PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Proverbs
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 266,170 words · 546 reading sections
Proverbs 27:10
Proverbs 27:10 Ver. 10. Thine own friend, and thy father's friend forsake not,.... Who have been long tried and proved, and found faithful; these should be kept to and valued, and not new ones sought; which to do is oftentimes of bad consequence. Solomon valued his father's friend Hiram, and kept up friendship with hi…
307 wordsSECTION 482Proverbs 27:11
Proverbs 27:11 Ver. 11. My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,.... That is, show thyself to be a wise man by thy words and actions; endeavour to get a good share of wisdom and knowledge, and make a good use of it, and that will rejoice my heart; as nothing more gladdens the heart of a parent than the wisdom and prud…
110 wordsSECTION 483Proverbs 27:12
Proverbs 27:12 Ver. 12. A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil,.... See Gill on "Pr 22:3"; or "seeth the evil" {f}; the evil of sin, as it is contrary to the nature, will, and law and abominable in his sight; and not only the evil of gross actions of sin, but of indwelling lust; and such an one, who is wise to that which …
401 wordsSECTION 484Proverbs 27:13
Proverbs 27:13 Ver. 13. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. See Gill on "Pr 20:16", where the same proverb is, and is expressed in the same words as here.…
44 wordsSECTION 485Proverbs 27:14
Proverbs 27:14 Ver. 14. He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice,.... So as not only to be heard by him, but by others; who is extravagant in his praises and commendations of him; who exceeds all bounds of modesty, truth, and decency; who affects pompous words, and hyperbolical expressions; and shows himself to b…
293 wordsSECTION 486Proverbs 27:15
Proverbs 27:15 Ver. 15. A continual dropping in a very rainy day,.... That is, through the roof of a house which is not well covered, or which lets in rain by one means or another; so that in a thorough rainy day it keeps continually dropping, to the great annoyance of those within, and which is very uncomfortable to …
201 wordsSECTION 487Proverbs 27:16
Proverbs 27:16 Ver. 16. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind,.... Whoever attempts to stop her brawls and contentions, to repress and restrain them, and hinder her voice being heard in the streets, and endeavours to hide the shame that comes upon herself and family, attempts a thing as impossible as to hide the wind i…
226 wordsSECTION 488Proverbs 27:17
Proverbs 27:17 Ver. 17. Iron sharpeneth iron,.... A sword or knife made of iron is sharpened by it; so butchers sharpen their knives; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend; by conversation with him; thus learned men sharpen one another's minds, and excite each other to learned studies; Christians sharpen …
178 wordsSECTION 489Proverbs 27:18
Proverbs 27:18 Ver. 18. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof,.... That takes care of a fig tree, either his own or another's, planted in his garden or vineyard; see Lu 13:6; who cultivates it, digs about and dungs it, and prunes it, and does everything necessary to it; when it brings forth fruit, and…
2,815 wordsSECTION 490Proverbs 28:1
Proverbs 28:1 Ver. 1. The wicked flee when no man pursueth,.... Through the terrors of a guilty conscience, as in Cain and others; who fear where no immediate cause of fear is, are frightened with their own shadows; and as Gaal was with the shadow of the mountains, he took for an army of men, as his friend told him, J…
720 wordsSECTION 491Proverbs 28:2
Proverbs 28:2 Ver. 2. For the transgression of a land many [are] the princes thereof,.... Either together; that is, reigning princes, such as lay claim to the crown, and usurp it; otherwise it is a happiness to a nation to have many princes of the blood, to inherit in succession, to support the crown in their family, …
442 wordsSECTION 492Proverbs 28:3
Proverbs 28:3 Ver. 3. A poor man that oppresseth the poor,.... Either one that is poor at the time he oppresses another like himself, either by secret fraud or open injury; from whom the oppressed can get no redress, as sometimes he may and does from a rich man: or rather one that has been poor, but now become rich, a…
