to thy fathers instruction,
and refuse not the teaching of thy mother;
9for they are a graceful crown to thy head,
and jewels about thy neck.
10My son, if sinners entice thee,
consent thou not!
11If they say, Come with us, and we will lie in wait for blood,
will plot against the innocent without cause;
12we will swallow them, like the pit, living,
and the upright, like those that descend into the grave;
13we will find all precious treasure,
will fill our houses with spoil!
14Thou shalt cast in thy lot among us;
one purse will we all have!
15My son! go not in the way with them,
keep back thy foot from their path!
16For their feet run to evil,
and haste to shed blood;
17for in vain is the net spread
before the eyes of all (kinds of) birds:
18and these watch for their own blood,
they lie in wait for their own lives.
19Such are the paths of every one that grasps after unjust gain;
from its own master it taketh the life.
Pro 1:20-33
2. Warning delineation of the perverse and ruinous conduct of the fool, put into the mouth of wisdom (personified).
20Wisdom crieth aloud in the streets,
on the highways she maketh her voice heard:
21in the places of greatest tumult she calleth,
at the entrances to the gates of the city she giveth forth her words:
22How long, ye simple, will ye love simplicity,
and scorners delight in scorning,
and fools hate knowledge!
23Turn ye at my reproof!
Behold I will pour out upon you my spirit,
my words will I make known to you!
24Because I have called and ye refused,
I stretched out my hand, and no man regarded it,
25and ye have rejected all my counsel,
and to my reproof ye have not yielded;
26therefore will I also laugh at your calamity,
will mock when your terror cometh;
27when like a storm your terror cometh,
and your destruction sweepeth on like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28Then will they call upon me, and I not answer,
they will seek me diligently and not find me.
29Because they have hated sound wisdom
and have not desired the fear of Jehovah,
30have not yielded to my counsel
and have despised all my reproof,
31therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way
and be surfeited with their own counsels.
32For the perverseness of the simple shall slay them,
and the security of fools destroy them:
33he, however, who hearkeneth to me shall dwell secure,
and have rest without dread of evil!
GRAMMATICAL AND CRITICAL
Pro 1:2. [We have in Pro 1:2-4; Pro 1:6 final clauses, introduced by , and indicating the object with which these wise sayings are recorded. That purpose is disciplinary, first with reference to the young man, and then to him who is already wise. This discipline is contemplated not from the point of view of him who imparts, but that of those who receive it. These considerations determine our choice of words in translating several of the terms employed. Thus in Pro 1:2 we render not to know, as this suggests the finished result rather than the process, which is to become acquainted with, to acquire; so Zckler, zu erkennen; De Wette, kennen zu lernen; Noyes, from which men may learn; a little less definitely, E. V., to know; incorrectly Holden, respecting the knowledge. These wise sayings are to guide to and result in knowledge; but the verbs, except in Pro 1:4, represent not the teaching, imparting, communicating, but the discerning and seizing. In respect to the two shades of meaning to be given to see the exeg. notes. Gesen. and Fuerst agree in the etymology (); Fuerst, however, carries back the radical meaning one step farther; G., to chastise, correct, instruct; F., to bind or restrain, chastise, etc. It should, therefore, be borne in mind that more than the imparting of information is intended by the word, it is discipline, sometimes merely intellectual but more frequently moral. , lit., words of discernment, words of understanding (so E. V., Noyes, Muenscher); Stuart, words of the intelligent; De Wette like Zckler, verstndige Reden; Van Ess and Allioli, with whom Holden seems to agree, die Worte (Regeln) der Klugheit the words (rules) of prudence.A.].
Pro 1:3. [ ,our authors conception (see exeg. notes) corresponds with that of Fuerst also, who makes the genitive not merely objective, as De Wette, etc., seem to do (discipline of understanding, die Zucht der vernunft), but makes it final, contemplating the end: Fuerst, Z. zur Besonnenheit, Zckler, einsichtsvolle Zucht, discipline full of discernment, insight, understanding, i.e., in its results. The rendering of most of our English expositors is ambiguous or suggests other ideas: E. V. and Muenscher, instruction of wisdom; Holden, instruction in wisdom; Noyes, the instruction of prudence; Stuart, of discreetness., plural of that which is ideally extended and pleasurable; Bttcher, Ausf. Lehrb., 699.A.].
Pro 1:5. [E. V., followed by Holden and Muenscher, a wise man will hear; Noyes, may hear; Stuart, more forcibly, let the wise man listen, like our author, es hre and Bttcher 950, d., Fiens debitum) es soll hren. De Wette makes this a final clause, like those of the three preceding verses, dass der Weise hre; but see exeg. notes. is given by Bttcher ( 964, 2) as an illustration of the consultive use of the Jussive; Stuart makes it an ordinary Imperf., and renders and he will add; but his explanations are not pertinent; the need not be conversive, it is simply copulative, and which he assumes as the normal Imperf., is already a Jussive.A.]. , properly that which is taken, received, transmitted (comp. the verb to attain, above in Pro 1:3) is like the Aram. (from , to take), and like the Latin traditio [in its passive sense]. The parallel term (from , to lead, according to the analogy of the Arabic, and cognate with , cable, and , steersman) is by the LXX correctly rendered by .
Pro 1:6. Luthers translation of the 1st clause, that he may understand proverbs and their interpretation, cannot possibly be right; for , if it was designed to convey any other idea than one parallel to could not on any principle dispense with the suffix of the 3d person ), its, comp. Vulgate: animadvertat parabolam et interpretationem. [This is also the rendering of the E. V., which is followed by Holden, while Noyes, Stuart, Muenscher and Wordsworth, De Wette and Van Ess agree with the view taken by our author.A.].
Pro 1:7. derived from crassus fuit; to be gross or dull of understanding;Gesen., however, derives it from the radical idea to be perverse, turned away, and Fuerst to be slack, weak, lax or lazy. [Wordsworth adopts the latter explanationA.].
Pro 1:8. [The different renderings given to the verb of the 2d clause while agreeing in their substantial import, forsake, neglect, reject, do not reproduce with equal clearness the radical idea, which is that of spreading, then of scattering.A ].
Pro 1:10. , scriptio defectiva, for , as some 50 MSS. cited by Kennicott and De Rossi in fact read, while some others prefer a different pointing [thou shalt not go], which is however an unwarranted emendation. The LXX had the correct conception: , and the Vulgate: ne acquiescas.[Comp. Greens Heb. Gram., 111, 2, b, and 177, 3. Bttcher discusses the form several times in different connections, 325, d, and n. 2,429, B, and 1164, 2, b,and after enumerating the six forms which the MSS. supply, , , , ,, and decides that the original form, whose obscurity suggested all these modifications, was = . In signification he classes it with the dehortative Jussives.A.].
Pro 1:11. [E. V., Noyes, Wordsworth, Luther, Van Ess agree with one another in connecting the adverb with the verb, while De Wette, Holden, Stuart, Muenscher regard it as modifying the adjective, him whose innocence is of no avail to protect him.A.].
Pro 1:12. [E. V., Stuart and Muenscher, like our author connect with the object of the main verb; Umbreit and Hitzig (see exeg. notes) are followed by De Wette, Holden, Noyes in connecting it with the comparative clause. , for construction see e.g., Green, 271, 2 and 254, 9, b.A.].
Pro 1:16. [, masc. verb with feminine subject; Btt., 936, II., C. a; Green, 275,1. cA.].
Pro 1:20. The Wisdom who is here speaking is in this verse called which is not a plural but a new abstract derivative from , formed with the ending (Ewald, 165, c) a form which is also found e.g. in , Psa 78:15. The name recurs in the same form in Pro 9:1; Pro 24:7. [Bttcher, however, regards this as an example of the pluralis extens., to denote emphatically true wisdom. See 679, d, 689, C., b, 700, c and n. 4. There is no difficulty in connecting a verb fem. sing, with a subject which, although plural in form is singular in idea.A.]., crieth aloud, from , comp. Lam 2:19; Lamentations 3 d sing. fem. as also in Pro 8:3 (Ewald, 191, c). [Comp. Green, 97,1, a, and Btt., 929, d, who with his usual minuteness endeavors to trace the development of this idiom.A.].
Pro 1:21. Zckler, an den larmvollsten Orten; De Wette, an der Ecke lrmender Strassen; Fuerst, der bewegten Strassen; Holden, like the Eng. Ver., in the chief place of concourse.
Pro 1:22. [For the vocalization of see Green, 60, 3, c, 111, 2, e. For the use of the perfect sea Btt., 948, 2. He illustrates by such classical perfects as , , ,memini, novi, and renders this form by concupiverint.A.].
Pro 1:23. [, an instance of the intentional Imperf., in what Bttcher calls its voluntative signification, 965, 1.A.].
Pro 1:27. [, Kri , the former derived from or , the latter from , of which verbs the latter is obsolete except in derivatives, while the former occurs in one passage in Is. in the Niphal. The signification seems to be one, and the forms variations growing out of the weakness of the 2d and 3d radicals. Comp. Btt., 474, a, and 811, 2.A.].
Instead of the Infin. , we have in the 2d member, since is not repeated, the Imperf. (Ewald, 337, b) [Stuart, 129, 3, n. 2].A.
Pro 1:28. [ , ,. These are among the few instances in which the full plural ending is found before suffixes. Green, 105, a, Btt., 1047, f.A.].
Pro 1:29. For the use of , therefore because, compare Deu 34:7, and also the equivalent combination in 2Ki 22:7; 2Ch 21:12.
EXEGETICAL
1. Pro 1:1-6. The superscription to the collection, which is quite long, as is common with the titles of Oriental books, is not designed to be a table of contents (Umbreit), nor to give merely the aim of the book (so most commentators, especially Ewald, Bertheau, Elster, etc.). But beside the author of the book (Pro 1:1), it is intended to give first its design (Pro 1:2-3), and then, in addition, its worth and use (Pro 1:4-6), and so to commend the work in advance as salutary and excellent (Starke, Delitzsch). Accordingly it praises the book as a source of wholesome and instructive wisdom: 1) for the simple-minded and immature (Pro 1:4); 2) for those who are already wise and intelligent, but who are to gain still more insight and understanding from its maxims and enigmas (Pro 1:5-6).Proverbs of Solomon, etc.In regard to the primary meaning of , and in regard to the special signification which prevails here in the superscription, Proverbs of Solomon (maxims, aphorisms, not proverbs [in the current and popular sense]), see Introd., 11.To become acquainted with wisdom and knowledge.In respect to and its synonyms ( and ) consult again the Introd., 2, note 3. properly chastisement, signifies education, moral training, good culture and habits, the practical side, as it were, of wisdom (LXX: ; Vulg.: disciplina). In Pro 1:2 the expression stands as synonymous with wisdom (), as in Pro 4:13; Pro 23:23, and frequently elsewhere; in ver.3, on the contrary, it designates an element preparatory to true wisdom and insight,one serving as their foundation, and a preliminary condition to them. For the discipline of understanding ( , Pro 1:3) is not, as might be conceived, discipline under which the understanding is placed, but discipline, training to reason, to a reasonable, intelligent condition (as Hitzig rightly conceives it); compare the discipline of wisdom ( ), Pro 15:33, and for understanding (), insight, discernment, a rational condition, see particularly Pro 21:16. Umbreit and Ewald regard as equivalent to thoughtfulness (a discipline to thoughtfulness, Zuchtigung zur Besonnenheit); by this rendering, however, the full meaning of the conception is not exhausted.Righteousness, justice and integrity. The three Hebrew terms , and are related to each other as righteousness, justice, and integrity, or uprightness (Gerechtigkeit, Recht und Geradheit). The first of the three expressions describes what is fitting according to the will and ordinance of God the supreme Judge (comp. Deu 33:19); the second, what is usage and custom among men (Isa 42:1; 1Sa 27:11): the third, what is right and reasonable, and in accordance with a walking in the way of truth, and so denotes a straight-forward, honorable and upright demeanor.
Pro 1:4. To impart to the simple prudence.The telic infinitive () is co-ordinate with the two that precede in Pro 1:2-3, and has the same subject. Therefore the same construction is to be employed here also (to become acquainted withto attainto impart); and we are not, by the introduction of a final clause, to make the contents of this 4th verse subordinate to the preceding, as the LXX do ( . . .), and likewise the Vulg. (ut detur, etc.), and Luther (that the simple may become shrewd, and young men reasonable and considerate). The simple (), properly, the open, those who are readily accessible to all external impressions, and therefore inexperienced and simple, , (as the LXX appropriately render the word in this passage; comp. Rom 16:18). With respect to the relation of this idea to that of the fool ( ,) compare what will be said below on Pro 1:32, and also Introd., 3, note 2.Prudence (, derived from ) signifies properly nakedness, smoothness (comp. theadj. [subtle E.V.], naked, i.e., slippery, crafty; used of the serpent, Gen 3:1); therefore metaphorically the capacity for escaping from the wiles of others (Umbreit), the prudence which guards itself against injury (Pro 22:3; 1Sa 23:22).To the young man knowledge and discretion.Discretion, thoughtfulness (, LXX, ), denotes here in connection with knowledge () the characteristic of thoughtful, well considered action, resting upon a thorough knowledge of things,therefore, circumspection, caution.
Pro 1:5. Not the simple and immature only, but also the wise .and intelligent, are to derive instruction from Solomons proverbs. This idea is not, as might be supposed, thrust in the form of a parenthesis into the series of final clauses beginning with Pro 1:2, and reaching its conclusion in Pro 1:6, so that the verb () is to be conceived of as rendering the clause conditional, and is to be translated if he hears (Umbreit, Elster); it begins a new independent proposition, whose imperfect tenses are to be regarded as voluntative, and upon which the new infinitive clause with in Pro 1:6 is dependent (Ewald. Bertheau, and commentators generally).Let the wise man hearken and add to his learning.As to the expression add to his learning ( ) comp. Pro 9:9; Pro 16:12. The peculiar term rendered learning (see critical notes above) is a designation of knowledge, doctrine, instructive teaching in general; comp. Pro 1:22; Pro 1:29. The word rendered control, or mastery, is an abstract derivative, strengthened by the ending (Ewald, Gramm., 179 a., note 3), and expresses here in an appropriate and telling figure the idea of skill and facility in the management of life. Comp.Pro 11:14; Pro 12:5; Job 37:12, etc. Its relation to learning () is quite like that of discipline to wisdom in Pro 1:2; it supplies the practical correlative to the other idea which is predominantly theoretical.
Pro 1:6. To understand proverb and enigma, etc.[The climax of the definition of wisdomStanley]. The infinitive () supplies the announcement of the end required by Pro 1:5 : to this end is the wise man to gain in knowledge and self-command or Self-discipline, that he may understand the proverbs and profound sayings of the wise, i.e., may know how to deal appropriately with them. It is not the mere understanding of the wisdom of proverbs by itself that is here indicated as the end of the wise mans increase in knowledge and mastery, but practice and expertness in using this wisdom; it is the callere sententias sapientum which imparts a competence to communicate further instruction to the youth who need discipline. If the telic infinitive () be taken in this frequent sense, for which may be compared among other passages Pro 8:9; Pro 17:10; Pro 17:24; Dan. 1:27, we do not need with Bertheau to give the expression a participial force (by virtue of the fact that he understands,understanding proverbs, etc.),nor to maintain with Hitzig and others that Pro 1:6 is not grammatically connected with Pro 1:5, on the ground that it is not conceivable that the learning to understand the words of wise men should be made an object of the endeavor of such as are wise already. It is an intensified acquaintance with wisdom that is here called for, a knowledge in the sense of the passage, to him that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance, Mat 13:12; comp. Joh 1:16; Rom 1:17; 2Co 3:18. For the verbal explanation of enigma and dark saying ( and ). see Introd., 11, note 2. Certain as it is that both expressions here are only designed to embody in a concrete form the idea of obscure discourse that requires interpretation (the parallelism with proverbs and words of wise men ( and ) shows this beyond dispute), we have no warrant. for finding in this verse a special allusion to the obscure, enigmatical contents of chap. 30, and so for insisting upon its very late origin, as Hitzig does (see in reply Ewald). Nevertheless, it follows from the comprehensiveness of the plural expression words of wise men (comp. Pro 22:17 and Ecc 9:17; Ecc 12:11) that no one could have prefixed to his work an introduction like that before us, who was not conscious that he had collected with proverbs of Solomon many others that were not directly from him (comp. 12 of the Introd.).
2. Pro 1:7 is not to be regarded as a part of the superscription, as Ewald, Bertheau, Elster, Keil, etc., treat it, but is the general proposition introducing the series of didactic discourses that follows;a motto, as it were, for the first or introductory main division of the book, as Umbreit happily expresses it; comp. Hitzig in loc. The proverb has also passed into the Arabic, and here also frequently stands at the commencement of collections of proverbs, whether because it is ascribed to Mohammed, as is sometimes done in such cases, or because it is cited as coming from Solomon. Compare Von Diez, Denkwrdigkeiten, II., 459; Meidani, ed. Freytag, III., 29, 610; Erpenius, Sent. qud. Arab., p. 45. In the Old Testament [and Apocrypha], moreover, the same maxim occurs several times, especially in Pro 9:10; Ecclesiast. Pro 1:16; Pro 1:25; Psa 111:10. From the passage last cited the LXX repeat in our verse the words appended to the first clause: , [and a good understanding have all they that do it].Beginning.( is here equivalent to found in the parallel passage, Pro 9:10; it is therefore correctly rendered in Ecclesiast, and the LXX by in the sense of beginning); compare Pro 4:7, the beginning of wisdom; not, as the words themselves would allow, that which is highest in wisdom, the noblest or best wisdom. [The latter is given as a marginal reading in the E. V, and is retained and defended by Holden; so also by Trapp and others.A.].Fools.The word designates properly the hardened, the stupid,those fools who know nothing of God (Jer 4:22), and therefore refuse and contemptuously repel His salutary discipline (comp. above, note to Pro 1:2).
3. Pro 1:8-19. These verses show in an example so shaped as to convey an earnest warning, how we are to guard ourselves against the opposite of the fear of God, against depravity, which is, at the same time, the extremest folly. They contain, therefore, a warning against, turning aside to the way of vice, given as the first illustration of the truth expressed in Pro 1:7.
Pro 1:8-9.My son.The salutation of the teacher of wisdom, who is here represented as father in order to illustrate to his pupil the inner reality and nature of their mutual relation (comp. 1Co 4:15; Phm 1:10). The mother who is mentioned in connection with this father is only a natural expansion of the idea of the figure, suggested by the law of poetic parallelism,and not a designation of wisdom personified, who does not appear before Pro 1:20. [Wordsworth and many of the older English expositors regard this as a specific address by Solomon to Rehoboam; this interpretation, however, lacks the support of Oriental usage, and too much restricts the scope of the Book of Proverbs. The large majority, however, of English and American commentators (e.g., Trapp, Holden, Bridges, Wordsworth, Muenscher) find here a more specific commendation of filial docility and obedience. Stuart more nearly agrees with our author in making the father and mother figurative rather than literal termsA.].Law (), here doctrina, instructive precepts in general; as in several other instances in our book it is used of the instruction given by parents to their children, e.g., Pro 3:1; Pro 4:2; Pro 7:2; Pro 28:7; Pro 28:9.For they are a graceful Grown to thy head.Wreath of grace ( ) graceful crown, as in Pro 4:9. The comparison of the teachings of wisdom with pearls which one hangs as a necklace about the neck, a figure which is a great favorite every where in the East, recurs again in Pro 3:3; Pro 6:21; Ecclesiast. Pro 6:30.
Pro 1:10. Transition to an intelligible admonitory example; hence the repetition of the familiar salutation My son, which occurs once more in Pro 1:15, at the beginning of the apodosis. Sinners ().Sinners by profession, habitual sinners, as in Psa 1:1; here those in particular whose business is murder (comp. Gen 4:7-8), robbers who are murderers.-
Pro 1:11. We will lie in wait for blood, etc.The two verbs ( and ) both signify to lie in wait for, to lay snares artfully (as the huntsman for the game, with noose and net). The adverb () is probably more correctly construed with the verb (lie in wait without cause, i.e., without having any reason for revenge and enmity), than with the adjective,although this latter combination is also grammatically admissible. But with the conception him that is innocent in vain, i.e., the man to whom his innocence shall be of no avail against us, the parallel passages (Psa 35:19; Psa 69:4; Lam 3:52) correspond less perfectly than with that to which we have given the preference; comp. Hitzig in loc.
Pro 1:12Will swallow them, like the pit, living.The living () can refer only to the suffix pronoun (in ). The connection with like the pit (), to which Umbreit and Hitzig give the preference, gives the peculiarly hard sense as the pit (swallows) that which lives. Comp. rather Psa 55:15 : they must go down living into the pit; and also Psa 124:3; Pro 30:16, and the account of the destruction of Korans company, Num 16:30; Num 16:33.The upright () is accusative, object of the verb (), and therefore stands evidently as synonymous with (innocent, comp. Psa 19:13); it is accordingly to be interpreted as referring to moral integrity or uprightness, and not of bodily soundness (as Ewald, Bertheau, and others claim).Those that descend into the grave ( )that sink into the sepulchre, i.e., the dead; comp. Psa 28:1; Psa 88:4; Psa 143:7.
Pro 1:13-14. Reasons for the treacherous proposal of the murderers.Thou shalt cast in thy lot among usi.e., thou shalt, as one having equal right with us, cast lots for the spoil, comp. Psa 22:18; Neh 10:35.
Pro 1:15 sq. The warning,given as an apodosis to the condition supposed in Pro 1:11. As to the figurative expressions in Pro 1:15, comp. Psa 1:1; Jer 14:10; Pro 4:26; for Pro 1:16 compare Isa 59:7, and the passage suggested by it, Rom 3:15. Without adequate grounds, Hitzig conjectures that Pro 1:16 is spurious, because, he says, it agrees almost literally with Isaiah (as cited), and, on the other hand, is wanting in the Cod. Vatic. of the LXX. Literal quotations from earlier Biblical writers are in Isaiah above all others nothing uncommon; and with quite as little reason will the omission of a verse from the greatly corrupted LXX text of our book furnish ground, without other evidence, for suspecting its genuineness (see Introd., 13).
Pro 1:17. The winged (properly lords of the wing; , as in Ecc 10:20) is hardly a figurative designation of those plotted against by the robbers, and threatened by treacherous schemes, so that the meaning would be in vain do they lie in wait for their victims; these become aware of their danger, and so their prize, escapes the assailants (so Dderlein, Ziegler, Bertheau, Elster, etc.). For 1) the causal conj. for () authorizes us to look for a direct reason for the warning contained in Pro 1:15; Proverbs 2) the allusion to the possible failure of the plans of the wicked men would not be a moral motive, but a mere prudential consideration, such as would harmonize very poorly with the general drift of the passage before us; and 3) the expression before the eyes () stands evidently in significant contrast with in vain (); it is designed to set the fact that the net is clearly in sight over against the fact that the birds nevertheless fly into it,and so to exhibit their course as wholly irrational.Therefore we should interpret with Umbreit, Ewald, Hitzig, etc.; like thoughtless birds that with open eyes fly into the net, so sinners while plotting destruction for others plunge themselves in ruin. Only with this explanation, with which we may compare Job 18:8, will the import of Pro 1:18 agree: there and these, these also () puts the sinners in an emphatic way side by side (not in contrast) with the birds, and the suffixes designate the own blood, the own souls of the sinners. Between the two verses there is therefore the relation of an imperfectly developed comparison suggested by the also () as in Pro 25:25; Pro 27:21; comp. Introd., 14. [The view of English expositors is divided, like that of the German scholars cited by our author. Bishop Hall, Trapp, Henry and Noyes, e.g. agree with him in finding here a comparison, while DOyly and Mant, Holden, Bridges, Wordsworth, Stuart, Muenscher find a contrast. The argument based on the particles and it must be admitted has very little force; for (see Ewald, 321, b.) may be used positively or negatively in intense asseveration, yea, surely, or nay; while , it is well known, has a very generous variety of uses, among which is the antithetic, in which case it may be rendered but or and yet (Ewald, 330, a.).A.].They lie in wait for their own lives. The LXX, which at the end of this verse adds the peculiar but hardly genuine clause, (and the destruction of transgressors is evil, or great) seems, instead of they lie in wait for their own lives ( ) to have read they heap up evil ( ); for it renders the second number by (they treasure up evils for themselves). Comp. Heidenheim in the article cited in the Introd., 13, note 1.
Pro 1:19. Retrospect and conclusion; comp. Job 8:13; Job 18:21.Spoil () gain unlawfully acquired, as in Pro 28:16. The combination is found also in Pro 15:27. The subject of the verb takes () is ; the life of its owner it, unjust gain, takes away. Luther, following the LXX, Vulgate, and most of the ancient expositors, renders that one (i.e., of the rapacious) takes life from another. But the idea ownership, owner () has no reference to the relation between partners in violence and those like themselves, but to that existing between an object possessed and its possessor.
