Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 27:23
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and] look well to thy herds.
The verses sing the praises of the earlier patriarchal life, with its flocks and herds, and tillage of the ground, as compared with the commerce of a later time, with money as its chief or only wealth.
Pro 27:23
The state – literally, face. The verse is an illustration of Joh 10:3, Joh 10:14.
Pro 27:24
Riches – The money which men may steal, or waste, is contrasted with the land of which the owner is not so easily deprived. Nor will the crown (both the crown of pure gold worn on the mitre of the high priest, Exo 29:6; Exo 39:30; and the kingly diadem, the symbol of power generally) be transmitted (as flocks and herds had been) from one generation to another.
Pro 27:25
Appeareth – Better, When the grass disappeareth, the tender grass showeth itself. Stress is laid on the regular succession of the products of the earth. The grass (hay) of the first clause is (compare Psa 37:2; Psa 90:5; Psa 103:15; 2Ki 19:26) the proverbial type of what is perishable and fleeting. The verse gives a picture of the pleasantness of the farmers calling; compared with this what can wealth or rank offer? With this there mingles (compare Pro 27:23) the thought that each stage of that life in its season requires care and watchfulness.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 27:23
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
Kindness to animals
We live in an age when great regard is paid to the comfort and well-being of every class of the community, and when efforts are made to promote the general happiness. When so much is being done to add to the happiness of the human family we should not be forgetful of the dumb animals, to which, for our comfort, we are so largely indebted. It is always a good sign of a man when he takes a kindly interest in the brutes. A man who can roughly treat a horse or a dog can never be one in whom his own family find much to love. The days are gone of cruel and disgusting sports, in which men found their pleasure in watching the sufferings of the lower creatures. But a good deal of pain is still caused through mere thoughtlessness. See Bible notices of animals.
1. The fact of their creation by God. They were brought upon the earth before man was, and have, by priority, a right to such comforts as it affords.
2. Their being named by Adam. This indicated his lordship over them, and the interest God would have him take in them.
3. When man had sinned, by the slaughter of innocent animals he was impressively taught, and continually reminded of, the only way of salvation.
4. In the time of the Flood the animals were carefully preserved.
5. In the Mosaic economy laws were enacted for the protection and well-being of the creatures. Many make the mistake of thinking that animals must be frightened into obedience. A kind and gentle treatment, as it is the most humane, is also the most successful. They are fond of being praised and encouraged: a kind word or affectionate stroke makes them wonderfully happy, and even the expression of countenance they learn to understand. Remember it is said of God, With the merciful man Thou wilt show Thyself merciful. His eye is upon us, and He will call us to account for every act of cruelty done to the creatures He has made. Strive, then, to be like Him in kindness and in gentleness. (J. Thain Davidson, D.D.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 23. The state of thy flocks] The directions to the end of the chapter refer chiefly to pastoral and agricultural affairs. Do not trust thy flocks to the shepherd merely; number them thyself; look into their condition; see how they are tended; and when, and with what, and in what proportion, they are fed.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To know the state of thy flocks; that thou mayst preserve and improve what thou hast, and take care that thine expenses may not exceed thine incomes.
Flocks and herds are here put for all riches and possessions, because anciently they were the chief part of a mans riches.
Look well, Heb. set thine heart. Trust not wholly to thy servants, as many do, that they may give up themselves wholly to case and pleasure; but make rise of thine own eyes and reason for the conduct of thine affairs, lest thou come to ruin, as many have done by this very means.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23, 24. flocksconstituted thestaple of wealth. It is only by care and diligence that the mostsolid possessions can be perpetuated (Pr23:5).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Be thou diligent to know the state of flocks,…. In what condition they are; what health they enjoy; how fat and fruitful they be; what pasturage they have; and that they want nothing fitting for them that can be had and is necessary; and also the number of them. The calling of the shepherd is here particularly mentioned, because valiant, honourable, innocent, and useful; but the same diligence is to be used in all other callings and business men are employed in, that they may provide for themselves and their families. It is in the original text, “the face of thy flocks” r; perhaps the allusion is to the exact and distinct knowledge some very diligent careful shepherds might have, so as to know each sheep in their flocks distinctly; see
Joh 10:3; The Septuagint version renders it, the souls of thy flock, as if it was an instruction to spiritual pastors or shepherds, who have the care of the souls of men: and certain it is, that if it is the duty of shepherds in common to be diligent in looking after their sheep, and doing everything the duty of their office requires; then it must become the indispensable duty of pastors of churches to take heed to the flock of God committed to them, and to look into their state and condition, and provide for them, and feed them with knowledge and understanding, Ac 20:28;
[and] look well to thy herds; or, “put thy heart” s to them: show a cordial regard for them, and take a hearty care of them, that they have everything needful for them; and which is for the owner’s good as well as theirs.
r “faciem pecoris tui”, Tigurine version, Mercerus, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens; “vultum”, V. L. Pagninus; “facies”, Montanus. s “pone cor tuum”, Pagninus, Montanus; “adverte cor”, Cocceius; “adverte animum tuum”, Michaelis; “apponere cor tuum”, Schultens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
An exhortation to rural industry, and particularly to the careful tending of cattle for breeding, forms the conclusion of the foregoing series of proverbs, in which we cannot always discern an intentional grouping. It is one of the Mashal-odes spoken of vol. i. p. 12. It consists of 11 = 4 + 7 lines.
23 Give heed to the look of thy small cattle,
Be considerate about the herds.
24 For prosperity continues not for ever;
And does the diadem continue from generation to generation?
25 (But) the hay is gone, and the after-growth appears,
And the grass of the mountains is gathered:
26 Lambs serve to clothe thee,
And goats are the price of a field.
27 And there is plenty of goats’ milk for thy nourishment,
And for the nourishment of thy house,
And subsistence for thy maidens.
The beginning directs to the fut., as is not common in these proverbs, vid., Pro 26:26. With , to take knowledge, which is strengthened by the inf. intensivus, is interchanged , which means at Pro 24:32 to consider well, but here, to be careful regarding anything. is the small or little cattle, thus sheep and goats. Whether (here and at Isa 17:2) contains the article is questionable (Gesen. 35. 2 A), and, since the herds are called , is not probable; thus: direct thy attention to the herds, that is, to this, that thou hast herds. is the external side in general; here, the appearance which the sheep present; thus their condition as seen externally. In Pro 27:24 I formerly regarded as a synonym of , to be understood of the produce of wool, or, with Hitzig, of the shearing of the meadow, and thus the produce of the meadow. But this interpretation of the word is untenable, and Pro 27:25 provides for Pro 27:24, thus understood, no natural continuation of thought. That signifies a store, fulness of possessions, property, and abundance, has already been shown under Pro 15:6; but is always the mark of royal, and generally of princely dignity, and here denotes, per meton. signi pro re signata , that dignity itself. With the negative expression in 24a the interrogative in 24b is interchanged as at Job 40:9, with the implied negative answer; , of an oath (“and truly not,” as at Isa 62:8), presents the same thought, but with a passionate colouring here unnecessary. Rightly Fleischer: “ready money, moveable property, and on the other hand the highest positions of honour, are far more easily torn away from a man, and secure to him far less of quiet prosperity, than husbandry, viewed particularly with respect to the rearing of cattle.” In other words: the possession of treasures and of a lofty place of power and of honour has not in itself the security of everlasting duration; but rural economy, and particularly the rearing of cattle, gives security for food and clothing. The Chethb is found, e.g., at Exo 3:15; the Ker substitutes the more usual form. If Pro 27:25 was an independent whole (Hitzig: grass vanishes and fresh green appears, etc.), then the meaning here and onward would be that in the sphere of husbandry it is otherwise than is said in Pro 27:24: there that which is consumed renews itself, and there is an enlarging circulation. But this contrast to Pro 27:24 must be expressed and formed unambiguously. The connection is rather this, that Pro 27:23 commends the rearing of cattle, Pro 27:24 confirms it, and 25ff. discuss what real advantages, not dependent on the accidents of public and social life, it brings.
I rejoice to agree with Fleischer in the opinion that the perfects of Pro 27:25 form a complex hypothetical antecedent to Pro 27:26: Quum evanuerit gramen ( sc. vetus ) et apparuerint herbae recentes et collecta fuerint pabula montium, agni vestitui tuo ( inservient ) et pretium agri ( sc. a te emendi ) erunt hirci , i.e., then wilt thou nourish thy herds of sheep and goats with the grass on thy fields, and with the dried gathered hay; and these will yield for thee, partly immediately and partly by the money derived therefrom (viz., from the valuable goats not needed for the flocks), all that is needful for thy life. He also remarks, under , that it means to make a place void, empty (viz., to quit the place, vacuer la forteresse ); hence to leave one’s fatherland or home, to wander abroad; thus, rhetorically and poetically of things and possessions: to disappear. (from , to be green) is hay, and the after-growing second crop (after-grass); thus a meadow capable of being mowed a second time is though of. (with Dag. dirimens, as e.g., Deu 32:32) are the herbage of the mountains. The time when one proceeds to sheep-shearing, Pro 27:25 cannot intend to designate; it sets before us an interesting rural harvest scene, where, after a plentiful ingathering of hay, one sees the meadows again overspread with new grass (Ewald); but with us the shearing of sheep takes place in the month of May, when the warm season of the year is just at hand. The poet means in general to say, that when the hay is mown and now the herbage is grown up, and also the fodder from the mountains (Psa 106:20) has been gathered home, when thus the barns are filled with plenty, the husbandman is guaranteed against the future on all sides by his stock of cattle. (from , Arab. halyb , with halab ) is the usual metaplastic connecting form of , milk. (from , like from ), generally connected with the genitive of the person or thing, for which anything is sufficient ( e.g., Pro 25:16, , to which Fleischer compares Arab. hasbuha , tassuha kifayuha ), has here the genitive of the thing of which, or in which, one has enough. The complex subject-conception is limited by Rebia, and the governing has the subordinated disjunctive Legarmeh. is a word of two genders ( epicoenum ), Gesen. 107, 1d. In the influence of the still continues; one does not need to supply it meanwhile, since all that maintains and nourishes life can be called ( vita = victus ), e.g., Pro 3:22. The lxx translates by , and omits (as also the Syr., but not the Syro-Hexap.) the last line as now superfluous; but that the maids attending to the cattle – by whom we particularly think of milkers – are especially mentioned, intentionally presents the figure of a well-ordered household, full of varied life and activity (Job 40:29).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. 24 For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? 25 The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. 26 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. 27 And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.
Here is, I. A command given us to be diligent in our callings. It is directed to husbandmen and shepherds, and those that deal in cattle, but it is to be extended to all other lawful callings; whatever our business is, within doors or without, we must apply our minds to it. This command intimates, 1. That we ought to have some business to do in this world and not to live in idleness. 2. We ought rightly and fully to understand our business, and know what we have to do, and not meddle with that which we do not understand. 3. We ought to have an eye to it ourselves, and not turn over all the care of it to others. We should, with our own eyes, inspect the state of our flocks, it is the master’s eye that makes them fat. 4. We must be discreet and considerate in the management of our business, know the state of things, and look well to them, that nothing may be lost, no opportunity let slip, but every thing done in proper time and order, and so as to turn to the best advantage. 5. We must be diligent and take pains; not only sit down and contrive, but be up and doing: “Set thy heart to thy herds, as one in care; lay thy hands, lay thy bones, to thy business.”
II. The reasons to enforce this command. Consider,
1. The uncertainty of worldly wealth (v. 24): Riches are not for ever. (1.) Other riches are not so durable as these are: “Look well to thy flocks and herds, thy estate in the country and the stock upon that, for these are staple commodities, which, in a succession, will be for ever, whereas riches in trade and merchandise will not be so; the crown itself may perhaps not be so sure to thy family as thy flocks and herds.” (2.) Even these riches will go to decay if they be not well looked after. If a man had an abbey (as we say), and were slothful and wasteful, he might make an end of it. Even the crown and the revenues of it, if care be not taken, will suffer damage, nor will it continue to every generation without very good management. Though David had the crown entailed on his family, yet he looked well to his flocks,1Ch 27:29; 1Ch 27:31.
2. The bounty and liberality of nature, or rather of the God of nature, and his providence (v. 25): The hay appears. In taking care of the flocks and herds, (1.) “There needs no great labour, no ploughing or sowing; the food for them is the spontaneous product of the ground; thou hast nothing to do but to turn them into it in the summer, when the grass shows itself, and to gather the herbs of the mountains for them against winter. God has done his part; thou art ungrateful to him, and unjustly refusest to serve his providence, if thou dost not do thine.” (2.) “There is an opportunity to be observed and improved, a time when the hay appears; but, if thou let slip that time, thy flocks and herds will fare the worse for it. As for ourselves, so for our cattle, we ought, with the ant, to provide meat in summer.”
3. The profit of good husbandry in a family: “Keep thy sheep, and thy sheep will help to keep thee; thou shalt have food for thy children and servants, goats’ milk enough (v. 27); and enough is as good as a feast. Thou shalt have raiment likewise: the lambs’ wool shall be for thy clothing. Thou shalt have money to pay thy rent; the goats thou shalt have to sell shall be the price of thy field;” nay, as some understand it, “Thou shalt become a purchaser, and buy land to leave to thy children,” (v. 26). Note, (1.) If we have food and raiment, and wherewithal to give every body his own, we have enough, and ought to be not only content, but thankful. (2.) Masters of families must provide not only for themselves, but for their families, and see that their servants have a fitting maintenance. (3.) Plain food and plain clothing, if they be but competent, are all we should aim at. “Reckon thyself well done to if thou be clothed with home-spun cloth with the fleece of thy own lambs, and fed with goats’ milk; let that serve for thy food which serves for the food of thy household and the maintenance of thy maidens. Be not desirous of dainties, far-fetched and dear-bought.” (4.) This should encourage us to be careful and industrious about our business, that that will bring in a sufficient maintenance for our families; we shall eat the labour of our hands.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
The Sufficiency of the Lord
Verses 23-27 present a series of admonitions for those who follow the pastoral life of flocks and herds and tillage of the land:
1) They are urged to be diligent in knowing and providing the needs of their flocks and herds, Vs 23; Joh 10:3-4; Joh 10:12-13.
2) They are to be mindful that neither riches nor crowns endure forever; it is wisdom, therefore to look to the LORD who does endure always, Vs 24; Pro 23:5; Jer 17:11; 1Ti 6:7; Deu 33:27; Psa 145:13.
3) They are to observe and rejoice in the sufficiency of the LORD’s care in providing the things that grow and the animals which provide clothing, milk, food, and also the price of another field when the family grows and such is needed, Vs 25-27; Psa 104:5-14.
NOTE: The pastoral life is not for everyone, but all can benefit by recognizing the sufficiency of the LORD for all, and yielding to His plan for their particular life, 1Ti 2:4; 2Pe 3:9; Joh 10:10; 2Co 9:8.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Pro. 27:23-27
MODEL FARMING
These words were especially applicable to the Israelitish people in their early history, when every family lived upon its own domain and found all its simple wants supplied by the produce of the land and the cattle which fed upon it. This paragraph deals
I. With the duties of such a life. Solomon has several times before given exhortations to diligence in labour, but here he seems rather to enforce the necessity of diligent and constant supervision on the part of the master and owner of the land. He is not addressing a hired servant, but one who is a landed proprietor and has flocks and herds of his own. If a man in so highly favoured a position desires to reap all its benefits he must diligently superintend all whom he employs and set them a good example of industry and perseverance. He must not be content to leave these things to hirelings, but must give such close attention to all that is going on in his domain as to be able intelligently to guide all the varied engagements which follow one another as one season succeeds the other. No man ought to consider this an unworthy employment of his mental powers, and he who does so would do well to remember that the cultivation of the soil was the employment which God gave to man when He first created him in His own image. As an incentive to industry in this direction the proverb contains a reminder of the uncertainty of richesit is unwise of any man to be wholly dependent upon a fortune made in the past and to have no resource in case of its loss.
II. It sets forth the rewards attached to the performance of such duties. There is first the supply of the necessaries of life. Luxuries are not promised, but it is implied that simple food and clothing will not be wanting; and a sufficiency of these is all that is really needful to mans comfort. But there is a pleasure in obtaining them in this way which is surely not found in any other calling. The cultivator of the ground escapes much of the monotony found in most other professions, and has pleasures and advantages to which dwellers in the city are strangers. If he is more exposed to the hardships of the winter, the joy of springwhen the tender grass sheweth itselfis surely enough to repay him for it, and then follow the varied occupations of summer, one affording relief to the other, until the year is crowned with the joy of harvest. Surely no mode of life is more favourable to bodily and spiritual health than the one here sketched by the Wise Man.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Solomon tells us, in another place, that the instability and uncertainty of earthly things, after all our care, is a motive to draw off our hearts from them, and to fix our eyes upon nobler objects; but he tells us, in this place, that the perishing nature of earthly things is likewise a reason for bestowing a moderate and lawful share of our attention upon our temporal interests. Lawson.
Pro. 27:25. The frail condition of fading worldly things is here well expressed, it appeareth only and is cut down. The tender grass sheweth itself, and it is but a shewing, for that being done, it is eaten up presently, being at once, as it were, both seen and devoured. The herbs of the mountain are gathered; their growing is not mentioned as being no sooner grown than gathered, and as being grown for the gathering only. Wherefore as the careful husbandman looketh to the hay and grass and herbs, and takes them in their time, so is the good spiritual husbandman to consider the short time of worldly contentments, and in their time to use them, at no time to trust in them. As hay and grass and herbs are taken in their season, so it is the season in all things that is to be taken. And, therefore, when the season appeareth, let not thy negligence appear in omitting it; when occasion shows itself, show not thyself careless in apprehending of it; when the fruit of opportunity is to be gathered, climb the mountain speedily.Jermin.
Pro. 27:26-27. In these two verses the wise man dehorteth from wastefulness of apparel, and from excess in diet. The proverbial sense is, that plainness of apparel keepeth a mans estate warmest; and that a homespun thread in clothing is a strong and lasting thread in the web of a mans worldly fortune, and that a sober and temperate feeding both in himself and family doth best feed the estate of any man, and that the flock of a man thriveth best when he is contented with the nourishment and sustenance that cometh from the flock.Jermin.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(23) Be thou diligent to know the state of thy herds. . . .In the last five verses of this chapter the peace and security of the pastoral life are described as being far superior to the uncertainty attending other sources of wealth and the regal power. For the spiritual sense of this passage comp. 1Pe. 5:2-4
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. From this verse to the end of the chapter we have precepts pertaining to husbandry and the pastoral life.
State Literally, face, appearance.
Look well to Literally, set thine heart upon. The original is very forcible, and implies such personal care, attention, and familiarity with his flocks, that he would recognise the faces of individual sheep and goats, giving them affectionate oversight and superintendence. Comp. Joh 10:1, et seq., especially Pro 27:3-4. The small cattle of the Hebrews consisted chiefly of sheep and goats, usually pastured together. Hence, , ( tson,) flock, mostly of sheep, sometimes included both sheep and goats.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eleven-Line Ode Pro 27:23-27 forms an eleven-line ode, which teaches on diligence in one’s work so provisions can be made for one’s household.
Pro 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
Pro 27:23
Pro 27:23 Word Study on “state” – Strong says the Hebrew word “state” “paniym” ( ) (H6440) literally means “a face,” However, it is often used figuratively, as in Pro 27:23, to refer to the appearance of something. The Enhanced Strong says it is used 2109 times in the Old Testament.
Pro 27:23 Comments – The phrase “Be thou diligent to know” is a Hebraism found often in poetry, where a word is repeated twice for emphasis. The Hebrew text literally reads, “You know to know.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Pro 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and] look well to thy herds.
Ver. 23. Be thou diligent to know the state, &c. ] Heb., Knowing thou shalt know the face of thy flocks; alluding, belike, to those shepherds that know their sheep asunder by their visages, and can call them by name, as Joh 10:3
And look well to thy herds.
“ E .”
a Arist. Oecon., lib i. cap. 6.
b Lib. i. cap. 1.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 27:23-27
Pro 27:23-27
SHORT TREATISE ON ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds:
For riches are not forever; And doth the crown endure unto all generations?
The hay is carried, and the tender grass showeth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field;
And there will be goats’ milk enough for thy food, the food of thy household, And maintenance for thy maidens.”
The purpose of this passage is to emphasize and glorify the type of lifestyle that prevailed in early Israelite history. The wealth of Job, it will be remembered, was in the numbers of his flocks, herds and domesticated animals. In later Jewish history, vineyards, olive yards, and orchards were stressed; but in the patriarchal period, animal husbandry was the source of Israel’s livelihood and of their wealth.
“The hay is carried” (Pro 27:25). This means it was carried to the barn.
Agriculture is still the means by which mankind is able to live. “The king is fed from the field.”
Kidner called this passage “A Pastoral Symphony”; and his words supply an appropriate close for this chapter:
“This scene is not designed to make farmers of everybody, but to show the interplay between man’s labor and the nurture of God, which a sophisticated society neglects at its mortal peril. It recalls the reader from the scramble for money and position (Pro 27:24) to the satisfaction of doing a worthwhile job well (Pro 27:23), and to a recognition of the rhythm (Pro 27:25) and sufficiency (Pro 27:26-27) of God’s care.
Illustration: The Ukraine was once the granary of the continent of Europe; but when its efficient farmers rebelled against the stupid regulations of the Communist overlords, Stalin murdered millions of them; and the Communists were never afterward able to feed themselves, which necessitated their annual purchase of 200,000,000 metric tons of wheat from the United States. This destroyed Communism.
Pro 27:23. From here to the end of the chapter the material has to do with shepherding and agriculture except for the illustration in Pro 27:24 that explains this present verse. This verse presents Hebrew parallelism in which the second statement is a restatement of the first. Whatever a persons business, he must tend to business, or he will have no business to tend. The shepherd was ever counting his sheep to be sure they were all with the flock. If any was sick, he immediately cared for it.
Pro 27:24. Just as riches or the crown could not be taken for granted, neither could ones flock and herd. Todays ten wealthiest men in the world may not all be wealthy in a few years. Those who rule today may be overthrown tomorrow. So care and diligence must be watchwords even of a shepherd.
Pro 27:25. One can see the diligence of the shepherd in providing food for his flock at the different seasons.
Pro 27:26. This diligence pays off, for there is wool for the clothing, and from the sale of goats could the land be purchased for oneself.
Pro 27:27. Additional reward for diligence: plenty of milk. They milked the goat whereas we milk the cow. On goats milk Geikie says, In most parts of Palestine goats milk in every form makes, with eggs and bread, the main food of the people.
Proverbs of Solomon – Pro 27:1-27
Open It
1. Why is it helpful to have good friends?
2. What do you think is the most powerful emotion? Why?
3. Of what do you like to take good care? Why?
Explore It
4. Why shouldnt we boast about tomorrow? (Pro 27:1)
5. What is more powerful than anger and fury? (Pro 27:4)
6. What is better than hidden love? (Pro 27:5)
7. How are friends and enemies different? (Pro 27:6)
8. What does Solomons statement about hunger illustrate about gratitude? (Pro 27:7)
9. From what does the pleasantness of ones friend spring? (Pro 27:9)
10. In what way should we be loyal? (Pro 27:10)
11. How do the prudent and the simple respond differently to danger? (Pro 27:12)
12. What effect do people have on one another? (Pro 27:17)
13. What does a persons heart reflect? (Pro 27:19)
14. By what is a person tested? (Pro 27:21)
15. What limit is there in removing folly from a fool? (Pro 27:22)
16. Why did Solomon counsel us to give careful attention to our finances? (Pro 27:24)
Get It
17. About what sorts of things do people boast?
18. Why is jealousy such a powerful emotion?
19. About what do you get jealous?
20. When has a friends earnest counsel been helpful to you?
21. How can friends “sharpen” one another?
22. How do you generally respond when someone gives you a compliment?
23. How should the fact that riches are transitory affect our life-style?
Apply It
24. What friend will you encourage with kind words or helpful counsel today?
25. In what specific way can you arrange your life-style to reflect the fact that money and things are transitory?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
diligent: Gen 31:38-40, Gen 33:13, 1Sa 17:28, 1Ch 27:29-31, 2Ch 26:10, Eze 34:22-24, Eze 34:31, Joh 21:15-17, 1Pe 5:2
look well: Heb. set thy heart, Pro 24:32, *marg. Exo 7:23, Deu 32:46
Reciprocal: Psa 112:5 – he will Pro 13:11 – he Pro 13:23 – food Pro 21:5 – thoughts Pro 24:4 – General Pro 28:19 – that tilleth Ecc 5:9 – the profit Luk 16:3 – I cannot 1Ti 6:8 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 27:23-24. Be diligent to know the state of thy flock That thou mayest preserve and improve what thou hast, and take care that thy expenses do not exceed thy income. Flocks and herds are here put for all riches and possessions, because anciently they were the chief part of a mans riches. And look well, &c. Hebrew, , set thy heart, &c. Trust not to thy servants, as many do, but make use of thine own eyes and reason for the conduct of thy affairs, lest thou come to ruin, as many have done by this very means. For riches Hebrew, , treasure, is not for ever The sense is, what thou now possessest will not last always, but will soon be spent, if thou do not take care to preserve and improve it. And doth the crown endure, &c. That is, a condition of the greatest honour and plenty. As if he had said, If a man had the wealth of a kingdom, without provident care and due diligence, it would soon be brought to nothing.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
C. A Discourse on Prudence 27:23-27
This poem recalls the earlier discourses in chapters 1-9. In this one, Solomon gave some basic and practical advice designed to assure success in the context of Israel’s most common occupation: animal husbandry. The essentials stressed here are the care of one’s resources, hard work, and a recognition and appreciation of God’s provisions. The reader should apply these essentials to whatever occupation he or she may pursue. These are the basics for wise living in practical daily work.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
As the family manager, a man needs to know what he owns, and what condition his possessions are in, to lead wisely. Moreover, he needs to care for what he owns in order to preserve his livelihood. Pro 27:24-27 go on, poetically, to advocate preserving one’s income.