Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 2:7
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: [he is] a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
7. layeth up ] Lit. hideth, as a treasure too precious to be left exposed, therefore it must be searched for ( Pro 2:4). But he layeth it up for, not from, the upright; therefore the search shall be successful ( Pro 2:5).
He is a buckler ] So R.V. except, instead of buckler, more accurately, shield, the smaller weapon.
The rendering, And a shield, R.V. marg.; or better, which (sc. wisdom) is a shield, is admissible, and is supported by such passages as Ecc 7:12; Eph 6:16, where wisdom and faith are compared to a shield. But the frequent comparison of God Himself to a shield or buckler in the O.T. (e.g. Gen 15:1; Deu 33:29; Psa 59:11; Psa 84:11, in all which places the Heb. word for shield is the same as here) is in favour of regarding Jehovah ( Pro 2:6) as the subject of this, as of the former, clause of the verse.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sound wisdom – Soundness, an idea which passes on into that of health and safety. Compare sound doctrine in 1Ti 1:10; 2Ti 4:3.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 2:7
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous.
Good men and their God
I. The character of good men.
1. They are spoken of as the righteous. The moral code of the universe may be reduced to two words: Be just. Be just to yourselves, to others, and to God. Virtue, morality, and religion constitute a righteous man.
2. They are spoken of as walking uprightly. Goodness in all moral creatures is not stationary, but progressive.
3. They are spoken of as saints. They are consecrated to Gods service, set apart to His use; they are the living and imperishable temples of the Holy Ghost.
II. The God of good men.
1. His relation to creation generally. He is the great original, central, exhaustless fountain of intelligence. The Father of lights–the light of instinct, reason, genius, conscience. Wherever there is a ray of truth, a beam of intelligence, a gleam of virtue, there is God, and in them He should be recognised and worshipped.
2. His relation to the good in particular. He makes special provision for them. He provides for their instruction. He is their buckler, their shield, and their enemies must strike through Him to injure them. He superintends their career. He vouchsafes their ultimate perfection. (David Thomas, D. D.)
Importance of wisdom
Not more necessary are constant supplies of water to the growth of vegetation in the sultry regions of the East than the influence of Divine truth to the existence of human happiness. If a tree, planted by the margin of a refreshing river, is proof against the heat of the sun or the unfavourableness of the seasons, he also who, into a well-prepared heart, receives continual infusions of religious wisdom, is flourishing and happy amidst all the inconveniences of life. (Bp. Jebb.)
A buckler to them that walk uprightly.
God the safeguard of wisdom
We are ill keepers of our own goodness and wisdom. God therefore is pleased to lay it up for us, and that it may be safe, Himself is the buckler and safeguard of it. But it must be sound and real wisdom and goodness, or else He careth not for it. The word translated sound wisdom signifieth essence or being; but it is used also to signify virtue, wisdom, and the law of God, because other things pass away, but they have a durable being–they make the well-being of man, they support the being of all things that are. As a buckler taketh the blows on itself which are directed to another, so God taketh the wrongs done to the righteous as done to Himself, and so doth receive them, as that He taketh away the hurt from His servants. The buckler also shows that they who will live uprightly must strive and fight. Let every one resist the enemy valiantly, for he that resisteth shall have an unwearied helper, and triumphing shall not want a bountiful rewarder. God will defend and preserve those that walk uprightly from falling into errors in seeking for wisdom. It is from God, by fearing Him, that wisdom is obtained, and that wisdom so obtained is alone sound wisdom. The paths of judgment God will keep for Himself, the ways of holiness He will preserve for His saints; and He preserving the ways of holiness, the ways will preserve them that walk in them. The words may, however, mean, He will so keep judgment that He will preserve mercy; He will so preserve mercy that He will keep judgment. The ways cross not so much in themselves but that they can meet in Him. Note that they are but paths, narrow paths of judgment, which the Lord keepeth, but it is a broad way of mercy which He preserveth. The force of Pro 2:8 is that God, who is Himself exact righteousness, guideth His servants in the ways of righteousness. The word understanding may seem to be derived from standing, according as the Greek word also hath its derivation. Clemens Alexandrinus giveth the reason of the derivation, because understanding doth stay and settle the mind, which, before being unresolved, was carried hither and thither. But though this be true of a natural understanding, yet a spiritual understanding doth rather consist in walking the paths that lead from earthly things to heavenly. To understand righteousness is from a civil righteousness to walk to a religious righteousness. (M. Jermin.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 7. He layeth up sound wisdom] tushiyah. We have met with this word in Job; see Job 5:12; Job 6:13; Job 11:6; Job 12:16. See especially Clarke’s note on “Job 11:6“, where the different acceptations of the word are given. Coverdale translates, “He preserveth the welfare of the righteous.” It is difficult to find, in any language, a term proper to express the original meaning of the word; its seems to mean generally the essence or substance of a thing, THE thing itself – that which is chief of its kind. He layeth up WHAT IS ESSENTIAL for the righteous.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Sound wisdom, Heb. essence or substance; either,
1. Solid and true felicity, opposed to the vain enjoyments of this world, which are said to have no substance or being, Pro 23:5. Or,
2. True and substantial wisdom, which is satisfactory and everlasting, opposed to worldly wisdom, which is but an empty shadow of wisdom, and perisheth with us.
