Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 25:7
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.
7. Come up hither ] Comp. Luk 14:8-10, and Introd. p. 33.
whom thine eyes have seen ] This aggravates the disgrace: you have pressed presumptuously into the inner circle, so as to stand face to face with the prince, and there “in his presence” shalt thou be humiliated.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 7. Come up hither] Our Lord refers to this, see Lu 14:8, and the notes there. Be humble; affect not high things; let those who are desperate climb dangerous precipices; keep thyself quiet, and thou shalt live at ease, and in peace. Hear the speech of a wise heathen on this subject: –
Quid fuit, ut tutas agitaret Daedalus alas;
Icarus immensas nomine signet aquas?
Nempe quod hic alte, dimissus ille volabat.
Nam pennas ambo nonne habuere suas?
Crede mihi; bene qui latuit, bene vixit; et infra
Fortunam debet quisque manere suam.
Vive sine invidia; mollesque inglorius annos
Exige: amicitias et tibi junge pares.
OVID, Trist. lib. iii., El. 4, ver. 21.
“Why was it that Daedalus winged his way safely, while Icarus his son fell, and gave name to the Icarian sea? Was it not because the son flew aloft, and the father skimmed the ground? For both were furnished with the same kind of wings. Take my word for it, that he who lives privately lives safely; and every one should live within his own income. Envy no man; pray for a quiet life, though it should not be dignified. Seek a friend, and associate with thy equals.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For better it is, it is more for thy credit and comfort,
that it be said unto thee, by some public officer, or by the king himself. Whom thine eyes have seen; into whose presence and acquaintance thou hast so boldly intruded thyself, who as before he observed thy impudence, so now he sees and suffers this public disgrace to be cast upon thee.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
For better [it is] that it be said unto thee, Come up hither,…. It is much more to thine honour and credit to seat thyself in a place rather beneath than above thee; which being observed by some of the officers at court, or by him whose business it is to look after such things, he will beckon or call to thee to come up to a higher and more honourable place:
than that thou shouldest be put lower, in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen; than that thou shouldest be thrust away with a severe rebuke for thy boldness and arrogance, in approaching too near the king’s person, and taking the place of some great man, which did not become thee, and be forced down to a lower place, to thy great mortification; and the more, as this will be in the presence of the prince thou hadst the curiosity of seeing, and the ambition of making thyself acceptable to, by a gay and splendid appearance; and now with great disgrace turned out of his presence, or at least driven to a great distance from him. Our Lord seems to refer to this passage, in
Lu 14:8.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(7) In the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen, and whose place thou hast shamelessly taken. The same lesson was repeated by our Lord in Luk. 14:10, sqq., and enforced on the ground of His own example. (Mat. 20:25, sqq.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 25:7. Whom thine eyes have seen Houbigant closes this verse with the words, in the presence of the prince, and reads the 8th verse thus, Be not hasty in pleading thy cause, to divulge what thine eyes have seen; lest in the end thou knowest not what to do, when thy neighbour shall have confuted thee. The Vulgate renders it somewhat similar, Do not hastily produce, in a quarrel, what thine eyes have seen: lest afterwards thou be not able to recal it, when thou hast disgraced thy friend. The two next verses seem to countenance this interpretation.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 25:7 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.
Ver. 7. For better it is that it be said unto thee. ] From this text our Saviour takes that parable of his, put forth to those that were bidden to a feast. Luk 14:10 Now, if before an earthly prince men should carry themselves thus modestly and humbly, how much more before the King of heaven! And if among guests at a feast, how much more among the saints and angels in the holy assemblies! That is an excellent saying of Bernard, Omnino oportet nos orationis tempore curiam intrare coelestern, in qua Rex regum stellato sedet solio, circumdante innumerabili et ineffabili beatorum spirituum exercitu. Quanta ergo cum reverentia, quanto timore, quanta illuc humilitate accedere debet e palude sua procedens et repens vilis ranuncula? a At prayer time we should enter into the court of heaven, where sitteth the King of kings with a guard of innumerable blessed spirits. With how great reverence then, with how great fear and self abasement, should we come, like so many vile vermin creeping and crawling out of some sorry pool or puddle!
a Bernard., De Divers.
better. See note on Pro 8:11.
that it: Pro 16:19, Luk 14:8-10
Come: Be humble; affect not high things; keep thyself quiet; and thou shalt live at ease, in safety, and in peace. Rev 4:1
than: Luk 18:14, 1Pe 5:5
Reciprocal: Pro 15:33 – and Mat 23:6 – General Mat 25:40 – the King Luk 14:10 – go
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge