Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 17:11
An evil [man] seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
11. rebellion ] This, in its highest reference, is an anticipation of the divine philosophy of St John, “sin is lawlessness” ( ). “Sin is lawlessness. Sin and lawlessness are convertible terms. Sin is not an arbitrary conception; it is the assertion of the selfish will against a paramount authority. He who sins breaks, not only by accident or in an isolated detail, but essentially, the law which he was created to fulfil,” Westcott on 1Jn 3:4.
a cruel messenger ] The stern, implacable minister of the rebel’s doom. Comp., for illustration, 1Ki 2:25; 1Ki 2:34. The LXX. refer the sending of the merciless messenger, whether human or angelic, to Jehovah, against whom ultimately all rebellion is aimed: .
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The proverb expresses the reverence of the East for the supreme authority of the king. The cruel messenger is probably the kings officer despatched to subdue and punish. The Septuagint renders it: The Lord will send a pitiless Angel.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
An evil man seeketh only rebellion; it is the constant study and business of wicked men to rebel, either,
1. Against men in authority. But this is not universally true, for many most wicked persons are not guilty of that sin. Or rather,
2. Against God. For,
1. Thus it is true of all wicked men.
2. This word is used of rebellion against God, Deu 31:27; Eze 2:5,6; 3:9, &c.
3. This word being put alone, without any addition of the object, seems most probably to be meant of the highest and worst kind of rebellion, according to the common rule of interpretation in such cases. A cruel messenger; or, a cruel angel; the angel of death, the devil, or some bloody men employed by God to avenge his quarrel; or some dreadful punishment; it being very usual in Scripture to represent things under the notion of persons, as Ro 8, and elsewhere.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. Such meet just retribution(1Ki 2:25).
a cruel messengeroneto inflict it.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
An evil [man] seeketh only rebellion,…. For he seeks nothing but what is evil; and all sin is rebellion against God, a contempt of his laws, and a transgression of them; a trampling upon his legislative power and authority; an act of hostility against him, and a casting off allegiance to him. Or rather the words may be rendered, “rebellion”, that is, “the rebellious man”, so the Targum, the abstract for the concrete, “verily” or “only seeketh evil” m; a man that is rebellious against his prince, that is of a rebellious disposition, is continually seeking to do mischief in the commonwealth; he is continually plotting and contriving destructive schemes, and stirring up sedition, and causing trouble; and so a rebel against God is always seeking that which is sinful, which is evil in its own nature, and contrary to the law and will of God; and in the issue brings the evil of punishment on himself;
therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him: if a rebel against his lawful sovereign, a messenger shall be sent by him to take him into custody, who will show him no mercy; or an executioner to dispatch him, who will not spare to perform his orders: and if a rebel against God, some judgment of God shall fall upon him in a very severe manner; or his own conscience shall accuse him, and shall be filled with dreadful apprehensions of divine vengeance; or Satan, the angel of death, shall be let loose upon him, to terrify or destroy him; or death itself, which spares none. The Septuagint and Arabic versions ascribe this to God as his act, rendering it, “the Lord shall send”, c. and so Aben Ezra who also refers the former clause to him, and gives it as the sense of it; that he shall seek to do the rebellious man evil, inflict on him the evil of punishment for the evil of sin.
m “profecto rebellio quaeret malum”, Montanus; so Schultens, Piscator, Tigurine version, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Five proverbs of dangerous men against whom one has to be on his guard:
11 The rebellious seeketh only after evil,
And a cruel messenger is sent out against him.