4. Pro 1:20-33. After this warning against the desperate counsels of the wicked there follows in this second admonitory discourse a warning against the irrational and perverse conduct of fools. In the former case it was contempt of the fear of God, in the latter it is contempt of wisdom against which the warning is directed. Both passages, therefore, refer back distinctly to the motto that introduces them in Pro 1:7. The admonition against folly, which is now to be considered, is put appropriately into the mouth of wisdom personified,as is also, later in the book, the discourse on the nature and the origin of wisdom (Pro 8:1 sq).On the street and in public places wisdom makes herself heard; not In secret, for she need not be ashamed of her teaching, and because she is a true friend of the people seeking the welfare of all, and therefore follows the young and simple, the foolish and ungodly, everywhere where they resort; comp. Christs command to His disciples, Mat 10:27; Luk 14:21, As in these passages of the New Testament, so in that before us, human teachers (the wise men, or the prophets, according to Ecclesiast. Pro 24:33; Wis 7:27) are to be regarded as the intermediate instrumentality in the public preaching of wisdom.
Pro 1:21. In the places of greatest tumult she calleth, etc. The tumultuous (), comp. Isa 22:2; 1Ki 1:41, can signify here nothing but the public streets full of tumult, the thoroughfares. The beginning () of these highways or thoroughfares is, as if were, their corner; the whole expression points to boisterous public places. The LXX seem to have read walls, since it translates [on high walls]. Before the second clause the same version has the addition [and at the gates of the mighty she sits], an expansion of the figure in which there is no special pertinence. In the city () is probably to be regarded as a closer limitation of at the entrances of the gates ( ), i.e., on the inner, the city side of the entrances at the gates: it is not then to be regarded as an antithesis, as Umbreit, Bertheau, Hitzig, etc., claim, [nor is it to be detached and connected with the next clause, as Stuart claims].
Pro 1:22. How long, ye simple, will ye love simplicity? The discourse of Wisdom begins in the same way as Psa 4:2. In regard to the distinction between simple () and scorner (), comp. Introd. 3, note 2; and above, the remarks on Pro 1:4.The perfect tense in the second clause (), which standing between the imperfects of the 1James , 3 d clauses is somewhat unusual, is to be conceived of as inchoative (like the verb despise in Pro 1:7), and therefore properly signifies become fond of, and not be fond of. [See, however, the critical note on this verse].
Pro 1:23. Turn ye at my reproof,i.e., from your evil and perverse way. I will pour out upon you my spirit. The spirit of wisdom is to flow forth copiously, like a never-failing spring; comp. Pro 18:4; and with reference to the verb pour out () which unites in itself the figures of abundant fullness and refreshing invigoration (Umbreit, Elster) comp. Pro 15:2; Psa 78:2; Psa 119:171.
Pro 1:24, in connection with 25, is an antecedent clause introduced by because (), to which Pro 1:26-27 correspond as conclusion. The perfects and imperfects with consec. in the protasis describe a past only in relation to the verbs of the apodosis, and may therefore well be rendered by the present, as Luther has done: Because I call and ye refuse, etc. To stretch forth the hand, in order to beckon to one, is a sign of calling for attention,as in Isa 65:2. The verb in Pro 1:25, f. c. () is doubtless not undervalue, despise as Hitzig explains, following the analogy of the Arabic), but cast off, reject, as in Pro 4:15, (Umbreit, Ewald, Elster and commentators generally; comp. Luthers let go, fahren lassen). [As between the two the English Version is equivocal, set at naught].
Pro 1:26. Laugh and mock ( and ) here as in Psa 2:4.
Pro 1:27 depicts the style and manner in which calamity comes upon fools, and accumulates expression to work upon the fancy (Hitzig). Instead of the Kthibh according to the Kri we should read , and this should be interpreted in the sense of tempest (comp. Pro 3:25; Zep 1:15). Thus most commentators correctly judge, while Hitzig defends for the expression the signification cataract, which however is appropriate in none of the passages adduced, and also fails in Job 30:14 (comp. Delitzsch on this passage).In regard to the alliteration distress and anguish, comp. Isa 30:6; Zep 1:15.
Pro 1:28. They shall seek me diligently , a denominative verb from , the morning dawn, signifies to seek something while it is yet early, in the obscurity of the morning twilight, and so illustrates eager, diligent seeking. [Of the recent commentators in English, Noyes only retains and emphasizes the rendering of the E. V., they shall seek me early. The rest do not find the idea of time in the verb, except by suggestion.A.]. Comp., with respect to the general idea of the verse, Pro 8:17; Hos 5:15. [Observe also the force of the transition from the 2d person of the preceding verse, to the 3d person in this and the verses following.A.].
Pro 1:29. The because ( ) is not dependent on Pro 1:28, but introduces the four-fold antecedent clause (Pro 1:29-30), which Pro 1:31 follows as its conclusion. With Pro 1:31 comp. Isa 3:10; Psa 88:3; Psa 123:4, where the figure of satiety with a thing expresses likewise the idea of experiencing the evil consequences of a mode of action. , evil devices, as also Psa 5:10.
Pro 1:32-33. Confirmatory and concluding propositions, connected by for ()., turning away from wisdom and its salutary discipline, therefore resistance, rebelliousness. Comp. Jer 8:5, Hos 11:5, where it signifies turning away or departure from God. Security () idle, easy rest, the carnal security of the obdurate; comp. Jer 22:21. A beautiful contrast to this false ease is presented in the true peace of the wise and devout, as Pro 1:33 describes it.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
As long ago as the time of Melanchthon it was recognized as a significant fact, that wisdom claims as her hearers and pupils not only the simple, the young and the untaught, but those also who are already advanced in the knowledge of truth, the wise and experienced. He remarks on Pro 1:5 : To his proposition he adds an admonition what the hearer ought to be. A wise hearer will profit, as saith the Lord: To him that hath shall be given. And again, He shall give the Holy Spirit to those that seek, not to those that despise, not to those that oppose with barbarous and savage fierceness. These despisers of God, the Epicureans and the like, he here says do not profit, but others, in whom are the beginnings of the fear of God, and who seek to be controlled by God, as it is said: Ask and ye shall receive.3 Susceptibility therefore both must manifest,those who are beginners under the instruction of wisdom, and those who are more advanced; otherwise there is no progress for them. It is indeed divine wisdom in regard to the acquisition of which these assertions are made; and in the possession of this wisdom, and in the communication of it as a teacher, no man here below ever attains perfection, so as to need no further teaching. It is precisely as it is within the department of the New Testament with the duty of faith, and of growth in believing knowledge, which duty in no stage of the Christian life in this world ever loses its validity and its binding power. Comp. Luk 17:5; Eph 4:15-16; Col 1:11; Col 2:19; 2Th 1:3; 2Pe 3:18.
2. The thoroughly religious character of wisdom as our book designs to inculcate it, appears not only in the jewel which sparkles foremost in its necklace of proverbs (Pro 1:7 : The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, etc.), but also in the fact that in the introductory admonition, in Pro 1:10, it is Sinners (so designated without preamble or qualification), the (Luther, the base knaves, die bsen Buben), whose seductive conduct is put in contrast with the normal deportment of the disciple of wisdom. Observe further that in the very superscription, Pro 1:2-3, the ideas of discipline, righteousness, justice and uprightness are appended to that of wisdom as synonymous with it. The wise man is therefore eo ipso, also the just, the pious, the upright, the man who walks the way of truth. Inasmuch, however, as the ideas of righteousness, justice and uprightness ( , ,), here, as every where else in the Old Testament, express the idea of correspondence with the revealed moral law, the law, the law of Moses, therefore the wise man is the man who acts and walks in accordance with law, the true observer of the law, who walks in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (Luk 1:6; comp. Deu 5:33; Deu 6:22; Psa 119:1). True wisdom, knowledge, and spiritual culture, are to be found within the sphere of Old Testament revelation only where the law of the Lord is truly observed. Mere morality in the sense of the modern humanitarian free-thinking and polite culture could not at all show itself there; moral rectitude must also always be at the same time legal rectitude. Nay it stands enacted also under the New Testament that whosoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven (Mat 5:19); that the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith, together with its less significant demands, must be fulfilled (Mat 23:23); that he only can be called a possessor of the wisdom that is from above, and a perfect man, who offends not in word (Jam 3:2; Jam 3:17). The fear of the Lord, which according to Pro 1:7 is the beginning of wisdom, while again in Pro 1:29 it is presented as the synonyme of the same idea (comp. Pro 2:5; Pro 9:10, etc.) consists, once for all, in a complete devotion to God, an unconditional subjection of ones own individuality to the beneficent will of God as revealed in the law (comp. Deu 6:2; Deu 6:13; Deu 10:20; Deu 13:4; Psa 119:63, etc.). How then can he be regarded as fearing God, who should keep only a part of the divine commands, or who should undertake to fulfil them only according to their moral principle, and did not seek also to make the embodying letter of their formal requirements the standard of his lifein the Old Testament with literal strictness, in the New Testament in spirit and in truth?
From these observations it will appear what right Bruch has to maintain (in the work before cited, p. 128), that in the collection of the Proverbs of Solomon, and in general in the gnomic writers of Israel, the idea of wisdom is substituted for that of righteousness which is common in other parts of the Old Testament. Righteousness and wisdom according to this view would be essentially exclusive the one of the other; since the former conception had usually attached itself to a ceremonial righteousness through works, and had appeared to make too little reference to the theoretical conditions of all higher moral culture. In the Introduction, ( 15, note) we have already commented on the one-sidedness and the misconception involved in this view, according to which the doctrine of wisdom (the Hhokmah-system) was Antinomian and rationalistic in the sense of the purely neggative Protestantism of modern times. Further arguments in its refutation we shall have occasion to adduce in the exposition of the several passages there cited (see particularly Pro 14:9; Pro 28:4 sq.; Pro 29:18; Pro 29:24, etc.) See also the doctrinal observations on Pro 3:9.
3. That the reckless transgressor destroys himself by his ungodly course, that he runs with open eyes into the net of destruction spread out before him, and, as it were, lies in wait for his own life to strangle it,this truth clearly presented in Pro 1:17-18 is a characteristic and favorite tenet in the teaching of wisdom in the Old Testament. Comp. particularly Pro 8:36, where wisdom exclaims Whoso sinneth against me, wrongeth his own soul; all they that hate me love death. So also Pro 15:32; Pro 26:27; Ecc 10:8; Psa 7:15; Sir 27:29 (the figure of the pit which the wicked digs, to fall into it at last himself). But in the Prophets also essentially the same thought recurs; thus when Jehovah (in Eze 18:31; Eze 33:11) exclaims Why will ye die, ye of the house of Israel? Of passages from the New Testament we may cite here Rom 2:5; 1Ti 6:9-10; Gal 6:8; Jam 5:3-5, etc. Both propositions are alike true, that true wisdom, being one with the fear of God and righteousness, is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her (Pro 3:18; Pro 11:30; Pro 15:4; comp. Pro 4:13; Pro 4:22; Pro 19:23, etc.),and that on the other hand a walking in folly and in forgetfulness of God is a slow self-murder, a destruction of ones own life and happiness. See the two concluding propositions of our chapter (Pro 1:32-33) and the admirable poetic development of this contrast in the Psa 1:4. The explanation given above (on Pro 1:20) of the fact that wisdom is exhibited as preaching upon the streets, i.e., in reference to her benevolent and philanthropic character, which impels her to follow sinners, and to make the great masses of the needy among the people the object of her instructive and converting activity, seems to us to correspond better with the spirit of the doctrine of wisdom in the Old Testament, than either that of Umbreit, according to which it is only in busy life that the rich stream of experience springs forth, from which wisdom is drawn, or that of Ewald, which recognizes, in the free public appearance of wisdom an effective contrast to the light-shunning deeds, and the secret consultations of the sinners who have just been described, (which explanation, besides, would apply only to this passage, and not to its parallels in Pro 8:2-3, and Pro 9:3). The tendency of the Old Testament Hhokmah. was essentially popular, looking to the increased prosperity of the nation, to the promotion of philanthropic ends in the noblest sense of the word. Love, true philanthropy is everywhere the keynote to its doctrines and admonitions. Forgiving, patient love (Pro 10:12), love that does good even to enemies (Pro 25:11 sq.), which does not rejoice over an enemys calamity (Pro 24:17 sq.), which does not recompense like with like (Pro 24:28 sq.), but commits all to God (Pro 20:22), love in its manifold varieties, as conjugal love, parental love, the love of a friend, is here recommended with the clearness of the New Testament and the most expressive cordiality. (Delitzsch, as above cited, p. 716). Why then should not that yearning and saving love for sinners which ventures into the whirl and tumult of great crowds to bear testimony to divine truth, and to reclaim lost souls,why should not this also constitute a chief characteristic in this spiritual state modelled so much like the standard of the New Testament? It appearsin how many passages!as the type of, nay, as one with the spirit of Him who also spake freely and openly before the world, in the synagogue and in the temple whither the Jews always resorted (Joh 18:20); who, when He said something in secret to His disciples, did it only to the end that they should afterward preach it upon the house-tops (Mat 10:27); who allowed himself to be taunted as a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners, because He had come to seek and to save the lost (Mat 11:19; Luk 19:10). It is at least significant that the Lord, just in that passage in which he is treating of the publicity of His working, and of the impression which His condescending intercourse with publicans, sinners and the mass of the people had made upon the Jews, designates Himself distinctly (together with His herald and forerunner, John the Baptist) as the personal Wisdom; Mat 11:19; Luk 7:35. It is as though He had by this expression intended to call up in fresh remembrance Solomons representation of wisdom preaching in the streets, and to refer to His own identity with the spirit of the Old Testament revelation that spoke through this wisdom (the spirit of Christ, 1Pe 1:11). Comp. Mart. Geier and Starke on this passage. These authors appropriately remind us of the universality of the New Testaments proclamation of salvation, and its call penetrating everywhere (Rom 10:18; Col 1:6; Col 1:28); they are in error, however, in suspecting in the supposed plural (Pro 1:18) an intimation of the numberless ways in which wisdom is proclaimed in the world. The true conception of this seeming plural may be found above in the Exegetical and Critical Notes on this passage.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Homily upon the entire first chapter. Solomons discourse upon wisdom as the highest good. 1) Its design, for young and old, learned and unlearned (Pro 1:1-6). 2) Its substance: commendation of the fear of God as the beginning and essence of all wisdom (Pro 1:7). 3) Its aim: a) warning against betrayal into profligacy as being the opposite of the fear of God (Pro 1:8-19); b) warning against the foolish conduct of the world as being the opposite of wisdom (Pro 1:20-33).The wisdom of the Old Testament as a type of true Christian feeling and action: a) with respect to God as the supreme author and chief end of all moral effort (Pro 1:1-9); b) with respect to the world, as the seducing power, that draws away from communion with God (Pro 1:10-19); c) with respect to the way and manner in which Divine wisdom itself reveals itself as an earnest and yet loving preacher of righteousness (Pro 1:20-33).Fear of God the one thing that is needful in all conditions of life: a) in youth as well as in age (Pro 1:4 sq.); b) in circumstances of temptation (Pro 1:10 sq.); c) in the tumult and unrest of public life (Pro 1:20 sq.); d) in prosperity and adversity (Pro 1:27 sq.).
Stcker:Threefold attributes of the lover of wisdom: 1) in relation to God: the fear of God (17); 2) in relation to ones neighbors,and specifically, a) to ones parents; obedience (8, 9); b) to others: the avoidance of evil company (1019); 3) in relation to ones self; diligent use of the opportunity to become acquainted with wisdom.
Separate passages.
Pro 1:1-6. See above, Doctrinal and Ethical principles. 1.
Starke:The aim of the book, and that which should be learned from it, are pointed out in these verses in various almost equivalent words. The aim is, however, substantially twofold: 1) that the evil in man be put away; 2) that good be learned and practised.Wohlfarth:the necessity of the culture of our mind and heart. Not the cultivated, but the undisciplined, oppose the law ! God will have all men come to the knowledge of the truth, 1Ti 1:4.[Pro 1:4. Cartwright (quoted by Bridges):Over the gates of Platos school it was writtenLet no one who is not a geometrician enter. But very different is the inscription over these doors of SolomonLet the ignorant, simple, foolish, young, enter!]
Pro 1:7-9. The blessedness of the fear of God, and the unblessed condition of forgetfulness of God,illustrated in the relation 1) of children to their parents; 2) of subjects to authorities; 3) of Christians to Christ, the Lord of the Church.The proposition The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom must constitute the foundation of all the culture of the children of God, as the experience of the truth that to love Christ is better than all knowledge is to constitute its capstone and completion.
Pro 1:8-9, in general a peculiarly appropriate text for a sermon on education.Luther (a marginal comment on Pro 1:7). He who would truly learn must first be a man fearing God. He, however, who despises God asks for no wisdom, suffers no chastisement nor discipline.Melanchthon (on Pro 1:7):The fear of God, which is one with true reverence for God, includes: 1) right knowledge of God; 2) a genuine standing in fear before God; 3) faith, or the believing consecration to God, which distinguishes this fear from all servile dread, and fleeing from God; 4) the worship of God which aids to a true reconciliation with Him, a well ordered and assured control of the whole life. Therefore the fear of God is not merely beginningit is quite the sum of all wisdom, the right manager of all our counsels in prosperity and adversity.Melanchthon (again) on Pro 1:8-9 :He only reveals genuine fear of God who hearkens to the divinely instituted ministry (ministerium docendi) in the Church; and to this ministry parents also belong, so far forth as they are to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Eph 6:4. Forsake not the law of thy mother, i.e., hearken always to the word of God as it has been communicated to the Church, and through the Church to all the children of God in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles. As a reward God here promises to those who practise this obedience to His word a wreath upon the head and a beautiful necklace about the neck. The wreath betokens dominion, distinction, successful results in all that one undertakes for himself and others, so that he becomes an instrument of blessing and a vessel of mercy for the people of God, according to the type of the devout kings, David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, etc., and not a vessel of wrath after the likeness of a Saul, Absalom, etc. The necklace signifies the gift of discourse, or of the command of wholesome doctrine, through the power of the word.Starke (on Pro 1:7):True wisdom is no such thing as the heathen sages taught, built upon reason and the human powers, inflated, earthly, and useless with respect to salvation; but it is the wisdom that is from above, which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (Jam 3:17). The fear of God is, however, of two kinds, the servile and the childlike; and only the latter is here meant, 1Jn 4:18.On Pro 1:8-9. From the fear of God as belonging to the first table of the law, Solomon passes on to the second table, and begins with obedience to parents: in this connection however it is assumed that parents also fulfil their duty, with regard to the correct instruction of their children; Eph 6:4.Zeltner:Many simple ones, who, however, fear God from the heart, have made such progress in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, that they have outstripped many of the learned. True wisdom is easy to be learned, if only there be true fear of God in the heart, Ecclesiast. Pro 1:22 sq.Lange:(Salom. Licht und Recht). The fear of God is a desire flowing from the knowledge of the essence of all essencesof the will and the gracious acts of God,a sincere desire heartily to love Him as the highest good, in deepest humility to honor Him, in child-like confidence to hope the best from Him, and to serve Him with denial of self, willingly and steadfastly; and all this in conformity to His revealed will. Comp. above, Melanchthon, and also S. Bohlius, Ethica Sacra: To fear God is nothing but to follow God, or to imitate none but God.4
[Pro 1:7. Arnot:What God is inspires awe; what God has done for His people commands affection. See here the centrifugal and centripetal forces of the moral world, holding the creature reverently distant from the Creator, yet compassing the child about with everlasting love, to keep him near a Father in heaven.
Pro 1:8. This verse of the Proverbs flows from the same well spring that had already given forth the fifth commandment.]
Pro 1:10-19. Calwer Handbuch: The first rule for youth, Follow father and mother, is immediately followed by the second, Follow not base fellows.Starke:As a good education of children lays the first foundation for their true well being, so temptation lays the first foundation for their destruction.The world, in order the better to lead others astray, is wont to adorn its vices with the finest colors. There be most of all on thy guard; where the world is most friendly it is most dangerous. It is a poisoned sweetmeat.If thou art Gods child, engrafted in Christ the living vine by holy baptism, thou hast received from Him new powers to hate evil and conquer all temptations.On Pro 1:16-19 :The ungodly have in their wickedness their calamity also,and must (by its law) prepare this for one another.Luther (marginal comment on Pro 1:17): This is a proverb, and means It fares with them as is said, In vain is the net, etc.; i.e., their undertaking will fail, they will themselves perish.
[Pro 1:10. Arnot:This verse, in brief compass and transparent terms, reveals the foe and the fight. With a kindness and wisdom altogether paternal, it warns the youth of the Danger that assails him, and suggests the method of Defence.]
Pro 1:20 sq. Geier (on Pro 1:20-21):All this declares the fervor and diligence of heavenly wisdom in alluring and drawing all to itself: just as a herald with full lungs and clear voice endeavors to summon all to him.Lange:Eternal wisdom sends forth a call of goodness and grace to the pious, and a call to holiness and righteousness addressed to the ungodly. O that all would read and use aright this record written out thus in capitals!Calwer Handb.:Wisdoms walk through the streets. The Lord and His Spirit follows us every where with monition and reminder. Here wisdom is portrayed especially as warning against the evil consequences of disobedience, and as pointing to the blessings of obedience.Wohlfarth: The words of grief over the unthankfulness and blindness of men which Solomon here puts into the mouth of wisdom,we hear them, alas! even to-day. Truth has become .the common property of all men: in thousands upon thousands of churches and schools, from the mouth of innumerable teachers, in millions of written works, it speaks, instructs, warns, pleads, adjures, so that we with wider meaning than Solomon can say, it is preached in highways and byways. If, on the one hand, we must greatly rejoice over this, how should we not in the same measure mourn that so many despise and scorn this call of wisdom! Is it not fearful to observe how parents innumerable keep their children from schoolshow many despise the preaching of the gospel, etc.? Let us therefore learn how slow man is to good, how inclined to evil, how careless he is just in connection with his richest privileges, etc.
Pro 1:22 sq. Starke:Wisdom divides men here into three classes: 1) The simple or foolish: 2) mockers; 3) the abandoned. Through her call, Turn you at my reproof, etc., she aims to transform these into prudent, thoughtful, devout men.No one can receive the Holy Spirit of Christ and be enlightened with Divine wisdom, and not turn to the sacrifice of Christ (Joh 14:15 sq.Pro 16:7 sq.), renounce evil, and begin a new life (Psa 34:15).Lange :If man does not follow the counsel of eternal wisdom, but walks according to the impulse of his own will, he comes at last to the judgment of obduracy.W. Stein (Fast day sermon on Pro 1:23-33):How does eternal, heavenly wisdom aim to awaken us to penitence? 1) She uncovers our sins; 2) she proclaims heavy judgments; 3) she offers us shelter and points out the way of eternal salvation.[Pro 1:23. Flavel:This great conjunction of the word and Spirit makes that blessed season of salvation the time of love and of life.J. Howe:When it is said, Turn, etc., could any essay to turn be without some influence of the Spirit? But that complied with tends to pouring forth a copious effusion not to be withstood.Arnot:The command is given not to make the promise unnecessary, but to send us to it for help. The promise is given not to supersede the command, but to encourage us in the effort to obey.When we turn at His reproof, He will pour out His Spirit; when He pours out His Spirit, we will turn at His reproof; blessed circle for saints to reason in.
Pro 1:24-28. Arnot:When mercy was sovereign, mercy used judgment for carrying out mercys ends; when mercys reign is over and judgments reign begins, then judgment will sovereignly take mercy past, and wield it to give weight to the vengeance stroke.
Pro 1:32. South:Prosperity ever dangerous to virtue: 1) because every foolish or vicious person is either ignorant or regardless of the proper ends and rules for which God designs the prosperity of those to whom He sends it; 2) because prosperity, as the nature of man now stands, has a peculiar force and fitness to abate mens virtues and heighten their corruptions; 3) because it directly indisposes them to the proper means of amendment and recovery.Baxter:Because they are fools they turn Gods mercies to their own destruction; and because they prosper, they are confirmed in their folly.]
Footnotes:
[3]Propostioni addit admonitionem, qualem oporteat auditorem esse. Sapiens auditor proficiet, sicut Dominus inquit: Habenti dabitur. Item: Dabit spiritum sanctum petentibus, non contemnentibus, non repugnantibus barbarica et cyclopica ferocia. Hos contemptores Dei, ut Epicureos et similes, ait hic non proficere, sed alios, in quibus sunt initia timoris Dei, et qui petunt se regi a Deo, sicut dicitur Petite et accipietis.
[4]Timere Deum nihil aliud est quam sequi Deum sive neminem imitari prter Deum.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS.
The general design of parables is here described. A number of select maxims are given, and the object of the whale volume is set forth in shewing that it is to bring men acquainted with Gad, as the beginning and end of all wisdom.
