Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 23:5

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for [riches] certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

5. Wilt thou set thine eyes ] More literally and forcibly: Wilt thou cause thine eyes to fly (or, shall thine eyes fly) upon it (with eager glance, as a bird swoops upon its prey, Isa 11:14)? it is gone! It eludes even the swiftness of thy glance, and itself spreads its wings and flies away.

For riches (supplied from Pro 23:4) certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.

Comp. for the sentiment , 1Ti 6:17.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Set thine eyes – literally, as in the margin, i. e., gaze eagerly upon; and then we get an emphatic parallelism with the words that follow, they fly away as an eagle toward heaven; certainly make themselves wings.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that, i.e. look upon it with earnestness and greedy desire, employing the eyes of thy mind and body about it.

Which is not; which hath no solid and settled being; which is ours to have, but not to hold; which is always upon the wing, and ofttimes gone in the twinkling of an eye, so that the owner is frequently at a loss, and cannot tell whether he hath his estate, or whether he hath lost it.

They fly away as an eagle, swiftly, strongly, and irrevocably. We quickly lose the sight and possession of them. Their flying away from us is elegantly opposed to our eyes being set, or, as it is in the Hebrew, flying upon them, in the beginning of the verse.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

5. Wilt . . . eyesAs the eyesfly after or seek riches, they are not, that is, either becometransitory or unsatisfying; fully expressed by their flying away.

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

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?…. The Vulgate Latin version is,

“do not lift up thine eyes to riches which thou canst not have;”

riches no doubt are intended, and which may be said to be “not”; they are not the true riches, have only the shadow and appearance of riches; they are not lasting and durable; in a little time they will not be; they are perishing things, they have no substance or solidity in them; they are not satisfying; they do not make them happy; they are rather nonentities than realities; and therefore the eyes of the mind and the affections of the heart should not be set on them: it may be rendered, “wilt thou cause thine eyes to fly upon that which is not?” w denoting the intenseness of the mind, and the eagerness of the affections, and with what rapidity and force they move towards them. The Targum is,

“if thou fixest thine eyes on him, he shall not appear to thee;”

meaning the rich man: and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions. Ben Melech makes mention of other senses very different; according to R. Judah, the word signifies darkness, “wilt thou make thine eyes dark?” two according to others, signifies light, “wilt thou make thine eyes to shine?” and, according to Jarchi, “wilt thou double?”, or shut thine eyes?

for [riches] certainly make themselves wings; or, “it in making makes itself wings” x; even that which is not, on which men cause their eyes to fly; no sooner are their eyes upon that, but that flies away from them like a bird with wings; see Ho 9:11. Either men are taken from that, or that from them, and sometimes very swiftly and suddenly;

they fly away as an eagle towards heaven; the eagle flies very swiftly, none more swiftly; it flies towards heaven, out of sight, and out of reach, and out of call; so riches flee away to God, the original giver of them, from whence they came, and who is the sole disposer of them; they own him as the proprietor and distributor of them; and they flee to heaven as it were for fresh orders where they should be, and into whose hands they should come next; they flee away, so as not to be seen any more, and be recovered by those who have formerly enjoyed them.

w “numquid involare facies”, Michaelis; “ut involent”, Junius Tremellius “ut volent”, Piscator; “ad sineves volare”, Cocceius. x “quis faciendo faciet”, Montanus, Baynus.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(5) They fly away.Rather, As an eagle that flieth toward heaven, far beyond thy reach.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

5. That which is not This assigns a reason for the preceding admonition. Why pursue so eagerly that which is so uncertain and evanescent? Stuart’s rendering is good: “Wilt thou suffer thine eyes to fly toward it.” “To flit over it.” Conant. It is, indeed, no more, (Job 7:9😉 for it will surely make itself wings and fly away.

As an eagle toward heaven “As an eagle and the birds of heaven.” Conant. Compare Mat 6:20.

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

v. 5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not, looking eagerly for, craving eagerly after, something which has no lasting substance? For riches certainly make themselves wings, they are not a dependable possession; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven, they are as unstable as a bird of the air, whence it follows that he who trusts in them is foolish.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Pro 23:5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for [riches] certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Ver. 5. Wilt thou set thine eyes, &c. ] Heb., Wilt thou cause thine eyes to flee after? &c. Wilt thou flee a fool’s pitch, and go hawking after that which cannot be had? or, if had, will not pay for the pains – countervail the cost? Wilt thou cast a leering look after such vanities?

Upon that which is not. ] That hath no solid subsistence, though the foolish world call it substance. “The fashion of this world passeth away.” 1Co 7:31 The Greek word there used, , intimateth that there is nothing of any firmness or solid consistence in the creature. Heaven only hath a foundation. Heb 11:10 Earth hath none, but is “hanged upon nothing,” as Job speaketh. “Ye rejoice in a thing of nought,” saith the prophet to them that “drank wine in bowls,” &c. Amo 6:6 ; Amo 6:13

For riches certainly make themselves wings. ] As the heathens feigned of their god Pluto. Under these wings let the master hide himself, as Isa 28:15 ; yet with those wings will they fly away, without once taking leave, leaving nothing but the print of talons in his heart to torment him. Riches, saith one, were never true to those that trusted them. To fly from us they make themselves great eagles’ wings; to fly to us, or after us, Ne passerinas quidem, a not so much as old sparrows’ wings. Temporals, saith another, b are as transitory as a hasty headlong torrent – a shadow, a ship, a bird, an arrow, a post that passeth by; or if you can name anything of swifter wing or sooner gone.

a Augustine.

b Mr Bolton.

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

For. This is the reason why “it is gone”.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

thou: Psa 119:36, Psa 119:37, Jer 22:17, 1Jo 2:16

set thine eyes upon: Heb. cause thine eyes to fly upon, etc. “He expresses it in such a way,” says Abp. Tillotson, “as if a rich man sat brooding over an estate till it was fledged, and gotten itself wings to fly away.”

that which: Gen 42:36, Ecc 1:2, Ecc 12:8, Isa 55:2, 1Co 7:29-31

riches: Pro 27:24, Job 1:14-17, Psa 39:6, Ecc 5:13, Ecc 5:14, Mat 6:19, 1Ti 6:17, Jam 5:1, Jam 5:2

Reciprocal: Gen 34:23 – General 1Ki 14:26 – the shields of gold 2Ki 20:13 – there was nothing Job 9:26 – as the eagle Job 31:25 – rejoiced Job 39:27 – the eagle Psa 49:6 – trust Psa 62:10 – set Pro 4:25 – General Pro 17:24 – the eyes Pro 27:20 – so Pro 30:8 – Remove Ecc 1:3 – profit Ecc 2:10 – whatsoever Ecc 5:11 – what Isa 39:4 – All that Jer 17:11 – shall leave Jer 39:12 – look well to him Eze 28:4 – General Jon 4:6 – So Mat 13:22 – the deceitfulness Mar 4:19 – the deceitfulness Mar 10:24 – trust Luk 12:15 – Take Luk 12:19 – Soul Luk 16:9 – mammon Col 3:2 – Set

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge