These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
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These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
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These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
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These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Proverbs 25:1 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:
- 1 Kings 4:32 He spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs numbered one thousand five.
- Micah 1:1 Yahweh’s word that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
- Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
- Ecclesiastes 12:9 Further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
- Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
- Isaiah 36:22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
- Isaiah 37:2 He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
- Hosea 1:1 Yahweh’s word that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Whom Hezekiah appointed for this purpose.
Whom Hezekiah appointed for this purpose.
That is, gathered out of divers books of Solomon.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 25:1 These [are] also proverbs of Solomon, which…
Pro 25:1 These [are] also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
Ver. 1. These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men.] Solomon "hath his thousand out of this his vineyard of three thousand proverbs," {1Ki 4:32} and these men of Hezekiah that kept, and yet communicated, the fruit thereof, "their two hundred." {Son 8:12} It is good for men to be doing what they are able for the glory of God and good of others, {a} if it be but to copy out another man’s work, and prepare it for the press. Them that any way honour God he will honour; that is a bargain of his own making, and we may trust to it.
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{a} Prima sequentem honestum est in secundis tertiisque consistere. - Cic, de Orat.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain These, which are contained in this and the following…
These, which are contained in this and the following chapters.
The men of Hezekiah; certain persons appointed by Hezekiah for that work, whether prophets, as Isaiah, Hosea, or Micah, who lived in his days, or some others, it is neither evident nor material. Most of them are political precepts, and such as in a special manner concerned Hezekiah and other princes to know, for the conduct of their house and kingdom.
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Copied out; either out of other books or writings of Solomon, concerning natural or civil things, of which we read 1Ki 4:32; or out of the historical records which were then extant concerning Solomon’s speeches and actions in the history of the kings of Judah, which is oft mentioned in Holy Scripture.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain These - Which are contained in this and the…
These - Which are contained in this and the following chapters. The men - Certain persons appointed by Hezekiah for that work. Many of them are political precepts, and such as in a special manner concerned Hezekiah, and other princes, for the conduct of their house and kingdom. Copied - Out of the historical records which were then extant.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain A new series of Solomon's proverbs. God's glory in…
CHAPTER XXV
A new series of Solomon's proverbs. God's glory in mysteries.
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Observations concerning kings. Avoid contentions. Opportune
speech. The faithful ambassador. Delicacies to be sparingly
used. Avoid familiarity. Amusements not grateful to a
distressed mind. Do good to your enemies. The misery of
dwelling with a scold. The necessity of moderation and
self-government.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXV
Verse 1. These are also proverbs of Solomon] In my old MS. Bible, this verse concludes the preceding chapter. It seems that the remaining part of this book contains proverbs which had been collected by the order of King Hezekiah, and were added to the preceding book as a sort of supplement, having been collected from traditionary sayings of Solomon. And as the men of Hezekiah may mean Isaiah, Shebna, and other inspired men, who lived in that time, we may consider them as of equal authority with the rest, else such men could not have united them to the sacred book. The chronological notes in the margin of this and the five following chapters denote the time when the proverbs contained in them were collected together in the reign of Hezekiah, about two hundred and seventy years after the death of Solomon.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Pro 25:1. These — Which are contained in this…
Pro 25:1. These — Which are contained in this and the following chapters; are also the proverbs of Solomon — Lessons on piety and virtue, sententiously delivered by Solomon, and collected out of his works by some of the servants of that good king, Hezekiah; who, setting himself with all his heart to reform the people of Judah, among other things which he did for that purpose, and wherein God blessed his endeavours, (2Ch 31:21,) caused these proverbs to be transcribed out of the ancient records, for their fuller instruction.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain A new section.
A new section.
Copied out - In the sense of a transfer from oral tradition to writing.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Charles Bridges 1846 · Public Domain THIS seems to be a third division of this…
THIS seems to be a third division of this sacred book.†1 The selection was probably made (with several repetitions from the former part†2) from "the three thousand proverbs which Solomon spoke;"†3 and which, having been carefully preserved, the men of Hezekiah copied out, nearly three hundred years after. Thus the word of God, brought out of obscurity for the instruction of the people, stamped the reformation of this godly king (2Ch 31:21 ); as it did the reformation of Josiah in after-times.†4 The New Testament fully authenticates this section of the book as part of the inspired canon.†5 We are not reading therefore the maxims of the wisest of men. But the voice from heaven proclaims — "These are the true sayings of God."
The Holy Spirit mentions not only the author, but the copyists, of these proverbs. And often has good service been done to the Church, not only by original writers, but by those who have copied and brought out their writings into wider circulation. The world usually honours only the grand instruments, and casts the humbler agency into the shade. (Ecc 9:15-16 .) But God honors not only the primary, but the subordinate instruments; not only the five — but the one talent — faithfully laid out for him. The blessing is not promised to their number — but to their improvement. (Mat 25:21-23 .)
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Footnotes:
†1 See Proverbs 1. and 10. - 24. (See also Preface)
†2 Pro 25:24, with Pro 21:9 ; Pro 26:13, with Pro 22:13 ; Pro 25:15, with Pro 19:24 ; Pro 26:22, with Pro 18:8 ; Pro 27:12, with Pro 22:3 ; Pro 27:13, with Pro 20:16 ; Pro 27:15, with Pro 19:13 ; Pro 28:6, with Pro 19:1 ; Pro 28:18, with Pro 10:9 ; Pro 28:19, with Pro 12:11 ; Pro 28:21, with Pro 18:5 ; Pro 25:1, with Pro 24:23 .
†3 1Ki 4:32 . Compare Ecc 12:9 . Does not the divine discrimination, which has withheld the whole of Solomon’s writings, reprove the indiscriminate publication of all that eminent men may have left in manuscript? Crudities, and even gross errors, have been thus accredited by the authority of great names, not less unjustly to their memory, than injuriously to the Church.
†4 2Ch 34:14-30 . We mark the same Divine stamp of mercy upon our own precious, though reviled, Reformation.
†5 Pro 25:6-7, with Luk 14:7-10 ; Pro 25:21-22, with Rom 12:20 ; Pro 26:11, with 2Pe 2:22 ; Pro 27:1, with Jas 4:14 .
Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain These. Solomon wrote 3,000, and we have only 915…
These. Solomon wrote 3,000, and we have only 915 verses extant. (Calmet) --- The rest perhaps shewed his genius, but were less useful. (Tostat. in 3 Kings iv. 9.) --- Men. Isaias, Sobna, &c. (Calmet) --- Out of other records, (Menochius) or "translated" into a language better understood. (Denis the Carthusian) (Bayn.)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain True wisdom proclaimed as the chief good to kings…
IV. LATER COLLECTION BY THE MEN OF HEZEKIAH
True wisdom proclaimed as the chief good to kings and their subjects
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Chaps. 25–29
Superscription: Pro_25:1
1 These also are proverbs of Solomon
which men of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, collected.
1. Admonition to the fear of God and righteousness, addressed to kings and subjects
Pro_25:2-28
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing;
but the glory of kings to search out a matter.
3 The heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
and the heart of kings (are) unsearchable.
4 Take away the dross from silver,
and there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner;
5 take away the wicked from before the king,
and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
6 Display not thyself in the presence of the king,
and stand not in the place of the great;
7 for it is better that it be said to thee, “Come up hither,”
than that they humble thee because of the king,
whom thine eyes have seen.
8 Go not forth hastily to strive,
lest (it be said to thee): “What wilt thou do in the end,
when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame?”
9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbor,
but disclose not the secret of another;
10 lest he that heareth it upbraid thee,
and thine infamy turn not away.
11 (Like) apples of gold in framework of silver
is a word fitly spoken.
12 (As) a gold ring and an ornament of fine gold
is a wise reprover to an ear that heareth.
13 As the coolness of snow on a harvest day
is a faithful messenger to them that send him;
he refresheth the soul of his master.
14 Clouds and wind and no rain—
(so is) a man who boasteth of a false gift.
15 By forbearance is a prince persuaded,
and a gentle tongue breaketh the bone.
16 Hast thou found honey—eat to thy satisfaction,
lest thou be surfeited with it and vomit it.
17 Withhold thy foot from thy neighbor’s house,
lest he be weary of thee and hate thee.
18 A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow
is the man that speaketh as a false witness against his neighbor.
19 (Like) a broken tooth and an unsteady foot
is confidence in an unfaithful man in the day of need.
20 (As) he that layeth aside clothing in a cold day—(as) vinegar on nitre—
is he that singeth songs with a heavy heart.
21 If thine enemy hunger, give him bread to eat,
and if he thirst, give him water to drink:
22 for (so) dost thou heap burning coals on his head;
and Jehovah will reward thee.
23 North wind produceth rain,
so doth the slanderous tongue a troubled face.
24 It is better to dwell in a corner of the house top,
than with a quarrelsome woman in a wide house.
25 As cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.
26 (Like) a troubled fountain and a ruined spring
is the righteous man who wavereth before the wicked.
27 To eat much honey is not good,
and to search out the difficult bringeth difficulty.
28 (As) a city broken through, without walls,
is the man who hath no mastery over his own spirit.
GRAMMATICAL AND CRITICAL
[In the section of the Book of Proverbs including chaps. 25–29 peculiar idioms are more numerous, peculiarities in radical forms and in inflections, some of them common to this section with some others in the Old Testament, others of an Aramaic type. These have usually been regarded (if explained at all) as resulting from the more miscellaneous character of this portion of the collection. Bött. finds hero provincialisms characteristic of Ephraim, belonging more naturally to the section of the country most in contact with Syria. The correctness of this view needs to be established by close investigation. For the enumeration of particulars see Böttcher’s Ausfuhrliches Lehrbuch, §§ 29, 34, 35.—A.]
