Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do [it].
27. them to whom it is due ] Lit. the lords, or owners thereof, as A.V. marg. This may be either a precept of honesty, pay your just debts; or of benevolence, you are a steward and your wealth belongs not to you but to the poor and needy, for whose benefit you hold it. Comp. 1Pe 4:10. So LXX. ; and the Vulg. benefacere.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A marked change in style. The continuous exhortation is replaced by a series of maxims.
From them to whom it is due – literally, as in the margin. The precept expresses the great Scriptural thought that the so-called possession of wealth is but a stewardship; that the true owners of what we call our own are those to whom, with it, we may do good. Not to relieve them is a breach of trust.
Pro 3:28
Procrastination is especially fatal to the giving impulse. The Septuagint adds the caution: for thou knowest not what the morrow will bring forth.
Pro 3:29
Securely – i. e., With full trust, without care or suspicion. Compare Jdg 18:7, Jdg 18:27.
Pro 3:31
A protest against the tendency to worship success, to think the lot of the man of violence enviable, and therefore to be chosen.
Pro 3:32
The true nature of such success. That which people admire is an abomination to Yahweh. His secret, i. e., His close, intimate communion as of friend with friend, is with the righteous.
Pro 3:33
The thought, like that which appears in Zec 5:3-4, and pervades the tragedies of Greek drama, is of a curse, an Ate, dwelling in a house from generation to generation, the source of ever-recurring woes. There is, possibly, a contrast between the house or palace of the rich oppressor and the lowly shepherds hut, the sheep-cote 2Sa 7:8 ennobled only by its upright inhabitants.
Pro 3:34
Surely – Better, If he scorneth the scorners, i. e., Divine scorn of evil is the complement, and, as it were, the condition, of divine bounty to the lowly (compare the marginal reference and the Pro 1:26 note).
Pro 3:35
The margin conveys the thought that fools glory in that which is indeed their shame. Others take the clause as meaning every fool takes up shame, i. e., gains nothing but that.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 3:27
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due.
A plea for the shop-men
When the first man had fallen into sin labour was imposed upon him as a punishment. And yet there was mercy mingled with the judgment. That stern necessity which forced man to eat bread in the sweat of his brow became one of his purest and sweetest sources of enjoyment. What would the world be without labour? Do we not owe to it the occupation of time which otherwise would be a burden too heavy to bear? Is it not indispensable to our mental and physical vigour, to the healthy mind in the healthy body? And does it not contribute, directly and indirectly, to our best and most enduring pleasures? But the labour is as God imposed it upon man. Not labour that is incessant, or, in itself, unfriendly to the interests of body or mind. Man has too frequently made labour a curse. To bring back labour to the position which it held after the expulsion from paradise, to guard its rights, and to render industrial occupation a help rather than a hindrance to the progress of humanity are objects of noble and Godlike enterprise.
I. This purpose is good.
1. It is good personally. Putting wise limitations on labour is good for the body, for the mind, for the soul.
2. It is good relatively. Good for employers–good for their interests, for their consciences. It is good for the commonwealth and for the Church.
II. This movement for the limitation of labour is just. Young men have a right to a fair portion of time to be used as they think best. We speak not now of expediency, but of lawful claim. They have a right to be happy. It is a sin to stop any fellow-creature from being happy. We commit this sin if we help to place impediments in his way so that he cannot obtain his share of joy. They have a right to advance their own interests. Young people may have no golden opportunities because they have no leisure. They have a right to fulfil some moral design. What this should be, each young man should find out specifically for himself. He is then bound to effectuate it. And he has a right to demand from society opportunity to obey the divinely implanted impulse. He must have breathing time, time for moral achievements.
III. The demand for shorter hours of labour is also practicable. It can be done. Late hours are not indispensable. A little domestic arrangement would make it just as easy to purchase in the broad daylight as in the dark evening hour. (W. M. Whittemore, S.C.L.)
Withholding dues
Many are the forms of this dishonesty, borrowing without payment, evading the taxes, keeping back the labourers hire. But the rule probes deeper than this surface. If we have no legal debt to any, we have a gospel debt to all. Even the poor is bound by this universal law of his poorer neighbour. Every one has a claim upon our love. Every opportunity of doing good is our call to do so. (C. Bridges, M. A.)
Beneficence
I. Human beneficence has its claimants.
1. What you have is given in trust.
2. It is given you for distribution.
II. Human beneficence is only limited by incapacity. Our power is the measure of our obligation.
III. Human beneficence should ever be prompt in its services.
1. Because the postponement of any duty is a sin in itself.
2. Because the neglect of a benevolent impulse is injurious to self.
3. Because the claimant may seriously suffer by a delay of your help.
IV. Human beneficence excludes all unkindness of heart. True charity thinketh no evil. A selfish heart is an evil desire. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
The duty of charity
I. Charity, as of moral obligation, stands at the head of religious practice. It is not a duty purely of positive command and institution, but in its own nature, and by a constant and eternal obligation. The Jews easily confounded things morally good and evil with things made good and evil by positive command. The distinction was vigorously set forth by the prophets. Charity, then, is the principal duty of our religion, as being universal and indispensable and a perfection in its own nature.
II. Charity is the nearest imitation of the divine nature and perfections that we are capable of. The Divine perfections are not imitable by us, as to the degree and extent of them. They are all infinite in God. We may do good according to our power and in our sphere. God will accept according to that a man hath.
III. This good disposition of mind is made of the immediate conditions of our future happiness. The virtue of charity is an immediate gospel-condition of our future happiness, and it is a natural cause of it, or such a temper of mind as may be called beatific. In the nature of things, it prepares men for admission into the quiet regions of peace and love. This is also a virtue proper and necessary to this life, without which the world cannot subsist. This earth is the only stage where this virtue can and must be exercised. It is not easy to prescribe rules, measures, and proportions to mens charity, but neither is it necessary. (Francis Astry, D. D.)
The duty of charity stated and enforced
That charity in general is a duty nobody will deny. But many, on account of particular circumstances, think themselves entirely discharged from the performance of it. Many, though they own the obligation, yet disown it in its due degrees.