Pro 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
We have here the title of the book and the name of the Author of it. But as the book itself forms a part of, the sacred scriptures, and carries With it in many parts, decided testimonies of its inspiration, we should be always upon the look out for Him, on whose account all scripture was written, and for the promotion of whose glory in the salvation a his church and people all was intended. Reader! let you and study to find Christ as we go over the book of the Proverbs. And while we are reading the Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, recollect that our Jedidiah, our beloved of the Lord, was also the Son of David, after the flesh, and both king of Israel, and King of kings and Lord of lords. Precious Jesus! do thou, by both Writer and Reader, while we are attending to these parables, as thou didst by thy disciples in the days of thy flesh, when we are alone with thee, do thou expound all things to us concerning thyself. Mar 4:34 ; 2Sa 12:25
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 1
Ruskin writes: ‘Read this first of Proverbs with me, please. The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel.
‘”To know wisdom and instruction.”
‘(Not to opine them.)
‘”To perceive the words of understanding.”
‘(He that hath eyes, let him read he that hath ears, hear, and for the Blind and the Deaf, if patient and silent by the roadside, there may also be some one to say, “He is coming”.)
‘”To receive the instruction of Wisdom, Justice, and Judgment, and Equity.”
‘Four things, Oh friends, which you have not only to perceive but to receive.’
Fors Clavigera, Letter LXXVII.
References. I. 1. J. B. Mozley, Sermons Parochial and Occasional, p. 96. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, p. 9. I. 1-19. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Esther, Job, Proverbs, etc., p. 71. I. 6. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, p. 14. I. 7. Henry Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. vii. p. 1. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, p. 17. I. 8. Ibid. p. 21. I. 9. Ibid. p. 25.
Tempters
Pro 1:10
I. A danger implied. It is the nature of sin to be aggressive. No person was ever guilty of only one sin. His first sin might aptly have been called Gad ‘a troop cometh’. There was never one sinner yet who did not try to make another like himself. On earth there is a huge propaganda of evil. Hence this world is a place of danger to the young and inexperienced.
II. A method exposed ‘entice’. The tempter proceeds indirectly and flatteringly. Among his enticements are (1) increase of knowledge, (2) pleasure, (3) love of liberty, (4) nobody will ever know.
III. Resistance enforced ‘Consent thou not’. There must not be a particle of ‘Yes’ in your ‘No’. Say it at the right time and in the right way. Remember these two maxims as regards our moral actions: the necessity of choice in matters of conduct; and when conscience is clear let there be no further parley.
IV. The safeguard of holy memories ‘My son’. Open the book of memory at the page where a father’s solicitude and a mother’s love is recorded for you.
V. This may be viewed as the utterance of God. He unfolds to us His Fatherhood in Christ, and beseeches us to resist sin.
W. M. Taylor, The Sermon Year Book, 1891, p. 354.
Temptation
Pro 1:10
If this book of Proverbs appeals so especially to the young, there is reason and justification for this. For the most part, youth has a decisive bearing upon after years. The principles must then be formed which shall govern the whole of life. Wisdom, therefore, makes an especial effort to rescue the young from danger, and to guide them into safety, peace, and life. There is appropriateness in dissuasion combined with precept.
I. Life a Scene of Temptation. There are two things to be considered in order to understand this:
1. The instigations to evil which from without beset and attack every human being, of whatever age and condition.
2. The natural inclination towards evil, which from within gives such force to the external invitations. The two, concurring and conspiring, render life an arena of moral conflict.
II. Youth Especially the Period of Temptation. The wise man addresses his ‘son,’ sympathizing with the young, remembering his own youth, and anxious to deliver youthful pilgrims from the snares which abound in their path.
1. In youth the passions are strongest, by which human nature is often urged aside from the ways of wisdom and piety, of virtue and true happiness.
2. In youth the principles and habits are unformed.
3. In youth inexperience exposes to the arts of the crafty and the vile.
III. Evil Companionship a Powerful Means of Temptation. Society is sought by the young, who look to this for much of their happiness. There is always danger lest they should be deceived by the speciousness of outward attractions, and should fail justly to estimate the character of associates. Thus they are liable to influence by
1. The example of bad companions. ‘Evil communications corrupt good manners.’
2. The actual invitations to sinful courses from those whose influence it is not easy to resist.
IV. Divine Grace should be Sought in Order to the Resistance of Temptation. 1. Temptation may be withstood. The excuse is sometimes made, ‘The temptation was too strong for me’. But it is not the case that the temptation is too strong; rather is the tempted too weak. God with every temptation makes a way of escape, and men are not shut up to sin.
2. Watchfulness and prayer alone can preserve in the case of temptation. If the young set out upon their course relying upon their own wisdom and strength, they will surely fall. Divine strength alone can overcome; there is no other safety than that which lies in distrust of self and confidence in God.
References. I. 10. W. Taylor, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xl. 1891, p. 81. F. B. Cowl, Straight Tracks, p. 82. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth. I. 19. Ibid. p. 44. I. 20. Ibid. p. 49. H. J. Wilmot-Buxton, Sunday Lessons for Daily Life, p. 147. E. A. Trench, God’s Message Through Modern Doubt, p. 59. I. 20-33. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Esther, Job, Proverbs, etc., p. 77. I. 23. G. Matheson, Voices of the Spirit, p. 56. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, p. 55. I. 24-28. Ibid. p. 59. I. 26. N. D. Hillis, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lvii. 1900, p. 328. I. 30, 31. F. B. Woodward, Sermons (2nd Series), p. 182. II. 1-5. Harvey Goodwin, Parish Sermons, p. 239. II. 4, 5. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, p. 66. II. 10,11. Ibid. p. 77. A. Maclaren, Outlines of Sermons on the Old Testament, p. 156. II. 12-19. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, p. 72. II. 17. Henry Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. vii. p. 16. III. 1. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, p. 77. III. 1-10. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Esther, Job, Proverbs, etc., p. 84. III. 3. H. Ward Beecher, Sermons (2nd Series), p. 271. W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, p. 81. III. 5. Ibid. p. 85. G. Salmon, Non-Miraculous Christianity, p. 218.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
The Proverbs of Solomon
Pro 1:1-19
The Book of Proverbs is not to be regarded simply as a collection of wise sayings, genial sentiments, prudent guesses, or affectionate exhortations. The book may be viewed, on the contrary, as representing the very science of practical philosophy. The proverb or saying is invariably put down after the event, and not before it In the latter case it would rank only with suggestions and speculations, but in the former case it expresses an accomplished and well-established fact. Viewed in this light, the Proverbs are supreme moral riches. We find in them what the wisest men in ancient times have proved to be the truth in the most practical aspects of life. When they speak of sin and penalty they not only propound a philosophy, they record a personal and general experience. When they praise understanding they can support their commendation by the largest indebtedness to its guidance and protection. When they say the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, they say in effect that, having tried every other form of so-called wisdom, they have been brought to the conclusion that only he is wise who puts his trust in the living God and obeys the will of heaven. In this way let us carefully distinguish between sentiment and reality, moral poetry and moral experience, the guesses of sagacity and the testimony of earnest life.
It is not necessary to suppose that Solomon is the author of all the Proverbs in this book. He may have been the collector or editor, as well as the originator. Let us regard the Proverbs as a moral note-book, or practical guide to life; it will then be doubly interesting to look into a guide drawn up by no less an authority than “Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.” Sir Walter Scott has said that the question ought not only to be, What is said? but also, Who said it? In this instance the author is one of the most illustrious men in all history. He did not occupy the cell of a hermit, or limit himself by the prejudices of a narrow class, or shut out light from any quarter; he was a man of large mind, of determined will, and of a most inquiring and resolute spirit. It should therefore be keenly interesting to us to know what such a man has brought back from the fields of experience, and what he has set down with the sanction of his own name. We could have declined the advice of a monastic, on the ground that he knew nothing of the length and breadth of life; we could have listened with indifference to the moralising of a mere philosopher, and have justified our inattention by the plea that he was acquainted only with words and phrases, and not with the actual discipline of life; but when Solomon, who swept the whole circle of social experience, seats himself in the preceptor’s chair, and undertakes to teach the young and the simple words of understanding, we are bound to listen to him as one who has authority to speak an authority not only highly intellectual, but intensely practical. What, then, was Solomon’s view of life? His tone is marked by the deepest sobriety. We may not fall back upon the errors of his life for the purpose of setting aside the urgency of his moral exhortations; if we are wise we shall rather regard these errors as adding new cogency to his pleas and persuasions. The man who has been in the pit can speak most vividly about its depth and darkness. He who is bruised in every limb can best tell how strong is the foe with whom the young man has to deal in the conflict incident to opening life.
“To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion” ( Pro 1:2-4 ).
Here is a great proposal, nothing less than to invest the young man with wisdom and clothe him with honour and discretion. Not a word is said about riches or social position. Solomon had proved the vanity of these things. He distinctly shows that it is possible for a young man to lead an intellectual life, and to ennoble that life by moral purity and beneficence, so that there shall not only be intense mental brilliance, but solid and useful character. The mind was made for wisdom and instruction. Commonplace as this remark may appear, yet its recognition lies at the root of all true endeavour to increase in judgment and wisdom. Frivolity cannot satisfy the mind. Things finite leave the mind in a discontented temper. All things that may be gathered by the hand, and measured by the eye, and estimated by figures of arithmetic, have been proved to be but transient blessings. Yet who can define understanding, wisdom, justice, judgment, equity, honour, and discretion? These seem to be but sentimental terms or symbols of things impossible. The young man is not expected to realise their full meaning at once, nor does it lie within his power to do so. The growth of wisdom is like the increase of light, shining more and more from dawn to noon. We cannot tell when we become really wise, so gradual, so imperceptible is the process. Yet there is no doubt of the growth, for it is testified in innumerable ways. Little by little we see further and see more clearly, and grasp more intricate combinations, and feel enabled to judge larger occasions and interests than before. Wisdom is nothing so long as it is confined to the mind of the silent or inactive student; it is when wisdom is put to the test of experience, when it can find its way in the dark without stumbling, when it can answer the deepest questions of the heart, when it can excel all other comfort which has been offered to the sorrow of life, that it proves its true compass and its genuine power. The young man should begin life as a listener. For a long time he should be almost silent. The world is now old enough to require great meditation in order to comprehend the issues of its experience. But whilst the young man is preserving a wise silence, he should at the same time be storing his mind with such instruction as admits of being applied to real necessities and demands. A fancy-wisdom, if it may be so called, is a mere intellectual vanity. It is possible to be intellectually industrious and yet for all the industry to end in moral uselessness. The two processes should be combined namely, the pursuit of wisdom, and the pursuit of such wisdom as admits of being brought into utility in judgment and operation. This is what is called practical wisdom. It saves the mind from mere vanity, and whilst stimulating the intellectual power it lifts the whole character to a higher and better level.
“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings” ( Pro 1:5-6 ).
“Appetite grows by what it feeds on.” Listening is a sign of wisdom. Wisdom is not self-complete, in the sense of being final in its revelations to the human mind. What wisdom has given is but an earnest of what it will give to the listening and inquiring soul. The wise man hears with a view to an “increase of learning.” To stop learning is really to prove that we have never begun it. This is true of Scriptural as well as of general learning. The meaning of the Bible is not limited by the letter. The best commentary upon the Bible is the history of mankind as we see it proceeding day by day. The Bible not only looks towards the past, but towards the future, and claims to prove its inspiration by keeping company with the evolution of all thought and action proved to be good and useful to mankind. We pay no worthy tribute to the Bible by supposing that we know it, simply because we can quote it in the letter, nor is it doing justice to inspiration by regarding it as final and complete as to its adaptations. Events occur which unexpectedly interpret doctrines. We do not limit the providence of God to ancient history, then why should we limit his revelation to ages long gone by? We hold that Providence is active and beneficent to-day; it is the joy of the Christian to believe that even now all the affairs of the world are ruled by a living Power consummate in wisdom and in love; recognising this immediate and living Providence, there should be no difficulty in so enlarging our conception of Providence as to bring within its scope the daily illumination of spiritual mysteries, and the consequent daily increase of spiritual learning. The aim of true wisdom, according to the fifth verse, is that “a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.” That is to say, his understanding shall not be merely speculative or abstract, a miracle of useless genius, but it shall come to practical fruition in ability to deal with the affairs of life, discriminating almost infallibly between what is right and wrong, wise and unwise, fit and unfit, in all the mutable economy of life. Spiritual understanding is to be put to practical tests. Every age has a right to say, What have our religious men to say about this difficulty? Has God made no revelation to them as to the duty of the individual or the nation? What has been gained in the way of guidance by the single and united prayer of the Church? All this is in striking harmony with reason, for of what use is even understanding itself, unless it culminate in practical counsel which men and nations can accept in darkness and perplexity? By this time the Church should have brought itself into high sagacity, and prepared itself to deal with all the urgent problems of the day. When our prayerful and godly men take in hand the solution of the world’s bewilderment, and the healing of the world’s diseases, it will be acknowledged that understanding and prayer have realised their highest purpose.
A proverb does not always give up its meaning instantly, without effort on the part of the reader or student. Proverbs are condensed philosophies. Sometimes proverbs are condensed histories. Sometimes the interpretation of a proverb seems to lie a long way from what is most obvious in its mere letter. Wise men who speak even about “earthly things” are often obliged to have recourse to “dark sayings.” Some truths can only be hinted at; some reforms can only be outlined, and then can only be shown as if in twilight; there are dark things in life for which names can be found only by a kind of spiritual genius; there are also possible reforms or re-arrangements of lite which even the proposers hardly realise in all their scope and uses, hence even reformers and spiritual teachers of every kind have often expressed themselves darkly, suggestively, tentatively, so much so that their hesitation has been misunderstood and mocked by fluent ignorance and superficial ability. Dark sayings are often like roots, which lie a long time in the earth before their juices begin to move and their inner life seeks to express itself in stem, and leaf, and blossom, and fruit. Whilst all this is true, we are not to suppose that a saying is wise simply because it is dark. The stream may be muddy, not deep. The world has now had education enough to be able to judge between that which is really deep and that which is only confused. We should be sufficiently self-controlled to await developments, to test dreams, to give even improbable theories a hearing; ever have enough behind us which is historically and personally proved to enable us to await with calmness the issue of every new proposal and the solution of every difficult problem. Let wisdom justify itself by listening; let learning prove its reality by its increase; let understanding vindicate itself by wise counsels; let the most advanced thinker know that there is always some proverb yet to be interpreted, or some dark saying which has yet to receive illustration.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” ( Pro 1:7 ).
The expression, “the fear of the Lord,” has been counted thirteen times in the Proverbs, and may be considered quite characteristic of the Old Testament. Instead of the expression so suitable to the old covenant, we find in the New Testament the larger and more gracious term, “the love of God.” The Apostle Paul says the love of Christ constraineth us. The New Testament proceeds on the theory that “he that feareth is not made perfect in love;” and the last writer in the New Testament sums up his teaching in the striking expression, “If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” It is to be noted that “the fear of the Lord” is only indicated as “the beginning of wisdom.” A further education is needed, and is provided for by the increasing fulness and graciousness of Christian revelation. Whilst, however, it is but “the beginning,” it is also a necessary or essential beginning; that is to say, a beginning without which progress is impossible: there are experimental beginnings which may be good or bad, but about the fear of the Lord there is nothing of the nature of mere experiment. It is as necessary to the building of the temple of wisdom as is a foundation with its huge and solid corner-stones. The fact that the fear of the Lord is but the beginning of wisdom should teach those who are in a merely reverential mood of mind that they are not called upon to be teachers, they are scholars of the first or lowest type, whose business it is to make progress in spiritual education. “Perfect love casteth out fear.” Only those, therefore, who have passed from fear to love can understand the mystery of the divine economy and purpose. If we love not, we know not God. So then in the teaching of the divine mysteries, he who loves most sees furthest, and can best explain the law of heaven. The wise man said, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Fear is not to be considered as dispensed with in the Christian economy, for the apostle calls upon us, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, “to have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” It is to be noted that in the seventh verse there is a contrast established between those who fear God and so begin knowledge, and those self-willed, obstinate persons who will receive no advice, who are called “fools,” and are said to despise wisdom and instruction. They may be said indeed to be twice fools; first for despising wisdom and instruction, and secondly for being without the wisdom and instruction which they despise. The action is twofold, though at first sight it may appear to be without a double reference. Fools despise wisdom and instruction because their indolence is stronger than their energy, their self-idolatry is larger than their appreciation of things beyond their present possession; especially do they despise wisdom because of the moral effect which it would have upon their whole method and type of life. Having despised wisdom and instruction they are necessarily imprisoned in mental narrowness and darkness, and are left behind in the march of a living and generous civilisation. Without reverence even knowledge itself tends but to vanity. It is not indeed knowledge in any deep or useful sense of the term; it is only the information which comes or goes with the passing hour, and is the minister of cunning self-promotion or any other aspect of false life. Religion is the foundation of solidity of character. It is no argument to say that religion has been debased into superstition, and that the effect of superstition upon the character has been disastrous; we are not talking about superstition, but about religion properly comprehended and applied that intelligent apprehension of the divine personality and rule which divests the soul of self-confidence and vanity, and prompts it to seek daily light and help from the God who is lovingly adored.
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck” ( Pro 1:8-9 ).
The word “son” in the eighth verse may be equivalent to the word “pupil” rather than to the word “child.” The son is invited to accept the experience of those who have lived before him and tested life at many points. It is important to preserve the line of moral discovery in all its continuousness and completeness, lest life should be frittered away in making needless experiments. Earnest men will ask, What has been done already? What have our ancestors discovered as to the operation of moral laws? History thus becomes a commentary upon revelation, and a treasure which may be freely drawn upon by those who wish to turn their lives to the wisest account. If analogy were needed, it could be found in the practice of those who study the economy of nations, the action and re-action of life in all its practical trusts and enterprises; in all these departments great store is set by what the fathers and mothers have said, and the higher the mind the more delicacy is there felt in treating precedents with neglect or contempt. We are not left to discover at this late period of time whether good results will follow good behaviour, and bad results will follow upon wicked actions; all that has been settled for us by countless years of personal and national experience, and therefore it ought to be accepted as a starting-point, a standard, and a guide. Very beautiful is it to notice that the “son” is encouraged to hear his father’s instruction and abide by his mother’s law, on the ground that his obedience shall turn the instruction and the law into ornaments of grace and chains of honour. There is an operation of what may be called the law of rewards. A motive need not be corrupt because it is only secondary. The child works for prizes at school rather than for the love of learning, yet whilst he is gaining the prize he is preparing himself to appreciate that learning the acquisition of which the prize represents. Wisdom is evermore the true ornament. Understanding is a jewel which increases in value from year to year. All decoration that is merely outward belongs to the man without being part of the man, but intellectual accomplishments, moral refinement, mental discernment, gracious, sympathetic, wise appreciation of the weight and force of circumstances, patience, and long-suffering inspired by a hope which owes its existence to the power of comprehending larger fields of service and boundless horizons of outlook, are an integral part of the soul itself. Instruction will keep a man from isolation. Wisdom will lift him above the tyranny of mutable circumstances. Knowledge will enable him to throw a bridle upon his temper, and to keep the door of his lips when ignorant men would commit themselves to reckless judgments and ruinous pledges. “If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God.” “Honour thy father and thy mother, which is the first commandment with promise.” “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Here, as everywhere, promise is attached to obedience, and heaven seems to meet halfway those who have made their vows at the altar of wisdom and bound their souls to enter the temple of knowledge.
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: my son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: for their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof” ( Pro 1:10-19 ).
Palestine was at all times exposed to the crime of brigandage, not only because of the wild character of its formation, but because of its neighbourhood to predatory tribes, who lost no opportunity of availing themselves of the weakness of the government supposed to preside over the destinies of that country. Although that which is local and temporary has no longer any place in these exhortations, the principle which inspires them is evermore operating in social life. Sinners enough are found in all ranks of society who would seek to tempt ardent and inexperienced youth to do that which promises immediate and substantial profit. Sinners who “entice” are the worst members of their species. Not only do they sin themselves, their delight is to corrupt and involve others. If sinners are so energetic, good men should be equally on the alert to repel their reproaches, and to bring the young into a state of spiritual security. Where the enemy is most active the Christian should be most watchful. Enticing sinners seek to excite enthusiasm in evil ways; there is a tone of grim cheerfulness and vivacity in their exhortations which would seem to promise the immediate realisation not only of great riches, but of great joy. As a matter of fact, men will do in crowds what they would shrink from doing in their individuality. Hence there has arisen a great distinction between war and murder. That which would be murder in the case of a single slaughter becomes glory in the destruction of hundreds and in the subjection of nationalities. Beware of all programmes the end of which is supposed to be self-aggrandisement. “We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil.” As in the case of goodness, so in the case of evil, there is a distinct promise of reward. Nothing, therefore, is to be judged by the reward itself, but rather by the promises which culminate in the reward. Satan promises liberty to the man whom he enslaves. Probably at the moment of promising them freedom he is the more firmly riveting their manacles and fetters. It is the part of wise men to dissuade the young from doing that which is evil. They cannot always begin with positive or constructive work, so much has to be done that is of the nature of caution or prevention. The teacher in this case seeks to operate upon the sensibilities of the young by pointing out the cruelty of evildoers “their feet make haste to shed blood,” in their hearts they are men-haters, they are murderers, they are blasphemers against the law of life and security. The teacher further makes a philosophical appeal to the young when he points out that bad men actually “will wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives,” yet they are blinded so that they cannot see how in reality they are suicides as well as murderers. The teacher, therefore, has strong ground on which to make an appeal to the reason and feeling of the young. He remembers that the wicked pursue a self-defeating policy “he made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.” The Christian Church should energetically point out to the young the nets which are spread for them in every direction all over the field of life; it should also point out the hollowness of all immoral enthusiasm. In ancient days the wicked said to one another, and to those whom they would entangle, “Come ye, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.”
We have already seen in our studies in the Book of Deuteronomy that the same exhortation was delivered to the people of God in earliest times. “If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods… thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him.” It should be pointed out that it is often the rudest and coarsest temptation that is offered to the young; in this case the teacher deals with the vulgar promise of having abundance of gain. It is supposed that money answereth all things, not only in the way of comfort, but in the way of temptation and seduction from honourable courses. “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house.””One of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?” A nobler exhortation is given by the Apostle Paul than is given by the sordid men who figure as tempters in this section. Hear his noble words, “The love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” Compare the two exhortations, and not a moment need be lost in deciding which is right and which is wrong. We know the voice of purity when we hear it. There is something in the heart of man which recognises noble appeals even when it does not respond to them. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” The two voices will always be addressing human attention the voice of lust and the voice of love, the voice of knowledge and the voice of ignorance, the voice that is carnal and the voice that is spiritual. Blessed are they who distinguish between them, and gladly obey the exhortation which evidently comes down from heaven.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
XIX
THE INSTRUCTION OF WISDOM
Pro 1:1-3:35
We learn, in general, from the salutation, Pro 1:1-6 :
1. The general author of the book, especially that Solomon was the father of this kind of literature;
2. The manifold use of proverbs, or the manifold purpose of the book.
The manifold purpose of the book, as set forth in the salutation, is: to know wisdom; to discern words; to receive instruction; to give prudence, knowledge, and discretion; and to understand a proverb.
The author’s text for this division (Pro 1:1-9 ) is Pro 1:7 : The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction,
“Fear” here means childlike reverence and “instruction” means discipline, or correction.
The foundation maxims of wisdom are parental reverence and obedience: My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, And chains about thy neck. Pro 1:8-9 .
There is a warning in Pro 1:10-19 against robbery caused by greed of gain. The times reflected here are the different times in the history of Israel from the Judges to the time of Christ. Thompson’s The Land and The Book. gives a fine description of the conditions here referred to. There are two striking figures of speech in Pro 1:12-17 , one describing the greediness of sinners and the other representing the craftiness of the trapper, meaning the wiles of the devil.
In Pro 1:20-33 we have personified wisdom’s appeal and the folly of rejecting it. And analysis of this paragraph is as follows:
1. Wisdom’s method (Pro 1:20 ff.): she cries aloud. She is not esoteric but exoteric. She teaches not in secret but openly. She does not carry on through a secret society but, like Jesus and Paul, she teaches “publicly, and from house to house.”
2. Wisdom’s appeal (Pro 1:22-23 ): she gives reproof and exhorts the simple ones, the scoffers and fools to turn and heed. In Pro 1:23 we have a promise of the spirit’s illumination which is later given and enlarged upon by Isaiah (Isa 32:15 ) and Joel (Joe 2:28 ).
3. Wisdom’s rejection and the result (Pro 1:24-32 ) ; she had called and stretched out her hand, but they did not regard, therefore she will turn the deaf ear to all their signals of distress when their storm of calamity comes like a whirlwind.
4. Wisdom’s encouragement (Pro 1:33 ); she gives a ray of hope to those who heed her call and offers them a quiet, peaceful, and secure dwelling place.