It is a question what is subj. and what obj. in 11a. It lies nearest to look on as subj., and this word (from , stringere , to make oneself exacting against any, to oppose, ) is appropriate thereto; it occurs also at Eze 2:7 as abstr. pro concreto. That it is truly subj. appears from this, that , to seek after evil (cf. Pro 29:10; 1Ki 20:7, etc.), is a connection of idea much more natural than to seek after rebellion. Thus will be logically connected with , and the reading will be preferred to the reading ; (corresponding to the Arab. ainnama ) belongs to those particles which are placed before the clause, without referring to the immediately following part of the sentence, for they are much more regarded as affecting the whole sentence ( vid., Pro 13:10): the rebellious strives after nothing but only evil. Thus, as neut. obj. is rendered by the Syr., Targ., Venet., and Luther; on the contrary, the older Greek translators and Jerome regard as the personal subject. If now, in reference to rebellion, the discourse is of a , we are not, with Hitzig, to think of the demon of wild passions unfettered in the person of the rebellious, for that is a style of thought and of expression that is modern, not biblical; but the old unpoetic yet simply true remark remains: Loquendi formula inde petita quod regis aut summi magistratus minister rebelli supplicium nunciat infligitque . is n. officii, not naturae. Man as a messenger, and the spiritual being as messenger, are both called . Therefore one may not understand , with the lxx, Jerome, and Luther, directly and exclusively of an angel of punishment. If one thinks of Jahve as the Person against whom the rebellion is made, then the idea of a heavenly messenger lies near, according to Psa 35:5., Psa 78:49; but the proverb is so meant, that it is not the less true if an earthly king sends out against a rebellious multitude a messenger with an unlimited commission, or an officer against a single man dangerous to the state, with strict directions to arrest him at all hazards. we had already at Pro 12:10; the root means, to be dry, hard, without feeling. The fut. does not denote what may be done (Bertheau, Zckler), which is contrary to the parallelism, the order of the words, and the style of the proverb, but what is done. And the relation of the clause is not, as Ewald interprets it, “scarcely does the sedition seek out evil when an inexorable messenger is sent.” Although this explanation is held by Ewald as “unimprovable,” yet it is incorrect, because in this sense demands, e.g., Gen 27:3, the perf. (strengthened by the infin. intensivus). The relation of the clause is, also, not such as Bttcher has interpreted it: a wicked man tries only scorn though a stern messenger is sent against him, but not because such a messenger is called , against whom this “trying of scorn” helps nothing, so that it is not worth being spoken of; besides, or would have been used if this relation had been intended. We have in 11a and 11b, as also e.g., at Pro 26:24; Pro 28:1, two clauses standing in internal reciprocal relation, but syntactically simply co-ordinated; the force lies in this, that a messenger who recognises no mitigating circumstances, and offers no pardon, is sent out against such an one.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
11 An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Here is the sin and punishment of an evil man. 1. His sin. He is an evil man indeed that seeks all occasions to rebel against God, and the government God has set over him, and to contradict and quarrel with those about him. Qurit jurgia–He picks quarrels; so some. There are some that are actuated by a spirit of opposition, that will contradict for contradiction-sake, that will go on frowardly in their wicked ways in spite of all restraint and check. A rebellious man seeks mischief (so some read it), watches all opportunities to disturb the public peace. 2. His punishment. Because he will not be reclaimed by mild and gentle methods, a cruel messenger shall be sent against him, some dreadful judgment or other, as a messenger from God. Angels, God’s messengers, shall be employed as ministers of his justice against him, Ps. lxxviii. 49. Satan, the angel of death, shall be let loose upon him, and the messengers of Satan. His prince shall send a sergeant to arrest him, an executioner to cut him off. He that kicks against the pricks is waited for of the sword.
| Weighty Sayings. | |
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Fruit of Evil
Verse 11 affirms the principle of sowing and reaping. The rebel who seeks only evil will himself be a victim of evil, Vs 13; Pro 11:17; Pro 22:8; Job 4:8; Eze 20:38; Hos 8:7.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 17:11. Many commentators translate the first clause Rebellion, or a rebel seeketh only after evil, i.e., brings retribution upon himself.
Pro. 17:12. Miller translates the latter clause but not a fool his folly. (See his comment.)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Pro. 17:11-13
PHASES OF EVIL
I. The main characteristic of a sinner is that he is a rebel against the moral order of the universe. He seeketh only rebellion. The planets in their courses describe their orbits in obedience to the law of gravitation, and because they do so the order of the heavens is preserved. God is the sun of the moral universe, and before sin entered it all His creatures kept the path of obedience to His will, held to their allegiance by the love and confidence which they bore to their Lawgiver. But sin snapped the bond, and the word sinner stands for one who has broken away from the moral law of God; every sinner seeketh rebellion.