Pro_25:4.—The Infin. abs. הָגוֹ [old root וגה, see also Green, §172, 2, for the peculiar form] is in both cases, in Pro_25:4-5, to be regarded as Imperative (so all the ancient versions, and also Umbreit, Ewald, Elster), and not as in the first instance a substitute for the Indic. Imperf. (Hitzig, Bertheau), or as standing in both cases for the gerund (so Stier: is to be, should be taken away, etc.). [In Pro_25:4 this virtual Imper. is followed by a consec. Imperf., in Pro_25:5 by a consec. Jussive: “let his throne be established,” etc. Bött., § 980, B, and n. 10—A.]
Pro_25:7.—[אֲמַר, an impersonal use of the Kal. Inf. constr., “good is the saying;” the rendering is often appropriately passive,—so here “that it be said to thee.” Here and in Pro_25:27 the Infin. has a masc. predicate; in Pro_25:24 the fem. Infin. שֶבֶת takes the same. Bött., §990, 1, a, and 3 β—A.]
Pro_25:9.—[תְּנָל, a Piel Imperf. apocopate with lengthened vowel. See Green, § 174, 4; Nordh., §451; Bött., § 1085, A., etc.—A.]
Pro_25:11,—[דָּבֻר, either a Kal Pass. Partic., written defectively,—or a Hoph. Partic. deprived of its initial מ, which is no uncommon loss: the form would then be דֻּבָּר; see Bött., § 994, 5, 6, 10.—אָפְנָיו, regarded by Bött. as well as by Z. and others as derived from אֹפָן, wheel, the form is dual, the plural form with the same suffix being אֹפַנָּיו; the meaning will then be “on its (pair of) wheels,” readily, aptly. See Bött., § 678, 3, f.; 685, 42, and n. 4. Fuerst gives the preference to another meaning supported from the Arabic and the Talm., “nach seinen Arten,” according to its various uses and applications=fitly.—A.]
Pro_25:16.—[הֲקֵאֹתו, a Perf. Hiph. with peculiarities in the vocalization and the suffix. Bött., §§ 1158, 2; 1188, 33.—A.]
Pro_25:17.—הֹקַר, Imper. Hiph. from יָקַר (Isa_13:12; 1Sa_3:1).
Pro_25:19.—רֹעָה, Partic. fem. Kal from רצץ = רעע. [Explained by Gesen. as an Infin. fem. used substantively, but by Fuerst, Bött., etc., as by our author,—a fem. part. passing into an adjective use.] Instead of מוּעָדֶת, wavering, unsteady, is either to be read מוֹעָדֶת (Part. Kal from מער), or the form is with R. Kimchi, Bertheau, Elster, etc., to be regarded as a Pual part, with the omission of the performative מ (comp. Isa_54:11, etc.); comp. Ewald, Lehrb., 169 d. [Fuerst supports the latter explanation; Gesen., Lex. and Lehrgeb., Bött., Green (?) and others adopt the author’s view. See esp. Bött., §§ 492, η; and n. 2; 1063, C and n.4.—A.]
Pro_25:20.—מַעֲדֶה is usually taken as a Hiph. Part. from עָדָה, “he who taketh off clothing,” etc. Fuerst suggests the construing and rendering of it as a noun, with the meaning Pracht, splendor; Bött. strenuously maintains that it can be nothing else. Lehr., II., p. 377, n. 1, and references there given.—A.].
EXEGETICAL
1. Pro_25:1. The Superscription—plainly belonging to the whole subsequent collection as far as the end of chap. 29, and not merely to some such portion as Pro_25:2 to Pro_27:27, as Hitzig suggests; for there is in Pro_28:1 no new superscription, and the assumption that in Pro_28:17 sq. the central main division of the entire Book of Proverbs (12–22:16) is continued, while Pro_28:1-16 is a fragment from a later hand, lacks all real support. Comp. remarks above on Pro_22:1.—These also are proverbs of Solomon—whether precisely in the strictest sense, or in the broader one of an authorship that is Solomon’s only indirectly, on this point the expression gives us no definite knowledge. Proverbs of Solomon in the broader sense may very properly be included under the phrase.—Which have been collected.—In regard to the meaning of this verb see what is already said in the Introd., § 12 (pp. 26). The meaning “remove” (from the original place), “transfer, transplant, compile” is certainly lexically established, and is to be preferred without qualification to the explanations which differ from it; to “append” or “arrange” (ordine disponere), or to “preserve” (durare facere, conservare). Whether as the source from which the transfer or compilation of the following proverbs was made, we are to think simply of one book or of several books, so that the transfer would be the purely literary labor of excerpting, a transcribing, or collecting by copying (comp. the ἅς ἐξεγράψαντο of the LXX); or whether we have to consider as the source simply the oral transmission of ancient proverbs of wise men by the mouth of the people (Hitzig), must remain doubtful. It is perhaps most probable, that both the written and the oral tradition were alike sifted for the objects of the collection.—By the men of Hezekiah.—Possibly a learned commission created by this king for the purpose of this work of compilation, consisting of the most noted “wise men” of his time. Comp. Introd., § 3, and § 12, as cited above. [Fuerst, in his Kanon des Alten Testaments, cites the Jewish tradition as holding a different view in several of these particulars. In regard to original authorship, the title is not interpreted as even claiming all for Solomon, though his is the chief and representative name; it is rather the aim and effect of the collection that is emphasized. Tradition, moreover, interprets the “these also” as showing that the preceding sections were likewise collected by the men of Hezekiah, the verb הֶעְתִּיקוּ in the superscription to this fourth collection meaning “continued.” “The men of Hezekiah” furthermore are represented as not simply literati and poets of the king’s court temporarily associated and engaged in a specific work, but a “college” existing for similar purposes two hundred and eighty years, seven full generations. For details and references see Fuerst’s Kanon, pp. 73–80.—A.]
2. Pro_25:2-5. Of kings, their necessary attributes and duties.—It is the glory of God to conceal a thing—viz., so far forth as He, the “God that hideth Himself” (Isa_45:15), is incomprehensible in His being, and “unsearchable in His judgments” (Rom_11:33), so that accordingly all His action is a working out from the unknown, the hidden, a sudden revealing of hidden marvels (the “secret things” of Deu_29:29). [“David says, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God,’ and Solomon adds, that God’s glory is seen not only in what He reveals, but what He conceals—a profound observation, which is the best answer to many Scriptural objections to Divine Revelation, as has been shown by Bp. Butler in his Analogy.” Wordsw., in loc.].—On the contrary, it is the glory of kings to search out a matter, rightly to discern and to make clear debatable points in jurisprudence, and in general, on the ground of careful inquiry, investigation and consultation, to issue commands and to shape political ordinances. Comp. what Göthe once said (Sammtl. Werke, Bd. 45, p. 41): “ It is the business of the world-spirit to preserve mysteries before, yea, often after the deed; the poet’s impulse is to disclose the mystery;” and also Luther’s marginal comment on our passage (see, below, the Homiletical notes).—דָּבָר is moreover in both instances to be rendered by “thing, matter,” and not by “word” (Vulg., Cocceius, Umbreit, etc.); for in clause b in particular this latter meaning seems wholly inapposite.
Pro_25:3. The heavens for height, the earth for depth, and the heart of kings (are) unsearchable.—אֵין הֵקֶר, “no searching out,” is plainly the predicate of the subjects in clause a also, so that the entire verse forms but one proposition. And this is not a possible admonition to kings (not to suffer themselves to be searched out, but to preserve their secrets faithfully), as Umbreit, Van Ess, De W., etc., think, but a simple didactic proposition, to bring out the fact, that while the heart of man is in general deep and difficult to fathom (Jer_17:9; Psa_64:7), that of kings is peculiarly inaccessible and shut up within itself, much as may be depending on its decisions. [While, then, according to Pro_25:2, “it is a king’s glory to get all the light he can” (Stuart), it is his glory, and often an absolute condition of his prosperity and that of his kingdom, that he be able to keep his own counsel,—that of his heart there be “no searching out.”—A.]
Pro_25:4-5. Take away the dross from silver.—The “dross,” whose removal empowers the “refiner” or goldsmith to prepare a vase of noble metals, corresponds here, as in Jer_6:29, to the wicked or ungodly men who are to be purged out of a political commonwealth.—Take away the wicked from before the king—i.e., before the court, or by virtue of the king’s: judicial decision. The wicked is probably not to be designated as a “servant of the king” by the phrase “before the king” (contrary to the view of Ewald and Bertheau [Kamph., Döderlein, H., etc.).—With 5, b, comp. Pro_16:12; Pro_29:14.
3. Pro_25:6-7. Warning against arrogance in intercourse with kings and their nobles.—Display not thyself in the presence of the king;—lit., “bring not thy glory to view, make not thyself glorious” (Stier).—With the phrase “great men” in clause b comp. Pro_18:6; 2Sa_3:38; 2Ki_10:6, etc.—With Pro_25:7 compare in general Luk_14:8-11, as well as the Arabic proverb (Meidani, p. 72), “Sit not in a place from which one may bid thee rise up.”—Than that they humble thee (thy humbling) before the king.—Z. renders “because of a prince,” and goes on to say: “Usually, ‘before a prince, in his presence.’ But then we should have expected rather the plural, ‘before, in the presence of princes and nobles.’ לִפְנֵי seems to require to be employed here rather in the sense of ‘because of, in relation to’ (comp. 2Sa_3:31); and the following ‘whom thine eyes have seen’ seems to suggest the criminality, by no means ignorant, of the dishonor put on the dignity of the prince (thus Hitzig correctly explains).” [We cannot see the fitness of this departure from universal usage in regard to לִפְנֵי, which occurs hundreds of times in the O. T. with various modifications of the meaning “before,” but has not in one conceded instance the meaning “on account of.” It has been used twice just before with its ordinary meaning, and before the end of the chapter occurs again with the same meaning. There is room for difference of opinion as to the person before whom the humiliation is to be,—whether it be the king himself, or some prince or noble of his court, but there can be none as to the preposition required to express the idea. It is probably best to regard the king, who is chiefly affronted by such arrogance, as described here, not by his specific and official title, but as the exalted one who was to see and be seen, and before whom the humiliation is most crushing.—A.]
4. Pro_25:8-10. Warning against contentiousness and loquacity.—Go not forth hastily to strive;—i.e., do not begin controversies with undue haste (Luther: rush not forth soon to quarrel).—Lest (it be said to thee) “What wilt thou do in the end,” etc.—Lit., “at the end thereof, at its (the strife’s) end,” at the time, therefore, when the evil results of the contention have shown themselves. It is so natural to supply a verb of saying with the “lest” before “What wilt thou do?” that we may without hesitation have recourse to this expedient for filling out the form of expression, which certainly is perplexingly concise and elliptical (comp. Umbreit, Elster, Stier [Kamph., H.,N., M.], etc., and even a commentator as early as Jarchi, on this passage). At all events this solution is better than that devised by Ewald and Bertheau [De W., S.], who take the “what” in the sense of “what evil, what terrible thing” (“lest disgracefully treated by thine opponent and excited to wrath, thou do some fearful thing!”)
Pro_25:9. Debate thy cause (strive thy strife) with thy neighbor, etc.—If the contest has become really inevitable, if it has come to process of law, then press thy cause with energy, but honorably, with the avoidance of all unworthy or low means,—and especially in such a way that thou do not by any possibility with a malicious wickedness betray secrets of thine opponent that may have been earlier entrusted to thee.
Pro_25:10. Lest he that heareth it upbraid thee.—The “hearer” does not denote possibly the injured friend (LXX, Schultens [Wordsw.], etc.)—which would be intolerably flat and tautological, but very indefinitely, any one who obtains knowledge of that dishonorable and treacherous conduct. The Piel חִסֵּד is used here only in the sense of “curse, despise;” comp. the corresponding noun “reproach” in Pro_14:34.—And thine evil name turn not away,—die not out again, depart not from thee. Comp. the use of שׁוּב of wrath that is allayed or quieted; Gen_27:44-45, and frequently.
5. Pro_25:11-15. Five symmetrically constructed and concise comparisons, in praise of wisdom in speech, of fidelity, liberality and gentleness.
Pro_25:11. Apples of gold in frame work of silver. מַשְׂכִּית which occurred in Pro_18:11, in the sense of “imagination, conceit,” is unquestionably to be left with its usual meaning, “sculpture” (carved or embossed work); comp. Eze_8:12; Lev_26:1; Num_33:52, Under the term we are to understand some such thing as sculptured work for the decoration of ceilings, pillared galleries, etc., which exhibits golden apples on a groundwork of silver. That in this case we must have expected the precise term for “pomegranates” (רִמּוֹנִים) is an arbitrary assertion of Hitzig’s, in support of which wo need neither emend with him, to read בְּמַשְׁכְּלוֹת (from an alleged noun אֶשְׁכּוֹל=מַשְׁכֶּלֶת, palm bough) “or branches,” nor with Luther give to the word in question the signification “baskets,” which has no parallel to support it. [Kamph., H., M., etc., support this rendering of Luther’s; De W. and N. suppose the silver work to be inlaid or embossed on the golden apples; while Bertheau, Gesen., S., Wordsw., etc., understand the description to be of golden fruit, represented either in solid or embroidered work on a ground-work of silver. Fuerst seems to favor the application of the term to ornamented furniture or plate for the table; and this certainly has the advantage of natural probability in its favor—A.]—(Is) a word fitly spoken [“spoken in its time.”—Z.] Comp. Pro_15:23, where however we have בְּעִתּוֹ instead of the unique expression found in our verse. That this peculiar form of speech, which appears to signify strictly “after the manner of its wheals, or on its wheels,” is in reality equivalent to justo tempore, in tempore suo, is expressed as early as Symmachus and the Vulg., as well as supported by the analogy of a similar Arabic expression, in which the radical word אופן is in like manner used to describe time revolving in its circuit, moving on in the form of a ring, or after the manner of wheels. Comp. also the well known vision of Ezekiel; Eze_1:15 sq. [See Crit. Notes. Bertheau, H., favor the exposition above given; Gesen., S., M., Wordsw. favor the other and less figurative way of reaching the same idea.—A.]
Pro_25:12. A gold ring and an ornament of fine gold. נֶזֶם, elsewhere a ring for the nose (Pro_11:22, etc.), is here, as clause b shows, rather an ear-ring or ear-drop (comp. Gen_35:4). חֲלִי is in general a pendant, a jewel, such as is usually worn on the neck or in the ears, (Song Son_7:2; Hos_2:15); and is here naturally used in the latter sense, therefore possibly of the ornament of pearls which was hung below the ear-ring.—(So is) a wise reprover to an ear that heareth. “The reprover, or punisher,” is a concrete, lively, illustrative expression instead of “rebuke or censure.” The boldness of the expression still fails to justify Hitzig’s attempted emendation, according to which סִיחַ is to be read instead of מוֹכִיחַ, and this is to be taken in the sense of “conversation” (“rational conversation”—comp. the λόγος σοφός of the LXX). With the general sentiment comp. besides Pro_15:31-32.
Pro_25:13. As the coolness of snow on a harvest day, i.e. probably, as a refreshing drink cooled by the snow of Lebanon amidst the heats of harvest labor. Comp. Xenoph. Memorab. 2:1, 30; Plin. Hist. Nat., xix. 4; and especially the passages cited by Hitzig from the “Gesta Dei per Francos (Han. 1611), p. Pro 1098: “The coldest snow is brought from Lebanon, to be mixed with wine, and make it cold as the very ice.” [See Hackett’s Illustrations of Scripture, pp. 53–5, for illustrations of the usage, and statements in regard to the extent of the traffic.—A.] With clauses b and c comp. Pro_10:26; Pro_13:17; Pro_22:21.
Pro_25:14. Clouds and wind and no rain—(so is) a man who boasteth of a false gift. That is, a boaster who makes much talk of his liberality, and yet withal gives nothing (who “promises mountains of gold, but does not even give lead,” (Stier), is like clouds of vapor borne aloft and driven about by the wind (נְשִׂיאִים, lit, light rising vapors, which gather in clouds), which dispense no rain. The same figure, with a similar application: Judges 12; 2Pe_2:17; likewise in several Arabic proverbs, e.g. Exc. ex Sent. 43 (ed. Scheid.): “A learned man without work, is as a cloud without rain.”
Pro_25:14. To the recommendation of liberality in the verses preceding there is very appropriately added an admonition to gentleness and mildness, especially in the use of the tongue. Comp. Pro_15:1.—By forbearance is a judge persuaded, lit., “talked over, misled,” i.e., changed in his disposition, influenced, comp. Luk_18:4-5. קָצִין here certainly means “judge,” as in Pro_6:7, and not “King, prince,” as some of the older expositors, and Luther also, render it, and as Umbreit is inclined to regard it. [Why not the “prince,” acting in his judicial capacity, and in other relations also where the bearing and spirit of those about him will more or less consciously mould his action ? He is the “decider” in more ways than one.—A.] And a gentle tongue breaketh the bone, i.e., subdues even the most obstinate resistance. Comp. the Latin: “Gutta cavat lapidem,” etc., as well as the German, “Patience breaks iron.”
6. Pro_25:16-20. Warning against intemperance, obtrusiveness, slander, credulity and levity.—Hast thou found honey—eat to thy satisfaction (lit., “thy enough”). Comp. Samson and Jonathan as finders of honey (Jdg_14:8 sq.; 1Sa_14:26), and also a warning against partaking of it to excess, Pro_25:27, and Pindar, Nem. 7, Pro 52: Κόρον ἔχει καὶ μέλι.
Pro_25:17 first introduces the real application of this warning against eating honey in excess. “Withhold thy foot from thy friend’s house. “Make rare, keep back, seldom enter with it,” etc. Comp. the σπάνιον εἵσαγε τὸν πόδα of the LXX.—Comp. besides the similar proverbs of the Arabs, which warn against obtrusiveness: “If thy comrade eats honey do not lick it all up,” or “Visit seldom, and they love thee the more,” etc. Also Martial’s sentiment: Nulli te facias nimis amicum.
Pro_25:18. A maul and a sword and a sharp arrow. מְפִיץ an instrument for crushing, a club shod with iron, a war-club (Nah_2:2; comp. the cognate terms in Jer_51:20, and Eze_9:2). For additional comparisons of false, malicious words with swords and arrows, comp. Psa_52:4; Psa_57:5; Psa_64:4; Psa_120:4, etc. See also the previous rebukes of false testimony; Pro_6:19; Pro_12:17; Pro_19:5; Pro_19:9; Pro_21:28.