The meaning of “simple ones,” “scoffers,” and “fools” (Pro 1:22 ), is as follows: “simple” here means unwary; “scoffers” refers to a class of defiant and cynical freethinkers in contrast with the “wise” referred to so often in the Wisdom Literature; “fools” signifies heavy, dull, gross fellows. This enumeration covers the field: the “simple,” from whom recruits are too easily drawn to the army of evil; “scoffers,” the proud leaders of the host; “fools,” the rank and file of the host. Pro 1:23 of this passage is, undoubtedly, the germ of Isa 44:3 and Joe 2:28 , and the fulfilment of which is Joh 7:37 and Act 2:33 .
Pro 1:31 reminds us of Gal 6:7 : “Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.”
The teaching of Pro 2 is that wisdom must be sought as one would seek silver or hid treasures, expressed in synonymous parallelism mainly. The characteristics of the seeker of wisdom are a willingness and desire to know, accompanied by devotion, to which may be added diligence and persistency (Pro 2:1-4 ).
The results of finding such wisdom are expressed in Pro 2:5-20 , which are the understanding of the fear of Jehovah, the finding of the knowledge of God who gives wisdom to the upright, who also is a shield and guard to his saints, then the understanding of righteousness and justice, the pleasure of knowledge, the deliverance from evil ways and perverse men who forsake right paths to walk in darkness, and deliverance from the strange and wicked woman who has forsaken her friends, forgotten her God, and whose house leads to death from which there is no recovery.
There is a great and encouraging prophecy given in Pro 2:21-22 . It is the final triumph of the righteous over the wicked. The righteous who possess the divine wisdom here described may walk in the ways of good men and dwell safely in the land, but the wicked are doomed to defeat and final banishment.
The subject of Pro 3 is the cultivation of wisdom as the best thing to adjust all our relations toward God and man. A brief outline of this chapter is:
1. Our duty to God (Pro 3:1-12 ).
2. The happy state of them that have wisdom (Pro 3:13-26 ).
3. Man’s duty to his fellow man (Pro 3:27-35 ).
According to Pro 3:1-12 , our duties to God are to remember his law and keep his commandments; to walk in the ways of kindness and truth; to trust in Jehovah implicitly and acknowledge him always; to be not conceited but fear Jehovah; to honor Jehovah with our substance, and not to despise the chastening of Jehovah nor be weary of his correction, since it all comes as an expression of his love for us as his children.
It is interesting to note here the New Testament use made of Pro 3:11-12 . Paul quotes these verses in Heb 12:5-6 to enforce his argument on the chastening of the Lord being a proof of his love for his people. Here the author of Hebrews calls this passage in Proverbs an “exhortation, which reasoneth with you as with sons” and then shows the superiority of God’s chastening over the chastening of our earthly parents who chasten us as it seemed good to them, but God chastens his children for their good. This shows the unmistakable meaning and application of Pro 3:11-12 .
According to the second division of this analysis, we find that the value of wisdom is beyond all comparison with earthly attainments or things, and produces a happiness far more enduring than the most valuable things of time; she is better than silver, more precious than rubies and beyond comparison with anything that the human heart can desire, since she holds in her hand lengths of days, riches and honor; her ways are pleasant and her paths are peace; she is a tree of life and a perpetual source of happiness; by her Jehovah wrought his mighty works and she is to be kept as a source of life and grace; she helps to walk straight, takes away fear and gives sweet sleep; she takes away sudden fear of the desolation of the wicked since her possessors are believers in Jehovah and their feet are being kept by him.
According to the last section of this chapter, our duties to our fellow man and God’s attitude toward the wicked and the righteous are set forth. The righteous are commanded to pay what they owe when it is possible for them to do it and not to put off their neighbors one day when they can attend to it at once. Then they are commanded to plan no evil against their neighbor and to avoid all responsibility for strife and envy, since the wicked are abominable to Jehovah and his curse rests upon them, while his blessing and grace are with the righteous. The last verse contrasts the wise and the foolish. One is reminded here of our Lord’s parable of the ten virgins. Pro 3:34 is quoted by James (Jas 4:6 ) and Peter (1Pe 5:5 ) to show God’s attitude toward both the proud and the humble. They both say, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.”
QUESTIONS
1. What do we learn, in general, from the salutation, Pro 1:1-6 ?
2. What is the manifold purpose of the book as set forth in the salutation?
3. What is the author’s text for this division (Proverbs 1-9) and what is the meaning of “fear,” and “instruction”?
4. What is the foundation maxims of wisdom?
5. What is the warning in Pro 1:10-19 , what time does this passage reflect and what striking figures of speech used here?
6. What is the warning in Pro 1:20-33 , and what is a brief analysis of this section?
7. What is the meaning of “simple ones,” “scoffers,” and “fools,” Pro 1:22 ?
8. Of what scripture is Isa 1:23 the germ and what scriptures show their fulfilment?
9. Of what New Testament scripture does Pro 1:31 remind us?
10. What is the teaching of Pro 2 and what kind of parallelism is most prominent in this chapter?
11. What must be the characteristics of the seeker of wisdom?
12. Give a summary of the results of finding such wisdom.
13. What is the great and encouraging prophecy given in Pro 2:21-22 ?
14. What is the subject of Pro 3 ?
15. Give a brief outline of this chapter.
16. According to Pro 3:1-12 what are our duties to God and what New Testament use of Pro 3:11-12 ?
17. According to the second division of this analysis, what is the value of wisdom and what does she offer to those who seek her?
18. According to the last section of this chapter, what are our duties to our fellow man and what is God’s attitude toward the wicked and the righteous, and what is New Testament use of Pro 3:34 ?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Pro 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Ver. 1. The Proverbs. ] Or, Master sentences; maxims, axioms, speeches of special precellence and predominance; received rules a that must overrule matters, and mightily prevail in the minds of men. The principal, no doubt, they are of those three thousand mentioned in 1Ki 4:32 , and far beyond those golden sayings b of Phocylides (profanely preferred before those holy parables by that apostate Julian, ausu nefario ), as having in them more sentences than words, c and being so far above all human praise for weight and worth, that, as Salust writes of Carthage, I had better speak nothing of them than too little, since too much is too little.
Of Solomon.
King of Israel.
a , Dominari, quae vitae dominae et moderatrices esse debent.
b E .
c De Euripide Cicero pronunciavit plures esse in eo sententias quam verba.
d Xenophon.
e E . – Euripid.
f , E . – Demost.
g K . – Thucyd. and Diodor.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Proverbs Chapter 1
Beyond all others, David was the sweet Psalmist of Israel, though not a few worthy companions find a place in the divine collection of holy lyrics. Solomon stands in like pre-eminence for the utterance of the sententious wisdom of which the book of Proverbs is the chief expression, with Ecclesiastes when the sense of his own failure under unique circumstances of creature advantage gave a sad and penitent character to his experience in the power of the inspiring Spirit. It is the more striking when compared with the Song of Songs, which shows us the Jewish spouse restored to the love of the once-despised Messiah, and His adorable excellency and grace, after her long folly, manifold vicissitudes, and sore tribulation.
Every one of these compositions is stamped with the design of inspiration, and instinct with the power of the Holy Spirit in carrying out His design in each. But they are all in view of man on the earth, more especially the chosen people of God, passing through the vista of sin and shame and sorrow in the latter day to the kingdom which the true Son of David, the born Son of God (Psa 2 ), will establish as Jehovah’s King in His holy hill of Zion, though far larger and higher things also, as we know. Hence these writings have a common governmental character, only that, in the Psalms especially, the rejection and the sufferings of Christ give occasion to glimpses of light above and to hints of brighter associations. But the full and proper manifestation of heavenly things was left for the rejected Christ to announce in the gospels, and for the Holy Spirit sent down from on high to open out practically in the Acts, and doctrinally in the epistles, especially of the Apostle Paul. Any unfolding of a church character, or even of Christian relationship, it would be vain to look for in these constituent books or any others of the Old Testament.
The express aim of Proverbs, for example, is to furnish, from the one better fitted for the purpose than any man who ever lived, the light of wisdom in moral intelligence for the earthly path of man under Jehovah’s eye. Being from “the king of Israel,” it is also for the people he governed; and therefore with a slight exception (only six times it seems, easily accounted for) in known relationship with Jehovah, whose name pervades from first to last. See Pro 2:5 , Pro 2:17 ; Pro 3:4 ; Pro 25:2 ; Pro 30:5 , Pro 30:9 . But being divinely inspired, it is a book for him that reads or hears to profit by at any time, for the Christian in particular as having by grace the mind of Christ. All Scripture is for our good and blessing, though most of it is not addressed to us, nor is it about us.
1Ki 4:29-34 historically testifies to the unrivalled capacity conferred of God on Solomon, and a wisdom He would not let die. “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. And he spoke three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.” “Three thousand proverbs” cover far more than the inspired collection, as the songs uttered far exceed those meant for permanency. Inspiration selected designedly.
We have remarked how “Jehovah” characterizes the book. In Ecclesiastes, on the contrary, the use of “God” or Elohim is constant, and flows solely and appropriately – one might even say, necessarily – from its subject matter. As the book of Proverbs is for the instruction of “men-brethren” (Israel), so there is the constant tenderness of “my son,” or more rarely, “sons.” But there is not nor could be, as in the New Testament, the basis of Christ’s redemption, or the liberty of adoption in the Spirit; the groundwork there is in the cross, and the character is consistency with Christ glorified in heaven. Morally, too, God is revealed, and the Father’s love made known in Christ to be enjoyed in the Spirit’s power.
“Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: to know wisdom and instruction: to discern the words of understanding; to receive instruction in intelligence, righteousness, judgment and equity; to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. He that is wise will hear and increase learning, and the intelligent will attain to sound counsels: to understand a proverb and an allegory (or, interpretation), the words of the wise and their enigmas.” vv. 1-6.
Pro 1:1-6 is the preface. It remains for its right appreciation to explain briefly terms which many readers fail to distinguish.
“Wisdom” here is derived from a word that means “practiced” or skilful, and applied very widely from arts of varied kinds to powers of mind and philosophy. The verb is used for being “wise” throughout the Hebrew scriptures; the adjective even more extensively and often; the substantive more frequently still. The “wise men” of Babylon are as a class correspondingly described in the Chaldee or Aramean. But the employment of the term is also general. It seems based on experience.
“Instruction,” connected with “wisdom,” is expressed by a word signifying also discipline, correction, or warning. The moral object is thus remarkably sustained, in contrast with mere exercise or displays of intellect.
Next comes in its place to “discern the words of understanding.” For this is of great value for the soul, understanding founded on adequate consideration so as to distinguish things that differ. The verb and noun occur plentifully in the Bible.
Then we have “to receive instruction in intelligence, righteousness, judgment and equity.” Here circumspection has a great place in the learning to behave with becoming propriety and tact, as David did when Saul was on the rack through jealousy.
“Prudence” in verse 4 may degenerate into cunning or wily ways, as in Exo 21:14 and Jos 9:4 ; but as in Pro 8:5 and 12, so here and in kindred forms, it has the fair meaning of practical good sense.
“Discretion” at the end of the verse is the opposite of heedlessness, but capable, like the last, of a bad application. Employed laudably, it means sagacity through reflection.
As the proverb is a compressed parable, or an expanded comparison, so it often borders on the riddle or enigma in order to fix attention. The same Hebrew word appears to mean both “proverb” and “parable,” which may in part if not wholly account for the former only in John’s Gospel, the latter in the Synoptists. There, too, the parable stands in contrast with speaking plainly (Joh 16:25 , Joh 16:29 ; compare also Mat 13:34 , Mat 13:35 ).
Solomon then introduces himself in his known relation and position as the channel of these divinely given apothegms, not to glorify man like the seven sages of Greece, still less to magnify himself who bears witness to his own humiliation, but to exalt Jehovah in guarding him that heeds these words from folly and snare. For the declared end is the moral profit of man by what God gave to His glory – to knew wisdom and instruction, to discern, and receive. However precious for all, the first aim is to give prudence to the simple; so open to deception in this world, and knowledge and discretion to the young man, apt to be heady and rashly opinionated. But there is another result surely anticipated; “he that is wise will hear, and the intelligent will attain to sound counsel: to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas [or, dark sayings].” Who more in place to teach these things than the man then inspired of God?
The book begins with the foundation principle of the fear of God, but this in the special relation established with His people Israel. It is therefore “the fear of Jehovah.” For as He deigned thus to be made known to them, so were they called to prize that name as their special privilege. Jehovah was God in Israel. though alone the true God, and Lord of all the earth. As Jehovah was God, who spoke through the prophets, and wrought wonders according to His word, so the people at a great crisis with heathenism cried (1Ki 18 ), Jehovah, He is God, He is God. The usage of the abstract term, and of the relational name, has nothing in the least to do with imaginary legends or various writers; it is most instructive for the twofold truth that is set out.
“The fear of Jehovah (is) the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law [or teaching] of thy mother; for they (shall be) a garland of grace for thy head, and chains about thy neck.” vv. 7-9.
In Psa 111:10 the fear of Jehovah is declared to be the beginning of wisdom, as here of knowledge. Both are equally true, and each important in its place, though wisdom be the higher of the two, as built on the experience of the divine word and ways, which “knowledge” does not necessarily presuppose.
He who wrote for the reader’s instruction was pre-eminent in both, though in his case there was extraordinary divine favour in the communication, and the keenest ardour in improving opportunities without parallel. In this general part of the book we have “wisdom” introduced (Pro 9:10 ), “the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.” This gives the moral side its just prominence in both; and so it is in. Job 28:28 , where that chapter, full of interest throughout, closes with “unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord [Adonai, not Jehovah as such], that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” He is feared as the Sovereign Master, who cannot look on evil with the least allowance.
But even where external knowledge is pursued, what a safeguard is in the fear of God! Assuredly, the Creator would be remembered, not only in the days of youth, but in those of age. Who that had the least real knowledge of God could confound the creature with Him who created it? To him the heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse shows the work of His hands. If he beheld the light when it shone, or the moon walking in brightness, it was but to own and adore the God who is above, unless a deceived heart had turned him aside, that he could not deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? How, with Him before the mind, deny creation for an eternal matter under Fate or Chance? for a desolating Pantheism, where all men and things are god, and none is really God, where is neither sin nor its judgment, nor grace and truth with its blessedness in Christ for faith to life eternal? where all that appears to our senses is Maya (illusion) and the diabolical substitute, but real death of hope, is Nirvana (extinction)? How true it is that the foolish “despise wisdom and instruction”!
What again were his last words to his judges,* of whom Westerners boast? “It is now time to depart – for me to die, for you to live; but which of us is going to a better state is unknown to everyone but God.” What a contrast with the Apostle! “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Certainty on divine warrant, and the deepest enjoyment everywhere and always, the beginning of which is the fear of God in Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
* I put Socrates at his best, without dwelling on his last words to his friends, “Crito, we owe a cock to Aesculapius; pay it, therefore, and do not neglect it.” And this was the end of the best wisest. and most just of all men known to Plato.
This fundamental deliverance is followed up by the usual appeal of affection, “my son.” For here the relationships God has made and sanctions are of as great value where His fear reigns, as they perpetuate sin and misery where it is not so. Parents are to be honoured and heard, the instruction of the father and the teaching of the mother. This the son first knows to form and direct obedience, if self-will oppose not; and they are his graceful ornament. How early they act on the heart, and how influential on the conduct and even character, many a son can testify. Alas, that men have forgotten the word of the wisest, and proved their folly, parents and children! And to this sad side we are now introduced.
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause; let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole as those that go down into the pit. We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: cast in thy lot among us; we will have all one purse. My son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path. For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is the net spread in the eyes of a bird; and they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So (are) the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its owners.” vv. 10-19.
Here we have the soul warned against listening to the voice of enticement. For Satan has instruments, not a few, zealous to draw others into evil; and companionship is as natural as dangerous. “For also we were aforetime foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” Tit 3:3 . And in this the least scrupulous lead – their mouth full of cursing and bitterness – their feet swift to shed blood. The word is, Walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path. Covetousness, and robbery to gratify it, are vividly drawn; violence follows lust, and one’s own life the forfeit. The day comes for judgment without mercy, the judgment of the flesh. Listen, for in vain is the net spread in the eyes of any bird. In reality they wait for their own blood, as surely as God knows how to deliver. How many a one that is plotted against escapes, while those greedy of gain lose their own lives, the end in this world of their wicked schemes!
It is a characteristic of this book, and exactly in keeping with its contents, that we have “wisdom” personified from the first chapter, rising up (as is well known) to the Person of Christ in Pro 8:22-31 . Even in this first introduction, though the form is plural, as in Pro 9:1 , and in later occurrences, the cry does not fail as it goes on to assume the solemnity of a divine warning of inevitable judgment, so that it is difficult to sever it from the voice of God Himself, as in verse 24 if not in 23, and in those that follow. Compare in the New Testament Mat 23:34 with Luk 11:49 .
“Wisdom crieth without, she raiseth her voice in the broadways; she calleth at the head of the noisy (streets), at the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words, How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate wisdom? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” vv. 20-23.
Under the law there was nothing that properly, still less that fully, answered to the grace of the gospel in extending to every land and tongue, to be preached, as the Apostle says, “in all creation that is under heaven.” Yet when not only Israel fell as a whole, but Judah, revolted to the uttermost and was swept away to Babylon, yea, when the rejection of Messiah added incalculably to their older guilt of idolatry, and brought on still worse and wider and longer dispersion, the Holy Spirit inspired the prophet to write of the richest mercy which should surely dawn on their ruined estate. After the triple call to “hearken,” followed by the triple summons to “awake” (Isa 51 and Isa 52 ), we hear the cheering outburst, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth glad tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, saying to Zion, Thy God reigneth.” So in due time will the kingdom be restored to Israel in God’s mercy and sovereign grace. But as this is displayed in another and yet profounder way now in the gospel, the Apostle does not hesitate to apply these glowing words to those now sent to preach the gospel of God’s indiscriminate goodness, alike to Jew and Greek. For now there is no difference, and the same Lord of all is rich unto all that call upon Him. But if Israel be yet deaf to the report of those that believe, the gospel goes out like the voice of those heavenly orbs whose sound cannot be confined to one people or country, but went out unto all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the habitable earth, as Psa 19 suggests.
Still here where Jehovah’s law ruled, wisdom was not confined to parental discipline. still less was it shut up in philosophic schools, but “cries without.” She “raiseth her voice in the broadways” instead of seeking only the refined and exalted; she “calleth at the head of the noisy places of concourse, at the entry of the gates.” The moral profit was sought assiduously of those that had most need, if culture despises the vulgar. Not in the calm and quiet of the country is she said to utter her words, but “in the city” where is far more to attract and distract the mass of mankind. “How long, simple ones,” says she, “will ye love simpleness, and scorners delight them in scorning, and fools hate wisdom?” There is thus a climax in these classes of careless, ungodly souls. The simple are the many weak ones who, lacking all moral discernment and object, are exposed to evil on all sides and at each turn; and by this easy indifference they become a prey. The scorners manifest more positive pravity, and reject all appeals to conscience and reference to divine things by unseemly jest and insolent sneer. It is an ever growing moral disease, never so prevalent as in these last days. The fools that hate knowledge may be more godless still, and become openly atheist, as Scripture shows. For the apostasy must come, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition who will set himself and be received as God, and this in the temple of God, where the affront is deepest.
But Jehovah gives wisdom’s remonstrances, and, if heeded, her gracious encouragement. “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” It is an error, which goes beyond the purpose of the verse, to conceive that the gift of the Holy Spirit is here promised. There is undoubtedly an inward blessing promised which is ever by the Spirit, and an intelligence of wisdom’s words. This is much, and Jehovah made it true from the time the book was written. But it is dangerous either to exaggerate what God always was to His people, or to undervalue those privileges which awaited redemption through our Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit was not poured out as at Pentecost till Christ was glorified. But whatever of blessing there ever was for man is by the Spirit, and this too is in knowing the words of divine wisdom; and here it is amply assured, where the reproof was heeded.
Here it is not the gospel which is thus shown, but the call of God in the government of man on the earth. Hence it does not pass beyond the judgment which will be executed in the day that is coming here below. This is the more important to heed, because Christendom is as unbelieving about the judgment of the quick that Christ will surely enforce on the habitable world, as the Jews were about the judgment of the dead in the resurrection state. Both were revealed in the written Word, and both are to be in the hands of Him who loved to call Himself “the Son of man.” But if He came, the Son of man in grace to the lost, He will assuredly return, the Son of man in judgment of all who despise Him, whether alive or dead. Thus there is the judgment of the wicked living at the beginning of His kingdom and through it, no less than the judgment of the wicked dead at the end, before He delivers it up to Him who is God and Father. Now it is the former which is treated here, though commentators and preachers are apt to see in it only the judgment at the close.
“Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded; and ye have rejected all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but shall not find me.” vv. 24-28.
It is sad when Jews do not rise above Gentile moralizing on the life that now is or the death that terminates it; but how much sadder still when Christians are content with similar platitudes! Christ is the only true Light which on coming into the world casts light on every man. He, and He alone, gives us the truth of every thing. The divine judgment of man thus acquires proper definiteness and its full solemnity; and the light of the New Testament is thus thrown back on the Old, besides revealing what belongs to itself pre-eminently if not exclusively.
Take the picture the Lord in Luk 17 draws of the kingdom of God, when it is no longer a hidden matter of faith or of mere profession as now; but the Son of man shall be in His day as the lightning which lightens out of the one part under the heaven and shines unto the other. It will be in truth as in the days of Noah or in those of Lot – unexpected, inevitable, and utter destruction of the ungodly, as they are in the midst of their busy pursuits. When the Son of man thus comes, shall He find faith on the earth? How far is it to be found now?
Take again the view He gives in Luk 21 , not only of signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars, but of the moral state on the earth when the powers of heaven shall be shaken. It is not the end of the world, but of the age, when the Son of man is seen coming in a cloud, and the kingdom of God will be established manifestly and in power that will put down all opposition;
This “sudden destruction” is here before the inspiring Spirit, who maintains the edge of His sword unblunted by tradition and callous unbelief. The Word of God of old, all His Word, is good, wherein He calls man to hear; but He is refused. He stretched out His hand imploringly, but none regarded; His counsel was rejected, and His reproof no less. What remained possible under the law? Unsparing judgment. How terrible when Jehovah, patient and long-suffering, laughs at the calamity of those that despised Him, mocks the fears, distress, and anguish of those who mocked Him, and has no answer for their call, nor will He be found, though then sought diligently! To fear the judgment, especially when it falls, is not to fear Jehovah.
The warning of Jehovah was solemn, but not more solemn than sure. Impossible that He could lie. If faithful to His own in doing all He says to cheer them now, He is no less righteous in dealing with His enemies; He will recompense them.
“Because they hated knowledge and chose not the fear of Jehovah; they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof; therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning back of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and be at rest from fear of evil.” vv. 29-33.
Divine compassion is unfailing for the ignorant where it is not wilful. No less severe is the abhorrence of such as hate knowledge in the things of God, which of course is alone considered here. And what can be more sadly plain than to “choose not the fear of Jehovah”? It proves the enmity of the heart. Is He indifferent to man? It was only the vilest of the heathen who laid it down formally; but what was the general state of the Jews of old? What is that of professing Christendom in our own land and every other today?
Christ has shed better and perfect light, and the final revelation of God is fullness of grace and truth through Him. But what is the issue of slighting it and Him? It is more conspicuously true now than in Solomon’s time that “they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof.” When God came into the world in Christ’s Person, they turned Him out of it. They hated Him without a cause. His grace only made Him more despicable in their eyes. His counsel irritated. His reproof was a laughingstock. What will the end be?
Jehovah is not mocked with impunity. “Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way and be filled with their own devices.” Sowing to the flesh must be reaping destruction. He does not execute judgment as yet; but it will come assuredly and soon – tribulation and anguish for man – indignation and wrath on His part who judges. It is easy to turn away from grace and truth, from righteousness at any time; but the backsliding of the simple will slay them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall lure them to perdition.
“Hear, and thy soul shall live.” So said the prophet Isaiah, and it is blessedly true under the gospel. “He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me hath life eternal, and cometh not into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.” So declared He who is the Truth, as He is the Way and the Life. Or, as it is written here, “Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from fear of evil.” Is it not a goodly shelter in a world of evil and danger? Christ is it now to every one that believes on Him, not only rest from evil but from the fear of it by grace.
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
Proverbs
A YOUNG MAN’S BEST COUNSELLOR
Pro 1:1 – Pro 1:19
This passage contains the general introduction to the book of Proverbs. It falls into three parts-a statement of the purpose of the book Pro 1:1 – Pro 1:6; a summary of its foundation principles, and of the teachings to which men ought to listen Pro 1:7 – Pro 1:9; and an antithetic statement of the voices to which they should be deaf Pro 1:10 – Pro 1:19.
I. The aim of the book is stated to be twofold-to enable men, especially the young, to ‘know wisdom,’ and to help them to ‘discern the words of understanding’; that is, to familiarise, by the study of the book, with the characteristics of wise teachings, so that there may be no mistaking seducing words of folly for these. These two aims are expanded in the remaining verses, the latter of them being resumed in Pro 1:6 , while the former occupies the other verses.