I. Who are the persons obliged to give to charitable uses, and in what proportion? By charitable uses is meant the relief of the helpless, the sick, the needy, etc. The great, the opulent, and the able should undertake the principal share in this duty. They are stewards, and must give an account. Their good deeds ought to bear proportion to their abilities. Everybody looks with abhorrence upon a man who is ever amassing riches without laying anything out in charitable uses; as greedy as the sea and as barren as the shore. Those whose circumstances are but just easy, who can only just meet the demands of their families, claim to be totally exempted from the performance of this duty. But often such persons have secret indulgences, which form their real excuse. Those in straitened circumstances think they have nothing to do in the works of charity. Rich and poor are equally concerned in the duty, but in proportion to their circumstances. He that has little is as strictly bound to give something out of that little as he that has more is obliged to give more. Charity consists in doing the best we can and doing it with a willing mind. The smallest present imaginable may be the greatest bounty. The only persons who have a fair right of pleading an entire exemption from this duty are those whose circumstances are deeply involved; for until we can satisfy our creditors we ought not to relieve the poor. It would be unjust to give away what is not our own. There is much difficulty in pitching upon any fixed and stated proportion short of which our charity ought not to fall. Where the determinate measure of duty is not or cannot be assigned, there mens interests or covetousness will be ever suggesting excuses for the non-performance of it. In this we ought to follow the rule laid down in all doubtful cases, i.e., to choose the part which is least dangerous. In the exercise of charity we should rather exceed than fall short, for fear of incurring the guilt of uncharitableness. The Jews had to appropriate the tenth part of their revenue every three years to charitable uses. This was a thirtieth part of their yearly revenue. We should not at any time fall short of this measure.
II. Who are the persons qualified to receive our charity?
1. We ought rather to succour the distressed than increase the happiness of the easy, because we are to do the most good we can. Even the bad are to be relieved in cases of extreme necessity.
2. The best charity we can give to the poor that have ability and strength is to employ them in work, that they may not contract an habit of idleness.
3. Those suffering reverse of fortune are proper objects of charity.
4. Fatherless children demand our care. Charity is misplaced upon vagrants and common beggars, who may be counterfeits.
5. The sick have claim upon our charity.
III. The manner in which we are to dispense our charity. Acts of mercy should be both public and private. If charity were entirely secret, removed from the eye of the world, it would decay and dwindle into nothing. If charity were always done in public, it would degenerate into mere hypocrisy, formality, and outward show. Care is necessary not to be influenced by ostentation or any sinister motive. An action good in itself is greatly recommended by an agreeable manner of doing it, an agreeable manner being to actions what a lively manner o| expression is to our sense–it beautifies and adorns it, and gives it all the advantage whereof it is capable. It is our duty not only to have virtue, but to make our virtue truly amiable. A delicacy of this kind is most chiefly to be observed with those who have not been used to receive charity.
IV. The motives to charity.
1. Compassion. As ingrafted in us this is mere instinct; as cultured and cherished it becomes a virtue.
2. The pleasure of benevolence. He that centres all his regard upon himself, exclusively of others, has placed his affections very oddly; he has placed them on the most worthless object in the world–himself.
V. The recompense of the reward. At the last day the question will not be whether you have been negatively good, whether you have done no harm, but what good have you done? Our Saviour has made the poor His representatives. The riches that we have given away will remain with us for ever. When we have shown mercy to our fellow-creatures we may safely expect it from our Creator. (J. Seed, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 27. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due] mibbealaiv, from the lords of it. But who are they? The poor. And what art thou, O rich man? Why, thou art a steward, to whom God has given substance that thou mayest divide with the poor. They are the right owners of every farthing thou hast to spare from thy own support, and that of thy family; and God has given the surplus for their sakes. Dost thou, by hoarding up this treasure, deprive the right owners of their property? If this were a civil case, the law would take thee by the throat, and lay thee up in prison; but it is a case in which GOD alone judges. And what will he do to thee? Hear! “He shall have judgment without mercy, who hath showed no mercy;” Jas 2:13. Read, feel, tremble, and act justly.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Withhold not good; do not deny it, but readily and cheerfully impart it, which is implied in the contrary, as above, Pro 3:11, and oft in this book, as we shall see. Good; any thing which is good; either spiritually, as counsel, comfort, reproof, &c.; or civilly, the good things of the present life, as good is taken, Psa 4:6, called this worlds good, 1Jo 3:17.
From them to whom it is due, Heb. from the lords or owners of it; from those who have any kind of right to it; either,
1. By the law of justice and equity, prescribed both by the natural and written laws of God, and by the civil laws of men. So this place commands the payment of just debts, and the restitution of things either found or committed to our trust, or taken from others by fraud or violence. Or,
2. (which seems to be chiefly intended by comparing this with the next verse, though the former is not to be excluded,) By that great and sovereign law of love or charity, which God hath written in the hearts of men by nature, and frequently and severely enjoined in his word, whereby every man is obliged according to his ability and opportunity, to pity and relieve such as are in real want or misery; who in that case are here called the owners of our goods, not in respect of men, as if men in want might seize upon the riches of others, but in respect of God, who is the sovereign Lord and only true Proprietary of all mens estates, who giveth them when and to whom he pleaseth, and who doth not give away his right, nor make men absolute lords of them to dispose them as they will, but only allows them the use and comfort of them upon such conditions, and with such reservations and rent charges, as I may call them, as he hath appointed, whereof this is one, that men should readily and freely communicate them to other men who need and require their help. And such actions, though they be acts of charity and bounty to men, yet, as to God, they are acts of righteousness, as they are called, Pro 11:18; 2Co 9:9, and in many other places.
To do it; either,
1. To withhold it. Or,
2. To do good. And this clause may be added, either,
1. As a limitation, to intimate that God expects from men according to what they have, and not according to what they have not, as is said, 2Co 8:12. Or,
2. As an argument to persuade them to partake the present season to perform this duty, when they are capable of so doing, because by the changes of this world, and the course of Divine providence, they may be disenabled from the performance of this great and necessary duty, and then they will be without excuse.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
27, 28. Promptly fulfil allobligations both of justice and charity (compare Jas 2:15;Jas 2:16).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,…. Honour, reverence, and tribute, to civil magistrates, Ro 13:7; just payment of debts to creditors, and alms to the poor, which, by what follows, seems to be chiefly intended; and the Septuagint render it,
“do not abstain to do well to the needy;”
and Aben Ezra interprets it of the poor; to them alms are due because of their wants, and by the appointment; of God; hence called “righteousness”, in some copies of Mt 6:1; so money kept from the poor “mammon of unrighteousness”, Lu 16:9. They are, as the word in the Hebrew text signifies, “the owners thereof” h: rich men are not so much proprietors of good things as they are God’s alms givers or stewards to distribute to the poor; and, as often as men have opportunity, they should do good in this way to all, especially to the household of faith, Ga 6:10; this will hold true, as of temporal good things, so of spiritual; as good advice, exhortation, and doctrine. The Vulgate Latin version is, “do not forbid him to do well that can”; which sense is favoured by Jarchi: and as we should not abstain from doing good ourselves, so neither should we forbid, hinder, or discourage others; but the former sense is best;
when it is in the power of thine hand to do [it]; not to hinder others, as Jarchi, but to do good; when a man has a sufficiency in his hands to do good with; has not only enough for himself and his family, but something to spare; when he has both opportunity and ability; and when he can do it at once and without delay, as follows.
h “a dominis suis”, Vatablus, Mercerus, Gejerus, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The first illustration of neighbourly love which is recommended, is readiness to serve:
27 Refuse no manner of good to him to whom it is due
When it is in thy power to do it.
28 Say not to thy neighbour, “Go, and come again,
To-morrow I will give it,” whilst yet thou hast it.
Regarding the intensive plur. with a sing. meaning, see under Pro 1:19. The form of expression without the suffix is not but ; and this denotes here, not him who does good ( as Arab. dhw or sahab ), but him to whom the good deed is done (cf. Pro 17:8), i.e., as here, him who is worthy of it ( as Arab. ahl ), him who is the man for it (Jewish interp.: ). We must refuse nothing good (nothing either legally or morally good) to him who has a right to it ( as Job 22:7; Job 31:16),
(Note: Accentuate , not . The doubling of the Makkeph is purposeless, and, on the contrary, the separating of from by the Dechi (the separating accent subordinate to Athnach) is proper. It is thus in the best MSS.)
if we are in a condition to do him this good. The phrase , Gen 31:29, and frequently, signifies: it is belonging to (practicable) the power of my hand, i.e., I have the power and the means of doing it. As signifies the haughty, insolent, but may be also used in the neuter of insolent conduct ( vid., Psa 19:14), so signifies the strong, but also (although only in this phrase) strength. The Keri rejects the plur. , because elsewhere the hand always follows in the singular. But it rejects the plur. (Pro 3:28) because the address following is directed to one person. Neither of these emendations was necessary. The usage of the language permits exceptions, notwithstanding the usus tyrannus, and the plur. may be interpreted distributively: to thy fellows, it may be this one or that one. Hitzig also regards as a singular; but the masc. of , the ground-form of which is certainly raj , is , or shorter, . does not mean: forth! go home again! but: go, and come again. , to come again, to return to something, to seek it once more.
(Note: Thus also (Arab.) raj’ is used in Thaalebi’s Confidential Companion, p. 24, line 3, of Flgel’s ed. Admission was prevented to one Haschmid, then angry he sought it once more; he was again rejected, then he sought it not again (Arab. flm yraj’ ), but says, etc. Flgel has misunderstood the passage. Fleischer explains raj’ , with reference to Pro 3:28, by revenir la charge .)
The of is, as 29b, the conditional: quum sit penes te, sc. quod ei des . “To-morrow shall I give” is less a promise than a delay and putting off, because it is difficult for him to alienate himself from him who makes the request. This holding fast by one’s own is unamiable selfishness; this putting off in the fulfilment of one’s duty is a sin of omission – , as the lxx adds, .
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Justice and Kindness Recommended; Caution against Envy. | |
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. 29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. 31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous. 33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
True wisdom consists in the due discharge of our duty towards man, as well as towards God, in honesty as well as piety, and therefore we have here divers excellent precepts of wisdom which relate to our neighbour.
I. We must render to all their due, both in justice and charity, and not delay to do it (Pro 3:27; Pro 3:28): “Withhold not good from those to whom it is due (either for want of love to them or through too much love to thy money) when it is in the power of thy hand to do it, for, if it be not, it cannot be expected; but it was thy great fault if thou didst, by thy extravagances, disable thyself to do justly and show mercy, and it ought to be the greatest of thy griefs if God had disabled thee, not so much that thou art straitened in thy own comforts and conveniences as that thou hast not wherewithal to give to those to whom it is due.” Withhold it not; this implies that it is called for and expected, but that the hand is drawn in and the bowels of compassion are shut up. We must not hinder others from doing it, not be ourselves backward to it. “If thou hast it by thee to-day, hast it in the power of thy hand, say not to thy neighbour, Go thy way for this time, and come at a more convenient season, and I will then see what will be done; to-morrow I will give; whereas thou art not sure that thou shalt live till to-morrow, or that to-morrow thou shalt have it by thee. Be not thus loth to part with thy money upon a good account. Make not excuses to shift off a duty that must be done, nor delight to keep thy neighbour in pain and in suspense, nor to show the authority which the giver has over the beggar; but readily and cheerfully, and from a principle of conscience towards God, give good to those to whom it is due,” to the lords and owners of it (so the word is), to those who upon any account are entitled to it. This requires us, 1. To pay our just debts without fraud, covin, or delay. 2. To give wages to those who have earned them. 3. To provide for our relations, and those that have dependence on us, for to them it is due. 4. To render dues both to church and state, magistrates and ministers. 5. To be ready to all acts of friendship and humanity, and in every thing to be neighbourly; for these are things that are due by the law of doing as we would be done by. 6. To be charitable to the poor and necessitous. If others want the necessary supports of life, and we have wherewithal to supply them, we must look upon it as due to them and not withhold it. Alms are called righteousness because they are a debt to the poor, and a debt which we must not defer to pay, Bis dat, qui cito dat—He gives twice who gives speedily.
II. We must never design any hurt or harm to any body (v. 29): “Devise not evil against thy neighbour; do not contrive how to do him an ill-turn undiscovered, to prejudice him in his body, goods, or good name, and the rather because he dwells securely by thee, and, having given thee no provocation, entertains no jealousy or suspicion of thee, and therefore is off his guard.” It is against the laws both of honour and friendship to do a man an ill-turn and give him no warning. Cursed be he that smites his neighbour secretly. It is a most base ungrateful thing, if our neighbours have a good opinion of us, that we will do them no harm, and we thence take advantage to cheat and injure them.
III. We must not be quarrelsome and litigious (v. 30): “Do not strive with a man without cause; contend not for that which thou hast no title to; resent not that as a provocation which peradventure was but an oversight. Never trouble thy neighbour with frivolous complaints and accusations, or vexatious law-suits, when either there is no harm done thee or none worth speaking of, or thou mightest right thyself in a friendly way.” Law must be the last refuge; for it is not only our duty, but our interest, as much as in us lies, to live peaceably with all men. When accounts are balanced, it will be found there is little got by striving.
IV. We must not envy the prosperity of evil-doers, v. 31. This caution is the same with that which is so much insisted on, Psa 37:1; Psa 37:7-9 “Envy not the oppressor; though he be rich and great, though he live in ease and pleasure, and make all about him to stand in awe of him, yet do not think him a happy man, nor wish thyself in his condition. Choose none of his ways; do not imitate him, nor take the courses he takes to enrich himself. Never think of doing as he does, though thou wert sure to get by it all that he has, for it would be dearly bought.” Now, to show what little reason saints have to envy sinners, Solomon here, in the last four verses of the chapter, compares the condition of sinners and saints together (as his father David had done, Ps. xxxvii.), sets the one over against the other, that we may see how happy the saints are, though they be oppressed, and how miserable the wicked are, though they be oppressors. Men are to be judged of as they stand with God, and as he judges of them, not as they stand in the world’s books. Those are in the right who are of God’s mind; and, if we be of his mind, we shall see, whatever pretence one sinner may have to envy another, that saints are so happy themselves that they have no reason at all to envy any sinner, though his condition be ever so prosperous. For, 1. Sinners are hated of God, but saints are beloved, v. 32. The froward sinners, who are continually going from-ward him, whose lives are a perverse contradiction to his will, are abomination to the Lord. He that hates nothing that he has made yet abhors those who have thus marred themselves; they are not only abominable in his sight, but an abomination. The righteous therefore have no reason to envy them, for they have his secret with them; they are his favourites; he has that communion with them which is a secret to the world and in which they have a joy that a stranger does not intermeddle with; he communicates to them the secret tokens of his love; his covenant is with them; they know his mind, and the meanings and intentions of his providence, better than others can. Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do? 2. Sinners are under the curse of God, they and their houses; saints are under his blessing, they and their habitation, v. 33. The wicked has a house, a strong and stately dwelling perhaps, but the curse of the Lord is upon it, it is in it, and, though the affairs of the family may prosper, yet the very blessings are curses, Mal. ii. 2. There is leanness in the soul, when the body is fed to the full, Ps. cvi. 15. The curse may work silently and slowly; but it is as a fretting leprosy; it will consume the timber thereof and the stones thereof,Zec 5:4; Hab 2:11. The just have a habitation, a poor cottage (the word is used for sheep-cotes), a very mean dwelling; but God blesses it; he is continually blessing it, from the beginning of the year to the end of it. The curse or blessing of God is upon the house according as the inhabitants are wicked or godly; and it is certain that a blessed family, though poor, has no reason to envy a cursed family, though rich. 3. God puts contempt upon sinners, but shows respect to saints, v. 34. (1.) Those who exalt themselves shall certainly be abased: Surely he scorns the scorners. Those who scorn to submit to the discipline of religion, scorn to take God’s yoke upon them, scorn to be beholden to his grace, who scoff at godliness and godly people, and take a pleasure in bantering and exposing them, God will scorn them, and lay them open to scorn before all the world. He despises their impotent malice, sits in heaven and laughs at them, Ps. ii. 4. He retaliates upon them (Ps. xviii. 26); he resists the proud. (2.) Those who humble themselves shall be exalted, for he gives grace to the lowly; he works that in them which puts honour upon them and for which they are accepted of God and approved of men. Those who patiently bear contempt from scornful men shall have respect from God and all good men, and then they have no reason to envy the scorners or to choose their ways. 4. The end of sinners will be everlasting shame, the end of saints endless honour, v. 35. (1.) Saints are wise men, and act wisely for themselves; for though their religion now wraps them up in obscurity, and lays them open to reproach, yet they are sure to inherit glory at last, the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. They shall have it, and have it by inheritance, the sweetest and surest tenure. God gives them grace (v. 34), and therefore they shall inherit glory, for grace is glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18. It is glory begun, the earnest of it, Ps. lxxxiv. 11. (2.) Sinners are fools, for they are not only preparing disgrace for themselves, but at the same time flattering themselves with a prospect of honour, as if they only took the way to be great. Their end will manifest their folly: Shame shall be their promotion. And it will be so much the more their punishment as it will come instead of their promotion; it will be all the promotion they must ever expect, that God will be glorified in their everlasting confusion.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Don’ts for the Wise
(Pro 3:27-31)
Vs. 27-31 command five DON’TS for the wise:
1) Do not withhold needed good when it is in thy power to give it, Luk 10:30-32; Gal 6:16.
2) Do not delay until tomorrow when able to provide needed good today, Luk 10:33-35;
3) Do not plan evil against thy neighbor, Gen 37:18-23.
4) Do not strive with another without cause. Avoid unnecessary arguing, Vs. 30; 1Sa 18:8-9; Rom 12:18.
5) Do not envy the oppressor, Vs. 31; Psa 37:1; Heb 11:24-26.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 3:27. Withhold not, &c., literally hold not good back from its master, i.e., from him to whom it belongs.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Pro. 3:27-29
DOING JUSTICE AND LOVING MERCY
True wisdom in the heart will show itself in right dealing between man and man. He who holds back any good thing by which it is in his power to bless another man is a thief. The withholding is a crime for which God will visit. This is true in relation not only to debts of justice (Jas. 5:4) but to so-called debts of mercy. When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, there will be some against whom He will bring the chargeI was an hungred, and ye gave Me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in; naked, and ye clothed Me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited Me not (Mat. 25:42-43). There are five reasons against the postponement of any act of justice or mercy until the morrow.
1. The person who is in need to-day may be beyond your reach to-morrow. Death may remove him from your reach, and he may go into eternity your creditor. Men and women have been saved from taking a step which would have been their ruin, by a kindly word or act which would have come too late on the morrow.
2. If your needy friend do live to be helped on the morrow, you may not live to give him help, and you will then enter the presence of God a debtor to your brother. To-morrow is Gods property, to-day is mans.
3. If your brother is not beyond your reach to-morrow, his need has been increased by the delay. If a mans condition calls for medical aid to-day, and it is withholden, the disease will have a firmer hold to-morrow and will be harder to cure. What physician would say to a sick man in such a case, Go, and come again? Human need is a disease that is increased by delay in dealing with it. It is a weed that grows apace. What is only a seed to-day will be a sapling soon. If you delay the moral and intellectual training of the ignorant, the chains that bind them will be harder to break to-morrow than they are to-day. So that delay makes the demand greater, and the debt which might have been easily paid when it was due becomes hard to meet by withholding.
4. To do the good to-morrow which might be done to-day is not to be an imitator of God. The Divine Father makes His sun to shine to-day upon the evil and the good. He does not say, To-morrow I will give thee, but now is the accepted time.
5. The postponement of that which is due is a devising of evil in the heart against thy neighbour (Pro. 3:29). Our Lord, in his parable of the good Samaritan, has answered for us the question, Who is my neighbour? (Luke 10). It is the man who is in need, and whose need we can relieve. It is not merely a negative, but a positive sin to withhold help to such a oneit is a violation of that rule of life which Christ Himself declares is the law and the prophets (Mat. 7:12).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 3:27. The borrower is then to repay his debt to the lender; the finder to restore that which he hath taken up to the loser; he which hath received anything into his custody, is to bring it forth to him who reposed trust in him; the master is to pay the servant his wages. Finally, everyone is to practise that precept of the Apostle (Rom. 13:8).Muffet.
This practical injunction may be applied:
1. To all lawful debts, for articles purchased or work performed.
2. To government taxes, which ought to be regarded as debts due to the community.
3. To debts of charity and benevolence. For such debts there are. They cannot indeed be claimed; they cannot be made good in law. But they are duedue on the principle of the royal law (Mat. 7:12).Wardlaw.
Here Solomon passes from general recommendations of wisdom to particular precepts of it. He reverts to instances of mercy and truth (Pro. 3:3). He who is in need has a claim of ownership upon our property by the law of love, which is the law of God. Need makes the poor the owner, and God makes thee the dispenser of the goods which thou hast and which he needs: so such benefits are called righteousness, i.e., a righteous debt or obligation (2Co. 9:9; Mat. 6:1, alms; Greek, righteousness). The same principle applies in the case of spiritual knowledge which thou hast and thy neighbour has not.Fausset.
With the luxuries of grace, the wise man mixes in its conditions. They are rugged like those of the Apostle (1 Corinthians 13). If we enjoy the good of the Gospel, we are to render again according to the benefits shown us.Miller.
It is the hungry mans bread which we hoard up in our own barns. It is his meat on which we glut, and his drink which we guzzle: it is the naked mans apparel which we shut up in our presses, or which we exorbitantly ruffle and flaunt in: it is the needy persons gold and silver which we closely hide in our chests, or spend idly, or put out to useless use. We are, in thus holding, or thus spending, not only covetous, but wrongful, or havers of more than our own, against the will of the rightful owners.Barrow.
1. They who have had much experience in the world may be of infinite use by giving salutary advice.
2. If we are afraid of being thought meddling, we can benefit others by a good example.
3. By vindicating the characters of those who have been unjustly defamed.
4. By not only giving alms, but attention, care, and friendship to the needy.
5. By recommending our brethren to God in prayer.Bishop Porteous.
Pro. 3:28. This conduct is too common. It may arise
1. From an avaricious reluctance to part with the money. The avaricious man is so loath to part with the object of his idolatry that even a days delay pleases him.
2. From indolent listlessness. The man is not in a mood to be troubled. He is occupied about something else, or he is not disposed to be occupied at all.
3. From insolent superciliousness. This is often discovered towards inferiors, or towards persons against whom there exists a grudge. It is the vice of little mindsungenerous, unjust, unmanly.Wardlaw.
He gives twice to one in need who gives at once.Publius Syrus.
Keep as few good intentions hovering about as possible. They are like ghosts haunting a dwelling. The way to lay them is to find bodies for them.Arnot.
Pro. 3:29. This evil may be practised in a great variety of ways. As, for instanceA man in business does what he can to obtain anothers confidence; or, whether he acts from this view or not, he knows that he has that confidence, and he takes advantage of it to obtain large quantities of goods from him, when aware that his own affairs are precarious and his credit sinking. There are not wanting cases in which the most nefarious crimes have been perpetrated through the medium of unsuspecting confidence. The wife of a mans bosom, or the child of his paternal love, has been seduced by the unwitting confidence he has reposed in a seeming friend. It is the very sin by which the devil beguiled Eve through his subtilty. All therefore who act such a part are of their father the devil.Wardlaw.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
TEXT Pro. 3:27-35
27.
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.
28.
Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again,
And to-morrow I will give;
When thou hast it by thee.
29.
Devise not evil against thy neighbor,
Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30.
Strive not with a man without cause,
If he have done thee no harm.
31.
Envy thou not the man of violence,
And choose none of his ways.
32.
For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah;
But his friendship is with the upright.
33.
The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked;
But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
34.
Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers;
But he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35.
The wise shall inherit glory;
But shame shall be the promotion of fools.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 3:27-35
1.
Where did Jesus teach that to withhold good is actually evil (Pro. 3:27)?
2.
Why would one put off to tomorrow giving help that he is able to give today (Pro. 3:28)?
3.
Should a neighbors security be one of our concerns (Pro. 3:29)?
4.
Who especially needs the instruction found in Pro. 3:30?
5.
What is listed in Pro. 3:31 as a possible cause of strife?
6.
How are the violent of Pro. 3:31 described in Pro. 3:32?
7.
According to Pro. 3:33 what does God do to those who are wicked?
8.
Where in the New Testament is Pro. 3:34 quoted?
9.
What do the wise have to look forward to (Pro. 3:35)?
10.
What do fools have to look forward to (Pro. 3:35)?
PARAPHRASE OF 3:27-35
Pro. 3:27-32.
Dont withhold repayment of your debts. Dont say, Some other time, if you can pay now. Dont plot against your neighbor; he is trusting you. Dont get into needless fights. Dont envy violent men. Dont copy their ways. For such men are an abomination to the Lord, but He gives His friendship to the godly.
Pro. 3:33-35.
The curse of God is on the wicked, but His blessing is on the upright. The Lord mocks at mockers, but helps the humble. The wise are promoted to honor, but fools are promoted to shame!
COMMENTS ON 3:27-35
Pro. 3:27. Beginning with this verse Solomon discusses our relationship with those about us. First of all, he says we should pay what we owe just as soon as we are able to do so. But this verse is not limiting the subject to paying debts: it is talking about doing good to those about usa subject set forth in several important places in the Bible: Do goodPsa. 37:3; As we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of faithGal. 6:10; Jesus went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devilAct. 10:38. To learn the E, G, B, D, F, A lines of the musical staff, elementary teachers have long used the significant statement: Every Good Boy Does Fine Alwaysand it is true! A careful study of Mar. 3:4 and its surrounding verses will show that it was lawful to do good on the Jewish sabbath (to heal a sick man) but harmful (or evil) not to. Jesus had the power to heal him, and He affirmed it would have been wrong not to do so. Everyone needs a growing conviction that what God has given him is to be used wherever needed and not merely squandered for his own selfish wants.
Pro. 3:28. This instruction refers back to Pro. 3:27. How many times people in urgent need have gone to someone of means and ability for help only to be put off until tomorrow or next week when it was only the slightest matter that could have been taken care of easily that kept them from giving the help that very day. God tells us not to dally with duty! We have a saying that says, Dont put off to tomorrow what you can do today.
Pro. 3:29. At the bottom of every case of trouble, there is someone who got things mixed up or who purposely did wrong to begin it. Here is a commandment against purposely, knowingly devising evil and trouble for someone else. We have sayings that remind us to drive carefully and to live carefully, for the life we save may be our own. This verse, though, appeals strictly to our feelings of responsibility for the other person: take care of your neighbor, for he dwells securely through your dealings. But dont forget that trouble can be a two-way street: there is a sense in which you dwell securely by him.
Pro. 3:30. If everybody heeded this, there could be no strife except that which might arise from some misunderstanding. Remember that it takes somebody to start trouble before there can be trouble. Some people who seem to live in a state of strife really need this instruction, for they are chief offenders.
Pro. 3:31. Other similar passages: Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, Neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness (Psa. 37:1); I was envious at the arrogant, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psa. 73:3); Be not thou envious against evil men; Neither desire to be with them (Pro. 24:1). It is too bad that so many choose wrong models to follow. In this verse the father continues to warn his son about joining in with a life of violence (See Pro. 1:10-19; Pro. 2:12-15).
Pro. 3:32. One who devises evil against his neighbor (Pro. 3:29), one who strives with a man who has done him no wrong (Pro. 3:30), one who envies the wicked (Pro. 3:30) is said in this verse to be pervertedhe is doing what God never planned for a person to do. This verse tells of two contrasting classes of persons (the perverse and the upright) and of Gods contrasting attitudes toward them (abomination for the perverse and friendship with the upright). Passages on Gods pleasure with the righteous: The friendship of Jehovah is with them that fear him; And he will show them his covenant (Psa. 25:14); Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you (Joh. 15:14); The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears unto their supplication (1Pe. 3:12). Passages on Gods displeasure with the wicked: Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God (Jas. 4:4); Alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works (Col. 1:21); He that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him (Joh. 3:36).
Pro. 3:33. Another verse contrasting Gods treatment of the wicked and the righteous. The law that they were under had a long list of curses in Deu. 27:15-26 and a long list of blessings in Deu. 28:3-6. God can send blessings upon people, or He can bring curses upon them. The basis on which God gives to each is set forth in Deu. 11:26-28 : Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God…and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God. Psa. 37:22 says, Such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land; And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off. Ones relationship to God and His consequent attitude toward us is the main issue of life.
Pro. 3:34. A double contrast: scoffeth vs. giveth and scoffers vs. the lowly. Scoffers are those who act as if they know it all; the lowly are those who recognize their deficiencies and who, as a result, trust in God and do not lean to their own understanding but who acknowledge Him in all their ways (Pro. 3:5-6). Jas. 4:6 refers to this verse (He giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble as does 1Pe. 5:5 (God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble).
Pro. 3:35. A double contrast: wise vs. fools and glory vs. shame. The wise shall inherit glorywhat an inheritance to come into! Abraham was wise in following Gods directions, and think of the glory he inherited as a result! Daniel was wise in his decision concerning the kings wine and dainties, and think of the glory he had before the book of Daniel closed! The Christian is the wise builder who builds his house upon the rock (Mat. 7:24-25), and the resulting Christian life is one of glory (Ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory1Pe. 1:8), and he will have his eternity in glory! On the other hand shame shall be the promotion of foolswhat a promotion to get! We detect irony in the use of promotion here. The fool has nothing to look forward to but shame. A fool lives a shameful life, and his eternity will be one of shame and everlasting contempt (Dan. 12:2). That which both the wise and the foolish come to will be because God will make it so!
TEST QUESTIONS OVER 3:27-35
1.
Where else besides Pro. 3:27 does the Bible talk about doing good?
2.
What is Pro. 3:28 condemning?
3.
What reason is cited in Pro. 3:29 for not devising evil against ones neighbor?
4.
Who especially needs the instruction in Pro. 3:30?
5.
Whom does the father not want his son to envy (Pro. 3:31)?
6.
Cite the double contrast in Pro. 3:32.
7.
What chapter of the Old Testament contained lists of both blessings and curses (Pro. 3:33)?
8.
What is the double contrast in Pro. 3:34?
9.
How is the word promotion used in Pro. 3:35?
NOTICING THE NEEDS OF THE NEEDY
Pro. 29:7 says, The righteous considereth (taketh knowledge ofR.V.) the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it. There are those who have never known what real shortage is. They have always had plenty. It is hard for them to realize how hard put people can be and how helpless they are before such conditions. So they go their ways, not bothering themselves to look into peoples conditions. But, Pro. 29:7 says the righteous look into their cases.
It is too easy for some people to be like the priest and the Levite, who did not want to be bothered with the needs of the needy. It takes time, it takes money, and it may even give one a headache to get next to the condition of the needy. No wonder, then, that is the righteous who considers the cause of the needy.
In the fast pace of present-day living, let us not permit sickness to go on in our communities, and we not know anything about it. Let us not permit death to strike, and we not be there to help. Let us not permit tragedies to happen, and we not concern ourselves.
DISCRETION IN SPEAKING
I marvel not that some people have trouble. Their customary way of speaking is loud, thoughtless, and rough. Unless one controls his speech, the other person will have a time controlling his temper.
Listen to this great memory verse: A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger (Pro. 15:1). A soft answer is just the opposite of a harsh answer. Like the virtuous woman, the law of kindness should be in our mouths. Oh, the cutting things that people sometimes say to the man at the store! It may be a neighbor. It may be to some person in the church. And yet they claim to be Christians. There isnt much Christianity to a person who has an unbridled tongue.
All it takes sometimes to get into a real fight is to say the wrong word. Many times everything is all set for trouble, and if you do not guard your speech, you are going to stir up anger rather than turn it away.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(f) Sixth Discourse:Exhortation to Charity, Peace, Contentment (Pro. 3:27-35).
(27) Them to whom it is duei.e., the poor and needy. An exhortation to us to make to ourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness (uncertain riches, Luk. 16:9), remembering that we are not absolute owners, but stewards of the manifold grace of God (1Pe. 4:10), so that when we fail, i.e., die, they, the friends we have made by our liberality, may welcome us to heaven.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
ADVICES TO THE PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN DUTIES, AND AVOIDANCE OF CERTAIN EVILS, Pro 3:27-32.
27, 28. Withhold not good to whom it is due Literally, to the owners of it. Here we have a change of style. The following five verses contain negative counsels touching duties to our neighbour, as if he had said: In order to enjoy the blessings above named, especially strong confidence in the Lord as thy protector, avoid doing evil to others; of which he gives samples of things “most commonly practised.” Good may mean here an act of justice or of kindness; the payment of a debt, or the bestowment of a favour. The 28th verse is exegetical of the 27th, and explains it more fully. It is one of the bad habits of some men always to postpone the payment of a debt as long as possible, even when they have the full ability to pay. Indeed, some men never pay until they are repeatedly solicited, or forced by law; and if they do a favour at all, they do it slowly and grudgingly. The contrary disposition is what the wise man indirectly commends. “He that gives cheerfully gives double.” The Geneva Bible reads the 27th verse thus: “Withholde not the good from the owners of it, thogh there be power in thine hand to do it.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Wisdom’s Principles of Walking in Love with Our Neighbors Brings us into God’s Eternal Glory Since man can determine his own destiny by following the path of divine wisdom, the next passage (Pro 3:27-35) reveals to us that by walking in wisdom with our neighbor we will inherit the glory that God intended for us, which is our destiny, and we will be delivered from God’s wrath that comes upon the wicked.
As a summary of chapter three, we see that the path of wisdom will lead us to spiritual, mental, physical and material blessings (Pro 3:1-18). If God uses wisdom to determine the destiny of His creation (Pro 3:19-20), so do our choices determine our own destiny (Pro 3:21-26) as we learn to walk in wisdom with our neighbour (Pro 3:27-35).
Therefore, this passage of Scripture gives us the manifold aspects of wisdom. It is like the light that reflects through a beautiful diamond. A diamond has many different sides that reflect different colors of the rainbow. A diamond is able to show us the many different colors of light. Yet, each color reflected from this diamond is a part of the same light beam. In comparison, wisdom has many different colors, or dimensions. Yet, together, this passage shows us a wisdom that is perfect and complete. Complete wisdom is learning to apply all of these verses to our lives, so that the blessings of God will be evident in every area of life. Only then will we be able to fulfill the eternal destiny that God has created us for as a part of His overall plan for His eternal creation.
A careful examination of this passage of Scripture will reveal to us how it is related to the opening passage of this chapter. Pro 3:27-28 serves as an illustration of Pro 3:9 by telling us how to give to those with genuine needs. This is how we are to honor the Lord with our substance. Pro 3:29-30 serves as an illustration of Pro 3:7 by telling us not to get into strife with our neighbour. We are to “depart from evil,” or “depart from strife.” We know that people who are wise in their own eyes tend towards strife. Pro 3:31-32 serves as an illustration of Pro 3:5 by telling us not to follow the path of the oppressor, but to find the secret counsel of the Lord when making decisions. Pro 3:33-34 serves to illustrate Pro 3:3 by teaching us to walk with a humble heart and not allow pride to bring us into scorn towards others. For in humility, we are able to show mercy to others and to walk in the truth of God’s Word. The final verse of this passage, Pro 3:35, tells us that we can choose between two destinies, according to how we sow in the areas of spirit, mind, body and finances.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. Illustration of Sowing Financially Pro 3:27-28
2. Illustration of Sowing Physically Pro 3:29-30
3. Illustration of Sowing Mentally Pro 3:31-32
4. Illustration of Sowing Spiritually Pro 3:33-34
5. Glory or Shame Pro 3:35
Pro 3:27-28 Illustration of Sowing Financially (Your Testimony of Prosperity: Your Neighbour Will See your Blessings and Ask) ( Pro 3:9 ) – Your neighbour will see the blessings of God in your life and will desire those same things for himself. You will be able to lend unto many and borrow from none (Deu 28:12). You will be able to tell him how he can have the same by serving the Lord. Pro 3:27-28 serves as an illustration of Pro 3:9 by telling us how to give to those with genuine needs. This is how we are to honor the Lord with our substance.
Deu 28:12, “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow .”
Pro 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
Pro 3:28 Pro 3:29-30
Pro 3:29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Pro 3:29
Living in Africa, the safest homes in the neighborhood are those surrounded by the watchful eyes of neighbors. Those homes that are distant from neighbors are more vulnerable to disaster and thieves.
The DRC follows the interpretation of most English versions on this verse, “Practise not evil against thy friend, when he hath confidence in thee.” It could mean that one should not take advantage of a person who is living peacefully nearby, and is not protected against a sudden act of terror from his very neighbor.
Pro 3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
Pro 3:31-32
Pro 3:31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Pro 3:32 Pro 3:32
“The righteous” in this passage refers to men of God such as these just mentioned.
