Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 25:6
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great [men]:
6. Put not forth thyself ] Better, Put not thyself forward, R.V.; Heb., Glorify not thyself; , LXX.; ne gloriosus appareas, Vulg.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The pushing, boastful temper is, in the long run, suicidal. It is wiser as well as nobler to take the lower place at first in humility, than to take it afterward with shame. Compare Luk 14:8-10, which is one of the few instances in which our Lords teaching was fashioned, as to its outward form, upon that of this book.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Put not forth thyself, Heb. Do not magnify or glorify thyself, by vaunting speech or carriage, but, which is implied, carry thyself humbly and modestly, which is most pleasing to kings, and most becoming and safe for them.
Stand not in the place of great men; do not affect nor use frequent and familiar society with greater persons than thyself, whereby thou mayst easily involve thyself in much guilt, and expose thyself to envy or contempt, and to many other inconveniences.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6, 7. Do not intrude into thepresence of the king, for the elevation of the humble is honorable,but the humbling of the proud disgraceful (Lu14:8-10).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king,…. Intrude not thyself into his presence; or rush not into it in a rude and irreverent way; or be not ambitious to be a courtier: or “do not appear glorious”, as the Vulgate Latin version renders it; or “honour thyself” a as the word signifies; do not appear too gay at court, or make too splendid an appearance, above thy fortune and station; and which may seem to vie with and outdo the king himself, which will not be well taken; princes love not to be equalled, and much less excelled;
and stand not in the place of great [men]; where the king’s family or his nobles should stand, his ministers and counsellors of state, and those that wait upon him.
a “ne tibi assumas honorem”, Cocceius; “ne honores teipsum”, Michaelis; “ne magnificum te facias”, Schultens; “ne magnifices te”, Pagninus, Mercerus, Gejerus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
There now follows a second proverb with , as the one just explained was a second with : a warning against arrogance before kings and nobles.
6 Display not thyself before the king,
And approach not to the place of the great.
7 For better than one say to thee, “Come up hither,”
Than that they humble thee before a prince,
Whom thine eyes had seen.
The are those, like Pro 18:16, who by virtue of their descent and their office occupy a lofty place of honour in the court and in the state. ( vid., under Pro 8:16) is the noble in disposition and the nobleman by birth, a general designation which comprehends the king and the princes. The Hithpa. is like the reflex forms Pro 12:9; Pro 13:7, for it signifies to conduct oneself as or ( vid., Pro 20:29), to play the part of one highly distinguished. has, 6b, its nearest signification: it denotes, not like , standing still, but approaching to, e.g., Jer 7:2. The reason given in Pro 25:7 harmonizes with the rule of wisdom, Luk 14:10.: better is the saying to thee, i.e., that one say to thee (Ewald, 304b), (so the Olewejored is to be placed), (thus in Luke), than that one humble thee , not: because of a prince (Hitzig), for nowhere means either pro (Pro 17:18) or propter , but before a prince, so that thou must yield to him (cf. Pro 14:19), before him whom thine eyes had seen, so that thou art not excused if thou takest up the place appropriate to him. Most interpreters are at a loss to explain this relative. Luther: “which thine eyes must see,” and Schultens: ut videant oculi tui . Michaelis, syntactically admissible: quem videre gestiverunt oculi tui , viz., to come near to him, according to Bertheau, with the request that he receives some high office. Otherwise Fleischer: before the king by whom thou and thine are seen, so much the more felt is the humiliation when it comes upon one after he has pressed so far forward that he can be perceived by the king. But is not specially the king, but any distinguished personage whose place he who has pressed forward has taken up, and from which he must now withdraw when the right possessor of it comes and lays claim to his place. is never used in poetry without emphasis. Elsewhere it is equivalent to , quippe quem , here equivalent to , quem quidem . Thine eyes have seen him in the company, and thou canst say to thyself, this place belongs to him, according to his rank, and not to thee – the humiliation which thou endurest is thus well deserved, because, with eyes to see, thou wert so blind. The lxx, Syr., Symmachus (who reads 8a, , ), and Jerome, refer the words “whom thine eyes had seen” to the proverb following; but does not appropriately belong to the beginning of a proverb, and on the supposition that the word is generally adopted, except by Symmachus, they are also heterogeneous to the following proverb:
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
6 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.
Here we see, 1. That religion is so far from destroying good manners that it reaches us to behave ourselves lowly and reverently towards our superiors, to keep our distance, and give place to those to whom it belongs “Put not forth thyself rudely and carelessly in the king’s presence, or in the presence of great men; do not compare with them” (so some understand it); “do not vie with them in apparel, furniture, gardens, house-keeping, or retinue, for that is an affront to them and will waste thy own estate.” 2. That religion teaches us humility and self-denial, which is a better lesson than that of good manners: “Deny thyself the place thou art entitled to; covet not to make a fair show, nor air at preferment, nor thrust thyself into the company of those that are above thee; be content in a low sphere if that is it which God has allotted to thee.” The reason he gives is because this is really the way to advancement, as our Saviour shows in a parable that seems to be borrowed from this, Luke xiv. 9. Not that we must therefore pretend modesty and humility, and make a stratagem of it, for the courting of honour, but therefore we must really be modest and humble, because God will put honour on such and so will men too. It is better, more for a man’s satisfaction and reputation, to be advanced above his pretensions and expectations, than to be thrust down below them, in the presence of the prince, whom it was a great piece of honour to be admitted to the sight of and a great piece of presumption to look upon without leave.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Conduct Before the Great
Verses 6 and 7 suggest taking a lower place when before one of high rank rather than presuming to occupy a place in the forefront. Jesus warned against such conduct lest one be embarrassed by being asked to take a lower place, Pro 15:33; Pro 18:12; Luk 14:8-11.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 25:6. Put not forth, literally bring not thy glory to view, do not display thyself.
Pro. 25:7. Whom thine eyes have seen. There is some difference of opinion as to the person to whom this sentence refers. Fleischer understands it as referring to the king, and to the additional humiliation felt when it comes upon one who has pressed so far forward that he can be perceived by the king. Delitzsch refers it not specially to the king, but to any distinguished personage whose place he who has pressed forward has taken up, and from which he must now withdraw when the right possessor of it comes and lays claim to his place. Thine eyes have seen him in the company, and thou canst say to thyself, this place belongs to him, according to his rank, and not to thee; the humiliation which thou endurest is thus well deserved, because, with eyes to see, thou wert so blind. (Delitzsch).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro. 25:6-7
SELF-PROMOTION
I. A wise man will let others judge of his qualifications for a high place or position. Men who consult their happiness and reputation are not so anxious to rise in the world as they are to qualify themselves for rising. A wise man knows well that it is not merely the position he occupies which raises him in the estimation of others, but the ability which he shows to fill the post, and the fitness which men recognise as existing between him and his high place. He has no desire to step into a position which he could not fill with some credit to himself and advantage to others, knowing well that he would then be like the jackdaw in the peacocks borrowed plumes, an object of derision to all beholders. He would rather occupy a low place with abilities to fill a higher, than be in one which was above his abilities, and he therefore gladly leaves the question of his social advancement in the hands of others.
II. Self-promotion is not likely to result in satisfaction to the only actor in the transaction.
1. It is generally short-lived. If a man is really fit for advancement, some one or some number of people are generally to be found to say to him, Friend, go up higher. The interests of men in general, are concerned in having the best men in the foremost places; and such men, in the end, are generally placed in them by common consent. But when a man without this call steps into a place of honour, it is very common for others to resent his self-conceit, and to call upon him to give place to a more worthy person. And so his self-constituted triumph is soon over.