We note how emphatically the field in which this wisdom is to be exercised is declared to be the moral conduct of life. ‘Righteousness and judgment and equity’ are ‘wise dealing,’ and the end of true wisdom is to practise these. The wider horizon of modern science and speculation includes much in the notion of wisdom which has no bearing on conduct. But the intellectual progress and conceit of to-day will be none the worse for the reminder that a man may take in knowledge till he is ignorant, and that, however enriched with science and philosophy, if he does not practise righteousness, he is a fool.
We note also the special destination of the book-for the young. Youth, by reason of hot blood and inexperience, needs such portable medicines as are packed in these proverbs, many of them the condensation into a vivid sentence of world-wide truths. There are few better guides for a young man than this book of homely sagacity, which is wisdom about the world without being tainted by the bad sort of worldly wisdom. But unfortunately those who need it most relish it least, and we have for the most part to rediscover its truths for ourselves by our own, often bitter, experience.
We note, further, the clear statement of the way by which incipient ‘wisdom’ will grow, and of the certainty of its growth if it is real. It is the ‘wise man’ who will ‘increase in learning,’ the ‘man of understanding’ who ‘attains unto sound counsels.’ The treasures are thrown away on him who has no heart for them. You may lavish wisdom on the ‘fool,’ and it will run off him like water off a rock, fertilising nothing, and stopping outside him.
The Bible would not have met all our needs, nor gone with us into all regions of our experience, if it had not had this book of shrewd, practical common-sense. Christianity is the perfection of common sense. ‘Godliness hath promise of the life which now is.’ The wisdom of the serpent, which Jesus enjoins, has none of the serpent’s venom in it. It is no sign of spirituality of mind to be above such mundane considerations as this book urges. If we hold our heads too high to look to our road and our feet, we are sure to fall into a pit.
II. Pro 1:7 – Pro 1:9 may be regarded as a summary statement of the principle on which the whole book is based, and of the duty which it enjoins. The principle is that true wisdom is based on religion, and the duty is to listen to parental instruction. ‘My son,’ is the address of a teacher to his disciples, rather than of a father to his child. The characteristic Old Testament designation of religion as ‘the fear of Jehovah’ corresponds to the Old Testament revelation of Him as the Holy One,-that is, as Him who is infinitely separated from creatural being and limitations. Therefore is He ‘to be had in reverence of all’ who would be ‘about Him’; that fear of reverential awe in which no slavish dread mingles, and which is perfectly consistent with aspiration, trust, and love. The Old Testament reveals Him as separate from men; the New Testament reveals Him as united to men in the divine man, Christ Jesus. Therefore its keynote is the designation of religion as ‘the love of God’; but that name is no contradiction of the earlier, but the completion of it.
That fear is the beginning or basis of wisdom, because wisdom is conceived of as God’s gift, and the surest way to get it is to ‘ask of God’ Jam 1:5. Religion is, further, the foundation of wisdom, inasmuch as irreligion is the supreme folly of creatures so dependent on God, and so hungering after Him in the depths of their being, as we are. In whatever directions a godless man may be wise, in the most important matter of all, his relations to God, he is unwise, and the epitaph for all such is ‘Thou fool!’
Further, religion is the fountain of wisdom, in the sense of the word in which this book uses it, since it opens out into principles of action, motives, and communicated powers, which lead to right apprehension and willing discharge of the duties of life. Godless men may be scientists, philosophers, encyclopaedias of knowledge, but for want of religion, they blunder in the direction of their lives, and lack wisdom enough to keep them from wrecking the ship on the rocks.
The Israelitish parent was enjoined to teach his or her children the law of the Lord. Here the children are enjoined to listen to the instruction. Reverence for traditional wisdom was characteristic of that state of society, and since a divine revelation stood at the beginning of the nation’s history, it was not unreasonable to look back for light. Nowadays, a belief’s being our fathers’ is with many a reason for not making it ours. But perhaps that is no more rational than the blind adherence to the old with which this emancipated generation reproaches its predecessors. Possibly there are some ‘old lamps’ better than the new ones now hawked about the streets by so many loud-voiced vendors. The youth of this day have much need of the exhortation to listen to the ‘instruction’ by which is meant, not only teaching by word, but discipline by act of their fathers, and to the gentler voice of the mother telling of law in accents of love. These precepts obeyed will be fairer ornaments than jewelled necklaces and wreathed chaplets.
III. On one side of the young man are those who would point him to the fear of Jehovah; on the other are seducing whispers, tempting him to sin. That is the position in which we all stand. It is not enough to listen to the nobler voice. We have resolutely to stop our ears to the baser, which is often the louder. Facile yielding to the cunning inducements which strew every path, and especially that of the young, is fatal. If we cannot say ‘No’ to the base, we shall not say ‘Yes’ to the noble voice. To be weak is generally to be wicked; for in this world the tempters are more numerous, and to sense and flesh, more potent than those who invite to good.
The example selected of such enticers is not of the kind that most of us are in danger from. But the sort of inducements held out are in all cases substantially the same. ‘Precious substance’ of one sort or another is dangled before dazzled eyes; jovial companionship draws young hearts. The right or wrong of the thing is not mentioned, and even murder and robbery are presented as rather pleasant excitement, and worth doing for the sake of what is got thereby. Are the desirable consequences so sure? Is there no chance of being caught red-handed, and stoned then and there, as a murderer? The tempters are discreetly silent about that possibility, as all tempters are. Sin always deceives, and its baits artfully hide the hook; but the cruel barb is there, below the gay silk and coloured dressing, and it-not the false appearance of food which lured the fish-is what sticks in the bleeding mouth.
The teacher goes on, in Pro 1:15 – Pro 1:19 , to supply the truth which the tempters tried to ignore. He does so in three weighty sentences, which strip the tinsel off the temptation, and show its real ugliness. The flowery way to which they coax is a way of ‘evil’; that should be enough to settle the question. The first thing to ask about any course is not whether it is agreeable or disagreeable, but Is it right or wrong? Pro 1:17 is ambiguous, but probably the ‘net’ means the tempters’ speech in Pro 1:11 – Pro 1:14 , and the ‘bird’ is the young man supposed to be addressed. The sense will then be, ‘Surely you are not foolish enough to fly right into the meshes, and to go with your eyes open into so transparent sin!’
Pro 1:18 points to the grim possibility already referred to, that the would-be murderers will be caught and executed. But its lesson is wider than that one case, and declares the great solemn truth that all sin is suicide. Who ever breaks God’s law slays himself.
What is true about ‘covetousness,’ as Pro 1:19 tells, is true about all kinds of sin-that it takes away the life of those who yield to it, even though it may also fill their purses, or in other ways may gratify their desires. Surely it is folly to pursue a course which, however it may succeed in its immediate aims, brings real death, by separation from God, along with it. He is not a very wise man who ties his gold round him when the ship founders. He is not parted from his treasure certainly, but it helps to sink him. We may get what we want by sinning, but we get also what we did not want or reckon on-that is, eternal death. ‘This their way is their folly.’ Yet, strange to tell, their posterity ‘approve their sayings,’ and follow their doings.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
of. Genitive of Relation (App-17), being the title or heading of the whole book, some being “for” him; others “by” him. If not, why the words of Pro 10:1? Chapters Pro 10:19, Pro 10:19 are not to “my son”, but are in the third person, “he” and “him”. See App-74, and note also other sub-headings, Pro 25:1; Pro 30:1; Pro 31:1. All these are covered by the Genitive of Relation (App-17).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Shall we turn in our Bibles tonight to Proverbs, chapter 1. The first six verses are sort of a preface to the book, as authors many times write a preface to their work.
The Proverbs of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel ( Pro 1:1 );
When Solomon first came into the throne of his father David, the kingdom of Israel had come really to the zenith of its glory, of power. It was at that point one of the strongest kingdoms in the world. Blessed of God mightily. And when Solomon became king, God said unto Solomon, “Ask of Me what you will.” And Solomon prayed unto the Lord and said, “Lord, I ask You that You would give me wisdom in governing over these Your people.” And so the Lord said unto Solomon, “Inasmuch as you did not ask for fame or riches or honor, but you asked for wisdom, I will grant unto you that which you have asked, but I will also give to you that which you did not ask. I will give to you wealth and honor and glory.” And so the scripture said that God gave wisdom unto Solomon.
Unfortunately, in Solomon’s later years, he did not really follow his own counsels and advice that he had given here to his son in the first eight chapters. It’s sort of ascribed or defined, “To my son.” And he did not even follow his own advice. He did not follow after wisdom and we see the tragic results of it as is reflected in his writing of the book of Ecclesiastes, a man who had everything and yet had nothing. A man who had everything in life that anybody could possibly wish for, and yet cried out against the emptiness and frustration of life, because he did not continue in wisdom. We’ll get to that a little bit more as we get down to verse Pro 1:7 .
But Solomon was a very prolific writer. He wrote several songs. He wrote 3,000 proverbs. He wrote books on biology, zoology, and many different fields. People came from all over the world to sit and to hear his wisdom, as he would expound on plants and animals and things of this nature. So these proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel. Now the purpose of a proverb is
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding ( Pro 1:2 );
For the most part, they are put in such a way as they can fasten their selves upon your memory. In little words of contrast or in such a way picturesque or compared to, so that they really fix themselves in your mind. And the purpose of the proverb is to know wisdom, to receive instruction.
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. Now a wise man will hear, and will increase his learning; a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings ( Pro 1:3-6 ).
So now he begins with the proverb with this first and foremost.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: [in contrast] but fools despise wisdom and instruction ( Pro 1:7 ).
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning.” Now, the word beginning here in Greek, or in Hebrew rather, the Hebrew here means sort of the head or the sum total. In other words, the fear of the Lord, this is knowledge all wrapped up. It’s the summation of knowledge, the fear of the Lord. We come to chapter 9 and he says again there, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge or the beginning of wisdom” ( Pro 9:10 ). It sounds like he’s saying the same thing but he’s not.
In chapter 9, verse Pro 1:10 , the word beginning there is a different Hebrew word, which does mean more what our word beginning means, is the first steps of wisdom. So the fear of the Lord is the first step, but it is also the total.
Now, what is meant by the fear of the Lord? As you get into chapter 8, verse Pro 1:13 , “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” That’s what the fear of the Lord is all about, to hate evil. So this is really the beginning, the sum of real knowledge, is that of hating evil. It’s the first steps towards wisdom, the hating of evil.
We live in a very tolerant age, and unfortunately, our tolerance level has become very high. We’ve become very tolerant of evil. What we are really lacking today is a real hatred of evil. We’ve been taught, you know, we’re not to hate anything, and so hate has been put as one of those intolerant words and people who have hatred are put in a category, so we want to accept everybody. “Live and let live,” you know, and to develop a tolerance towards evil things. Evil is always seeking to be tolerated. It always is looking for you to compromise and to accept it. The real beginning and the sum of knowledge is really a hatred of evil because God hates evil.
If I am to fellowship with God, I must also hate evil. I cannot tolerate evil in my life if I’m to have true fellowship with God. So, the fear of the Lord is the summation of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
My son ( Pro 1:8 ),
And he addresses this whole first part to, “My son.”
hear the instruction of thy father, forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not ( Pro 1:8-10 ).
All of the invitations of evil that we are presented with week by week, but don’t consent. If sinners entice thee, consent not.
If they say, Come with us ( Pro 1:11 ),
And, of course, these guys are really real robbers and all.
let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privately for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down to the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast our lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way of them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood ( Pro 1:11-16 ).
Now we have an interesting little proverb, and I don’t know just why it’s put right in this particular place. But he said,
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird ( Pro 1:17 ).
Now if you’re going to try and catch birds, if you set the net right out while they’re watching you, it’s in vain. They won’t come into it. But then he goes right back to the wicked.
They lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privately for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which takes away the life of the owners thereof. Wisdom crieth without; she utters her voice in the streets: She cries in the chief place of the concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words, saying ( Pro 1:18-21 ),
Now wisdom at this point, from verse Pro 1:20 , he gets into a discourse on wisdom, and he personifies wisdom. Makes it a… actually personifies, and some see in the personification either God or Jesus Christ, but there are certain dangers in this likening it to God or Jesus Christ, as you’ll discover as we get further into the personification of wisdom. But here again, the personification of wisdom. As she cries in the streets, she says,
How long, ye simple ones, will you love your simplicity? and the scorners delight in scorning, and [how long will the] fools hate knowledge? Turn at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But you have set at nought all of my counsel, and you would not heed my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you. Then shall they call unto me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD ( Pro 1:22-29 ):
So the scriptures speak of the calamity that will ultimately call to those who reject wisdom, which is to hate evil. Ultimately, calamity will come. God declares that when the calamity comes, then there would be no one to help you.
They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of the fool shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from the fear of evil ( Pro 1:30-33 ).
Continuing to address to his son. “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Pro 1:1-7
Pro 1:1-7
SOLOMON’S INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS SONS (Proverbs 1-9)
“Here we have the title and purpose of Proverbs (Pro 1:1-7), the admonition to heed parental instruction (Pro 1:8-9), the necessity of avoiding evil companions (Pro 1:10-19), and the warnings by which Wisdom cries aloud to all men (Pro 1:20-31).
Pro 1:1-7
“The proverbs of Solomon the son of
David, the king of Israel:
To know wisdom and instruction;
To discern the words of understanding;
To receive instruction in wise dealing,
In righteousness, justice and equity;
To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion:
That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning;
And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:
To understand a proverb, and a figure,
The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge;
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.”
“Some commentators interpret these words as the introduction to the whole book; but, they are a kind of prelude to this first portion. However, it is also true that they stand appropriately enough as a fitting introduction to the whole book. Right here, we have a statement of what the Book of Proverbs is all about.
There are several words in these verses that, although not exactly synonyms, are nevertheless directly related to wisdom; and in its totality, “That wisdom is the Divine science by which men are enabled to discern their best end and to know how to pursue it by the most proper means.
“Wisdom” (Pro 1:2). “Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge aright.” The Christian has a great advantage over those who were guided by the Old Testament.; because, “For of him (God) are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God. and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1Co 1:30).
“Instruction” (Pro 1:2). “This word appears twenty-six times in Proverbs, and the same Hebrew word is translated chasten. The true meaning of the term in this context is discipline! This is that particular wisdom, the lack of the knowledge of which has ruined our entire generation. Parents, disobeying the Divine injunction regarding the disciplining of their offspring, are rearing animals instead of men and women; and from this failure in thousands of instances today, our children have become haters and even killers of their own parents.
“Prudence to the simple” (Pro 1:4). Prudence is a quality of wisdom that takes into account the future consequences of one’s behavior. Foresight and forethought are among the synonyms. “The simple here is not a reference to a simpleton. The word is used fourteen times in Proverbs; and it designates the opposite of a moral man. It does not mean a simpleton in our use of the term, but a sinner, a rascal.
“Knowledge” (Pro 1:4). Knowledge primarily means information of any kind; but in Proverbs the knowledge that is advocated is beneficial, especially as it pertains to the desirable relationship that a Christian has with the Creator and with his fellow-humans.
“Discretion” (Pro 1:4). Here is a quality of wisdom that has respect for what is desirable and appropriate as contrasted with that which is opposite. Especially, it regards the feelings and circumstances of others who may see our actions or hear our words.
“Learning” (Pro 1:5). Learning implies the ability to execute, practice, or apply information. One may have a theoretical knowledge of how to play baseball; but no one ever learned to play the game: without practice. The very word “hear” as used in the Old Testament carries the imperative “to obey.”
“Sound counsels” (Pro 1:5). As any attorney will admit, `There is no knowledge as important as the knowledge of where to find it’! The true wisdom lies in the recognition of Him who alone is Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, even the blessed Savior himself. The Bible is the place of sound counsels, especially the New Testament
“Understanding” (Pro 1:2; Pro 1:6). True wisdom, in the last analysis, carries with it a dominant ingredient of what is commonly called horse sense, or just plain common sense; and the reader will find an incredibly large measure of this very thing in Proverbs. As Willard said, “God, in the Book of Proverbs, has made his divine will more easily understood.
“The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge” (Pro 1:7). W. J. Deane noted that, “Most commentators regard this clause as the motto or symbol of the whole book, and we heartily agree with this. Also, the alternative reading in the American Standard Version is most appropriate, “The fear of Jehovah is the chief part of wisdom.” As Adam Clarke stated it, “No man can ever become truly wise, who does not begin with God, the fountain of wisdom; and he whose mind is influenced by the fear and love of God will learn more in a month than others will in a year.
“The fear of Jehovah” (Pro 1:7). This is not a reference to abject craven fear, or terror, but to the awesome respect, honor, and deference to God and his will which automatically come to every mind that contemplates the omnipotence, glory, and holiness of Almighty God. “This expression is found fourteen times in Proverbs.
Other scriptures where similar thoughts are written include: Isa 11:2-3; Psa 2:11; Job 28:28; and Pro 8:13.
Pro 1:1. A proverb is a wise saying. Solomon (the author of all the book except the final chapters) was famous for the proverbs that he spoke-and he spoke 3,000 of them (1Ki 4:32), which is more than we have in this book. Solomon is the first of the sacred writers whose name stands at the head of his works (Clarke). Because the first 9 chapters of the book are extended material (chiefly on wisdom) rather than short sayings, though the title of the book is Proverbs, Pro 10:1 is where the actual sayings themselves begin (note that verse). Solomon was Davids son by Bathsheba, who had been the wife of Uriah (Mat 1:6). He became king of Israel during his fathers final days of infirmity even though his brother Adonijah (Adonijah had a different mother than Solomon) had tried to beat him out of the kingship (1Ki 1:5-40).
Pro 1:2. The purpose of this divine book is spelled out in a series of infinitives. Wisdom is the goal, and instruction is the method of gaining it. The end-result is that the listener himself will be able to discern the words of understanding by having this divine wisdom laid up in his mind and heart.
Pro 1:3. The instruction to be given was to teach wise dealing (wisdom and prudence), righteousness (not show how to beat somebody out of what was rightfully his), and justice and equity (what is fair and honest). Oh, that all our education were bent on making men right, honest, and upright and not merely to make them richer by whatever means they may follow to become such!
Pro 1:4. Sayings (whether Biblical sayings or otherwise) are made by older, wiser people who have been over many of the roads of life and who desire to pass on portions of their knowledge to the younger and to the lesser experienced. Actually, then, when one knows, quotes, and follows time-honored sayings, he is actually speaking and being guided by a knowledge superior to that which he would know on his own.
Pro 1:5. This verse goes a step farther: it shows that the wise and experienced also profit by the wisdom and sayings of others. Nobody is a first-hand expert in all fields so that he cannot profit by the wisdom of others in those fields in which he has not the opportunity to turn his special attention. But even if he has, he may still profit by the wisdom couched in such sayings of others. In fact, it is the wise who are always seeking to advance their knowledge, and a wise man is a joy to teach: Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning (Pro 9:9).
Pro 1:6. We live in a world where figures of speech, informed comparisons, big and technical words, etc. are often heard. If we are not posted in the understanding and handling of such, we can draw wrong conclusions, misuse words, and in general betray our ignorance. Thus, Pro 26:7; Pro 26:9 both speak of a parable in the mouth of fools. The Bible also employs the parabolic in its teachings (I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old-Psa 78:2). Jesus spoke many things in parables and at times used language that confounded His hearers. Even the disciples were able to grasp the meaning of other forms of expression more readily: Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no dark saying (Joh 16:29). Prophecy (especially the book of Revelation) is written in such a way that one needs a good knowledge of history to understand its symbols and predictions. Peter acknowledges that Pauls writings contain some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unstedfast wrest (2Pe 3:16).
Pro 1:7. We might say that this verse contains the first actual proverb or saying in the book, and it rightfully begins where the whole Bible itself begins-with God (Jehovah). The fear of the Lord signifies that religious reverence which every intelligent being owes to his Creator…No man can ever become truly wise who does not begin with God (Clarke). Other like passages of the fear of Jehovah as the beginning of wisdom: Pro 9:10; Psa 111:10; Job 28:28. The implied contrast within our verse is that the foolish do not fear Jehovah and, therefore, despise wisdom and instruction. Note Pro 1:1 for the connection between wisdom and instruction. Those who do not fear come to despise. 2Pe 2:10 shows this: …despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities. Special instructions, both in the Old and New Testaments, grow out of this fact: Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words (Pro 23:9): Neither cast your pearls before swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you. (Mat 7:6).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
The Book of Proverbs is one of the wisdom books of the Hebrew people. Emotionally and fundamentally, wisdom is the fear of God; intellectually, a knowledge of the manifestations of the divine wisdom; and, volitionally, obedience rendered thereto.
The first verse of this chapter constitutes the title of this Book, and the following six verses contain what we today would speak of as preface. That preface first declares the purpose of the Book in terms so simple as to need no comment (verses Pro 1:3-5). Then follows a statement of method, which is necessary to a right use of the whole Book (verses Pro 1:6-7). The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The facts of God, and man’s relation to Him, must be taken for granted and answered if there is to be any true wisdom. After the preface, the first section of the Book contains general instructions on wisdom which prepare the way for the Proverbs themselves, which come later.
The first instruction is a parental counsel, in which the wisdom of recognizing true friends is set forth in words which urge the habit of loyalty to father and mother; and the folly of forming false friendships is set forth in a series of warnings against them. This wisdom is personified, and her first call is written. It is, first, an appeal to turn from simplicity and scorning and hatred of knowledge, with the promise that she will give knowledge (verses Pro 1:22-23). This is followed by a warning that wisdom neglected at last refuses to answer (verses Pro 1:24-32). The call ends with a repeated promise of blessing to those who attend.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
The Beginning of Knowledge
Pro 1:1-19
Notice the perfect balance of each clause, and the duplication of the one thought in the two clauses of each verse.
Wisdom as used in this book is more than intellectual learning or cleverness. It represents a moral quality, the result of a pure and a true life. We are conscious that many simple-minded people, who have little enough book-learning, are remarkable for sagacious advice, insight into character, the wise reading of events, an intuitive knowledge-all based on the fear of God. The headlines of Scotch copy-books used to be taken from this book. Certain it is that the young who ponder and practice these maxims can hardly fail of a successful career.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Proverbs 1
The first four verses of the book of Proverbs would seem to justify the title given to this remarkable collection of sayings-The Young Mans Book. There are nine words used in this brief introductory portion that recur throughout the book. These words should be considered in beginning this study since they are not mere synonyms used pedantically or idly. But as every word of God is pure, so these terms are employed throughout this passage with admirable precision.
1:1-4
Wisdom is skillfulness-the ability to use knowledge correctly. It occurs thirty-seven times in this one book.
Instruction is used to translate a Hebrew word which occurs twenty-six times in Proverbs. It means to teach by discipline. This word is also translated chasteneth, (13:24) and chastening (3:11; see also Job 5:17 and Isa 26:16).
Understanding is a word seldom found in Scripture and has the force of to bereave, or to miscarry. The sayings of bereavement might not exactly express the thought, but it conveys the idea of learning through the unhappy experiences of others, or of oneself.
Justice refers to conduct and might be rendered right behavior or righteousness.
Judgment is equivalent to decisions. It is the ability to try the things that differ.
Equity refers to principles, rather than conduct. It is uprightness, or moral integrity.
Subtilty (frequently translated prudence) is craftiness in the original. As used here it conveys the ability to detect that in others. When Christ commanded His disciples to be wise as serpents He may have had the concept of subtilty in mind.
Knowledge is information of a sound character.
Discretion is thoughtfulness. The young generally lack this characteristic, but it is displayed by one who feeds on the Word of God.
These nine words describe a well-rounded character produced only by the study and practice of Gods truth. Therefore this part of Holy Scripture especially appeals to the young man, fully equipping him for his path through the world.
1:5-6
The truly wise are characterized by a readiness to learn. It is only the self-confident blusterer who considers himself superior to instruction. That which is worthy of our contemplation is not always expressed in simple terms. God would have the senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Were it Gods desire just to impart information to His creatures concerning the way to Heaven and Christian responsibility He could have chosen a much simpler way to give us His truth. But this would have eliminated that exercise which is both for our blessing and for His glory. We are exhorted to, Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2Ti 2:15). Dark sayings become luminous when the child of God studies them having eyes anointed with the eye-salve of the Spirit of truth.
1:7
On the threshold of this treasure-house of wisdom we are presented with one of the sharp contrasts which characterize the book of Proverbs. There is no true knowledge apart from the fear of the Lord. All that pretends to be wisdom and ignores God is folly. The young man should bear this in mind when meeting the many pseudo-scientific theories now abroad. Philosophers and scholars have cast to the winds the fear of the Lord and ruled Him out of His own creation. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (Rom 1:22). As a result abounding absurdities are readily accepted by the ignorant as science and true philosophy. The word science implies exact knowledge. To call the wild guesses of evolutionists and infidel biologists science is word-prostitution. Hypotheses, however original and erudite, are not science. There never has been, and never will be, a conflict between the Bible and science. The conflict comes between the Bible and unbelievers vain theorizing or between unscriptural religious notions and scientific facts.
1:8-9
Throughout the Bible obedience to parents is coupled with subjection to God. Those expositors who see in the ten commandments four precepts dealing with our relationship to God and six dealing with our relationship to man would seem to have missed the mind of the Spirit. The correct view assigns five ordinances to each table. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee is the last of the first series (Exo 20:12). This commandment is the recognition of divine authority and the position of dependence belonging to the creature. The responsibility to obey this commandment still applies to those that are not under law, but under grace. In Eph 6:1 we read, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. And immediately attention is drawn to the preeminent character of this precept in the law; it is the first commandment with promise. Col 3:20 is similar: Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Believing children should be patterns of filial obedience, that they may adorn the doctrine of Christ. Young people who profess allegiance to the Lord, but are impudent and disrespectful to those over them in the home are a sad reproach to the name of Him whom they are supposed to serve. To hear a fathers instruction and to cleave to a mothers law are the ornaments that beautify the young saint.
The apostle classifies disobedience to parents among the evidences of the last-day apostasy (2Ti 3:1-5). It is the crying sin of the present lawless times, and presages the awful hour of doom soon to strike. The Scriptural Children, obey your parents has almost universally been superseded by Parents, obey your children. It is a sowing of the wind and the whirlwind will yet be reaped. The human will disdains being bound in any way. The outcome will be terrible when, having cast off all parental authority, men will also throw aside every vestige of allegiance to divine authority.
1:10-19
In these verses the young man is solemnly warned against two things: evil companionships and covetousness, which is idolatry.
The line of demarcation between the children of God and the children of wrath is sharply drawn in the inspired Word. Come out from among them, and be ye separate, is the command of the Lord (2Co 6:17). If sinners tempt, appealing to the lust of the human heart, turn away from them. Their entreaties are only defiling. Nothing pleases them better than to have the young man cast in his lot with them, all sharing one purse. But the believer can have no part in this ungodly fellowship. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united (Gen 49:6).
Walk not thou in the way with them (Pro 1:15).The only safe course is to part company at once. Clean-cut separation from the world in all its forms is the path of blessing. Many a young Christian shipwrecks his life by dallying with the world in the hopes of improving it. Such a course is folly and a great mistake. Refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil (15-16). If you venture first to walk in their way, you will soon be running with them.
Nor can you plead ignorance in the day of your spiritual and moral breakdown; for Gods Word casts a light on your way, revealing the trap and warning you against the treacherous wiles of the devil.
1:20-23
Contrasting with the call of the wicked, the next section gives the cry of Wisdom. Throughout the first nine chapters of Proverbs Wisdom is personified. She is ever seeking to turn the steps of the young man from the door of folly and ignorance to the temple of knowledge and blessing. In these verses she is presented as one crying in public places, eagerly seeking to attract the attention of the passersby. In the marts of commerce, at the gates of justice, in the centers of population, among the idlers on the streets she pleads with the simple to obey her voice. She is not always met by positive refusal, but by what is far more common and equally as dangerous: procrastination. She cries, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? But there is no response.
Others definitely refuse to listen to Wisdoms voice. Scornfully rejecting her testimony, they delight in their fancied independence of mind and demonstrate their true character by their hatred of knowledge.
1:24-33
To those who reject her cry, Wisdom addresses a warning of coming calamity, when it will be too late to heed her gracious invitation. It must be evident to all how similar this call of Wisdom is to the gospel call, with its attendant warning of coming judgment if it is rejected. It is the Old Testament way of saying, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Gal 6:7-8). The principle abides whether applied to sinners or saints. But surely in Wisdoms cry the ministry of reconciliation may be readily recognized. It is God beseeching, man refusing / To be made forever glad. And what must the inevitable result be?
The words of Pro 1:32-33 will always possess a tender and precious interest for me. It was through having learned them as a lad in the Sunday school that I was, when fourteen years of age, truly awakened by the Spirit of God to see the awful result of rejecting the call of the gospel. Unable to shake off the vivid impression of Gods righteous wrath if I continued to refuse His grace, I fell down before Him confessing myself a lost, undone sinner. I found in Joh 3:16 the solace my conscience needed: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. It was a night to be remembered forever!
If you are reading these pages but are not saved, you should remember there is not only a world in which you can say no to God, the God of all grace; there is also a world in which He will say no to you, if you meet Him as the God of judgment. There is not only a world in which Wisdoms cry can be despised; there is also a world where your cry will be despised if you reject the message of grace. There is not only a place where you, in your folly and carelessness of heart, can laugh at the entreaties of Wisdom; a day will come swiftly when Wisdom will laugh at your calamity and mock your bitter anguish. Notice that God will not laugh at the grief of one of His creatures, however abandoned and iniquitous. In these verses Wisdom speaks. That Wisdom which you now despise will then mock your hopeless wails.
What can be worse for a lost soul than to have to remember, in the abyss of woe, the gospel messages once listened to indifferently and the Word of God once taken lightly? That soul will cry in despair, Jesus died, yet Im in Hell! He gave Himself for sinners. He provided a way of salvation for me, but I was foolish, and spurned His grace till grace was withdrawn. The door of mercy was closed, and now I am to be on the wrong side of that closed door forever! Thus will Wisdom laugh at your calamity if you go out into eternity in your sin.
Nor can anyone blame God for the result of their foolishness. All must admit that it was because they hated knowledge and chose not Jehovahs fear. Turning away with the simple, they are slain; prospering in their folly, they are destroyed. So shall it be with all who despise Wisdom and ignore her entreaties.
But all who heed will dwell safely, forever quiet from fear of evil. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (Psa 32:10).
Nor must we think only of the warning to the unconverted. Paul the apostle wrote to those who are secure eternally: See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is (Eph 5:15-17). It is true of saints as of sinners that we reap what we sow. The believer cannot take his own way with impunity. If he turns away from the house of Wisdom to pursue the path of folly, he too will hear the mocking laugh of that Wisdom which he had dared to despise. The chastisement of the Lord must invariably follow departure from the ways of Christ.
It is important to remember that the moment a poor sinner trusts the Lord Jesus as his Savior, his position as a criminal before the Judge is over forever. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). But the moment he is saved his responsibility as a child having to do with his Father begins; and that Father, without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans work (1Pe 1:17). His new responsibility springs from his new relationship. Henceforth he is to reckon [himself] dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 6:11). If he fails to do this and allows himself to become indifferent to the will of God, he will know the rod of His discipline.
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished (2Pe 2:9). The Christian is dealt with for his failures in this world. The unjust will be dealt with in that day of wrath, though even in this world sin may bring them suffering as well.
Let us remember then that the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (1Pe 4:17-18)
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
Pro 1:1
The Book of the Proverbs of Solomon is a collection, under the guidance of inspiration, of the short sayings of wise and pious men which up to that time had been more or less current, with many of course of his own intermixed. When we have them before us, we seem to have an insight into the minds of the very wisest of men, we almost commune with them, and know the point of view in which they regarded human life and all its affairs.
I. We see the estimate they formed of human nature, its weakness and corruption. How full the Book of Proverbs is of the folly of mankind!
II. Again, what a vast collection of sayings we have in this book relating to human life, to human duty: the fear of God, charity to man, modesty, humility, forbearance, industry, self-denial! Here we see that another plain use and design of the whole book is to give us a quantity of short and summary expressions of deep truths of practice, such as we can carry about with us and call to mind when we want them. This book will imprint upon our minds the great truths of God’s providence and the profundity of God’s judgment. The Proverbs show Divine justice already partially commenced and exhibited in this life; and the Gospel carries out this view, and completes it in the world of futurity.
J. B. Mozley, Sermons Parochial and Occasional, p. 96.
References: Pro 1:1.-W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth, 1st series, p. 9; J. W. Burgon, Ninety-one Short Sermons, No. 89; R. Wardlaw, Lectures on the Book of Proverbs, vol. i., p. 1.
Pro 1:1-4
It might seem at first as if no precepts of this kind, drawn from the experience of a social state most unlike our own, could be of much service to us. But much that is true of man at any time is true at all times. The counsels of the teacher look forwards rather than backwards. With but little change of outward circumstance, they are true even now. Their inner, substantial truth can never become obsolete.
I. (1) The first great danger against which the young man is warned on his entrance upon life is that of wild, lawless robbery. Still the tempter leads men captive at once by their covetousness and their weakness. (2) And so also of that which we have come to speak of as pre-eminently the sin of great cities, the evil which spreads over and corrupts every form of civilised society. Vivid as the picture was of what was seen in Jerusalem “in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night,” it might almost seem to have been photographed from the streets of London. (3) Indolence, self-sufficiency, cowardice-where can we find these portrayed in more vivid colours than here?
II. Having seen that the perils of life were the same, you will be able to recognise also the identity of the excellence presented to the youth of Israel and the youth of Christendom for their admiration. That ideal is at once noble and attainable. It meets men in their homes and in their work, in the marketplace and in the council-chamber, and bids them be wise, and righteous, and blessed there.
III. Through all excellences in man or woman there runs that which is the source and condition of them all, even the fear of the Lord.
IV. Such a life, having this root, bearing such fruits, is noble and honourable at all times. The wisdom of the Old Testament presented it as the true pattern for men to aim at. The wisdom of the New Testament does not reject it. But we should stop short of the whole counsel of God if we were to stop here. Wisdom manifested in the flesh, the Son of God, who was also the Son of man, has in word and act, by precept and example, disclosed a height and a depth beyond even this excellence.
E. H. Plumptre, Theology and Life, p. 184.
Reference: Pro 1:2-9.-R. Wardlaw, Lectures on the Book of Proverbs, vol. i., p. 10.
Pro 1:6
A great deal of the world’s wisdom is contained in proverbs. But it must be allowed that some of the world’s proverbs are faulty and imperfect, and therefore unsafe rules for a Christian to follow. The proverbs of Solomon are all good and holy in their tendency. How could they be otherwise, proceeding as they do from the good and Holy Spirit of God?
I. The book commences with the “fear of the Lord” as the root of the whole matter. Everything else without this is of no avail. If we have not learned to acknowledge God, to set Him before us, to be in His fear, we know nothing yet as we ought to know it. (1) The fear of God will urge us to a profitable study of the Holy Scriptures. (2) The fear of God will especially influence us in our devotions. (3) The fear of God will bring us to the business of the day in the right frame of mind to carry it on. (4) The fear of God will enable us to bear the trials and disappointments of life. (5) In the last trial of all, in the hour of death, we shall assuredly reap the fruit of having lived in the fear of the Lord, for then we shall have nothing else to fear.
II. Another proverb addresses itself especially to the young: “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” The dutiful son, the loving daughter, are characters that find favour in the sight of God and man. If the young would have the Lord’s favour, they must seek it in the paths of duty and obedience; and there, by God’s grace, they shall find it.
III. “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” In other words, avoid bad company. Take care that your pleasures are innocent pleasures; take care that they are such as do not leave a sting behind.
J. Edmunds, Sixty Sermons, p. 414.
Reference: Pro 1:6.-W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 15.
Pro 1:7
I understand by the fear of the Lord an abiding and reverent sense of the presence of God and of accountableness to Him. And in order for this to exist, God must not be the creature of each man’s imagination, a fiction adapted to each man’s prejudices and caprice, but that real, personal Being which we have every reason to believe God to have revealed Himself to be, such in character, as to love, holiness, and justice, as He has declared Himself in His word.
I. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, because knowledge, being the apprehension of facts and application of them to life, cannot properly begin, or be placed on a right foundation, without first apprehending and applying a fact which includes and which modifies all other facts whatever.
II. Knowledge is the food of the soul. The knowledge which is to train the soul must begin, continue, and end in the apprehension of God-of God as first, and of all other things as He has made them to be to us exponents of, and testimonies to, Himself.
III. A third and no less powerful reason is this: knowledge, understood as the mere accumulation of facts, is inoperative upon life. If knowledge is to be of any real use to help and renovate man, the affections must be wrought upon at the very outset of teaching. There is but one personal Agent whose influence and presence can abide through life, can alike excite hope, and fear, and love in the infant, in the child, in the youth, in the man, in the aged, and on the bed of death; and that One is God Himself. Unless He be known first and known throughout, knowledge will abide alone in the head, and will not find a way to the heart: man will know, but will not grow by it; will know, but will not act upon it; will know for narrow, and low, and selfish purposes, but never for blessing to himself or to others, never for the great ends of his being and never for glory to his God. The fear of the Lord is not a barren fact, like the shape of the earth or the course of the seasons; it is a living, springing, transmuting affection, capable of enduing even ordinary facts with power to cheer and to bless, and to bear fruit in men’s hearts and lives.
H. Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. vii., p. 1.
Reference: Pro 1:7.- W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 19.
Pro 1:7-9
Solomon grounds the fear of God, the basis of the whole religious life, upon the duty of obedience to parents.
I. It is not mere children to whom he is speaking; he is addressing young persons who have come to that period of life at which they can go wrong if they will, when the actual restraint of parents is past.
II. It is the mark of a young person being very much fallen from the safe narrow path, when he allows himself to be tempted, whether in company or in his own heart, to be ashamed or think lightly of the law of his father and his mother. If the lessons of childhood which we learn from our mothers be really and truly the most valuable that we ever do learn, is not Solomon right in speaking of him as in the true road to wisdom who reverences the law of his mother, and wears it with pride as a precious chain about his neck, and in declaring, on the other hand, the folly and wickedness of him who despises his mother’s lessons?
III. That habit of mind which is indicated by the figure of the text is the habit of mind which leads to all high and noble feelings. Give me a man who has shown himself in all respects a good and dutiful son, and I have very little fear that he will be a good member of society, a loyal subject of the Queen, a man of open and honourable heart, a good husband, and a good father. This will be the case because excellence in all these conditions of life requires the same simplicity of heart, the same unselfishness, the same practical wisdom, and the same obedience to the behests of gratitude and of conscience which the keeping of the Fifth Commandment requires.
Bishop Harvey Goodwin, Parish Sermons, 2nd series, p. 262.
References: Pro 1:8.-W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 25. Pro 1:9.-Ibid., p. 30.
Pro 1:10
There are two chief sources of temptation which Solomon indicates in these chapters, and which, when we have stripped off the figure or the accidental circumstances of age and time, are not less applicable to our days than to his.
I. The first is sensuality, figured and summed up in that repeated picture of the “strange woman which flattereth with her tongue, which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.”
II. The other is that of evil companionship.
You may see in chap. ii. the two distinguished very clearly and put as the two things from which wisdom, discretion, understanding, should preserve you.
“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” The particular sins to which Solomon imagines the young man as being enticed are not at the moment sins of sensuality, but sins of violence. He is invited to join, to throw in his lot with, a band of brigands or highwaymen. The words describe the temptation to sin offered by companionship-sin of lawlessness, sin of daring, sin of cruelty, and sin of injustice. There is the natural temptation to go with a multitude, to feel that we are in the stream. There are the subtle temptations, which make use in part of our better nature, to adventure, to braving risk, to standing by companions. It may be a little matter at first, a youthful freak, but it will be defended presently by falsehood; and will they have the courage to draw back then? “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
E. C. Wickham, Wellington College Sermons, p. 216.
I. Look, first, at the case supposed. (1) It is a common case. Sinners do entice. It is the nature of sin to make men tempters one of another. Men do not like to sin alone. Sinfulness begets a spirit of mischief; and if a man injures himself, he desires to see somebody else injured. (2) It is a serious case. Generally speaking, the tempters are stronger than the tempted. Temptation, when it is presented, is presented to a nature more or less susceptible. To be enticed is to be in danger of yielding to the inducement and of falling into sin. This is a serious case, but (3) it is by no means a hopeless one. “Consent thou not.”
II. Notice the advice given. (1) Without consent the temptation cannot take effect, and without consent the temptation can do no real harm. (2) “Consent thou not,” for if you do consent, “be sure your sin will find you out.”
S. Martin, Westminster Chapel Pulpit, 2nd series, No. 17.
This verse, in brief compass and transparent terms, reveals the foe and the fight. It is a Father’s voice. It speaketh unto us as unto children. With a kindness and wisdom altogether paternal, it warns the youth of the danger that assails him, and suggests the method of defence.
I. The danger is, “if sinners entice thee.” There are enticers and enticements, the fowler and his snare. (1) The enticers of youth may be divided into two great classes: the internal and the external. The sinners that entice from within are the man’s own thoughts and desires; the sinners that entice from without are fellow-men who, having gone astray themselves, are busy leading others after them. (2) Among the enticements we may name: (a) the theatre; (b) the customs of society encouraging the use of intoxicating drinks.
II. The defence prescribed is, “Consent thou not.” It is a blunt, peremptory command. Your method of defence must be different from the adversary’s mode of attack. His strength lies in making gradual approaches, yours in a resistance sudden, resolute, total. The means of resisting (we do not speak here of the first and best means: the word of God and prayer) are: (1) refinement of manners; (2) profitable study; (3) benevolent effort; (4) improving company.
W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 34.
References: Pro 1:10.-Preacher’s Monthly, vol. ii., p. 151, and vol. iii., p. 337; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. ix., p. 96. Pro 1:10-19.-R. Wardlaw, Lectures on Proverbs, vol. i., p. 23; T. G. Horton, Homiletic Quarterly, vol. iv., p. 141. Pro 1:17.-Outline Sermons to Children, p. 62. Pro 1:19.-W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 57.
Pro 1:20-22
The wisdom of God is a manifold wisdom. While it centres bodily in Christ, and thence issues as from its source, it is reflected and re-echoed from every object and every event. Every law of nature and every event in history has a tongue by which wisdom proclaims God’s holiness and rebukes man’s sin. Three classes of persons seem to be singled out here, and to each is administered an appropriate reproof:-
I. The simple, who love simplicity. Probably we should not be far from the truth if we should accept this term in the Proverbs as intended to indicate that class of sinners whose leading characteristic is the absence of good rather than positive activity in evil.
II. The scorners, who love scorning. This class meet the threatening realities of eternity not by an easy indifference, but by a hardy resistance. They have a bold word ever ready to ward solemn thoughts away: a sneer at the silliness of a saint, an oath to manifest courage, or a witty allusion to Scripture which will make the circle ring again with laughter. Scorners love scorning. The habit grows by indulgence. It becomes a second nature.
III. The fools, who hate knowledge. Fools are those who have reached the very highest degrees of evil. Here it is intimated that they hate knowledge; and knowledge has its beginning in the fear of God. “How long shall fools hate knowledge?” Unless they learn to love it soon, they will hate it for ever.
W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 64.
References: Pro 1:20-23.-R. M. McCheyne, Additional Remains, p. 9. Pro 1:20-33.-H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxiv., p. 291; R. Wardlaw, Lectures on Proverbs, vol. i., p. 38.
Pro 1:23
I. Observe carefully what it is which God here requires from the scornful and the simple. He prescribes none of those lofty performances which in other parts of Scripture are distinctly affirmed to lie far beyond men’s power; it only asks that they would “turn at God’s reproof;” and it manifestly assumes that they might turn if they would. God’s call upon you is nicely adapted to the energies you actually possess. It is not a call to change your heart, and root out from the soul the ingrained love of evil; but it is a call that you reform your practice, and purge your life of its grosser evils. This you can do. We infer from this passage that every man who has a wish to repent has an instant task in which he is bound to engage: the task of ceasing to do evil and striving to do well; and therefore we set him to the task.
II. Consider the promise which God makes in the text, which evidently applies to those only who “turn at His reproof.” Who can turn at God’s reproof without the help of God’s Spirit? And yet, according to our text, our turning is the condition of our obtaining the Spirit, so that our gaining what we need seems to take for granted that we have it already. There is undoubtedly something here that looks like contradiction, and the whole business of practical religion is involved in the removal of the difficulty. The unconverted man will tell us that, since he has not the Spirit, it is useless for him to make any effort to pray, or even to attempt a reformation of his practice. In all such objections there is a strange forgetfulness that the men whom the Bible addresses are already under the dispensation of the Spirit, not in the state of unredeemed creatures, but members for the most part of the visible Church. We cannot treat any such as beings in whom there are no actings of the Spirit of God. You may make an excuse of your helplessness; you may make an excuse of God’s election; you may plead that the act of prayer presupposes that for which you are to pray, and the act of labour that for which you are to toil: but there is sufficient reason why the promises of the text have not been made part of your experience if you have failed to do that which, through the strength already communicated, you might have done: failed to obey the oft-repeated exhortation of the Lord, “Turn you at My reproof.”
H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 1539.
Reference: Pro 1:23.-W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 72.
Pro 1:24-28.
The words of the text are awful, but not hopeless; they pronounce God’s judgment on the finally impenitent; the penitent they but awaken, that they may “hear the voice of the Son of God and live.”
I. The sentence pronounced is final. God is indeed longsuffering; He warns, calls, recalls, manifoldly, in various places; publicly, aloud, so that they must hear: but if, hearing, they will not hearken, a time will come when not only will He not hear those who would not hear Him, but all these calls will but increase their anguish and misery. Such is the fullest and most terrible meaning of the words; and in this they relate to the time when God will no longer pity nor spare, but the ungodly, who would not turn at His rebuke, shall perish by it.
II. But because, in their fullest sense, these words relate to the day of days, the day of judgment, is there then no sense in which they are fulfilled in this life, or are the fears which they awaken in the sinner’s heart misplaced fears? By no means. Fear they should awaken, only not despair. Besides the great images of the day of judgment, when fire, or floods, or hurricanes, or earthquakes, or volcanoes, or man at once swallow up a whole people or city in one wide desolation, and end their trial here by sudden destruction, there are in the lives or deaths of individuals other events which so far partake of the same character, that they are final. All suffering, mental or bodily, has a twofold character: it is at once punishment and chastisement; it at once expresses God’s hatred for the sin and mercy to the sinner; it is at once the wrath and love of Almighty God. And of these judgments many are for this life without remedy. God warns that He may not strike; but when He does strike, a man’s whole life is changed. Whether for correction or for punishment, the restoration of penitents or the ripening of saints, we do see varied forms of sudden affliction, agonising, irremediable, darkening life at once, making the sufferer, if in this life only we had hope in Christ, of all men most miserable.
III. If God’s fire do fall, then man’s only wisdom is with what strength he has; darkened though his path be by the bewildering of past sin, to grope his way onward in the new path wherein God hath set him. The past is, in one sense, closed. It stands fixed as adamant, yet to him, as paradise to Adam, inaccessible. Yet, through God’s overflowing mercy, there remains trial still. God answereth not in temporal mercies, that He may answer in eternal lovingkindness. He lets us eat of the fruit of our own way, that by its bitterness we may learn to leave our own way and choose His. There is trial yet; and where there is trial, there is God’s strength ready to aid, and a Saviour looking on to uphold and to crown in heaven, where we see only that we deserved hell.
E. B. Pusey, Sermons from Advent to Whitsuntide, vol. i., p. 171.
Pro 1:24-28
I. God in mercy visits a rebellious generation. He calls, stretches out His hands, gives counsel, and administers reproof.
II. A rebellious generation neglect or resist the gracious visitation of God.
III. They shall eat the fruit of their own ways, and be filled with their own devices. As certainly as a husbandman in harvest reaps only what he sowed in spring, shall they, who in life sow sin, reap wrath in judgment.
W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 1st series, p. 78.
Pro 1:24-31
I. The person represented as speaking these very solemn and terrible words is that same wisdom which is represented in the verses before the text as making most gracious offers to all who will hear her voice. We shall make a right use of the language if we conclude from it that the wisdom of God will not speak for ever in the way of warning and rebuke, but that a time will come to those who do not listen to her words, when her voice will bring no comfort to their hearts, and contrariwise will fill them with anguish.
II. To us Christians wisdom is presented in a very distinct and personal form, namely, as embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the excellence of the promises of wisdom could not be understood until interpreted by the coming of Christ, so the curses pronounced by wisdom had nothing of their full weight, until they fell upon those who have seen “Jesus Christ evidently set forth crucified amongst them,” and who, nevertheless, have counted His blood as worthless, and so have done despite to the Spirit of Grace. The love of Christ only measures the wrath of God against those who neglect it: as the blood of Christ saved, so also the blood of Christ condemns.
Bishop Harvey Goodwin, Parish Sermons, 3rd series, p. 120.
Reference: Pro 1:27, Pro 1:28.-C. C. Bartholomew, Sermons Chiefly Practical, p. 341.
Pro 1:28
Christ’s Gospel gives out the forgiveness of sins; and as this is its very essence, so also in what we read connected with Christ’s Gospel, the tone of encouragement, of mercy, of lovingkindness to sinners is ever predominant. But there is yet another language, which is to be found alike in the Old Testament and in the New, a language not indeed so common as the language of mercy, but yet repeated many times; a language which we also need as fully as it was ever needed, and of whose severity we can no more spare one tittle than we can spare anything of the comfort of the other. The language to which I allude is expressed amongst other passages by the words of the text.