Pro_25:19. A broken tooth and an unsteady foot (is) confidence in an unfaithful man, etc. שֵׁן רֹעָה is to be explained either by a substantive construction, “tooth of breaking” (Umbreit, Stier following Aben Ezra), or by a participial construction, “a breaking tooth.” The latter is to be preferred as the simpler (Bertheau, Elster, etc., [See Crit. Notes]); to change the punctuation so as to get the meaning, “a bad, worthless tooth,” Hitzig, is at any rate unnecessary, since the meaning “decayed, rotten,” is in general not question able. “Trust in (lit., of) an unfaithful man” is here a foolish, credulous reliance on one who is false. For the figure comp. furthermore, especially Isa_36:6; 1Ki_18:21.
Pro_25:20. He that layeth aside clothing in a cold day. This is plainly a senseless proceeding, an entirely aimless and absurd movement. The same is true of the action suggested by the words following, “vinegar on nitre;” for the moistening of nitre (comp. Jer_2:22), i.e., doubtless carbonate of soda, or soda, with vinegar or acid destroys its substance, while to combine the same thing with oil, etc., produces a useful soap. Thus, and doubtless correctly, Rosenm., Bertheau, Von Gerlach, and substantially Umbreit also (although he thinks rather of potash or saltpetre as the substance here designated). J. D. Michaelis (de nitro Hebræorum), J. F. Von Meyer, Stier, etc., think specially of the fermentation and the offensive odor which the nitre produces in contact with vinegar(?). Schultens, Ewald and Elster understand נֶתֶר in accordance with the Arabic (and also in harmony with the ἔλκει of the LXX), of a wound, which is washed with smarting vinegar instead of soothing oil; against this view, however, we have of the other ancient versions except the LXX, especially the Vulg., Symmachus, the Vers. Venet., etc. Hitzig finally emends here again according to his fancy, and obtains the meaning: “He that meeteth archers, with arrow on the string, is like him who singeth songs with a sad heart”(!)—[Gesen., Fuerst and the lexicographers generally refer to descriptions of Egypt and its natural productions, in describing the material and its properties. H., N., M., Wordsw., etc., take the same view, and multiply and vary the references. See Thomson’s Land and Book, II. 302, 303. Wordsw. expresses a decided preference for the rendering of clause a, which (see Crit. Notes) is preferred by Fuerst, Bött., etc., “display in dress” instead of comfort; “as he that tricks out a man in a gay dress in winter, he who busies himself about the fineness and brilliancy instead of the texture and warmth of the attire,” etc. This certainly secures a better correspondence of incongruities.—A.] Moreover, the “singing songs with a heavy heart” (for these last words comp. the similar phrases in Gen_40:7; Neh_2:1-2; Ecc_7:3), which is described by the two comparisons in clause a, as a senseless and perverse proceeding, is doubtless to be understood in the sense of Psa_137:1; Psa_137:4, and not to be taken as possibly a disregard of the Apostolic injunction in Rom_12:15. For the heart is hardly that of another [E. V., De W., H., N., S., M., Wordsw.; “to a heavy heart”], but most probably the speaker’s own heart. The procedure against which the sentiment of the verse is directed seems therefore to be frivolity, and superficial, insincere conduct, and not a rude indifference and uncharitableness toward one’s neighbor.
7. Pro_25:21-22. Admonition to the love of enemies.—If thine enemy (lit., “thine hater”) hunger, give him bread to eat, etc. “Bread” and “water” are named here as the simplest and readiest refreshment. To name meat, wine, dainties and the like would have been quite too forced. In the citation in the N. T., in Rom_12:20, both objects are for brevity omitted, and thereby the expression is made more like Mat_25:35.—For so thou dost heap burning coals on his head. For this verb to heap, to pile up, comp. Pro_6:27. To “heap coals on the head of any one” cannot be the figurative representation of a burning shame which one develops in his opponent (Gramberg, Umbreit), for shame glows in the cheek, and not above on the head. The figure is designed to describe rather the deep pangs of repentance which one produces within his enemy by rewarding his hatred with benefits, and in the production of which the revenge to be taken on him may consist, simply and solely. This correct view is first presented by Augustine, De doctr. Christ., III. 16; and then especially by Schultens, Rosenm., Hitzig, etc. These last at the same time adduce pertinent Arabic parallels, like Meidani, II. Pro 721: “He who kindly treats such as envy him, scatters glowing coals in their face, etc. At all events, we must decidedly reject the interpretation of many of the Church Fathers, like Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, etc., who regarded the coals as the designation of extreme divine judgments (comp. Psa_11:6; Psa_140:11) which one will bring upon his enemy by refusing to avenge himself. [In this last opinion our recent commentators, perhaps without exception, agree with the author. In regard to his first discrimination, if any have been inclined to limit the figure to the superficial blush or the transient emotion of shame, there would be a general agreement with him. If he means to discriminate sharply between shame and repentance, we must pronounce his distinctions too fine, as some will be inclined to regard his comment on the proper seat of the blush. A deep, true shame, may be the first step toward, the first element in repentance.—A.]
8. Pro_25:23-28. Against slander, a contentious spirit, timidity, want of self-control, etc. North wind produceth rain. For the verb comp. Psa_90:2; for a description of the rainy wind of Palestine, which strictly blows, not from the North, but from the North-west and West, as רוּחַ צָפוֹן, comp. Amo_8:12, where this “North” is contrasted with מִזְרָה “the East.” Perhaps this term is equivalent to ζόφος as a designation of a dark, gloomy region, which we are by no means to seek directly north of Palestine (Umbreit; comp. Hitzig). In no case is Jerome right (and Aben Ezra), when in view of the predominantly dry, cold and rough character of the north of Palestine, he renders the verb by “dissipat pluvias, it scatters the clouds, and so ends the rain.” [The author’s view is that of De W., Kamph., Bertheau, Muffet, H., N., S., M., Wordsw., Gesen., and the recent commentators and lexicographers almost without exception. Now and then Jerome’s rendering, which is that of the E. V., is assumed to be right, and illustrated, as e.g. in Thomson’s Land and Book I. 131.—A.]—So doth the slanderous tongue a troubled face [lit., “a secret tongue”]; i.e., artful calumny and slander (comp. Psa_101:5) produces gloomy, troubled faces, just as surely as the North-west wind darkens the heavens with rain-clouds. The tertium compar. in the figure is therefore the same as in Mat_16:3; Luk_12:54. Comp. besides the German proverb, “He makes a face like a three days’ rain-storm.” [Those who follow the E. V. in the rendering of the first clause, must with it invert subject and object in clause b, and change the epithet, “troubled,” dark with sadness, for “angry,” dark with passion; “so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.” Trapp, e.g., says: “The ready way to be rid of tale-bearers is to browbeat them; carry therefore in this case a severe rebuke in thy countenance, as God doth.”—A.]
Pro_25:24. Comp. the literally identical sentence, Pro_21:9.
Pro_25:25. (As) cold water to a thirsty soul is good news from a far country. Naturally we must here think of those far removed from their home and kindred, who have long remained without tidings from them. Comp. Pro_15:30; Gen_45:27; and for the figure, Jer_18:14.
Pro_25:26. A troubled fountain and a ruined spring (comp. for this figure Eze_32:2; Eze_34:18-19) is the righteous man who wavereth before the wicked. The meaning of this is probably not the righteous man who without fault of his has been brought by evil doers into calamity, but he who through the fault of his timidity, his want of faithful courage and moral firmness, has been brought to waver and fall by the craft of the wicked. Compare Stier on this passage, who however understands the wavering perhaps too exclusively of being betrayed into sin, or some moral lapse. [Lord Bacon (De Augmentis, etc.) gives the proverb a political application: “This proverb teaches that an unjust and scandalous judgment in any conspicuous and weighty cause is above all things to be avoided in the State,” etc.; and in his Essay (LVI.) “of Judicature, he says: “One foul sentence doth more hurt than many foul examples; for these do but corrupt the stream, the other corrupteth the fountain.”—A.]
Pro_25:27. To eat much honey is not good. Since this maxim, like the similar one in verse 16, must convey a warning against the excessive enjoyment of a thing good in itself, we should look in the 2d clause for an analogous truth belonging to the spiritual realm. That clause is therefore not to be rendered: “And contempt of their honor is honor” (thus J. D. Michaelis, Arnoldi, Ziegler, Ewald,—all of whom take חֵקֶר in the sense of “contempt” (comp. Pro_28:11); and Hitzig likewise, except that he [by a transfer of one consonant] reads כְּבוֹד מִבָּבוֹד, and “contempt of honor is more than honor”). But we must here reclaim for the noun כָּבוֹד its original meaning “weight, burden,” instead of כְּבוֹדָם we must read כְּבוֹדִים, “weighty things, difficulties,” and then retaining the ordinary meaning of חֵקֶר we must render: “and searching out the difficult brings difficulty,” i.e., too strenuous occupation of mind with difficult things is injurious; pondering too difficult problems brings injury (comp. the common proverb, “To know everything makes headache”). So Elster alone [with Noyes among our expositors, and Fuerst, substantially, of the lexicographers] correctly explains,—while Umbreit and Bertheau [with whom S. and M. agree] take only the last כָּבוֹד in the sense of difficulty, and therefore explain “and searching out honor (or “their honor”) brings difficulty;” in a similar way the Vulgate “qui scrutator est majestatis opprimetur a gloria” [“he who is a searcher after dignity will be crushed by glory.” The E. V. renders “to search their own glory (is not) glory;” the assumed meaning of the noun demands a negative copula, such as has just been used in clause a; so Gesen.(?) Kamph. enumerates the above and several other renderings, and pronounces all unsatisfactory. Holden and Wordsw. retain the ordinary meaning of all the nouns, supply the usual copula, and render: “To search after their glory (their true glory) is glory.” The sentiment is fine, but to attach it to clause a requires skill.]
