Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 26:18
As a mad [man] who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,
The teacher cuts off the plea which people make when they have hurt their neighbor by lies, that they did not mean mischief, that they were only in fun. Such jesting is like that of the madman flinging firebrands or arrows.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
As a madman, as one that feigneth himself mad, that under that pretence he may do mischief with impunity,
who casteth fire-brands, to hurt his neighbours person, or to consume his house or goods.
Death; any instruments of death.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18, 19. Such are reckless ofresults.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
As a mad [man], who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death. Or the instruments of death, as Aben Ezra; or the sharp arrows of death, as the Targum and Syriac version; who casts firebrands into the houses and barns of his neighbours, to consume them; or arrows at their persons and cattle, to destroy them; or any other instruments of death, which none but a mad man, or one wickedly mad, would do. Or, “as one that makes himself mad” e; that feigns himself mad, and, under colour of this, does mischief to his neighbour’s person and property: or, “as one that hides himself” f; that casts firebrands, arrows, and other deadly things, in a private way, so as not to be seen, and that it may not be known from whence they come: or, “as one that wearies himself” g, so Jarchi; in doing mischief in such a way. The word in the Arabic language signifies to play and be in sport; and so it means one that does these things in sport, as it is a sport to a fool to do mischief; which sense agrees with what follows.
e “ut se habet qui iunsanum ne simulat”, Piscator; “ut qui se insanire fingit”, Cocceius. f “Sicut abscondit se”, Pagninus, Mercerus, Gejerus. g “Ut sese fatigat”, Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
These verses form a tetrastich:
18 As a man who casteth brands,
And arrows, and death;
19 So is the man who deceiveth his neighbour,
And saith: I only make sport.
The old translations of are very diverse. Aquila has rendered it by ; Symmachus: ; the Syr.: the vainglorious; the Targ.: (from ), a successor (spiritually); Jerome: noxius (injurious; for which Luther: secret). There is thus no traditional translation. Kimchi explains the word by ( Venet. ); Aben Ezra by (from ), to behave thoughtlessly, foolishly; but both erroneously, confounding with it , Gen 47:13, which is formed from and not from , and is related to , according to which would designate him who exerts himself (Rashi, ), or who is worn out (Saadia: who does not know what to do, and in weariness passes his time). The root ( ), whence the reflex form , like , from , ) leads to another primary idea. The root presents in (Arab.) aliha ( vid., Fleischer in the Comm. zur Genesis, p. 57), waliha , and taliha , formed from the 8th form of this verb ( aittalah ), the fundamental meaning of internal and external unrest; these verbs are used of the effect of fear (shrinking back from fear), and, generally, the want of self-command; the Syr. otlahlah , to be terrified, obstupescere , confirms this primary conception, connecting itself with the R. . Accordingly, he who shoots every possible death-bringing arrow, is thought of as one who is beside himself, one who is of confused mind, in which sense the passive forms of (Arab.) alah and talah are actually used. Schultens’ reference to (Arab.) lah micare , according to which must mean sicut ludicram micationem exercens (Bttcher: one who exerts himself; Malbim: one who scoffs, from ), is to be rejected, because must be the direct opposite of ; and Ewald’s comparison of (Arab.) wah and akhkh , to be entangled, distorted, lah , to be veiled, confounds together heterogeneous words. Regarding (from ), burning arrows, vid., under Isa 50:11. Death stands third, not as comprehensive (that which is deadly of every kind), but as a climax (yea, even death itself). The of the principal sentence, correlate to of the contiguous clause, has the Makkeph in our editions; but the laws of the metrical Makkeph require (with Munach), as it occurs e.g., in Cod. 1294. A man who gives vent to his malice against his neighbour, and then says: seest thou not that… ( , like Arab. ala ), i.e., I am only jesting, I have only a joke with thee: he exhibits himself as being mad, who in blind rage scatters about him deadly arrows.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