A buckler to them, to protect and save them from that mischief and ruin which shall befall all wicked men.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. sound wisdomliterally,”substance,” opposed to what is fictitious. According tothe context, this may be assistance, as here corresponding with
buckleror safety, orwisdom, which procures it (compare Pro 3:21;Pro 8:14; Pro 18:1;Job 6:13; Job 12:13).
layeth upprovides,ever ready.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous,…. In order to give it to them that seek for it; which is another encouragement to search after it. By “sound wisdom” may be meant, not the law, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; so called, because it endures for ever, when all beings are defective and come to nothing; but the Gospel, which is sound doctrine, pure and not corrupt; true and real wisdom, in opposition to that which has only the show of wisdom, and is science falsely so called; and this was hid in God, in Christ, and laid up as a treasure in the sacred Scriptures: or else the true grace of God, in distinction from that which is counterfeit; and is that goodness of his, which he has laid up in his heart, and in the covenant of his grace; and the fulness of grace which he has laid up in Christ for them Ps 31:19; or eternal glory and happiness. The word here used signifies “essence”, “substance” o; that which really is, and is solid and substantial; and such are the glories of the other world the crown of righteousness, the hope laid up in heaven, and the inheritance reserved there, Col 1:5. These are real things, though invisible, and are rich and valuable; and have substance and solidity in them, in opposition to earthly riches, which are a vain show, and are things that are not, and at best temporal and perishing; but these are an enduring substance, Pr 8:21. The Septuagint render it by “salvation”, and the Targum by a word which signifies “glory” and “honour”; all which may well be understood of eternal life which is laid up and reserved “for the righteous”: not for such who are only so in show and imagination, but for those who are really and truly so; not for those who are legally, but evangelically righteous; or not for such that seek righteousness by the law, but by faith in Christ; for such who are made righteous by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and by faith receive it, and lay hold on it as their righteousness; and in consequence of this live soberly and righteously: for these only eternal life is prepared; they only have a right unto it, and a meetness for it, and shall enjoy it;
[he is] a buckler to them that walk uprightly; who are sincere in their deportment before God and men; who walk according to the rule of the divine word; who walk by faith on Christ, and walk on in him as they have received him; and go on living by faith on his righteousness, which is walking in his uprightness, till they come to be with him for ever in heaven. To these the Lord is a “buckler” or shield; he covers them with the “shield of faith”, his own Son, his blood righteousness, and sacrifice; which faith lays hold on and uses as a shield against Satan’s fiery darts; and gives them “the shield of salvation” which secures them from sin and wrath and every enemy; and encompasses them about with his “favour”, as a “shield”, which is immutable and invariable; and keeps them by his power through faith unto salvation, Eph 6:16; with this compare Ge 15:1 Ps 3:3. Some p read these words by way of apposition, and understand them of sound wisdom; that that is a buckler or shield to the persons here described; see Ec 7:12.