Pro_25:28. (As) a city broken through without walls (comp. 2Ch_32:5; Neh_2:13), is the man who hath no mastery over his own spirit, i.e., the passionate man, who knows not how in anything to keep within bounds, who can put bit and bridle on none of his desires, and therefore is given up without resistance to all impressions from without, to all assaults upon his morality and freedom, etc. Let it be observed how nearly this proverb corresponds with the substance of the preceding.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
In the noble admonition to the love of enemies, in Pro_25:21-22, which bears witness for the New Testament principle of a perfect love even more definitely and in fuller measure, than the dissuasion contained in the preceding chapter against avenging one’s self (Pro_24:29), we reach the culmination of those moral demands and precepts with which the wise compiler of the Proverbs comes in the present section before the kings and subjects of his people. Beside this, in the exceedingly rich and manifold variety of ethical material which this chapter exhibits, the admonitions that stand out significantly are especially those to humility and modesty (Pro_25:6-7; Pro_25:14), to a peaceable spirit (Pro_25:8; Pro_25:24) to honor and considerate forbearance toward one’s opponent in controversy (Pro_25:9-10; Pro_25:23), to the wise reception of merited reproof and correction (Pro_25:12), to gentleness (Pro_25:15), to fidelity and sincerity (Pro_25:13; Pro_25:18-20), to moderation in all things, in enjoyments of a sensual as well as of a spiritual kind (Pro_25:16-17; Pro_25:27), to moral firmness in resisting the seductive influences of the wicked, and in subduing the passions (Pro_25:26; Pro_25:28). In regard to doctrine it is especially the delineation contained in Pro_25:2-5, of the godlike dignity and authority of the King, that is to be accounted one of the pre-eminently instructive portions of the chapter. The earthly king is, it is true, in this unlike to God, the King of kings, that he can take his decisive steps only after careful consideration, examination, and conference with wise counsellors, and only thus issue his commands, so far forth as they are to result in the welfare of his subjects,—while with God, the being who is alike near and afar off, the all-wise and Almighty, counsel and act are always coincident. But in this again there can and should be an analogy existing between earthly rulers and the heavenly King, that their throne also is established by righteousness, that they likewise must watch with unfaltering strictness, by punishing the evil and rewarding the good, over the sacred ordinance of justice and the objective moral law (Pro_25:4-5). And for this very reason there belongs to their action also something mysterious and absolutely irresistible; their heart too appears unsearchable, and wholly inaccessible to common men, like the heights of heaven and the depths of the earth (Pro_25:3); in a word, they in the political sphere stand in every point of view as God’s representatives, as regents in God’s stead and by the grace of God, and even, according to the bold expression of the poetical language of the Old Testament, as in a certain sense even “gods and children of the Most High” (Psa_82:6; comp. Joh_10:34 sq.). From this then there results, on the one hand, to themselves the duty of strict justice, and the most conscientious conformity to God’s holy will,—but on the other, for their subjects the duties of humble obedience (Pro_25:6-7; Pro_25:13) of earnest reverence for civil laws and ordinances, and peaceable deportment, (Pro_25:8-10; Pro_25:18; Pro_25:23-24, etc.); in general therefore, the fear of God and righteousness, as the conditions of a true welfare of earth’s nobles and nations, to be fulfilled on both parts, by princes as well as by the people.
HOMILETIC AND PRACTICAL
Homily on the entire chapter: “Love the brethren; fear God; honor the King!” (2Pe_2:17); three apostolical injunctions, which Hezekiah’s wise men already preached to the Israel of their day.—Or, the fear of God, justice and love, as the three foundation pillars of a well-founded and well organized Christian commonwealth.—Comp. Stöcker; Of true honor, such as wisdom confers: 1) in the state (Pro_25:2-15 : gloria politicorum); 2) in the household (Pro_25:16-24 : gloria æconomicorum); 3) in the church (Pro_25:25-28 : gloria ecclesiasticorum).—Berleburg Bible: Divine political maxims.—Wohlfarth: Honor and renown as wisdom’s reward.
Pro_25:2-5. Luther (marginal comment on Pro_25:2): In God’s government we are not to be wise, and wish to know why, but believe everything. But in the secular kingdom a ruler should know, and ask why, and trust no man in anything!—Starke: God’s counsel concerning our blessedness is revealed to us clearly enough in His word; act accordingly, and in the presence of the mysteries of divine wisdom take thy reason captive under the obedience of faith.—[Jeremy Taylor: God’s commandments were proclaimed to all the world; but God’s counsels are to Himself and to His secret ones, when they are admitted within the veil.—Bates: God saveth us by the submission of faith and not by the penetration of reason. The light of faith is as much below the light of glory as it is above the light of nature.—R. Hall’s Sermon on “the glory of God in concealing.” 1) The Divine Being is accustomed to conceal much. 2) In this He acts in a manner worthy of Himself, and suited to display His glory.—Lord Bacon (on Pro_25:3); Multitude of jealousies, and lack of some predominant desire, that should marshal and put in order all the rest, maketh any man’s heart hard to find or sound].—Geier (on Pro_25:3): Every one, even the greatest and mightiest, is to know that God knows his heart most perfectly and searches it through: Psa_139:1-2.—Cramer (on Pro_25:4-5): As well in matters of religion as in matters of justice (in the sphere of the church and in politics) the duty belongs to the ruler of removing all abuses and offences.
Pro_25:6 sq. Geier (on Pro_25:6): An excellent means against pride consists in looking to those who are better, more pious, more experienced, more learned than we are, rather than to estimate ourselves solely by those who are lower.—Starke (on Pro_25:9-10): If thou hast a reasonable complaint against thy neighbor, thou shouldst not mingle foreign matters with it, nor from revenge reveal secrets which weigh heavily against thy neighbor.—Lange (on Pro_25:11); In religious discourses heart and mouth must agree: the orator must besides always examine what is best adapted to his congregation: 1Pe_4:11.—[Bp. Hopkins: As the amiableness of all duties consists in the right timing and placing of them, so especially of this holy and spiritual discourse].—Hasius (on Pro_25:12): He who can hearken and gladly hearkens to rational reproofs, does his ears a far better service thereby, than if he adorned them with jewels of the finest gold, and with genuine pearls.
Pro_25:13 sq. Luther (marginal comment on Pro_25:13): A true servant or subject is not to be paid for with gold.—Starke (on Pro_25:13): A chief characteristic of able teachers of the divine word is that they as stewards over the mysteries of God (1Co_4:1-2) seek to be found faithful.—(On Pro_25:14); Satan promises mountains of gold, but gives only smoke and empty vapor. Jesus keeps His word plenteously above all requests or understanding.—(On Pro_25:15): He who will everywhere put his head through the wall, will hardly succeed. But how beautiful and salutary is it to be gentle and full of love!—Zeltner (on Pro_25:16-17): Of all things, even the most charming and lovely one becomes at last weary. Therefore there is nothing better or more blessed than to strive for heaven and the eternal, where satiety is without weariness (Joh_4:14), life without death (Joh_6:50; Col_3:1-2).
Pro_25:19 sq. Starke: Beside the confidence of believers in God every other hope is deceptive and unreliable as a brittle cake of ice or as a bending reed.—(On Pro_25:20): Even joyful music is not able to drive away cares and troubled thoughts, but an edifying song of the cross or of consolation may do it; Psa_119:92; Col_3:16.—Tübingen Bible (on Pro_25:21-22): True wisdom teaches us by gentleness to break down the haughtiness of enemies, and even to win them to one’s self by benefits: Mat_5:44 sq. But how excellent is it not merely to know these rules of wisdom, but also to practise them!—[Trapp: Thus should a Christian punish his pursuers; no vengeance but this is heroical and fit for imitation.—Arnot: This is peculiarly “the grace of the Lord Jesus.” When He was lifted up on the cross He gave the keynote of the Christian life: “Father, forgive them.” The Gospel must come in such power as to turn the inner life upside down ere any real progress can be made in this difficult department of social duty].
Pro_25:23-28. Geier (on Pro_25:23): Cultivate sincerity and honor, that thou mayest not speak evil things in his absence of one whom thou meetest to his face with all friendliness.—[Bridges: The backbiting tongue wounds four at one stroke—the backbiter himself, the object of his attack, the hearer, and the name of God].—Zeltner (on Pro_25:25): When we hear from distant lands the glad news of the course of the gospel among the heathen, it must cause us hearty rejoicing, and urge us to thanksgiving to God (an application then of Pro_25:25 for a missionary festival sermon).—Starke (on Pro_25:26): As a fountain made foul becomes in time pure and clear again, so likewise the stained innocence of a righteous man will in due time be revealed again in its purity; Psa_37:6.—(On Pro_25:27): The laborious and diligent will never lack work, and the more vigorous and systematic he is in it, the more honor does it bring him.—Calwer Handb. (on Pro_25:27): Search not into things too hard.—Starke (on Pro_25:28): A man who cannot govern himself cannot be usefully employed in conducting public affairs.—[Bates: Satan hath an easy entrance into such men, and brings along with him a train of evils].
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 1. These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the…
1. These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out — This is the title of this section. The Geneva Bible reads: “These are also PARABLES of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah copied out.”
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain V. Fourth Collection of Proverbs. Chaps. 25–29
V. Fourth Collection of Proverbs. Chaps. 25–29
1. The Title. See Introd., ch. iii. p. 24.
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This Title is interesting as affording a proof that a revival of literary activity accompanied the revival of religion and of national prosperity which marked the reign of Hezekiah. Hezekiah himself was a poet of no mean order (Isa_38:9 ff.); and “the men of Hezekiah” were doubtless a body of scribes engaged under the direction of the king in literary labours. But beside this, this brief title is one of those “fragments of history,” which, as Professor Sayce has shown, “have been illuminated by the progress of oriental research,” and “the importance and true significance of which can now be realised for the first time.” This Title points, he thinks, to the existence of a royal library in Jerusalem, into which these proverbs, never before edited, were now gathered and “copied out,” and similar to the libraries which are now known to have existed in the cities of Babylonia and Assyria. “The vassalage of Judah to the king of Assyria in the reign of Ahaz had necessarily led to the introduction of Assyrian culture into Jerusalem. Ahaz himself had led the way. In the court of the palace he had erected a sundial, a copy of the gnomons which had been used for centuries in the civilised kingdoms of the Euphrates and the Tigris. But the erection of the sundial was not the only sign of Assyrian influence. The most striking feature of Assyrian and Babylonian culture was the libraries, where scribes were kept constantly employed, not only in writing and compiling new books, but in copying and re-editing older ones. The ‘men of Hezekiah’ who ‘copied out’ the proverbs of Solomon performed duties exactly similar to the royal scribes in Nineveh.” (The Higher Criticism and the Verdict of the Monuments, pp. 475, 476, 4th edition.)
copied out] ἐξεγράψαντο, LXX.; transtulerunt, Vulg.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain 7. THE THIRD GREAT DIVISION OF THE BOOK; ANOTHER…
XXV.
7. THE THIRD GREAT DIVISION OF THE BOOK; ANOTHER COLLECTION OF SOLOMONIC PROVERBS, CHIEFLY PARABOLIC IN CHARACTER (Proverbs 25-29).
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(1) These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah copied out.—To this time they had existed, it may be, partly by oral tradition, partly in writing, but now Hezekiah, in his anxiety to preserve these sacred memorials of the past, had them copied out and formed into one collection. To his care we probably also owe the compilation of Books II. (Psalms 42-72) and III. (73-89) of the Psalter, in the former of which are included several psalms of David’s which had not found a place in Book I., though this last-named book consists almost, if not entirely, of psalms ascribed to him. In the same manner the present book (Proverbs 25-29) contains proverbs of Solomon which apparently were not known to the compiler of the previous collection.
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The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Ver. 1-ch. 29. Part VI SECOND GREAT COLLECTION OF…
Ver. 1-ch. 29. Part VI SECOND GREAT COLLECTION OF SOLOMONIC PROVERBS, gathered by "the men of Hezekiah," in which wisdom is set forth as the greatest blessing to the king and his subjects.
The superscription: These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah King of Judah copied out. The word "also" implies that a previous collection was known to the compiler of the present book probably the one which we have in Pr 10-22:16, of which nine proverbs are inserted here. But there was still a large number of proverbial sayings attributed to Solomon, and preserved partly by oral tradition and partly in writing, which it was advisable to collect and secure before they were lost. The zeal of Hezekiah took this in hand. He was not, as far as we know, an author himself, but he evidently felt a warm interest in literature, and "the men of Hezekiah," not mentioned elsewhere, must have been his counsellors and scholars, to whom was entrusted the duty of gathering together into a volume the scattered sayings of the wise king. Among those contemporaries, doubtless, Isaiah was eminent, and it is not improbable that Shebna the scribe and Josh the chronicler were members of the learned fraternity. (2Ki_18:18) The verb rightly translated "copied out" (athak) means, properly, "to remove," "to transfer" from one place to another ( transtulerunt, Vulgate); hence it signifies here to copy into a book words taken from other writings or people"s mouths. The sayings thus collected, whether truly Solomon"s or not, were extant under his name, and were regarded as worthy of his reputation for wisdom. The title is given in the Septuagint, thus: Autai ai paideiai Salwmwntov ai adiakritoi av exegraqanto oi filoi Ezekiou tou basilewv thv Ioudaiav . What is meant by adiakritoi is uncertain. It has been translated "impossible to distinguish," equivalent to "miscellaneous;" "beyond doubt," equivalent to "genuine," "hard to interpret," as in Polyb., 15:12, 9. St. James (Jam_3:17) applies the term to wisdom, but the interpreters there are not agreed as to the meaning, it being rendered "without partiality," "without variance," "without doubtfulness," etc. It seems best to take the word as used by the LXX to signify "mixed," or "miscellaneous.
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Ancient lore.
This superscription gives us a hint of a very interesting historical event of which we have no account elsewhere. It suggests a picture of the days of Hezekiah; we see his scribes busily engaged in ransacking the ancient libraries, and bringing together the long-forgotten sayings of his famous predecessor.
I A REVIVAL OF RELIGION SHOULD LEAD TO A REVIVAL OF LEARNING. The Renaissance preceded the Reformation, and, because it had no deep spiritual basis, it threatened to degenerate into dilletantism and pedantry. But after the second movement had takes hold of Europe, real, solid learning received a powerful impulse, because men were then in earnest in the search for truth. It would seem that a similar result was produced in the days of Hezekiah. Then there was a religious reformation, and that was followed by a newly awakened interest in the national literature. Of course, this was the more natural among the Jews, because their national genius was religious, and their literature was the vehicle of their religious ideas. The danger of a time of religious excitement is that it shall be accompanied by attenuated knowledge. But the more the religious feelings are roused, the more reason is there that they should be directed by truth. Revival preachers should be studious men if they wish their work not to be perverted into wrong and false courses through ignorance.
II IT IS WISE TO PROFIT BY THE THOUGHTS OF OTHER MEN. The men of Hezekiah were not above learning from Solomon, who had left a reputation for unparalleled wisdom. But lesser lights have also their claims. It is a mistake to live on one"s own thoughts without guidance or nourishment derived from the thoughts of other men. Private thinking tends to narrowness unless it is enlarged by the reception of a variety of ideas from external sources. The mind will ultimately starve if it is left to feed upon its own Juices. We must judge for ourselves, and only accept what we honestly believe to be true seek truth, and think out our own convictions. But we shall do those things the better if we also allow that others may have light to give us. Above all, the Christian thinker needs to found his meditations on the Bible. Of the New Testament it may be said, "A Greater than Solomon is here." If the men of Hezekiah did well to collect the proverbs of Solomon, much more is it desirable to treasure up the sayings of him who spake as never man spoke.
III WE MAY LEARN LESSONS FROM ANTIQUITY. Nearly three hundred years had passed between the days of Solomon and the time of Hezekiah a period equal to that which separates us from the great Elizabethan writers; so that Solomon was as far anterior to Hezekiah as the poet Spenser is to our own generation. He belonged to the antique age. Yet the glamour of the great Hezekiah did not blind men to the glory of the greater Solomon. In the splendid achievements of the present day we are threatened with an extinction of antiquity. The nineteenth century, is the new image of gold that has been set up on our Plain of Dura for all men to worship. We shall suffer an irreparable loss, and our mental and spiritual life will be sadly stunted, if we fail to hearken to the teachings of our forefathers. We are not to be the slaves of the past. The new age may have its new truths, as well as its new needs and duties. But what was true in the past cannot cease to be so by simply going out of fashion; for truth is eternal. The very diversity of the ages may instruct us by widening our notions and correcting the follies of prevalent customs. The age of Solomon was very different from that of Hezekiah; yet the wisdom of the royal sage could profit the newer generation.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain With this chapter begins the fourth main division of…
With this chapter begins the fourth main division of this book, consisting, as its introductory words inform us, of sayings and perhaps writings of Solomon, which were placed together in their present form by men appointed to the work by King Hezekiah. Zöckler remarks that “while the first and larger section of the book purports to be essentially a book for youth, this is evidently a book for the people, a treasury of proverbial wisdom for kings and subjects—as is indicated by the first introductory proverb.… Whether as the source from which the transfer or compilation of the following proverbs was made, we are to think simply of one book or of several books, so that the transfer would be the purely literary labour of excerpting, a transcribing or collecting by copying; or whether we have to consider as the source simply the oral transmission of ancient proverbs of wise men by the mouth of the people, must remain doubtful. It is, perhaps, most probable that both the written and the oral tradition were alike sifted for the objects of the collection.” (Zöckler, in Lange’s Commentary.)
CRITICAL NOTES.—
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Pro_25:1. Copied out, rather “collected.” See the remarks above.
Pro_25:2. Honour, rather “glory,” as in the first clause.
Pro_25:3. The word is should be omitted; unsearchable applies equally to the three subjects of the sentence.
Pro_25:4. The finer, rather the “founder,” or “goldsmith.”