18 As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, 19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?
See here, 1. How mischievous those are that make no scruple of deceiving their neighbours; they are as madmen that cast firebrands, arrows, and death, so much hurt may they do by their deceits. They value themselves upon it as polite cunning men, but really they are as madmen. There is not a greater madness in the world than a wilful sin. It is not only the passionate furious man, but the malicious deceitful man, that is a madman; he does in effect cast fire-brands, arrows, and death; he does more mischief than he can imagine. Fraud and falsehood burn like fire-brands, kill, even at a distance, like arrows. 2. See how frivolous the excuse is which men commonly make for the mischief they do, that they did it in a jest; with this they think to turn it off when they are reproved for it, Am not I in sport? But it will prove dangerous playing with fire and jesting with edge-tools. Not that those are to be commended who are captious, and can take no jest (those that themselves are wise must suffer fools,2Co 11:19; 2Co 11:20), but those are certainly to be condemned who are any way abusive to their neighbours, impose upon their credulity, cheat them in their bargains with them, tell lies to them or tell lies of them, give them ill language, or sully their reputation, and then think to excuse it by saying that they did but jest. Am not I in sport? He that sins in just must repent in earnest, or his sin will be his ruin. Truth is too valuable a thing to be sold for a jest, and so is the reputation of our neighbour. By lying and slandering in jest men learn themselves, and teach others, to lie and slander in earnest; and a false report, raised in mirth, may be spread in malice; besides, if a man may tell a lie to make himself merry, why not to make himself rich, and so truth quite perishes, and men teach their tongues to tell lies, Jer. ix. 5. If men would consider that a lie comes from the devil, and brings to hell-fire, surely that would spoil the sport of it; it is casting arrows and death to themselves.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Jesting
Verses 18-19 condemn deceptive jests or mischievous pranks that deceive or harm friends and neighbors. A lie is a lie even if spoken in jest. To act thus is likened to the reckless casting of firebrands or shooting arrows without regard to who or what they may hit, Eph 5:4.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(18) Firebrands.Arrows to which some blazing material was attached, in order that they might set on fire whatever they touched.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18, 19. As a mad man According to some, one who feigns himself mad. The form of the word suggests this, but it is hardly sustained by the use. “Like a silly jester.” Stuart and Bertheau. Death is used tropically for a deadly weapon. The Geneva Bible translates Pro 26:18: “As he that feigneth himself mad casteth fyre brandes, arrowes, and mortal things.”
Deceiveth Better, throweth down. “Deceiveth” is a secondary meaning.
The primary “that throws his neighbour down and says, ‘It was only a joke’” is better here. Compare Pro 25:18. The throwing down, however, is metaphorical, and implies injury cheating him.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Pro 26:18. Firebrands, arrows, and death Firebrands and deadly arrows. Houb.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 26:18-19
Pro 26:18-19
“As a madman who casteth firebrands, Arrows, and death, So is the man that deceiveth his neighbor, And saith, am I not in jest?”
These verses expose the folly of deception as a form of entertainment. “The man who deceives his neighbor and then tries to pass it off as a joke, is like a madman, with no concern for the deadly consequences of his actions.
Pro 26:18. This saying is different from others in Proverbs in that the dependent clause is in one verse and the independent in the next. The madman may be a man gone bersirk or an insane man who gets hold of dangerous weapons and begins throwing them around and endangering the lives of his fellowmen.
Pro 26:19. Just as the law will excuse an insane person for the damage he has caused (Pro 26:18), so some whose mischievous conduct or wicked words have brought serious damage to another try to excuse themselves by saying, I didnt mean to, I was just joking, etc. Too many people try to joke their way through life, and then if something happens that shouldnt, they say, I didnt mean it.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
firebrands: Heb. flames, or sparks
arrows: Pro 7:23, Pro 25:18, Gen 49:23
Reciprocal: 2Sa 2:14 – play before Pro 10:23 – General Pro 14:9 – Fools Pro 15:21 – joy Jer 11:15 – thou doest evil
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 26:18-19. As a madman Hebrew, , as one that makes, or feigns himself mad, in order that, under that pretence, he may do mischief with impunity; casteth firebrands, arrows, and death Any instruments of death and destruction against his neighbours person, house, or goods; so is the man that deceiveth his neighbour That wrongs him under a false pretence of kindness and familiarity; and saith, Am I not in sport? And then asks his neighbour why he resents it so heinously, saying he was only in jest: and intended merely to try how he would take it.