II. A sinner is a restless being. He seeks rebellion. These words seem to depict the restless character of the ungodly man. When a soul has lost its centre of gravitywhen the will of God is not the polestar of lifeit drifts about in obedience first to one lawless passion and then another, following in the footsteps of the great leader of rebellion, the first sinner, who, by his own confession, is continually going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it (Job. 1:7).
III. A sinner is an injurious man. No man can set himself in antagonism to the law of God, which tends to the happiness of his creatures, without bringing misery upon others, and the more determined his rebellion the more cruel are the effects of his sin upon them. A bear is naturally a cruel beast, but when a bear is robbed of what her instinct leads her to guard most jealously she is an object to be dreaded and avoided. Yet a wicked man is more to be feared, for there are in him capabilities of mischief beyond those possessed by the furious brute. The anger of the beast might be diverted or appeasedeven a bear robbed of her whelps would forget her anger if a carcase were thrown in her path upon which she might wreak her vengeance. But the wrath of an angry man is less easily appeased. The mischief which the furious bear can do is more limited. The superior skill of man can soon put a stop to the ravages of a wild beast, but the angry folly of a single fool has often destroyed many lives and broken many hearts.
IV. A sinner is an ungrateful being. Many an ungodly man would deny this charge, but everyone who continues in a state of rebellion against God is continually rewarding evil for good. But the sin of the text doubtless refers to the ingratitude towards a fellow-man. This sin cannot be charged home upon every ungodly manthere are those who, though careless of rendering to God that which is His due, are content with rendering to their fellow-men evil for evil, and would not knowingly render evil for good. But while the heart is in a state of rebellion against its rightful sovereign, every evil tendency is continually growing stronger, and men by degrees descend to depths of evil from which they would once have recoiled with horror.
V. God will, sooner or later, call His rebellious subjects to account. Although men sometimes go on in open rebellion against God for many years, not one shall finally escape. A writ has been issued for the apprehension of each one, although the execution is in some cases deferred. Every one of us shall give an account of himself to God (Rom. 14:12), and the messenger that summons the ungodly man to the Divine tribunal will be cruel because looked at through the medium of a guilty conscience.
VI. The sinner brings evil upon his posterity. It is a truth which is illustrated by the experience of our daily life that no man stands alone in the worldthat the sins of the fathers are, in some measure, visited upon the childrenthat whoso rewardeth evil for good, not only brings evil upon himself but upon his house.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 17:11. God sometimes employs terrible messengers to chastise His own people. When David numbered his subjects, 70,000 of them were destroyed in three days by a visible messenger of severity, under the direction of an invisible minister of providence. If God takes such vengeance of the rebellions of some whom He pardons, what will the end be of them that seek only rebellion!Lawson.
God hath forces enough at hand to fetch in His rebels. The stones in the walls of Aphek shall sooner turn executioners than a rebellious Aramite shall escape unrevenged.Trapp.
Many things there are which an evil man proposeth to his seeking: sometimes pleasures, sometimes profit, sometimes honour, sometimes favour, but in truth it is only rebellion against God that is sought by him. For these things are not to be found in the ways of wickedness, and therefore it is only his deceived imagination that looketh for them there. But rebellion against God is found in all his ways.Jermin.
There are men that are summoning a cruel messenger to be sent against themselves. They are only the rebellious. A door of mercy! and a ransom fixed for sin! and only one class to fail! and they spontaneously rebels! These are the men that go in search of evil, and this is the meaning of the wise man.Miller.
Pro. 17:12. Witness Jacobs sons putting a whole city to fire and sword for the folly of one man; Saul slaying a large company of innocent priests; Nebuchadnezzar heating the furnace sevenfold; Herod murdering the children in Ramah; Saul breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lordwas not all this the rage of a beast, not the reason of a man? Humbling, indeed, is this picture of man, once created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).Bridges.