285 wordsSECTION 493Proverbs 28:4
Proverbs 28:4 Ver. 4. They that forsake the law praise the wicked,.... Who are like them; who forsake and transgress the law, as they do; every like loves its like; wicked men delight in sin, the transgression of the law, and in those that do it. One covetous man will bless and praise another, whom the Lord abhors, an…
259 wordsSECTION 494Proverbs 28:5
Proverbs 28:5 Ver. 5. Evil men understand not judgment,.... Or, "men of wickedness" {b}; that are under the governing power of it; who are given up and give up themselves unto it; who, like Ahab, sell themselves to work wickedness: these know not what is just and right between man and man, at least not to do it; they …
539 wordsSECTION 495Proverbs 28:6
Proverbs 28:6 Ver. 6. Better [is] the poor that walketh in his uprightness,.... See Gill on "Pr 19:1"; than [he that is] perverse [in his] ways, though he [be] rich; or, "in [his] two ways" {c}: that halts between two ways, or makes use of both; sometimes turns to the one, to the right hand, and sometimes to the othe…
187 wordsSECTION 496Proverbs 28:7
Proverbs 28:7 Ver. 7. Whoso keepeth the law [is] a wise son,.... That observes the law of God; for, though he cannot perfectly keep it, yet he delights in it after the inward man; and with his spirit serves it, from a principle of love, in faith, and with a view to the glory of God, without mercenary and sinister ends…
283 wordsSECTION 497Proverbs 28:8
Proverbs 28:8 Ver. 8. He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance,.... By biting and oppressing the poor; letting him have money at an exorbitant interest, and goods at an exorbitant price, and so increases his substance in this scandalous manner; hence usury is in Le 25:36, called "increase", and by the…
265 wordsSECTION 498Proverbs 28:9
Proverbs 28:9 Ver. 9. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law,.... Not merely the moral law, but the word of God in general, and any and every doctrine of it; though the law is to be heard and attended to, what it commands and forbids, its precepts, menaces, and curses: indeed the Spirit of God is not receiv…
250 wordsSECTION 499Proverbs 28:10
Proverbs 28:10 Ver. 10. Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way,.... That is, who attempts to deceive them, and draw them into errors or immoralities, and so into a snare, into mischief and ruin; first into the evil of sin, in order to bring them into the evil of punishment; I say, who attempts to do i…
258 wordsSECTION 500Proverbs 28:11
Proverbs 28:11 Ver. 11. The rich man [is] wise in his own conceit,.... Ascribing his getting riches to his great sagacity, wisdom, and prudence; and being flattered with it by dependents on him; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out: a man of good understanding, whether in things natural, civil, mora…
139 wordsSECTION 501Proverbs 28:12
Proverbs 28:12 Ver. 12. When righteous [men] do rejoice, [there is] great glory,.... When it is well with them; when they are in prosperous circumstances; when they are countenanced and encouraged by the government under which they are; when they have the free exercise of their religion; and especially when they are a…
270 wordsSECTION 502Proverbs 28:13
Proverbs 28:13 Ver. 13. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper,.... God may cover a man's sins, and it is an instance of his grace, and it is the glory of it to do it, but a man may not cover his own: it is right in one good man to cover the sins of another, reproving him secretly, and freely forgiving him; but i…
602 wordsSECTION 503Proverbs 28:14
Proverbs 28:14 Ver. 14. Happy [is] the man that feareth alway,.... Not men, but the Lord; there is a fear and reverence due to men, according to the stations in which they are; but a slavish fear of man, and which deters from the worship of God and obedience to him, is criminal, and brings a snare; and a man, under th…
419 wordsSECTION 504Proverbs 28:15
Proverbs 28:15 Ver. 15. [As] a roaring lion, and a ranging bear,.... Which are both terrible; the lion that roars for want of food, or when it is over its prey; and the hear, when it runs from place to place in quest of provision, being "hungry [and very] desirous" of food, has a keen appetite, as some think the word …
315 wordsSECTION 505Proverbs 28:16
Proverbs 28:16 Ver. 16. The prince that wanteth understanding [is] also a great oppressor,.... Or, "much in oppressions" {o}; he multiplies them, and abounds in them; he distresses his subjects in a variety of ways and methods he uses to extort money from them by which he shows his want of understanding: he is a wise …
312 wordsSECTION 506Proverbs 28:17
Proverbs 28:17 Ver. 17. A man that doeth violence to the blood of [any] person,.... That sheds the blood of any in a violent manner; that lays violent hands upon a club, and takes away his life, contrary to the law in Ge 9:6. Or, "that is pressed because of the blood of any person" {q}; pressed in his own mind; filled…
3,445 wordsSECTION 507Proverbs 29:1
Proverbs 29:1 Ver. 1. He that being often reported hardeneth [his] neck,.... Or "a man of reproofs" {d}; either a man that takes upon him to be a censurer and reprover of others, and is often at that work, and yet does those things himself which he censures and reproves in others; and therefore must have an impudent f…
333 wordsSECTION 508Proverbs 29:2
Proverbs 29:2 Ver. 2. When the righteous are in authority,.... Or "are increased" {g}; either in number or in riches, or in power and dominion; are set in high places, and have the exercise of civil government and the execution of the laws in their hands; for the protection of good men in their civil and religious pri…
235 wordsSECTION 509Proverbs 29:3
Proverbs 29:3 Ver. 3. Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father,.... He that is a philosopher, especially a religious one, that not only loves and seeks after natural wisdom, but moral wisdom and knowledge; and more particularly evangelical wisdom, Christ the Wisdom of God, who is to be valued and loved above all thing…
252 wordsSECTION 510Proverbs 29:4
Proverbs 29:4 Ver. 4. The king by judgment establisheth the land,.... By executing, judgment and justice among his subjects, he establishes the laws of the land, and the government of it; he secures its peace and prosperity, and preserves his people in the possession at their properties and privileges; and makes them …
339 wordsSECTION 511Proverbs 29:5
Proverbs 29:5 Ver. 5. A man that flattereth his neighbour,.... That speaks smooth things to him gives him flattering titles, speaks fair to his face, highly commends him on one account or another: spreadeth a net for his feet; has an idle design upon him, and therefore should be guarded against; his view is to draw h…
130 wordsSECTION 512Proverbs 29:6
Proverbs 29:6 Ver. 6. In the transgression of an evil man [there is] a snare,.... Or, according to the accents in some copies, "in the transgression of a man is an evil snare", as Aben Ezra observes the words may be read; there is a snare in sin to man himself; one sin leads on to another, and a man is snared by the w…
420 wordsSECTION 513Proverbs 29:7
Proverbs 29:7 Ver. 7. The righteous considereth the cause of the poor,.... Not his poverty and distress, so as to relieve him, which yet he does, Ps 41:1; nor the person of the poor in judgment, and which he ought not to do; for as he should not regard a rich man's person, and favour him, because he is rich; so neithe…
272 wordsSECTION 514Proverbs 29:8
Proverbs 29:8 Ver. 8. Scornful men bring a city into a snare,.... Such as despise dominion, speak evil of dignities; proud and haughty men, that speak Loftily, and with a contempt of their superiors; or who make a mock at religion, and scoff at all that is good and serious; these bring the inhabitants of a city into a…
221 wordsSECTION 515Proverbs 29:9
Proverbs 29:9 Ver. 9. [If] a wise man contendeth with a foolish man,.... Enters into a controversy with him, either by word or writing, in order to convince him of his folly and wickedness, of his errors and mistakes; whether he rage or laugh, [there is] no rest; that is, either whether the fool is angry with the wis…
240 wordsSECTION 516Proverbs 29:10
Proverbs 29:10 Ver. 10. The bloodthirsty hate the upright,.... Cain did Abel; and as the wicked world hate all good men, and persecute them, even unto death; but the just must seek his soul; either the soul of the bloodthirsty, and that either the good of their souls; seek their spiritual welfare, and pray for it, ev…
162 wordsSECTION 517Proverbs 29:11