o “essentiam”, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Mercerus, Gejerus; “quicquid revera est”, Junius Tremellius “solidam firmamque substantiam”, Baynus; “solidum, vel solidam rem”, Schultens. p So Mercerus, Piscator, Schultens. Gussetius chooses to take the word for a verb, and renders it, “he delivers it”; that is, sound wisdom to them that walk uprightly; Ebr. Comment. p. 454.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Wisdom Shields and Guides
(Pro 2:7-11)
Vs. 7-11 present an enlarged view of the wisdom God gives. It is sound (effective) wisdom that shields and guides the saints (covenant keepers) who walk in its light, Psa 84:11; Pro 30:5; 1Sa 2:9. David testified (Psa 18:17-22; Psa 18:30) that God cared for him in all his trials because he obeyed the law of the LORD and acted wisely. When wisdom and knowledge influence the thoughts and desires there is a desire and strength to resist temptations; Pro 6:20-23.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(7) Sound wisdom.Literally, furtherance, advancement (Comp. Whosoever hath, unto him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance, Mat. 13:12.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Sound wisdom , ( tushiyyah.) The word is uncertain; it corresponds to sound doctrine. 1Ti 1:10; 2Ti 4:3. It may mean the essence, substance, or reality of things, as opposed to all merely seeming good. This sense harmonizes well with the other member of the hemistich; God treasures up all real good for the righteous, and protects them from all harm.
A buckler to walk uprightly Literally, he is a shield, a defence, to the walkers of perfectness perfect walkers; persons of integrity, of soundness of morals and religion. It stands in parallelism with , ( yesharim,) the righteous, and applies to the same class. Conant renders, “He has help in store for the upright, a shield for those who walk in integrity.” Geneva Bible, first clause: “He preserveth the state of the righteous.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Pro 2:7. Sound wisdom Or, solid blessings. The next clause is rendered by Houbigant, He is a defence for those who act with simplicity and candour; and by Schultens, A shield to those who walk in integrity.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 2:7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: [he is] a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
Ver. 7. He layeth up sound wisdom. ] Heb., Substance, reality; that which hath a true being, in opposition to that which is not; so riches are described. Pro 23:5 Heaven only hath a “foundation”; Heb 11:10 earth hath none, but is “hanged upon nothing.” Job 16:7 Grace hath solid substance in it and true worth; whereas opinion only sets the price upon all outward things. The prophet Amos complains of the epicures of his time, that they “ate the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; they drank wine in bowls, and chanted to the sound of viols.” Amo 6:4-6 This to some might seem brave and desirable. But Pro 2:13 the prophet, in true judgment, thus speaks to them: “Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought,” ye embrace a shadow, ye pursue after things that profit not, but perish in the use; for “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God will destroy both it and them.” 1Co 6:13 Some sense the text thus: The Lord lays up when he is in distress, then he hath such quietness of spirit, soundness and presence of mind, that in the midst of his straits he is in a sufficiency. Not so the wicked. Job 20:22
He is a buckler to them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
He layeth up. Same word as “hide” in Pro 2:1. The wicked cannot find. The righteous must dig. It is in safety from the enemy.
sound wisdom = something stable. Hebrew. tushiyah = that which is, or stability. May be so rendered in all its twelve occurrences. Compare Job 5:12 (enterprise = anything stable); Pro 6:13 (wisdom = stability); Pro 11:6; Pro 12:16 (wisdom = stability); Pro 26:3; Pro 30:22 (substance). Pro 2:7; Pro 3:21; Pro 8:14 (sound wisdom); Pro 18:1 (wisdom = all that is). Isa 28:29 (workings everything that is). Mic 6:9 (the man of wisdom = every one who is or exists). See App-74.
buckler. Compare Psa 3:3; Psa 7:10; Psa 18:2, Psa 18:30, Psa 18:35; Psa 28:7; Psa 33:20. Applied to God, as here.
uprightly = blamelessly.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
layeth: Pro 8:14, Pro 14:8, Job 28:8, 1Co 1:19, 1Co 1:24, 1Co 1:30, 1Co 2:6, 1Co 2:7, 1Co 3:18, 1Co 3:19, Col 2:3, 2Ti 3:15-17, Jam 3:15-17
a buckler: Pro 28:18, Pro 30:5, Psa 84:11, Psa 144:2
Reciprocal: Exo 31:6 – wise hearted 1Ch 22:12 – Only the 2Ch 30:22 – the good Job 12:13 – wisdom Psa 15:2 – He Psa 18:2 – buckler Pro 3:21 – keep Pro 8:6 – for Ecc 7:12 – wisdom Dan 2:21 – he giveth Mic 2:7 – walketh Mar 15:12 – whom Gal 2:14 – walked Col 3:16 – all 2Ti 1:7 – a sound 2Pe 3:15 – according