For the fool, what a meeting! when he has been robbed of every earthly chance! and is dead eternally! and the folly, that has robbed him, is shut up with him in everlasting misery!Miller.
See Millers rendering of the verse in Critical Notes.
Pro. 17:13. To render good for evil is Divine, good for good is human, evil for evil is brutish, evil for good is devilish.Trapp.
The most striking illustration of this sentence, is the history of the Jewish nation. Never was such ingratitude showed to any benefactor, as they showed to the Son of God, and never was the punishment of any people so dreadful, and of so long continuance. That scattered people proclaim to every nation under heaven how dangerous the sin of ingratitude is, especially when God our Saviour is the object of it.Lawson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
TEXT Pro. 17:11-19
11.
An evil man seeketh only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
12.
Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13.
Whoso rewardeth evil for good,
Evil shall not depart from his house.
14.
The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:
Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.
15.
He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.
16.
Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
Seeing he hath no understanding?
17.
A friend loveth at all times;
And brother is born for adversity.
18.
A man void of understanding striketh hands,
And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.
19.
He loveth transgression that loveth strife:
He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 17:11-19
1.
Rebellion against what (Pro. 17:11)?
2.
What is a whelp (Pro. 17:12)?
3.
Cite two Bible examples of peoples rewarding evil for good (Pro. 17:13).
4.
The lesson in Pro. 17:14 is Dont begin …………… lest it lead to ……………
5.
The wicked are to be …………., not …………….. (Pro. 17:15).
6.
The righteous are to be ………………, not ……………….. (Pro. 17:15).
7.
Cite two Bible examples of justifying the wicked (Pro. 17:15).
8.
Cite two Bible examples of condemning the righteous (Pro. 17:15).
9.
Is fool in Pro. 17:16 one who is mentally deficient or one who does not use his head?
10.
What kind of friends did the Prodigal Son have (Pro. 17:17)?
11.
What is surety (Pro. 17:18)?
12.
What is meant by raising high ones gate (Pro. 17:19)?
PARAPHRASE OF 17:11-19
11.
The wicked live for rebellion! they shall be severely punished.
12.
It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool caught in his folly.
13.
If you repay evil for good, a curse is upon your home.
14.
It is hard to stop a quarrel once it starts, so dont let it begin.
15.
The Lord despises those who say that bad is good, and good is bad.
16.
It is senseless to pay tuition to educate a rebel who has no heart for truth.
17.
A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
18.
It is poor judgment to countersign anothers note, to become responsible for his debts.
19.
Sinners love to fight; boasting is looking for trouble.
COMMENTS ON 17:11-19
Pro. 17:11. The rebellion here under consideration was anarchy against the existing government. With the monarchical form of government of those days, this was common and accounted for may assassinations (see the Northern Kingdom history for numerous instances of this). When any such rebellion was detected, the rebellion was immediately put down (a cruel messenger shall be sent against him).
Pro. 17:12. The fierceness of a bear who has lost her young (whelps) is also referred to in 2Sa. 17:8 and Hos. 13:8. One who is unfortunate enough to come along to become involved in some fools folly may suffer all the way from embarrassment to being murdered. Thus, one may have his car pelted by rock-throwing children as he drives by, his tires slashed because he lives in a neighborhood of no-goods, or his life taken by hoodlums who kill him to see what he had in his billfold.
Pro. 17:13. It is contrary to nature (an extreme wrong) to reward evil for good. It is bad enough not to receive thanks from those helped, but it is even worse for the blessed to repay evil to the giver of good. When this occurs, the promise is that evil will abide upon such a one and his house. Instances of repaying good with evil: 1Sa. 25:21; Psa. 109:4-5; Jer. 18:20.
Pro. 17:14. Clarke: As soon as the smallest breach is made in the dike or dam, the water begins to press from all parts towards the breach; the resistance becomes too great to be successfully opposed, so the dikes and all are speedily swept away. Such is the beginning of contentions, quarrels, lawsuits, etc. Pulpit Commentary also interprets the statement as when one letteth out water. It is possible, though, that the expression referred to is the plain type of talk that they used in those days, talk that our society does not look upon as acceptable. Regardless of the figure and its interpretation, its application is unquestioned: cut off strife before it gets started.