Proverbs 29:11 Ver. 11. A fool uttereth all his mind,.... At once; tells all he knows, all that is in his breast; whatever he thinks, and all that he intends to do; what or whom he loves or hates. Or, "a fool brings out all his wrath"; so the Targum, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions: he cannot restrain it, nor …
145 wordsSECTION 518Proverbs 29:12
Proverbs 29:12 Ver. 12. If a ruler hearken to lies,.... To men that tell them in order to soothe and flatter him, or to hurt the character and reputation of others, that they may raise their own: rulers should not listen to and encourage such sort of persons; for, as lying lips do not become a prince, so it is not rig…
151 wordsSECTION 519Proverbs 29:13
Proverbs 29:13 Ver. 13. The poor and the deceitful man meet together,.... Or "the usurer" {q}; who by usury, by fraud and deception, is possessed of the mammon of unrighteousness, and is become rich; he and the poor man meet together; and so the sense is the same as in Pr 22:2; See Gill on "Pr 22:2"; the Lord lighten…
212 wordsSECTION 520Proverbs 29:14
Proverbs 29:14 Ver. 14. The king that faithfully judgeth the poor,.... That truly executes justice and judgment among all his subjects, particularly the poor, who are too often neglected, because they cannot afford persons to plead their cause: such a king was Solomon; and especially the Messiah, of whom he was a type…
98 wordsSECTION 521Proverbs 29:15
Proverbs 29:15 Ver. 15. The rod and reproof give wisdom,.... Are the means of giving wisdom to a child, reproved by its parent with the rod; and of driving out foolishness from him, and of making him wiser for the time to come; he shunning those evils for which he was before corrected, Pr 22:15; So the children of God…
205 wordsSECTION 522Proverbs 29:16
Proverbs 29:16 Ver. 16. When the wicked are multiplied,.... Or "are in authority" {r}; as the word is rendered, Pr 29:2;transgression increaseth; among the common people, being encouraged by their wicked rulers, whose examples they follow; or as the wicked themselves increase, in numbers, in age, in power, and riches,…
3,292 wordsSECTION 523Proverbs 30:1
Proverbs 30:1 Ver. 1. The words of Agur the son of Jakeh,.... Here begins, according to Aben Ezra, the fourth part of this book; though, according to others, it is the fifth; See Gill on "Pr 22:17"; Who this Agur was is a matter of doubt; some of the Jewish writers, as Jarchi and Gersom, and likewise some Christian wr…
1,277 wordsSECTION 524Proverbs 30:2
Proverbs 30:2 Ver. 2. Surely I am more brutish than [any] man,.... "Every man is [become] brutish in his knowledge"; man in his original state was a knowing creature but sinning lost his knowledge, and "became like the beasts that perish"; hence we read of the "brutish among the people": but Agur thought himself not o…
616 wordsSECTION 525Proverbs 30:3
Proverbs 30:3 Ver. 3. I neither learned wisdom,.... Natural wisdom or philosophy, so as to understand the nature of things, and reason about them in a philosophical manner; or political wisdom, so as to know how to govern states, and manage the affairs of kingdoms; or in a lower sphere to transact the affairs of life …
351 wordsSECTION 526Proverbs 30:4
Proverbs 30:4 Ver. 4. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?.... That has been thither to fetch knowledge of God and divine things, and has returned to communicate it. Enoch was taken up to heaven before this time: and Elijah, as is very probable, after; but neither of them returned again, to inform mortals w…
1,041 wordsSECTION 527Proverbs 30:5
Proverbs 30:5 Ver. 5. Every word of God [is] pure,.... The whole word of God. "All Scripture", given by inspiration of God, to which Agur directs, as giving the best account of God, of his name, nature, and perfections; of his Son, person, offices, and grace; being pure, very pure, "purified" {z} like silver, purified…
249 wordsSECTION 528Proverbs 30:6
Proverbs 30:6 Ver. 6. Add thou not unto his words,.... To the words of God; as the Jews did, by joining their oral law, or the traditions of the elders, to the written word, and preferring them before it; and as the Papists, by making their unwritten traditions, and the sense and determinations of their church, equal …
201 wordsSECTION 529Proverbs 30:7