I. We should, I suppose, allow that these words were at no time in any man’s earthly life so true as they will be at the day of judgment. Carry this principle a little farther, and we come to our own case. The words of the text will be more true at the day of judgment than they ever are on earth, and yet on earth they are often true substantially and practically. And even so, they may be more true to each of us a few years hence than they are at this moment; and yet, in a certain degree, they may be true at this moment-true, not absolutely and entirely, but partially; so true as to give a most solemn earnest, if we are not warned in time, of their more entire truth hereafter-first in this earthly life, then, most perfectly of all, when we shall arise at the last day.
II. Unanswered prayers, broken resolutions, are they not actually a calling on God without His hearing us; a seeking Him without finding Him? We know what it is that hinders God from hearing us always: because we are not thoroughly one in His Son Christ Jesus. Of all of us, those who the least like to pray, who have prayed with the least benefit, have the most need to pray again. If they have sought God, without finding Him, let them take heed that this be not their case for ever.
T. Arnold, Sermons, vol. iv., p. 85.
Pro 1:33
I. The fear of evil is the element of it, with which man has most directly to do.
II. It is precisely this fear of evil which, by God’s help, we are to conquer; the evil itself is wholly beyond our power. “Man is born to trouble.”
III. How is the power to be won? (1) By realising how purely independent of things is man’s peace and happiness. (2) By taking a true measure of the range of our being and its resources. (3) By perfect filial trust in God.
J. Baldwin Brown, The Sunday Afternoon, p. 304.
Reference: Pro 1:33.- Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 188.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
Analysis and Annotations
A detailed analysis, as we have made it in other books, cannot be fully made in this collection of proverbs. Most of them are detached and each has a message by itself. To interpret each separately, to point out the many spiritual lessons, as well as prophetic application, to show their relation to other portions of the Word of God and to explain them by incidents taken from the Bible, would require volumes; and even then the spiritual meaning would not be exhausted. All we can do is to hint at their meaning and give some annotations which, under God, may be helpful in the closer study of this book
I. INSTRUCTIONS OF WISDOM GIVEN TO SOLOMON
CHAPTER 1
1. The Introduction (Pro 1:1-7)
2. Warning against evil companions and covetousness (Pro 1:8-19)
3. The appeal of wisdom (Pro 1:20-33)
Pro 1:1-7. The introductory words of these verses present the object of the book. These proverbs were given to Solomon, and contain instructions he received from the Lord. They are given to him that he might know wisdom. The word wisdom is the characteristic word of this book for it occurs in the original language 42 times, which is 6 times 7. Six in Scripture is the human number, while 7 is the divine number. Wisdom is the first thing to be acquired, and that is followed by instruction, or admonition, to receive the instruction, the discipline of wisdom. The instructions are in justice, judgment and equity and they give subtilty to the simple. The word subtilty means prudence; the word simple has the meaning of guileless. Solomon was a young man when the Lord answered his prayer for a wise and understanding heart, and in these proverbs given to him he received knowledge and discretion (thoughtfulness). Thus by the Word of God comes wisdom and that produces understanding and a moral character in the man who trusteth in the Lord and is obedient to Him. To hear marks the wise man, and hearing will increase learning, learning will give understanding so that proverbs can be understood and also the interpretation. The latter word is only used once more in the Old Testament. It has the meaning of satire. The words of the wise and their dark sayings (riddles) are the words of the wise men of this world, the philosophers. The meaning is not that these wise men were the instructors of the young monarch, but that the divinely given proverbs rightly understood would protect him from accepting the foolish things of human wisdom, of philosophy. This verse (Pro 1:6) intimates that the aim of the book is to confer an initiation which will make the possessor free of all the mysteries of the wise (T.T. Perowne).
Pro 1:7 contains the keynote to the entire book. (See Pro 9:10; Ecc 12:13; Job 28:28; Psa 111:10.) The word fear means a godly fear, reverence. This fear of the Lord is mentioned fourteen times in Proverbs. This childlike reverence, so sadly lacking among the young of our day, is the beginning of knowledge; there is no true knowledge apart from the fear of the Lord. It means to acknowledge the Lord, adore and worship Him, bow in faith to His revelation and put it above everything else. The foolish despise wisdom and instruction, they follow the philosophies of this world. To acknowledge the Lord to reverence and fear Him is thus written over the portal of the house of wisdom.
Pro 1:8-19. The practical instructions begin with an exhortation of obedience to the father and mother. My son is the address of the Lord to Solomon, who thus acknowledges him as His child. Obedience to parents is not only commanded in the law dispensation; it is as prominent in the dispensation of grace, as we learn from Eph 6:1 and Col 3:20. One of the marks of the last days among those who profess Christianity who have the form of godliness but have not the power of it, is disobedience to parents (2Ti 3:1-17). Such disobedience, so prominent today among professing Christians, is coupled with disobedience to God and rejection of His Word. Much of the ungodliness today has its source in this disobedience. This is followed by warning against wicked associates, those who are lawless and desperate men, thieves and murderers, who pass through the country greedy for gain. Solomon is exhorted not to walk in the way with them. The one who fears the Lord walks in separation and keeps away from the paths of the wicked. Pro 1:16 is quoted by Paul in the third chapter of Romans. There is a striking resemblance of this passage to Psa 10:1-18 in which we have a description of the wicked, prophetically indicating the man of sin. (See annotations on that Psalm.)
Pro 1:20-23. Wisdom now speaks and wisdom in this first section of Proverbs is a person, a divine person. The eighth chapter gives us a wonderful vision of that Person, the Son of God, who is the Wisdom. First stands the call of Wisdom. The call may be answered or rejected. Wisdom promises if the call is obeyed, Behold, I will pour my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. But if the call is refused the consequences will be disastrous. The appeal of wisdom closes with a precious promise.
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely
And shall be quiet from fear of evil.
This appeal of wisdom, the call, the promise, the refusal and the calamity of the refusal to listen to Him who speaks furnishes an excellent theme for preaching the Gospel to the unsaved.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
proverbs: Pro 10:1, Pro 25:1, 1Ki 4:31, 1Ki 4:32, Ecc 12:9, Joh 16:25
Solomon: 2Sa 12:24, 2Sa 12:25, 1Ki 2:12, 1Ch 22:9, 1Ch 28:5, 1Ch 29:28
Reciprocal: Gen 43:14 – And God Job 32:7 – General Ecc 12:10 – written
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE HEBREW WISDOM
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.
Pro 1:1
The Book of the Proverbs of Solomon is a collection, under the guidance of inspiration, of the short sayings of wise and pious men which up to that time had been more or less current, with many of course of his own intermixed.
I. We see the estimate they formed of human nature, its weakness and corruption.How full the Book of Proverbs is of the folly of mankind!
II. Again, what a vast collection of sayings we have in this book relating to human life, to human duty: the fear of God, charity to man, modesty, humility, forbearance, industry, self-denial!The Proverbs show Divine justice already partially commenced and exhibited in this life; and the Gospel carries out this view, and completes it in the world of futurity.
Canon Mozley.
Illustration
The Book of Proverbs is a study for a lifetime. In it the poetical form of the proverb is conspicuous. That is, comparison and similitude are used very largely in the didactic purpose of the author or compilerfor we cannot refer all the proverbs of this book to Solomon, as Agur and Lemuel are distinctly mentioned as authors of some of them, and the men of Hezekiah may have mingled others with those of Solomon, making only selections from Solomons three thousand. In this book every department of life is addressed, and all the moral virtues are set forth, while the vices of men are treated with severity. So also the infelicities of life are depicted, and the wisdom which comes from the fear of the Lord is constantly contrasted with the folly to which men are prone, and which leads to ruin. The pictures given in these brief sayings would abide in the mind when mere didactic disquisitions would be forgotten. And here is one of the most valuable features of the proverb. They can be readily stored in the memory, and prove to be a supply of practical wisdom, usable at any emergency. They are not only condensed wisdom, but are therefore portable wisdom, standing one in good part when he has no time to look up authorities or to reason out a subject. Moreover, they are acceptable to the common mind.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
The Proverbs of Solomon
Pro 1:1-19
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
1. Solomon’s great choice. It was in Gibeon that the Lord appeared unto Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, “Ask what I shall give thee.” We read that Solomon replied: “Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before Thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee.”
Then Solomon continued: “And now, O Lord my God, Thou hast made Thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which Thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?”
When the Lord heard the request of Solomon, He was pleased because Solomon had not asked for himself long life, neither riches, nor the life of his enemies, but had asked understanding to discern judgment. God therefore said: “I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour.”
(1) Solomon acknowledged his own weaknesses. This, to us, is the beginning of wisdom and of strength, and of successful service. It is those who have not, but are willing to have, that God blesses. Solomon was called to a great task and he knew that he was not able in his own strength or wisdom to undertake. Do we not feel the same way?
Do we not often feel our own weakness, our lack of wisdom? Let us then ask wisdom of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and we shalt receive.
(2) Solomon showed his wisdom by asking for wisdom. Many of us might have asked for material things, such as silver and gold, food and raiment, because of these things we have need. We might have asked for popularity and power with the multitude, for winsome ways and pleasing manners, but Solomon asked for wisdom.
2. God’s remarkable answer. God immediately pledged to give to Solomon that which he asked, but to give him more than he asked. Does not God always give exceeding abundantly above all we are able to ask or to think?
3. Our precious privilege. How marvelous it is that we are permitted to sit at the feet of the wisest of men, and study the Proverbs which he has given to us. Out of all of his experience, and the riches of his wisdom, the Holy Spirit caused Solomon to write down just such things as He wanted us to know. These things are recorded in Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, and Proverbs.
I. THREE GREAT QUESTS (Pro 1:1-4)
1. The first quest:” To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding.”
Shall young people spend their time in frivolity and foolish pastime, living as though life were a matter of pleasure and madness and folly, or shall they seek to know God in all of the wisdom of His Person, and of His Words and work?
If we seek these better and higher things, let us remember that unto us is given the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding in the knowledge of Him.
2. The second quest: “To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity.” Do we have an open mind that we may receive the things which are freely given us of God? There are so many who have eyes that see not, and ears that hear not. The wisdom of God is given only unto those who walk in the Spirit, inasmuch as the natural man receiveth not the things of God, neither can he understand them. It is written, “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord.”
We humbly ask the young people if they are truly ready to receive the instruction of wisdom, of justice, of judgment, and of equity. Do they want to know the things which are freely given them of God?
3. The third quest:” To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.”
Let all God’s people attempt great things for God and expect great things from God.
II. THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM (Pro 1:5-7)
1. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning. The mind is a wonderful gift from God. Yet how little does the infant know as he lifts his wondering eyes upon the world about him. He seems, intellectually, as well as physically, about the most helpless of the newly born. To watch the babe as he lies there looking at his fists, in his first sense of self-consciousness is most striking.
Little by little the infant grows to childhood, then to youth and then to manhood. As he grows, knowledge daily increases.
Everybody who wants to know God should hear and increase in wisdom.
2. A wise man will attain to wise counsel. He will seek to associate himself with men of wisdom and understanding. He will select his friends from among those who see life as more than a passing show. He will seek to understand a proverb and its deeper meaning-its interpretation.
“Give attendance to reading” is a splendid advice to young men, who, Timothy-like, want to know God’s deeper things. Daniel as a youth was a student and as he grew in wisdom and in knowledge, he diligently searched the Scriptures to learn more of the “times and seasons” with their mysteries, which belonged to the purposes of God. He wrote, “I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet.”
3. A wise man knows that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Do we speak of the “fear of the Lord” as of one who is afraid of God? Not altogether. He may be, and he is, afraid to disobey God. However, “the fear of the Lord,” which is “the beginning of knowledge,” is the sense of the greatness, the glory, the power, the righteousness, the justice, the works of God.
The one who fears God is the one who stands in awe, with his head bowed in hallowed reverence, as he worships at His throne. Such an one has reached the “beginning of wisdom.”
III. THE DIVINE ADMONITION TO SONS (Pro 1:8-9)
1. My son, hear the instruction of thy father. Fatherhood has its responsibilities; so does sonhood. It is the duty of the father to “teach these things diligently to his children.” It is the duty of the son to hear what he is taught. It is the duty of the father to bring up his child in the way he should go; it is the duty of the son to obey his father’s instruction.
2. My son, forsake not the law of thy mother. This second admonition not only exalts the glory and responsibility of Christian motherhood, but it exalts the law which she inculcates on the child.
In the twentieth century home, the foundations are crumbling under the god of this world who is steadily robbing the youth of the land of those holy mothers of yore, who gave their life and their all to the instruction of their children. Side by side with this is the tottering of those sons who used to all but worship at the feet of the one who gave them birth.
God give us mothers with the Law of the Lord on their lips; and sons with the spirit of loyalty and devotion to her tutelage.
3. The ornaments of youth. “For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.” Here are jewels which are most rare, in the sight of God. Let young people seek to excel in spiritual graces. Let these be their chief adornments. Hearing instruction from fathers, and walking in the law of mothers is an adornment to the brow, and to the neck. They are costly and yet free to obedient children.
IV. THE POWER TO SAY “NO” (Pro 1:10)
1. Wisdom’s warning. Wisdom is not ignorant of the many wiles which beset the young. It seems to us that Satan was never so active in preparing nets for the feet of our youth as he is today. Pitfalls of every kind and description abound at every turn of the way. These places are painted in most roseate colors; they are made to appear beautiful without, while within they are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness.
2. Wisdom’s plea. Wisdom is pleading to the youth, saying, “Consent thou not.” Wisdom sees the end of the way which concludes pleasure’s path. Wisdom knows that the wine cup, be it ever so red as it stirs itself, will at the last bite like a serpent. Wisdom knows that the movies, be they ever so alluring to the eye, will, at the last, implant loose morals and wrong ideals. Wisdom knows it all, and knowing, says, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”
3. Where is the power to say “No.” Has youth lost the will power which is necessary to sustain rectitude? Shall youth be carried about by every wind that blows? Shall it submit to every evil that entices? Shall the youth live with such a wail as this on its lips, “When I would do good, evil is present with me”; and, “The good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do”?
God pity us if we are slaves to sin, driven on and on against our better self, until we cry out, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
Is defeat a necessity with the young man? Never. If we walk in the Spirit we shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin.” Thank God there is a place of victory. God will prepare a way of escape in every hour of temptation. Thus we will ever thank God who giveth us the victory in Christ Jesus.
V. THE WAYS OF THE WICKED (Pro 1:11-12)
1. The way of destruction to others. Here is the voice of the sinners who entice: “Let us lay wait for blood.” This sounds like highway robbers, and thugs, the worst of the wicked. It is not necessarily so, at all. Sin spoils everything it touches. To go in the way of evil men, is to slay the hopes of others. The wicked all lay in wait for blood.
2. The way of death. Here are the words: “Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit.”
If physical death were all, that would not be so bad; but to those who follow the wicked, the second death awaits them. How true is the word, “the wages of sin is death”-yes, death from every viewpoint. Death to hopes, and to health; death to happiness and to honor; death to peace and to power with God: death to everything.
Sin shortens one’s physical life on the earth. All kinds of diseases lurk in the way of the one who spends his life in sin and shame. The woman of the streets soon passes away, and is not. She dies early and dies without hope for in the hereafter, and only to be forgotten on the earth. Yes, sin takes the light out of the eyes, the color out of the cheek, the quickness out of the step. Sin hurries up the casket that will bear the sinner to his grave.
There is also a second death-a death that has no hope of life forevermore. Existence? The wicked have not the life of God. They are forever shut away from His face. They are committed unto the blackness of darkness forever. They go where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched; for death and hell shall be cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.
VI. FOLLOWING A MIRAGE OF FALSE PROMISES (Pro 1:13-14)
Pro 1:11 and Pro 1:12 display the real intent of the sinners who entice. Pro 1:13 and Pro 1:14 display their false promises to the dupes who follow them in their ways.
1. Here is the first false promise: “We shall find all precious substance.” With what roseate hues do the wicked, who tempt the unwary, paint the future. The god of this world is an adept in flourishing scenery. He and his know how to make the world appear beautiful. However, when one gets into the heart of the world’s territory, he finds it filled with horror-a veritable chamber of misery and disappointments.
Suppose that the deceived follower does, for the while, get all precious substance. His substance will fade as fades a summer day. Suppose he becomes rich. His riches will but pierce his soul through with many sorrows. Suppose he does get all precious treasures. He will get them only to leave them to those who shall be after him. He will get them, and say to his soul, “Thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry,” only to hear the Lord say, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided.”
2. Here is the next false promise:” Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse.” That is the cry heard on every hand today. Let us not listen to any promise on the part of the wicked, for their promises are only baits and snares to entice the helpless.
VII. A CALL FOR SEPARATION (Pro 1:15-19)
1. “Walk not thou in the way with them.” An unholy companionship is always to be feared. It is said you cannot play with fire without being burned. Certainly you cannot walk with evil men without being evilly influenced, and marred in character.
If we make evil men or women our associates, we will soon be like them in their evil ways. Thus has God said, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.” Let us refrain our feet from their paths. The New Testament, like the Old, is filled with warnings on this line, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.”
2. “Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.” Does the Lord mean to intimate that a man will walk into a plainly spread net quicker than a bird? Or does He mean to say that if a bird will not fly into a net, plainly spread in its very sight, how much less should we walk into a net spread, and confessedly spread, to catch us?
How many are the nets, the pitfalls, the traps laid out for us! There are the present-day moving picture show, the game of cards, the dance, the drinking saloon, the gilded house of shame, the groups of filthy story tellers, etc., etc.
All of these are for no more than “catches” for the youth of our land. It is sad, indeed, to see the throngs of people standing at the picture show and rushing into the nets laid to catch them and carry them away from God and from their Christian integrity.
3. “So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain.” The lure of gold, as well as the lure of pleasure, presents a great temptation. Of course all is not gold that glitters, but many a youth thinks it is. “The love of money” is still “the root of all evil.” God help us not to covet after these things.
AN ILLUSTRATION
God keep us from becoming soiled with sin.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1Jn 2:15).
Walking along a business district, an observer noticed a suit of clothes hanging in the breeze at the side of a window. It was marked, “Slightly soiled, greatly reduced in price.” “What a text for the young people!” he thought. A young man or woman’s mind becomes “slightly soiled” by reading a coarse book, by seeing a vulgar show in a theater, by allowing little indulgences in dishonest or lustful thoughts. Just slightly soiled! But in course of time it will be found that these young people are greatly reduced in value. Their charm, their strength, their influence has vanished.-War Cry.
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water
The nature of this book makes divisions of its chapters rather arbitrary, and ours may not always be the best, but it is hoped it may prove useful in some degree. The opening of chapter four suggests a new beginning, for which reason we conclude this lesson at the close of chapter three.
It begins with an advertisement (Pro 1:1-6), in which mention is made of the author (Pro 1:1), the object of the book (Pro 1:2-3), and its great value (Pro 1:4-6). Then follows its theme, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Pro 1:7), of which the rest of the lesson is a development or exposition. Beginning is rendered in the margin of the Revised Version chief part. The fear of the Lord means a right state of heart towards God as opposed to the condition of an unconverted man. Put the two ideas together, and we learn that the chief part of all knowledge is to be right with God. In working out of the thought:
1. The teacher exhorts his son or pupil, to avoid vice (1:8-19); 2. He shows the ruinous conduct of the unwise, a warning placed on the lips of wisdom personified (1:20-33); 3. This warning is accentuated by contrasting the consequences of obedience and a striving after wisdom (2:1-3); 4. The Lord is shown as the protector of those who are wise in this sense (3:19-26); 5. The division concludes with an admonition to charity and justice (3:27-35).
PRACTICAL AND DOCTRINAL REMARKS
In this part of the lesson we call attention to particular verses for explanation or application, acknowledging indebtedness to Arnots Laws From Heaven for Life on Earth.
Pro 1:23 is a text for a revival sermon, containing a command and a promise joined, like Php 2:12. It teaches in one sentence those two seemingly contradictory doctrines, the sovereignty of God, and the free agency of man. It is when we turn at Gods reproof that He pours out His Spirit; though its also true that unless His Spirit is poured out we cannot turn.
Pro 1:24-32 offers an opportunity to preach on Gods mercy to a rebellious people. He calls, stretches out His hands, counsels, and administers reproof. On the other hand men refuse, disregard, set at nought, and reject. The natural consequence follows; sowing disobedience they reap judgment. That judgment consists in calling on God and getting no answer, seeking diligently and not finding Him. The passage closes with a promise to them that hearken deliverance from death at last and freedom from fear now.
Pro 2:1-9 suggests Christs words in Luk 11:9, Seek, and ye shall find. The seeking is in Pro 2:1-4, the finding in Pro 2:5-9.
Pro 2:10-22 is an outline of the way of evil (Pro 2:12 RV). The first step is speaking froward things; the second, leaving the paths of uprightness, the feet soon follow the tongue (Pro 2:13); the third, walking in the ways of darkness (Pro 2:13); the fourth, rejoicing to do evil (Pro 2:14); the fifth, delighting in the frowardness of the wicked, we cannot take pleasure in doing wickedness without finding pleasure in seeing others do it; and the sixth, to complete the picture, the evil person here particularly in mind is seen to be a woman (Pro 2:16-22).
Pro 3:5-6 presents one of the strongest promises of the Bible the first text from which the author of this commentary ever preached.
Note how we are to trust, with all thine heart. God complains as much of a divided allegiance as of none. Note the extent of our trust, in all thy ways. Few will refuse to acknowledge a superintending providence at certain times, and in certain operations that are counted great, but God wants us to confide in Him in the little, close, and kindly things.
Pro 3:11-12 is quoted in Heb 12:5-6. Note there how the inspired writer interprets the phrase, My son. The speaker in Proverbs may have been addressing a pupil merely, but the Holy Spirit through him, speaketh unto you as unto sons.
Despise not, means do not make light of chastening, or cast it aside as if it had no meaning for you; faint not touches the opposite extreme, do not be driven to despair by the experience. The middle way is the path of safety.
Pro 3:13-20 is a description and appreciation of wisdom, which throughout this book means piety or godliness. In Ecclesiastes it is science. And yet piety or godliness hardly expresses it in the highest sense in which it is sometimes found, where as for example in these verses, it suggests Christ. He is the wisdom of God as we learn in the New Testament, who, by the Holy Spirit through the holy Scriptures is made unto us wisdom (1 Corinthians 2). Such wisdom cannot be planned, much less created by us, but must be found or gotten (Pro 3:13).
Observe the figures describing it. It is precious merchandise (Pro 3:14-15). It is a way of honor, pleasantness and peace (Pro 3:16-17). It is a tree of life (Pro 3:18).
QUESTIONS
1. What is the chief part of all knowledge?
2. Give the five general divisions of this lesson.
3. Quote and give the doctrinal teaching of Pro 1:23.
4. Quote and give the spiritual significance of Pro 1:33; Pro 3:5-6; Pro 3:11-12.
5. What does the word wisdom mean in this book?
Fuente: James Gray’s Concise Bible Commentary
Pro 1:1. The proverbs of Solomon Solomon is the first of the sacred writers whose name appears at the head of his works. The name alone of so wise and so great a prince is a sufficient recommendation to engage men to hear and to read. For we naturally love to see and to listen to persons of illustrious name and extraordinary capacity, particularly when those qualities are joined with sovereign power. The style of this work, the brevity of his sentences, and the parabolical turn, close, short, sententious, are also reasons for studying it: long discourses fatigue; all men have not leisure to attend to, or penetration to comprehend them. But precepts delivered in parables are always pleasing to hear. See Calmet and Dodd. The reader will observe proverbs are ancient, wise, and short sayings, in common use, whereof some are plain and easy, others intricate and obscure. This way of treating serious subjects was very common and familiar with the Jews. Jesus Christ delivered most of his instructions to the people in a way somewhat similar to this, namely, in parables. This method of instruction serves well to teach wisdom, truth, and justice, and to caution men against error, vice, and dissipation.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Pro 1:1. Proverbs, apothegms, parables, sentences, similitudes. The proverbs of a nation are the compressions of wisdom into short maxims, which like the coins of a country worn bare by use, pass from hand to hand, without scruple or fear. The Hebrew word mishelim, from mashal, to rule or govern, signifies a collection of wise sayings for the government of life and conduct.
Pro 1:2. To know wisdom. This little volume comes cheap to us, but it cost the king of Israel, the great oriental philosopher, who surpassed Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda in wisdom, a whole life of labour and of study. 1Ki 4:30-31.
Pro 1:4. To give subtilty, wariness, cautionary wisdom, to the simple. The LXX, , those without evil, the innocent. Vulgate, parvulis, the little ones, those who from youth and inexperience act rashly and precipitately.
Pro 1:5. A wise man will hear. The wise and illustrious Solomon opens his volume by setting forth the nature and design of his work. Wisdom, according to him, is no other than the luminous truth of revelation embraced by the mind, revered in the heart, and practised in the life. Then correspondent dispositions are formed, for divine wisdom is more than theory; it is pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and all good fruit. Hence it is no other than real religion in all its doctrines, and in all its duties. And to conform the heart and life to the wise counsel of God, is assuredly both the best wisdom and the first duty of all mankind. It ennobles the mind with sacred knowledge, it adorns the heart with purity, and clothes the character with rectitude. In a word, it opens every avenue of intellectual pleasure and moral happiness to the soul of man.
Pro 1:7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. This is the first proverb, and worthy of the first place. The fear of the Lord is real religion. It puts a young man into the right road, leading to glory and virtue. The Saviour admonishes us first to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Also Job 28:28.
Pro 1:8. My son, hear the instruction of thy father. To give the more effect to this volume, Solomon, very prudently, and with all the affability of condescension, speaks in the person of a father to his son. This mode of speaking was common for aged tutors to their pupils. Instruction coming in this form is natural and persuasive; and it falls with all the weight of paternal influence and of hoary experience. How then should we be affected with the condescension of God, who speaks to us as the Father of mercies, and loves us with the tenderest affection.
Pro 1:9. Chains about thy neck. Hebrews torques; a ring of gold round the neck, often bestudded with gems, and from which the flowing robes of the east were sometimes suspended. Schultens, in his Latin translation of the Proverbs, illustrates this from the Arabic by the idea of a serpent twisted round the neck.
Pro 1:10. If sinners entice thee, consent thou not. The first positive instruction Solomon here gives, is a caution to youth against bad company. However inclined to foolishness the heart of a youth may be, having some delicacy and modesty, he is shocked at the grosser crimes, and does not intend irrecoverably to take the route of vice. But on associating with persons totally depraved, impelled by passion, and allured by temptations, he cannot tell whether exile or the gallows may soon be his lot. Many bad young men in Israel, it would seem, were induced to join the bands of robbers whose haunts were in the deserts and the woods, and whose end was destruction: being outlawed they went on in a course of crimes till arrested by the hand of justice. See on Judges 19.
Pro 1:17. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. The allegory here is beautiful; if a poor bird take warning, why not those foolish youths!
Pro 1:20. Wisdom crieth without. Like Minerva among the Greeks she is here arrayed in the female character; for mothers advise their children for good. Hence both father and mother join their voices to save youth from sin.
Pro 1:22. How long ye simple ones. Youth are not only cautioned against vice, but a remedy is prescribed in real religion. Hence wisdom as a tender matron cries in the streets, and in all the public resorts of the wicked. She then says, this is all vanity and empty show. Shun this place, avoid the breath of this infected crowd, and come and shelter your weakness under my roof, and the wings of my protecting love. And that her instructions may be received with the more conviction and propriety, she divides the crowd into three classes; for wicked men are not all equally depraved. First, the simple ones who merely run with the throng, and love giddiness and folly. Secondly, the scoffers who having vanquished their own conscience, next attempt to deride Gods most sacred word. Thirdly, the consummately hardened fools, who being learned in wickedness hate instruction. This last class of sinners are in an awful situation, and on the verge of destruction. Yet even to these she says, Turn at my reproof; and I will pour out my spirit upon you. Hence the most hardened and profligate should be called to repentance, for the very brands of wickedness are sometimes plucked from the burning.
Pro 1:24. Because I have called, have knocked, have waited, love assaying all its arts to win the soul. The remaining addresses, often repeated by the prophets, are to the incorrigible, the abandoned, the reprobates.I have stretched out my hand, in a succession of paternal corrections, but all has been disregarded. You have been deaf to my voice, and blind to my ways; you have followed passion, instead of wisdom; therefore I am about to mock you in trouble, and bid you go to your harlots for pleasure, and to your physicians for health; yea, when arrests and imprisonment await you suddenly like a whirlwind, I will refer you to the bar of justice which will do you no wrong. Return then, return, oh sinner, while his wrath delays; for it yet is love that uses severer words.
Pro 1:32. The turning away [that is, the sloth and ease] of the simple shall slay them. On the other hand, the prosperity of fools, who like Sodom and Gomorrah, live in pride, idleness, and fulness of bread, shall destroy them; and to see what end both those characters come to, shall destroy all their unfounded hopes.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Proverbs 1-9. First Section. The Praise of Wisdom.
Pro 1:1. Title, either of the whole book, or of this particular collection.
The word for proverb, mshl, has a wide significance in Heb. (see BDB). Probably it originally expressed a comparison or allusion, drawn from history or nature, and employed to convey a taunt or satire, hence the rendering taunt-song. For different meanings cf. Num 21:27, Deu 28:37, Job 13:12, Isa 14:4, Eze 12:23. Ezekiels use should be specially noted.
Pro 1:2-6. Introduction specifying the purpose of the book. There need be no grammatical connexion between the title and the infinitives in Pro 1:2-6.
Pro 1:3. Construction obscure. Possibly render the discipline that causes one to understand (what is) righteousness, judgment, and equity.
Pro 1:4. simple: from root meaning to be open, spacious. Those who are lacking in reticence and self-restraint.subtilty: shrewdness, used of the serpent in Gen 3:1.
Pro 1:5. sound counsels: lit. rope-pulling, hence direction, a nautical term, steersmanship (cf. Pro 24:6, Job 37:12).
Pro 1:6. figure: lit. satire (cf. Hab 2:6 f.*), from root to scorn.dark sayings: read riddles (cf. Jdg 14:12, 1Ki 10:1, Eze 17:2).
Pro 1:7-20. First Discourse warning the young man against the allurements of those who are in haste to get gain by oppression and spoliation. Apparently there was a persecuted party, the innocent and the perfect (Pro 1:11 f.), and a party of godless oppressors who entice the young man by the promise of gain. It is less likely that the speakers were a band of highway robbers (cf. Psa 10:8 f., Psa 11:2).
Pro 1:7. The introductory motto of the whole collection (cf. Pro 9:10, Job 28:28, Psa 111:10, Sir 1:14).foolish: the precise shades of meaning in the various synonyms for fool in Heb. are not easy to define (p. 344). Peth (Pro 1:4*) means open, simple, not necessarily with an evil significance; evl (Pro 1:7) is one who is crass, stupid (lit. be fat, thick); ksil is the braggart fool (Pro 1:22), (cf. the mythological significance of Orion); nbl, less frequent in Pr. (only Pro 17:7-21, Pro 30:22), the man lacking in moral sensibility (cf. Psa 14:1, 1Sa 25:25); sakal, not in Pr. (cf. Ecc 2:19).
Pro 1:17. Obscure. May mean (a) the net of the allurements of the wicked is spread in vain when the victim is forewarned, or (b) the net of retribution is spread in vain in the sight of the wicked, they will not be warned.spread: a forced rendering; Heb. means to winnow, scatter.
Pro 1:19. ways: read fate (LXX).
Pro 1:20-33. Second Discourse.Wisdom personified warns the simple of the law of retribution, that they cannot escape the consequences of their own actions. The future judgment has little place in the ordinary Hebrew conception of the Day of Yahweh. The tendency to personify the Divine attributes is a late development due to the increasing sense of Gods transcendence. Cf. the growth of the conception of Metatron, and the Memra (pp. 401, 746) of the Targums.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
I. COLLECTION 1: DISCOURSES ON WISDOM CHS. 1-9
The Book of Proverbs is a collection of at least seven separate groups of proverbs. There are two groups that Solomon spoke and or wrote (possibly chs. 1-9 and definitely Pro 10:1 to Pro 22:16).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
A. Introduction to the Book 1:1-7
These verses set forth the title, the purpose, and the thesis of the Book of Proverbs. Far from being a hodgepodge of miscellaneous sayings, the book gives evidence of careful organization in this opening segment.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
1. The title of the book 1:1
Verse one introduces both the book as a whole and chapters 1-9 in particular.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
CHAPTER 2
THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”- Pro 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”- Pro 9:10
“To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and it was created with the faithful in the womb”- Sir 1:14; also Psa 111:10
THE book of Proverbs belongs to a group of works in the Hebrew literature the subject of which is Wisdom. It is probably the earliest of them all, and may be regarded as the stem, of which they are the branches. Without attempting to determine the relative ages of these compositions, the ordinary reader can see the points of contact between Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and a little careful study reveals that the book of Job, though fuller, and richer in every respect, belongs to the same order. Outside the canon of Holy Scripture we possess two works which avowedly owe their suggestion and inspiration to our book, viz., “The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach,” commonly called Ecclesiasticus, a genuinely Hebrew product, and “The Wisdom of Solomon,” commonly called the Book of Wisdom, of much later origin, and exhibiting that fusion of Hebrew religious conceptions with Greek speculation which prevailed in the Jewish schools of Alexandria.
Now, the question at once occurs, What are we to understand by the Wisdom which gives a subject and a title to this extensive field of literature? and in what relation does it stand to the Law and the Prophets, which form the great bulk of the Old Testament Scriptures?
Broadly speaking, the Wisdom of the Hebrews covers the whole domain of what we should call Science and Philosophy. It is the consistent effort of the human mind to know, to understand, and to explain all that exists. It is, to use the modern phrase, the search for truth. The “wise men” were not, like Moses and the Prophets, inspired legislators and heralds of Gods immediate messages to mankind; but rather, like the wise men among the earlier Greeks, Thales, Solon, Anaximenes, or like the Sophists among the later Greeks, Socrates and his successors, they brought all their faculties to bear in observing the facts of the world and of life, and in seeking to interpret them, and then in the public streets or in appointed schools endeavored to communicate their knowledge to the young. Nothing was too high for their inquiry: “That which is far off, and exceeding deep; who can find it out?” {Ecc 7:24} yet they tried to discover and to explain that which is. Nothing was too lowly for their attention; wisdom “reaches from one end to another mightily, and sweetly orders all things.” {RAPC Wis 8:1} Their purpose finds expression in the words of Ecclesiastes, “I turned about, and my heart was set to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things.” {Ecc 7:25}
But by Wisdom is meant not merely the search, but also the discovery; not merely a desire to know, but also a certain body of conceptions ascertained and sufficiently formulated. To the Hebrew mind it would have seemed meaningless to assert that Agnosticism was wisdom. It was saved from this paradoxical conclusion by its firmly rooted faith in God. Mystery might hang over the details, but one thing was plain: the whole universe was an intelligent plan of God; the mind might be baffled in understanding His ways, but all that existence is of His choosing and His ordering was taken as the axiom with which all thought must start. Thus there is a unity in the Hebrew Wisdom; the unity is found in the thought of the Creator; all the facts of the physical world, all the problems of human life, are referred to His mind; objective Wisdom is Gods Being, which includes in its circle everything; and subjective wisdom, wisdom in the human mind, consists in becoming acquainted with His Being and all that is contained in it, and meanwhile in constantly admitting that He is, and yielding to Him the rightful place in our thought.
But while Wisdom embraces in her wide survey all things in heaven and in earth, there is one part of the vast field which makes a special demand upon human interest. The proper study of mankind is man. Very naturally the earliest subject to occupy human thought was human life, human conduct, human society. Or, to say the same thing in the language of this book, while Wisdom was occupied with the whole creation, she specially rejoiced in the habitable earth, and her delight was with the sons of men.
Theoretically embracing all subjects of human knowledge and reflection, the Wisdom of the Hebrew literature practically touches but little on what we should now call Science, and even where attention was turned to the facts and laws of the material world, it was mainly in order to borrow similitudes or illustrations for moral and religious purposes. King Solomon “spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.” {1Ki 4:33} But the Proverbs which have actually come down to us under his name refer almost exclusively to principles of conduct or observation of life, and seldom remind us of the earth, the sea, and the sky, except as the dwelling-place of men, the house covered with paintings for his delight or filled with imagery for his instruction.
But there is a further distinction to be drawn, and in attempting to make it plain we may determine the place of the Proverbs in the general scheme of the inspired writings. Human life is a sufficiently large theme; it includes not only social and political questions, but the searchings and speculations of philosophy, the truths and revelations of religion. From one point of view, therefore, wisdom may be said to embrace the Law and the Prophets, and in a beautiful passage of Ecclesiasticus the whole covenant of Jehovah with Israel is treated as an emanation of wisdom from the mouth of the Most High. Wisdom was the inspiration of those who shaped the law and built the Holy House, of those who ministered in the courts of the Temple, and of those who were moved by the Holy One to chide the faults of the people, to call them to repentance, to denounce the doom of their sin, and proclaim the glad promise of deliverance. Again, from this large point of view Wisdom could be regarded as the Divine Philosophy, the system of thought and the body of beliefs which would furnish the explanation of life, and would root all the decisions of ethics in eternal principles of truth. And this function of Wisdom is presented with singular beauty and power in the eighth chapter of our book, where, as we shall see, the mouth of Wisdom shows that her concern with men is derived from her relation with the Creator and from her comprehension of His great architectural design in the construction of the world.
Now, the wisdom which finds expression in the bulk of the Proverbs must be clearly distinguished from wisdom in this exalted sense. It is not the wisdom of the Law and the Prophets; it moves in a much lower plane. It is not the wisdom of chapter 8, a philosophy which harmonizes human life with the laws of nature by constantly connecting both with God.
The wisdom of the Proverbs differs from the wisdom of the Prophets in this, that it is derived not directly, but immediately from God. No special mind is directed to shape these sayings; they grow up in the common mind of the people, and they derive their inspiration from those general qualities which made the whole nation in the midst of which they had their birth an inspired nation, and gave to all the literature of the nation a peculiar and inimitable tone. The wisdom of the Proverbs differs, too, from the wisdom of these introductory chapters in much the same way; it is a difference which might be expressed by a familiar use of words; it is a distinction between Philosophy and Proverbial Philosophy, a distinction, let us say, between Divine Philosophy and Proverbial Philosophy.
The Proverbs are often shrewd, often edifying, sometimes almost evangelical in their sharp ethical insight; but we shall constantly be reminded that they do not come with the overbearing authority of the prophetic “Thus saith the Lord.” And still more shall we be reminded how far they lag behind the standard of life and the principles of conduct which are presented to us in Christ Jesus.
What has just been said seems to be a necessary preliminary to the study of the Proverbs, and it is only by bearing it in mind that we shall be able to appreciate the difference in tone between the nine introductory chapters and the main body of the book; nor should we venture, perhaps, apart from the consideration which has been urged, to exercise our critical sense in the study of particular sayings, and to insist at all points on bringing the teaching of the wise men of old to the standard and test of Him who is Himself made unto us Wisdom.
But now to turn to our text. We must think of wisdom in the largest possible sense, as including not only ethics, but philosophy, and not only philosophy, but religion; yes, and as embracing in her vast survey the whole field of natural science, when it is said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; we must think of knowledge in its fullest and-most liberal extent when we read that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
In this pregnant truth we may distinguish three ideas: first, fear, or, as we should probably say, reverence, is the pre-requisite of all scientific, philosophical, or religious truth; second, no real knowledge or wisdom can be attained which does not start with the recognition of God; and then, thirdly, the expression is not only “the fear of God,” which might refer only to the Being that is presupposed in any intelligent explanation of phenomena but the “fear of the Lord,” i.e., of Javeh, the self-existent One, who has revealed Himself in a special way to men as “I AM WHAT I AM”; and it is therefore hinted that no satisfactory philosophy of human life and history can be constructed which does not build upon the fact of revelation.
We may proceed to dwell upon these three thoughts in order.
1. Most religious people are willing to admit that “the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” {Pro 14:27} But what is not always observed is that the same attitude is necessary in the intellectual sphere. And yet the truth may be illustrated in a quarter which to some of us may be surprising. It is a notable fact that Modern Science had its origin in two deeply religious minds. Bacon and Descartes were both stirred to their investigation of physical facts by their belief in the Divine Being who was behind them. To mention only our great English thinker, Bacons “Novum Organum” is the most reverent of works, and no one ever realized more keenly than he that, as Coleridge used to say, “there is no chance of truth at the goal where there is not a childlike humility at the starting-point.”
It is sometimes said that this note of reverence is wanting in the great scientific investigators of our day. So far as this is true, it is probable that their conclusions will be vitiated, and we are often impressed by the feeling that the unmannerly self-assertion and overweening self-confidence of many scientific writers augur ill for the truth of their assertions. But, on the other hand, it must be remembered that the greatest men of science in our own, as in all other ages, are distinguished by a singular simplicity, and by a reverence which communicates itself to their readers. What could be more reverent than Darwins way of studying the coral-insect or the earthworm? He bestowed on these humble creatures of the ocean and of the earth the most patient and loving observation. And his success in understanding and explaining them was in proportion to the respect which he showed to them. The coral-diver has no reverence for the insect; he is bent only on gain, and he consequently can tell us nothing of the coral reef and its growth. The gardener has no reverence for the worm; he cuts it ruthlessly with his spade, and flings it carelessly aside; accordingly he is not able to tell us of its lowly ministries and of the part it plays in the fertilization of the soil. It was Darwins reverence which proved to be the beginning of knowledge in these departments of investigation; and if it was only the reverence of the naturalist, the truth is illustrated all the better, for his knowledge of the unseen and the eternal dwindled away, just as his perception of beauty in literature and art declined, in proportion as he suffered his spirit of reverence towards these things to die.
The gates of Knowledge and Wisdom are closed, and they are opened only to the knock of Reverence. Without reverence, it is true, men may gain what is called worldly knowledge and worldly wisdom; but these are far removed from truth, and. experience often shows us how profoundly ignorant and how incurably blind pushing and successful people are, whose knowledge is all turned to delusion, and whose wisdom shifts round into folly, precisely because the great prerequisite is wanting. The seeker after real knowledge will have little about him which suggests worldly success. He is modest, self-forgetful, possibly shy; he is absorbed in a disinterested pursuit, for he has seen afar the high, white star of Truth; at it he gazes, to it he aspires. Things which only affect him personally make but little impression on him; things which affect the truth move, agitate, excite him. A bright spirit is on ahead, beckoning to him. The color mounts to his cheek, the nerves thrill, and his soul is filled with rapture, when the form seems to grow clearer and a step is gained in the pursuit. When a discovery is made he almost forgets that he is the discoverer; he will even allow the credit of it to pass over to another, for he would rather rejoice in the truth itself than allow his joy to be tinged with a personal consideration.
Yes, the modest, self-forgetful, reverent mien is the first condition winning Truth, who must be approached on bended knee, and recognized with a humble and a prostrate heart. There is no gainsaying the fact that this fear, this reverence, is “the beginning” of wisdom.
2. We pass now to an assertion bolder than the last, that there can be no true knowledge or wisdom which does not start from the recognition of God. This is one of those contentions, not uncommon in the Sacred Writings, which appear at first sight to be arbitrary dogmas, but prove on closer inquiry to be the authoritative statements of reasoned truth. We are face to face, in our day, with an avowedly atheistic philosophy. According to the Scriptures, an atheistic philosophy is not a philosophy at all, but only a folly: “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.” We have thinkers among us who deem it their great mission to get rid of the very idea of God, as one who stands in the way of spiritual, social, and political progress. According to the Scriptures, to remove the idea of God is to destroy the key of knowledge and to make any consistent scheme of thought impossible. Here certainly is a clear and sharp issue.
Now, if this universe of which we form a part is a thought of the Divine mind, a work of the Divine hand, a scene of Divine operations, in which God is realizing, by slow degrees, a vast spiritual purpose, it is self-evident that no attempt to understand the universe can be successful which leaves this, its fundamental idea, out of account; as well might one attempt to understand a picture while refusing to recognize that the artist had any purpose to express in painting it, or indeed that there was any artist at all. So much everyone will admit.
But if the universe is not the work of a Divine mind, or the effect of a Divine will; if it is merely the working of a blind, irrational Force, which realizes no end, because it has no end to realize; if we, the feeble outcome of a long, unthinking evolution, are the first creatures that ever thought, and the only creatures who now think, in all the universe of Being; it follows that of a universe so irrational there can be no true knowledge for rational beings, and of a scheme of things so unwise there can be no philosophy or wisdom. No person who reflects can fail to recognize this, and this is the truth which is asserted in the text. It is not necessary to maintain that without admitting God we cannot have knowledge of a certain number of empirical facts; but that does not constitute a philosophy or a wisdom. It is necessary to maintain that without admitting God we cannot have any explanation of our knowledge, or any verification of it; without admitting God our knowledge can never come to any roundness or completeness such as might justify our calling it by the name of Wisdom.
Or to put the matter in a slightly different way: a thinking mind can only conceive the universe as the product of thought; if the universe is not the product of thought it can never be intelligible to a thinking mind, and can therefore never be in a true sense the object of knowledge; to deny that the universe is the product of thought is to deny the possibility of wisdom.
We find, then, that it is not a dogma, but a truth of reason, that knowledge must start with the recognition of God.
3. But now we come to an assertion which is the boldest of all, and for the present we shall have to be content to leave behind many who have readily followed us so far. That we are bound to recognize “the Lord,” that is the God of Revelation, and bow down in reverence before Him, as the first condition of true wisdom, is just the truth which multitudes of men who claim to be Theists are now strenuously denying. Must we be content to leave the assertion merely as a dogma enunciated on the authority of Scripture?
Surely they, at any rate, who have made the beginning of wisdom in the fear of the Lord should be able to show that the possession which they have gained is actually wisdom, and does not rest upon an irrational dogma, incapable of proof.
We have already recognized at the outset that the Wisdom of this book is not merely an intellectual account of the reason of things, but also more specifically an explanation of the moral and spiritual life. It may be granted that so far as the Intellect alone claims satisfaction it is enough to posit the bare idea of God as the condition of all rational existence. But when men come to recognize themselves as Spiritual Beings, with conceptions of right and wrong, with strong affections, with soaring aspirations, with ideas which lay hold of Eternity, they find themselves quite incapable of being satisfied with the bare idea of God; the soul within them pants and thirsts for a living God. An intellectual love of God might satisfy purely intellectual creatures; but to meet the needs of man as he is, God must be a God that manifests His own personality, and does not leave Himself without a witness to His rational creature. A wisdom, then, that is to truly appraise and rightly guide the life of man must start with the recognition of a God whose peculiar designation is the self-existent One, and who makes Himself known to man by that name; that is, it must start with the “fear of the Lord.”
How cogent this necessity is appears directly the alternative is stated. If Reason assures us of a God that made us, a First Cause of our existence and of our being what we are; if Reason also compels us to refer to Him our moral nature, our desire of holiness, and our capacity of love, what could be a greater tax on faith, and even a greater strain on the reason, than to declare that, notwithstanding, God has not revealed Himself as the Lord of our life and the God of our salvation, as the authority of righteousness or the object of our love? When the question is stated in this way it appears that apart from a veritable and trustworthy revelation there can be no wisdom which is capable of really dealing with human life, as the life of spiritual and moral creatures; for a God who does not reveal Himself would be devoid of the highest qualities of the human spirit, and the belief in a God who is inferior to man, a Creator who is less than the creature, could furnish no foundation for an intelligible system of thought.
Our text now stands before us, not as the unsupported deliverance of dogma, but as a condensed utterance of the human reason. We see that starting from the conception of Wisdom as the sum of that which is, and the sufficient explanation of all things, as including therefore not only the laws of nature, but also the laws of human life, both spiritual and moral, we can make no step towards the acquisition of wisdom without a sincere and absolute reverence, a recognition of God as the Author of the universe which we seek to understand, and as the Personal Being, the Self-existent One, who reveals Himself under that significant name “I AM,” and declares His will to our waiting hearts. “To whom hath the root of wisdom been revealed? or who hath known her wise counsels? There is one wise, and greatly to be feared, the Lord sitting upon His throne.” {Ecc 1:6; Ecc 1:8}
In this way is struck the keynote of the Jewish “Wisdom.” it is profoundly true; it is stimulating and helpful. But it may not be out of place to remind ourselves even thus early that the idea on which we have been dwelling comes short of the higher truth which has been given us in Christ. It hardly entered into the mind of a Hebrew thinker to conceive that “fear of the Lord” might pass into full, whole-hearted, and perfect love. And yet it may be shown that this was the change effected when Christ was of God “made unto us Wisdom”; it is not that the “fear,” or reverence, becomes less, but it is that the fear is swallowed up in the larger and more gracious sentiment. For us who have received Christ as our Wisdom, it has become almost a truism that we must love in order to know. We recognize that the causes of things remain hidden from us until our hearts have been kindled into an ardent love towards the First Cause, God Himself: we find that even our processes of reasoning are faulty until they are touched with the Divine tenderness, and rendered sympathetic by the infusion of a loftier passion. And it is quite in accordance with this fuller truth that both science and philosophy have made genuine progress only in Christian lands and under Christian influences. Where the touch of Christs hand has been most decisively felt, in Germany, in England, in America, and where consequently Wisdom has attained a nobler, a richer, a more tender significance, there, under fostering powers, which are not the less real because they are not always acknowledged, the great discoveries have been made, the great systems of thought have been framed, and the great counsels of conduct have gradually assumed substance and authority. And from a wide observation of facts we are able to say, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge”; yes, but the Wisdom of God has led us on from fear to love, and in. the Love of the Lord is found the fulfillment of that which trembled into birth through fear.