Pro. 17:15. In Gods books the wicked are to be condemned and the righteous commended (Mat. 25:34-36; Mat. 25:41-43 and many, many others). Pro. 17:26 of this chapter says, To punish the righteous is not good, Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness. Exo. 23:7 : The innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked. Pro. 24:24 : He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, People shall curse him, nations shall abhor him. Isa. 5:20 : Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.
Pro. 17:16. Why pay out money for books and then not read, study, or use them? Why pay tuition fees to go to school when one does not really want to study and learn? Pulpit Commentary: A fool thinks that there is a royal road to wisdom, and that it, like other things, is to be purchased with money. One who has a heart for learning will treasure and value every opportunity for learning (books, lectures, films, travel, etc.), such as Abraham Lincoln, and they rise on the wings of acquired knowledge and bless others with the knowledge they have gained. But pupils are not all students, teachers soon discover.
Pro. 17:17. A friend is one who loves. A true friend loves at all times, even in times of adversities and reverses and health-failures. They are contrasted with fair-weather friends such as the Prodigal Son had (Luk. 15:13-16; Luk. 15:30). Ruth represents inseparable love (Rth. 1:16). David and Jonathan also (1Sa. 18:1; 1Sa. 18:4; 2Sa. 1:26). Brothers may live at a distance and not get to see each other very often, but times of adversity bring them together to help each other. Pro. 18:24 speaks of the friend that is even closer to us than a brother.
Pro. 17:18. Clarke: Striking each others hands, or shaking hands, was anciently the form in concluding a contract. This was just as binding as our signing our names to a contract today. Surety was when one obligated himself for the debts of others. Proverbs gives strong warnings against this (Pro. 6:1-2; Pro. 11:15).
Pro. 17:19. One who loves strife must love transgression for strife produces many violations of Gods law (such as jealousies, envyings, evil surmisings, hatreds, anger, malice, evil speaking, etc.). Such is carnality: Ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of man? (1Co. 3:3). Jas. 3:16 : Where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. Pulpit Commentary on exalting ones gate and its consequent destruction: He who builds a sumptuous house and lives in a way that his magnificent surroundings demand draws ruin on himself…The entrance to a Palestine house would usually be of humble dimensions and sparse ornamentation; any doorway of great architectural pretensions would be uncommon, and would be regarded as a token of extraordinary wealth or reprehensible pride…which he is unable to support or…provoke reprisals and injurious consequences. A saying: One who makes an unusual success in life makes many false friends and true enemies. Build something great, and the world will not only notice it, but someone will try to destroy it. See Pro. 16:18 also.
TEST QUESTIONS OVER 17:11-19
1.
What kind of rebellion does Pro. 17:11 have particularly in mind?
2.
What existing form of government made that a rather common occurrence (Pro. 17:11)?
3.
What fierce animal is better to run into than a fool in his folly (Pro. 17:12)?
4.
What are some examples of personal danger involved in meeting a fool in his folly (Pro. 17:12)?
5.
What two possibilities are there for the expression, as when one letteth out water (Pro. 17:14)?
6.
What is the lesson of Pro. 17:14?
7.
Why does God pronounce a woe upon any who condemn the righteous and commend the unrighteous (Pro. 17:15)?
8.
Why does an opportunity for learning sometimes not profit a person (Pro. 17:16)?
9.
What is the difference between a true friend and a fair-weather friend (Pro. 17:17)?
10.
If brothers dont get together often, when are they the most apt to get together (Pro. 17:17)?
11.
What warnings does Proverbs give about surety (Pro. 17:18)?
12.
What are some of the transgressions that grow out of strife (Pro. 17:18)?
13.
Why does exalting ones gate often lead to destruction even in this life (Pro. 17:18)?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(11) An evil man seeketh only rebellion.Or. A rebellious man (literally, rebellion; comp. Eze. 2:7) seeketh only evil.