Proverbs 30:7 Ver. 7. Two [things] have I required of thee,.... Or, "have asked of thee {a}, O God"; as may be supplied, for the words are addressed to him. The following is a prayer made unto him, which contains the two requests here referred to; his requests are not many, his words are few; he did not make long pray…
240 wordsSECTION 530Proverbs 30:8
Proverbs 30:8 Ver. 8. Remove far from me vanity and lies,.... This is the "first" request, to be preserved from sin, in general; which is a vain, lying, and deceitful thing; promising pleasure, profit, liberty, and impunity, which it does not give. Agur desires to have vain thoughts removed out of his mind, vain words…
579 wordsSECTION 531Proverbs 30:9
Proverbs 30:9 Ver. 9. Lest I be full, and deny [thee],.... This is the dangerous consequence of riches, and the temptation they expose men unto; who, being full of the things of this world, are tempted to deny the Lord; not his being and perfections directly, but chiefly his providence; to deny that what they have, th…
305 wordsSECTION 532Proverbs 30:10
Proverbs 30:10 Ver. 10. Accuse not a servant unto his master,.... Wrongly, rashly, and without any foundation, nor for any trifling thing; unless it be in a case of moment and importance, when his master's business is sadly neglected, or he is injured in his property by him: especially care should be taken not to calu…
8,400 wordsSECTION 533Proverbs 31:1
Proverbs 31:1 INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 31 This chapter contains the last part of the book of Proverbs; which some reckon the fifth, others the sixth. It contains the instructions of the mother of a prince, whose name was Lemuel, which she gave unto him; and which are so valuable, as to be annexed to the proverbs of S…
747 wordsSECTION 534Proverbs 31:2
Proverbs 31:2 Ver. 2. What, my son?.... What shall I call thee? though thou art a king, can I address thee in more suitable language, or use a more endearing appellative than this, and what follows? permit me, thy mother, to speak unto thee as my son: and what shall I say to thee? I want words, I want wisdom; O that I…
395 wordsSECTION 535Proverbs 31:3
Proverbs 31:3 Ver. 3. Give not thy strength unto women,.... Strength of body, which is weakened by an excessive use of venery {b} with a multiplicity of women; see, Pr 5:9; and strength of mind, reason, and wisdom, which is impaired by conversation with such persons; whereby time is consumed and lost, which should be …
235 wordsSECTION 536Proverbs 31:4
Proverbs 31:4 Ver. 4. [It is] not for kings, O Lemuel,.... It is not fit for them, it is very unbecoming them; it is dishonourable to them, to such as Lemuel was, or was likely to be; or far be it from kings, let no such thing be do ne by them, nor by thee; [it is] not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong …
362 wordsSECTION 537Proverbs 31:5
Proverbs 31:5 Ver. 5. Lest they drink, and forget the law,.... The law of God by Moses, which the kings of Israel were obliged to write a copy of, and read over daily, to imprint it on their minds, that they might never forget it, but always govern according to it, De 17:18; or the law of their ancestors, or what was …
270 wordsSECTION 538Proverbs 31:6
Proverbs 31:6 Ver. 6. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,.... Thou, O Lemuel, and other kings and judges, rather than drink strong drink yourselves, least to excess; give it out of your great abundance and liberality to poor persons in starving circumstances, who must perish, unless relieved; it will d…
208 wordsSECTION 539Proverbs 31:7
Proverbs 31:7 Ver. 7. Let him drink, and forget his poverty,.... Which has been very pressing upon him, and afflicting to him; let him drink till he is cheerful, and forgets that he is a poor man; however, so far forgets as not to be troubled about it, and have any anxious thoughts how he must have food and raiment {k…
663 wordsSECTION 540Proverbs 31:8
Proverbs 31:8 Ver. 8. Open thy mouth for the dumb,.... Not who are naturally so, but who cannot speak in their own behalf, either through want of elocution, or knowledge of the laws; or who are bashful, timorous, and fearful, being overawed by the majesty of a court of judicature, or by their prosecutors; or who, as t…
263 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.