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH. Pro_25:1-3
GOD’S MYSTERIES AND MAN’S RESEARCH
I. There is much connected with God’s nature and with His government that will never be revealed to man in his present state. This is in accordance with the greatness of God and the littleness of man in comparison with him. There are many things connected with God which man in his present state could not comprehend, and there are others which he might comprehend, but of which it is better he should remain in ignorance. The parent conceals many things from a child because the concealment is more consistent with a wise training than the revelation of them would be. Some of them the child could not understand, and others it is better that he should not know until he attains to riper years. When he has become a man he will admire the wisdom of his parent in thus withholding from him what he did. God, as the infinitely wise Parent and Trainer of human creatures, often doubtless conceals much from us from similar reasons, and we shall one day see that the concealment was to the glory of His gracious character. When a physician is called to treat a man whose life is hanging upon a thread, he is not expected to enter into an explanation of the nature of the remedies he uses or to give a reason for all the treatment he prescribes. Such an explanation would be unworthy of the dignity of his profession and hurtful to his patient. Concealment is often an essential and necessary part of his plan, and when the sick man is restored to health he acknowledges that it was to the glory of his healer that he kept him for a time in ignorance. God is the great Physician and Healer of human souls, and it would neither befit His majesty nor further His purposes of mercy to reveal the reasons of all He does to His fallen creatures. When they have attained to perfect moral health they will give glory to Him for all that He concealed as well as for all that He revealed.
II. But there is much that is hidden that will be revealed to the diligent seeker. If it is God’s prerogative and a part of His divine plan to conceal much from man, it is His purpose and desire to reveal much to him if he will only seek after it. How many of God’s operations in nature are full of mystery to one who only looks upon the surface of things, but how far diligent and earnest searchers have penetrated into the secret workings of the Divine wisdom in this direction. Although there is much hidden from them, still there is much that was once a mystery that is now made plain. And it is doubtless the same also in relation to God’s working in higher regions—in His dealings in providence and in His plan of redemption. Although there is much here that must remain a mystery to the human mind, he who diligently and reverently seeks to know the mind and purpose of God in relation to these things will not lose his reward.
III. While then, it is God’s prerogative to determine what He will reveal to man it is man’s glory and duty to be ever seeking to know more of God’s ways and works. The third verse seems to institute a comparison between the Divine and human rulers. These latter have their state secrets—sometimes for arbitrary purposes and in other cases from necessity they conceal their plans until their ends are accomplished. If the government is a despotic one this secrecy is to be feared and deprecated; if, on the other hand, the ruler or rulers are merciful and just their subjects may safely trust them when their plans of action are for a time hidden. But however it may be with human kings, there is no questioning the right of the King of Kings to hide what He pleases from His creatures, and no reason for His creatures to doubt either His wisdom or His love in so doing. But man has a duty to perform in relation to this concealment. His Maker and his Ruler does not desire to see him sit down in indolent indifference, making no effort to penetrate the secrets of the world around him, or to apprehend in some degree some of the deep things of God’s “unsearchable dealings.” (Rom_11:33). The veil seems to have been cast over some of these problems for the very purpose of stimulating man to search and to test the depth of his interest in them. While, then, the pursuit of knowledge of any kind is good, there is none so elevating, none that brings so rich a reward, and none that man is so bound to follow after, as the knowledge of God in His works of creation, and providence, and redemption. Solomon, as the greatest monarch of his day, counted this his first duty and his highest glory, and there have been many uncrowned kings in all ages of the world who have set this before them as the aim and end of their life, and in so doing have set a diadem upon their own brows and have won the homage and love of multitudes of their race.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro_25:1-2. It was a good saying of a pious divine, “Lord preserve us from a comprehensible God.” It is our duty to venerate and wonder, and not to pry with curious eyes into the secrets of God. The history of the fall is an everlasting warning to the sons of Adam to prefer the tree of life to the tree of knowledge.—Lawson.
1. Taking it in contrast with the latter part of the verse—“but the honour of kings is to search out a matter,”—there is implied the idea that the Divine knowledge is universal, perfect, and free from everything of the nature of inquiry, investigation, effort, in the acquisition. His acquaintance with all things is, in the strictest sense, intuitive, and, in the strictest sense, complete. He requires no “searching out” in order to discover anything; nor is it possible to make any addition to His knowledge. The past, the present, and the future are alike before His all-comprehensive mind. He sees all the present. He remembers all the past. He foresees all the future. His knowledge is “light without any darkness at all;” and it is light that is equally clear through the immensity of the universe, and through all time and all eternity!
2. The language implies God’s entire independence and supremacy, as a part of His glory. He “giveth not account of any of his matters,” further than, in sovereignty, He sees meet to do. He conceals when He pleases. He discloses when He pleases:—“Who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor?” and who can demand the disclosure of any one of the secrets of the infinite and independent Mind?
3. The impenetrable depth of His counsels is a part of God’s glory. His “judgments are a great deep.” What line of created wisdom can fathom them?—
“Not angels, that stand round his throne,
Can search His secret will!”
“Canst thou, by searching, find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is high as heaven; what can’st thou do? deeper than hell; what can’st thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.” “O the depth of the riches, and wisdom, and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” This is fitted to inspire us, His intelligent creatures, with “reverence and godly fear.” In the sovereign secresy, the unapproachable reservation, the unfathomable mysteriousness of the Divine counsels—in the very requirement that we humbly how, in adoring submission, where we cannot comprehend, without asking a question, or urging a further disclosure:—in all this, there is something that gives the Creator His proper place. There is in it a sacredness, an awfulness, that makes us feel, as we ought to do, our infinite distance. This is God’s glory.—Wardlaw.
Pro_25:3. There is no searching the height or the depth of the King’s heart, any more than the height of heaven, or the depth of the earth, (which in those unastronomic days meant blankly not at all). Give God a universe to rule; and what He must do in that great compass, as a King, is quite unsearchable.—Miller.
For Homiletics of Pro_25:4-5 see on chap. Pro_20:26; Pro_20:28, page 596.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain I. The Bible does not prohibit pleasure. What the…
Pro 25:16
I. The Bible does not prohibit pleasure. What the Bible forbids is excess in the use of pleasure, untimely pleasures, and pleasures that arise from sin or that lead to sin.
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II. In prohibiting such pleasures, the Bible proceeds upon a principle of benevolence.
III. The principle is benevolent because it accords with the constitution of our nature. There is a point at which pleasure becomes pain. It is the law of our being that if pleasure is to remain pleasure, it must be enjoyed moderately and intermittently.
Parker, City Temple vol i., p. 11.
I. I hold that pleasure is a necessity of our nature, that we are made to enjoy, and that the goodness of God, which hath made our complex constitution, our many-sided manhood, so marvellously capable of pleasure, hath made bountiful provision for full satisfaction and delight, In all true physical delights, then, the Christian finds honey; and to him the good God says, "Hast thou found honey? Eat it."
II. But man’s physical being is only a portion of his noble and superior constitution. As with the physical, so with the intellectual, the Christian’s capability runs on all fours with that of the unbeliever in the direction of any mental honey of pleasure and delight that can be found; and the royalty of mind is at least as kingly and imperial when it bends before the crowned Christ as when reason binds the lordly symbol round its own presumptuous brow.
III. There is the moral and spiritual man, whose existence cannot be ignored. Nobody will dispute that there is honey in doing right, that there is pleasure in goodness and truth, and that, unless the conscience is utterly dead, there is a bitterness in doing wrong. There is nothing in religion that can deprive us of all the real enjoyment, the true pleasure, the satisfying honey, the rational delights, which are possible to anybody in all God’s wide world.
J. Jackson Wray, Light from the Old Lamp, p. 171.
References: Pro 25:17.—Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. vi., p. 59. Pro 25:21, Pro 25:22.—New Manual of Sunday-school Addresses, p. 35; W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 2nd series, p. 323. Pro 25:23.—Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. ii, p. 41.
Pro 25:25
I. Heaven is the "far country" to us poor children of the earth today. (1) It is a far country possibly as measured by distance. (2) It is a far country more especially from the fact that it is far away beyond our comprehension. Even the aid of revelation does but give us dim glimpses of its distant splendours, does but cast a faint aurora glow on the far horizon; and that is for the most part dashed and dimmed by the fogs of time and sense. (3) Heaven is a far country because we are by nature so disqualified from inhabiting it. The distance is measured by the unfitness of the case.
II. From this far country good news has come. (1) We delight to hear from a far country when it contains those who are near and dear to us. In the far country of which I speak, there is not one of us that has not interests of this kind: parents, partners, families, friends, all housed and homed, all settled and thrifty, all dwelling in this far, far country beyond the sea. (2) News from a far country is profoundly interesting and acceptable if it be a country in which we intend to live by-and-bye. You are all intending to emigrate to heaven. Surely, then, news of this far country, brought to you from the far country direct, should be to you as cold waters to a thirsty soul.
J. Jackson Wray, Light from the Old Lamp, p. 127.
References: Pro 25:25.—G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 401; Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes: Genesis to Proverbs, p. 190; Homiletic Magazine, vol. viii., p. 14. Pro 25:27.—W. H. Jackson, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxii., p. 179. Pro 26:1-11.—R. Wardlaw, Lectures on Proverbs, vol. iii., p. 185. Pro 26:4, Pro 26:5.—J. N. Norton, Every Sunday, p. 461. Pro 26:11.—W. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 2nd series, p. 328. Pro 26:12-28.—R. Wardlaw, Lectures on Proverbs, vol. iii., p. 198.
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J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain Courts. Quarrels
Courts. Quarrels
1-7. relate to kings and courts.
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1. By the men of Hezekiah the author of this v. doubtless means literary men at the king's court. These, he says, transcribed the following proverbs from some other collection or collections. It will be noticed that many of them have appeared earlier in the book.
2. The works of God in history and nature are beyond us (Deu_29:29; Job_11:7; Job_15:8; Isa_45:15; Rom_11:33). A king should be conversant with all that is going on (1Ki_3:16; Job_29:11).