2. It often ends in humiliation. It is hard to be obliged to take a lower place under any circumstances, but when we are thus retracing steps which our self-esteem alone prompted us to take, the chagrin is great indeed. And as the ascent in such a case is generally made before the eyes of many onlookers, so the descent will be equally public, and this adds much to the disappointment and the shame.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Ambition is to the mind what the cap is to the falcon, it first blinds us, and then compels us to lower by reason of our blindness.E. Cook.
Now, it is not a little said in praise of him to whom it is said, Come up higher. For, first, it showeth his modest humility, which is the praise of all other virtues. Secondly, it showeth the worth of his quality, which deserveth advancement. Thirdly, it showeth that to be due unto him which is bestowed upon him. On the other side, it is not a little reproach unto him that is put lower. For, first, his pride is objected to him; the overthrow of all that is praiseworthy. Secondly, his unworthiness is rejected with an upbraiding of it. Thirdly, the due punishment of being placed lower is justly inflicted. And as if he were one unworthy for the prince to look upon, it is not said, by whom thou art seen, but whom thine eyes have seen, as noting also the proud presumption of the unworthy intruder. Jermin.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
6, 7. Put not forth thyself The meaning is, “Do not bear thyself proudly.” Conant. Do not make a display. “Spread not thyself” ( Miller) before the king, to attract his attention, nor intrude among those of high rank. It is better to be exalted to a place thou hast not sought, than to be degraded from one into which thou hast pushed thyself. A good proverb for aspirants after office, whether in Church or State. Comp. Luk 14:8-10; Mat 23:12.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.
Our Lord hath sweetly set forth this grace of humbleness. Luk 14:7-11
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 25:6 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great [men]:
Ver. 6. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king. ] Ne te ornes coram reqe. Compare not, vie not with him in apparel, furniture, house keeping, &c., as the Hebrews sense it. This was the ruin of Cardinal Wolsey, and of Viscount Verulam.
And stand not in the place of great men.
a Quintil., lib. ix. cap. 2.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 25:6-7
Pro 25:6-7
“Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men: For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up higher, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen.”
It is the glory of this proverb that Jesus Christ utilized in his teaching the grace of humility (Luk 14:7-11). As Tate noted, “The translation speaks for itself. It needs no explanation or comment.
Pro 25:6. A king is not one to presume upon. To force oneself upon a king is like a girl throwing herself at some boy. Just as she is out of order and becomes obnoxious to the boy whose favor she seeks, so will one defeat that which he seeks by trying to make himself too noticeable to the king, who will be smart enough to see what he is doing and who will not respect him for it.
Pro 25:7. Once when Jesus was a guest in a Pharisees house, He noticed how they clamored among themselves for the chief locations at the tables, and He said precisely the same thing: When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher (Luk 14:8-10).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Put not forth thyself: Heb. Set not out thy glory, Pro 25:27, Pro 27:2
in the presence: Pro 16:19, Exo 3:11, 1Sa 9:20-22, 1Sa 15:17, 1Sa 18:18-23, 2Sa 7:8-17, Psa 131:1, Jer 1:6-10, Amo 7:12-15
Reciprocal: 2Sa 15:4 – Oh that I Pro 15:33 – and Mat 23:6 – General Mat 25:40 – the King Luk 14:8 – When Luk 14:10 – go
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 25:6-7. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king Hebrew, , do not magnify, or glorify thyself, before the king; namely, by vaunting or vain-glorious speech, or behaviour; but, which is implied, conduct thyself in an humble and modest manner, which is most pleasing to kings, princes, and other superiors, and most becoming and safe for thee; and stand not in the place of great men Do not affect frequent and familiar society with greater persons than thyself; much less intrude thyself into places where none but the great officers or nobles ought to come. For better is it It is more for thy credit and comfort; that it be said unto thee By some public officer, or by the king himself, Come up hither To a higher place, to which, of thyself, thou didst not dare to presume to go; than that thou shouldest be put lower Shouldest have a check given thee for thy forwardness; in the presence of the prince, &c. Into whose presence thou hadst so boldly intruded thyself, and who, as before he observed thy impudence, so now he sees and suffers this public disgrace to be cast upon thee.