Pro 3:33-34 Illustration of Sowing Spiritually (Your Testimony of Humility) ( Pro 3:3 ) Pro 3:33-34 serves to illustrate Pro 3:3 by teaching us to walk with a humble heart and not allow pride to bring us into scorn towards others. For in humility, we are able to show mercy to others and to walk in the truth of God’s Word.
Pro 3:33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
Pro 3:34 Pro 3:35
Pro 3:35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Pro 3:35
Comments – The opposite of honour is shame, and both are used in this verse. We see the contrast that the wise are promoted to honour, but the fools are promoted, or displayed before all men, in their shame.
Scripture Reference – Note a similar verse:
Pro 4:9, “She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.”
Pro 3:35 Comments – The final verse of this passage tells us that we can choose between two destinies, according to how we sow in the areas of spirit, mind, body and finances. One of the greatest examples of the wise inheriting glory is the Lord Jesus Christ. He chose the door that led down a path of shame and humility, but at the end of this journey was glory at the right hand of the Father (Heb 12:2).
Heb 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The fool chose the door that said “pride and promotion.” This led the fool down a path of shame and dishonour. Sometimes it is the difficult path that gives the greatest honor, while the easy path leads to shame.
In these ancient societies, the person that displayed God’s blessings and wealth was looked upon with great honor. Abraham serves as an excellent example of this. Those who struggled in poverty and foolishness all of their lives were looked upon with shame.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Warning Against Evil
v. 27. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, v. 28. Say not unto thy neighbor, Go and come again, and tomorrow I will give, v. 29. Devise not evil against thy neighbor, v. 30. Strive not with a man without cause, v. 31. Envy thou not the oppressor, v. 32. For the froward, v. 33. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked, v. 34. Surely He scorneth the scorners, v. 35. The wise shall inherit glory,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 3:27. Withhold not good, &c. The words may literally be rendered, Withhold not good from the lords or masters of it; which some refer to the restitution of goods gained unjustly: but the connection requires that we understand the poor; who, by an elegant figure, are called the lords and masters of those goods which are possessed by the rich, so far as a just portion is due to them. Schultens. Calmet observes, that whoever has the power to do good is under the strongest obligation to assist those who have need of his assistance. The necessity of the poor has a just claim upon the abundance of the rich.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do [it].
Ver. 27. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due. ] Either by the law of equity, or of charity. For there is a debt of love Rom 13:8 that we must ever be owing and ever pay. And as we say of thanks, gratiae habendae et agendae, thanks must be given, and held as still due; so must this debt of love. Quicquid clerici habent, pauperum est, saith Jerome. It is true, in a sense, of others, as well as of ministers. The poor (God’s poor) are the owners of that we have; we are but stewards and dispensers of God’s bounty to his necessitous servants. Now if our receipts be found great, and our layings out small, God will cast such bills back in our faces, and turn us out of our stewardship. They are fools that fear to lose their wealth by giving, but fear not to lose themselves by keeping it.
When it is in the power of thy hand.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Withhold not. Illustrations: Ammonites, &c. (Deu 23:3, Deu 23:4); Nabal (1Sa 25:10, 1Sa 25:11; Compare Pro 3:15); Widow (1Ki 17:12. 2Ki 4:7); Parable (Luk 10:30-35); Corinthians (2Co 8:1-11; 2Co 9:1-7).
them to whom it is due = the owners thereof.
hand. Hebrew text reads “hands”, but some codices, with two early printed editions and Septuagint, read “hand” (singular)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Counsels of Experience.
Pro 3:27-35; Pro 4:1-9
Here are many duties! Be generous! Of course we must discriminate-to whom it is due; and we must be prudent-when it is in the power of thine hand, Pro 3:27. Moreover, be prompt, Pro 3:28. Dont stir up strife or take a mean advantage, Pro 3:29-30. In the presence of the prosperity of the violent and evil man, repress envy and recall Psa 37:1-40.
The word translated secret in Pro 3:32 should be rendered friendship. See Psa 25:14. Remember that Jesus calls us into this sacred inner circle, Joh 15:15. Count on God blessing your home-life, Pro 3:33. Be lowly and claim your great inheritance, Pro 3:34-35. See Mat 5:3.
We are next admitted into an ancient Hebrew home, Pro 4:1-9. We can hear the old patriarch advising his son, with deep and fond anxiety, that he should make the best of his life. What a difference would come over the land if fathers spoke more often like this! But to speak thus needs a background of noble living.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Withhold: Rom 13:7, Gal 6:10, Tit 2:14, Jam 2:15, Jam 2:16, Jam 5:4
them to whom it is due: Heb. the owners thereof
in the: Gen 31:29, Mic 2:1
Reciprocal: Gen 14:24 – Save Deu 15:13 – General Deu 24:15 – At his Est 6:4 – Who is in the court Ecc 11:4 – General Mat 5:42 – General Luk 6:30 – Give Act 16:10 – immediately Rom 13:8 – Owe
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 3:27-28. Withhold not good Do not deny it, but readily and cheerfully impart it; from them to whom it is due Hebrew, , literally, from the lords, or owners of it: which some refer to the restitution of goods gained unjustly; but the connection requires that we understand the clause in a more extensive sense. The good here spoken of must be considered as being applicable to any thing that is good, either counsel, comfort, reproof, or the good things of the present life. And by the lords, or owners of it, we must understand those who have any kind of right to it, whether by the law of justice and equity, or by the great and sovereign law of love, which God hath written on the hearts of men by nature, and hath frequently and solemnly enjoined in his word. So that this place not only commands the payment of just debts, and the restitution of things taken from others by fraud or violence, or of things committed to our trust; but it obliges every man, according to his ability and opportunity, to pity and relieve such as are in real want or misery, and to do all the good in his power, temporal or spiritual, to his fellow-creatures. Say not, &c. The preceding verse forbade the denial, and this forbids the delay of this duty; unto thy neighbour Unto any man, as the word neighbour is commonly used in Scripture; Go, and come again to-morrow, and I will give Namely, what is thy due, in the manner before expressed, or what thou needest; for the word , here used, is generally meant of free or charitable gifts, and not of debts due in justice or equity.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3:27 Withhold not good from {m} them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do [it].
(m) Not only from them to whom the possession belongs but also you shall not keep it from them who have need of the use of it.