4, 5. Finer] a contraction of 'refiner,' as 'fining pot' (Pro_17:3) is of 'refining pot.' But we learn from LXX that the original reading was, 'And it cometh forth perfectly pure.'
6-8. Forth] RV 'forward': cp. Luk_14:11. The last words of Luk_14:7 belong to Luk_14:8, 'What thine eyes have seen, go not forth hastily to dispute about. For what wilt thou do in the end, when,' etc.
9, 10. To disclose the discreditable secret even of an adversary brings one an evil name.
11. The words appear to mean, 'A word spoken in season is golden fruit in silver carvings.'
13. Snow is used in the East to cool a beverage, as we use ice.
14. Of a false gift] RV 'of his gifts falsely.' 'Much cry and little wool.'
18. A maul is a mace, club, or hammer.
20. The first clause should probably be omitted, and the v. should begin thus: 'Vinegar on a wound,' etc. The Heb. words for nitre and 'wound' are almost identical. To sing songs for one who is of a heavy heart is almost as cruel as to pour vinegar on a wound.
22. Heap coals of fire, etc.] i.e. make him burn with shame: cp. Rom_12:20.
23. Driveth away] RV 'bringeth forth.'
26. The fountain is troubled by the feet of animals (Eze_32:2; Eze_34:18).
27. LXX. reads, 'It is not good,' etc.: 'Therefore be sparing in words of commendation.' Too much flattery is like too much honey.
28. 'Man who man would be must rule the empire of himself.'
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain Here begin the proverbs which the good king Hezekiah,…
IV. THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON COLLECTED BY THE MEN OF HEZEKIAH
CHAPTER 25
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Here begin the proverbs which the good king Hezekiah, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, added to this book. “This title is interesting as affording a proof that a revival of literary activity accompanied the revival of religion and of national prosperity which marked the reign of Hezekiah. The men of Hezekiah were doubtless a body of scribes engaged under the direction of the king in literary labors.”
Very fittingly the opening verses of this collected portion of proverbs relate to the king. While it is the glory of God to conceal a thing, the glory of kings is to search out a matter. God has many things concealed as to Himself, the great universe, creation and His ways in providence; but kings should inquire diligently into the matters brought before them and search them out in their administration of justice. Some day the great King who is coming, the King of Kings, who knows all the secrets of God as well as the hearts of men, will search out all things and bring the hidden things to light. When that day comes the fifth verse will see its accomplishment.
Take away the wicked from before the king--
And His throne shall be established in righteousness.
When He comes to establish His throne of righteousness, to rule as the true Melchizedek, the King of Righteousness and of Peace, the wicked and evildoers will be taken away in judgment. Only then can there be a righteous government.Pro 25:6 and Pro 25:7 remind us of the parable of the great supper spoken by our Lord in Luk 14:1-35. Pro 25:21 and Pro 25:22 are quoted by the Holy Spirit in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom 12:20). And that is followed by another saying as to the conduct of the righteous man. “The north wind driveth away rain; so does an angry countenance, a backbiting tongue.” The backbiter does the work of Satan and the Lord hates the slandering tongue as He hates the flattering tongue. The believer can show an angry countenance, without sinning, and cut short the pernicious work of the backbiter Eph 4:26).Pro 25:28 gives a good definition of true self-control, the rule over one’s own spirit.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain True Wisdom the Highest Good of Kings and Subjects.
True Wisdom the Highest Good of Kings and Subjects.
v. 1. These are also proverbs of Solomon, maxims composed by the wise son of David, by inspiration of God, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied out, evidently from collections where they were being preserved, the king being very anxious to have the literature of the "Golden Age" passed on to posterity in a form which would be as complete as possible.
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v. 2. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, He, whose essence is unsearchable and whose wisdom is past finding out, cannot he grasped by finite minds; but the honor of kings is to search out a matter, to make careful inquiry and get the right understanding of every case that is brought before them for judicial decision. God’s judgments are often advisedly hidden before the eyes of men, the king’s judgments must always be open and clear.
v. 3. The heaven for height, for it extends to immeasurable distances, and the earth for depth, since its abysses are unbelievably deep, and the heart of kings is unsearchable, their intentions cannot be figured out by ordinary subjects, whence it follows that it is foolish for men to flatter themselves with possessing the favor of the mighty, true wisdom consisting in guarding oneself in both words and deeds and in letting true worth make its impression.
v. 4. Take away the dross from the silver, the impurities from the ore, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer, the metal being pure enough to be used for the finest vessels made by the goldsmith.
v. 5. Take away the wicked from before the king, by a judicial action which removes such dross from before the ruler’s eyes, and his throne shall be established in righteousness, a wise and beneficent government resulting from energetic administration of justice.
v. 6. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, in showing off or boasting, and stand not in the place of great men, with insolent coolness;
v. 7. for better it is that It be said unto thee, Come up hither, to a place of greater honor in the table-round, than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen, so that such a one would be humbled before the entire assembly. Cf Luk 14:8-11.
v. 8. Go not forth hastily to strive, rushing forth at the slightest provocation with quarrelsome intent, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame, for it is easy to pick a quarrel, but its terrible consequences are often past estimation.
v. 9. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself, if a cause of action has arisen without a person’s fault, let the controversy be carried on in an honorable manner; and discover not a secret to another, betraying one’s confidence to a third person and thus making use of unfair methods,
v. 10. lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, any person hearing of the treachery earnestly reproving and upbraiding the one making use of such dishonest practices, and thine infamy turn not away, for the disgrace attending such treachery clings to it indefinitely and prevents men from trusting him at any time.
v. 11. A word fitly spoken, with proper wisdom and tact, is like apples of gold in pictures, in a framework, on a groundwork, of silver, the reference being to decorations such as were employed on ceilings and pillars, where everything is supposed to harmonize well and not to offend the eye.
v. 12. As an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, a pendant usually worn on the neck, so is a wise reprover, one who teaches with wise tact, upon an obedient ear, that is, the listening ear, ready to accept instruction, is better than one hung with gold.
v. 13. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, used for the cooling of drinks on a hot summer’s day, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him; for he refresheth the soul of his masters, since he performs his work well and brings back a cheering message.
v. 14. Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift, of a liberality which he does not practice, is like clouds and wind without rain, which also promise much and yield nothing.
v. 15. By long forbearing is a prince, that is, a judge sitting in a case, persuaded, a persistent, gentle patience very often succeeding in gaining its point, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone, wearing down the most stubborn resistance by its gentleness.
v. 16. Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is sufficient for thee, as much as the body may well use for food, lest thou be filled therewith, be surfeited, and vomit it, for that is the consequence of intemperance and overindulgence.
v. 17. Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor’s house, making the visits rare, few and far between, lest he be weary of thee, tired of the company imposed upon him, and so hate thee, on account of the importunity displayed.
v. 18. A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor is a maul and a sword and a sharp arrow, since his words wound and crush with unmerciful cruelty.
v. 19. Confidence in an unfaithful man, credulous reliance upon a false person, in time of trouble, when one is in need of a trustworthy friend, is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint, worthless as they are, they provoke all the more by the infliction of pain.
v. 20. As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, such a laying aside of warm clothing on a cold day being manifestly a senseless way of doing things, and as vinegar upon niter, the result being the destruction of the soda on account of the chemical reaction produced, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart, for songs of mirth in a house of mourning are contradictory and useless, Rom 12:15.
v. 21. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat, readily sharing food with him, and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink;
v. 22. for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, kindness softening the heart as metals are melted by heaping glowing coals upon them, and the Lord shalt reward thee. Cf Mat 5:44; Rom 12:20.
v. 23. The north wind driveth away rain, blowing from the north, it produces rain, it blows up a rain-storm; so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue, for if the tongue is busy spreading slander, it produces troubled faces, worried looks, angry frowns.
v. 24. It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than with a brawling woman and in a wide house. Pro 21:9.
v. 25. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, producing the same feeling of refreshment, so is good news from a far country, that concerning an absent friend or relative.
v. 26. A righteous man falling down before the wicked, wavering before the craft of the wicked, lacking moral firmness, is as a troubled fountain and a corrupt spring, from either of which pure and healthy water cannot be obtained; for the transgression of a just person is more far-reaching in its evil effects than that of one known to be ungodly.
v. 27. It is not good to eat much honey, it is so overrich in nourishment that its excessive use will produce a feeling of repugnance; so for men to search their own glory is not glory, literally, "and seeking their difficulties is difficulty," that is, pondering problems which have no solution is injurious.
v. 28. He that hath no rule over his own spirit, one unable to control his temper, is like a city that is broken down, its defenses having been leveled, and without walls, such a man is open to all assaults upon his morality and freedom, the enemies can easily cause him to transgress.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 to conceal a matter
to conceal a matter
"to keep some things secret"
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but the glory
The ellipsis can be filled in. AT: "but it is the glory" (See: Ellipsis)
search it out
"search that matter out" or "search for those things that God has concealed"
Like the heavens are for height and the earth is for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable
The hearts of kings are compared to the size of the heavens and the earth. AT: "Just as no one can measure the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth, even so no one can understand the heart of kings" (See: Simile)
heavens
This refers to everything we see above the earth, including the sun, moon, and stars.
translationWords
proverb
Solomon
Hezekiah
king
Judah
glory
God
heaven
earth
heart
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 25:1–29:27 During the reign of King Hezekiah (728–686 BC),…
25:1–29:27 During the reign of King Hezekiah (728–686 BC), wise men (advisers) collected these proverbs of Solomon and added them to the collection.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.