A cruel messenger.Such as the chief of the executioners (margin of Gen. 37:36), who was always ready to carry out the bidding of an Oriental king. (Comp. 1Ki. 2:34; 1Ki. 2:46.) The ministers of the Divine wrath against impenitent sinners appear as tormentors in Mat. 18:34. (For the office of the angels in the same work, comp. Rev. 8:6, sqq.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. An evil man An evil citizen.
Seeketh rebellion Endeavours to promote disorders in society and insubordination to law. A cruel messenger, etc. Such men may expect, sooner or later, the vengeance of the government. See on Pro 6:11; Pro 24:24. Some interpreters transpose the subject and predicate in the first clause, and render, “Rebellion seeks only evil;” or, the rebellious seek, etc. Critics and versions are about equally divided here. Conant sustains the common version. Miller reads, “Only rebellion goes in search of evil, and has a cruel messenger sent by its very self.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
v. 11. An evil man seeketh only rebellion,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 17:11. An evil man, &c. Houbigant renders it, A cruel man will seek only for evil; and therefore a most cruel messenger shall be sent to him.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 17:11 An evil [man] seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Ver. 11. An evil man seeketh only rebellion. ] Viz., How to gainstand and mischief those that by words or stripes seek to reclaim him. Some read it thus, ‘The rebellious seeketh mischief only’; he is set upon sin, he shall be sure of punishment. No warnings will serve obdurate hearts. Wicked men are even ambitious of destruction. Judgments need not go to find them out; they run to meet their bane – they seek it, and as it were send for it. But this they need not do, “for a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.” God hath forces enough at hand to fetch in his rebels – viz., good and evil angels, stars, meteors, elements – other creatures, reasonable, unreasonable, insensible. The stones in the wall of Aphek shall sooner turn executioners than a rebellious Aramite shall escape unrevenged; not to speak of hell torments prepared for the devil and his angels, and by them to be inflicted on rebels and reprobates.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
evil = evil worker. Same word as “wicked”, Pro 17:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 17:11
Pro 17:11
“An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.”
Of course, it is true, as Deane said, that, “An evil man seeks many things that do not exactly fit the term `rebellion’; but from the viewpoint of an Eastern potentate (like Solomon), any prominent crime by a subject would have been considered rebellion. The cruel messenger would be the king’s response to it.
Pro 17:11. An evil man is one who will not be guided and governed by that which is right. He is a law-breaker, both in heart and in act. He seeks only rebellion against properly constituted authority (parents, school, government, manners, etc.). He, thus, is a liability and not an asset. Because he will not obey, will not respect the rights and property of others, he is often confined in prison at a great outlay of citizens money. Better for society if he had never been born!
Pro 17:11. The rebellion here under consideration was anarchy against the existing government. With the monarchical form of government of those days, this was common and accounted for may assassinations (see the Northern Kingdom history for numerous instances of this). When any such rebellion was detected, the rebellion was immediately put down (a cruel messenger shall be sent against him).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
2Sa 15:12, 2Sa 16:5-9, 2Sa 18:15, 2Sa 18:19, 2Sa 20:1, 2Sa 20:22, 1Ki 2:24, 1Ki 2:25, 1Ki 2:31, 1Ki 2:46, Mat 21:41, Mat 22:7, Luk 19:27
Reciprocal: Pro 11:27 – he that seeketh Pro 16:14 – messengers Pro 26:17 – passeth 1Pe 2:13 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 17:11. An evil man seeketh only rebellion Seeketh nothing but his own will; and being so refractory that he hath shaken off all reverence for God and his governors, he is wholly bent upon mischief, and cannot be reclaimed; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him Some dreadful judgment or other, as a messenger from God; angels, Gods messengers, shall be employed as ministers of justice against him, Psa 78:49. Satan, the angel of death, and the messengers of Satan, shall be let loose upon him. His prince shall send a sergeant to arrest him, and an executioner to cut him off. He that kicks against the pricks is waited for of the sword.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17:11 An evil [man] seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel {e} messenger shall be sent against him.
(e) By the messenger is meant such means as God uses to punish the rebels.