PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs
William J. Deane [1853-1943] & Stephen Taylor Taylor-Taswell · 558,136 words · 584 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 121
of. the LXX. ,l<Tlpx..,.a,, Vulgate ambulant that, though the address is made to all yet (sc. gressus ejus), and other ancient versions, each individually is to apply it to him~lf. all of which understand the verb in this Ver. 8.-Bemove thy way far from her. sense. The meaning of the phrase, p/!n In other words, this i…
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where the adulterer was reduced to slavery, Ver. 11.-The lo.at o.rgument is the mental and the punishment inflicted by the Mosaio anguish which ensues when health is ruined code wao1 not slavery, but death (Numb. xx. and weo.lth is sq ucmdered. And thou 10; Deut. xxii. 22), and, as it appears from mourn at the last,…
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despised, i.e. rejected inwardly, whatever my course (c(l!lUB) of the people executing the outward demeanour mny have been, the re- condemning sentence (Numb. xv. 15; cf. proof whioh followed aFter 1 had been with Pa. vii. 7), and renders, " Well nigh had I hor I Despised (naiits), as in eh. i. 30; comp. fallen into nt…
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and Jaoob or IBl'!lel sn appeitring in the pro- on the preoeding, " Then shall thy springe phecy of BalRam (Numb. xxiv. 7). The be dispersed abrond, even rivers of waters people are spoken of by David as they that in the streets." The objeotion to this is that nre "of the fountain of Israel" (Ps. lxviii. it necessit…
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m'1wr'1,a), just as she has been previously occurs here in the Bible. The yiia"lath is the "thine own cistern" (b'crr) nnd "thine own feminine of vaal, "the ibex" or "moun- well" (b'er) in ver. 15. The Hebrew tain goat" according to Bochart, or the ma1,or, "fountain," is derived from the root " chamois" according to Ge…
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con<luct into rele.tion with the duty he owes woman; fsh, "man," being used generloa.lly, to Jehove.h. Not merely is his conduct to .A re befo1·e the eye8 of the Lord ; i.e. are an be regulitl;ed by love and affection e.lone, but object on whicll Jehovah fixes his gaze it is to be fe.shione<l by the reflection or an…
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them, just as the prey is struck by the snare warnings he has turned a <leaf ear, and the of the fowler. 'fhe verb is, of course, used teacher says therefore he shall <lie. The meta.phorico.lly, ns in Job v. 13. The wicked Vulgate supports this explanation, quia non (Hebrew, eth-htfrt1sil); in the original intro- hab…
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Yer. 21.-Under the eyes of God. I. WE ABE ALWAYS UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYEB OF GoD. God is no epicurean Divinity, retreating far above mundane affairs in celestial seclusion. He is not indifferent to what goes on in this little world. He is watchful and observant. This fact may not affect us much while we think of it i…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-14.-Meretricious pleasures and their results. I. GENERAL ADMONITION', (Vers. 1-3.) Similar prefaces to warnings against unchastity are found in eh. vi. 20, etc.; vii. 1, etc. The same forms of iteration for the sake of urgency are observed. A fresh expression is, "That thy lips may…
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by the speaker or by any looker-on. Wedding-feasts bring out these feclinc,3; nncl 0 the happiness and prosperity of married pairs are as little exposed to the tooth of envy as any earthly good, 4. It is satiifying; for what repose can be more sweet and secure than that on the bosom of the faithful spouse? It is enrap…
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11ense may be (whether of seeing, hearing, etc.), it is the pure pleasure which is not ~mly high and manly, but is also unaccompanied by bitter and accusin1Z thoughts, and 1s lasting as life itself. Why turn to devour tho garbage when "angels' food" is on the table? Vice is the very depth of folly. IV. ITs PENALTY. Th…
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of his actions by regarding them as (1) beginning and ending with himself; (2) affecting his immediate circle, hie own family; (3) reaching and influencing his neigh- bours; (4) acting upon those who will come after him. 'l'he forms of human activity are indefinitely numerous-so complex is his nature, so various are hi…
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CHAPTER VI. connection which, thougl1 not clear at :first eight, is not on that account less real or Vers. l---35.-Tbe sixthchapterembro.ces true. The subject treated of in the pre- four distinct discourses, each of which is a ceding cho.pter is the hnppinese of the wo.ruing. The subjects treated of are (l) married…
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not to be to.ken eo much ne an abAolnte it a thing of dnily occunence, and a ~onrce unqualified prohibition of enrctyship ne of constant dnnger. In the New Testa- oounsol directed agninst the inconsiderate ment one instance of snretyship is found, nud rash underto.king of ench an obligation. when St. Pnnl offers to bec…
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Western nations the giving of the hand has Chilo (Pliny, 'Nat. Hist.,' vi. 82), "Spon- been always regarded as a pledge of bona sioni non deest ja.ctnra "-" Loss is not jides. Thus Menelaus demands of Helena wanting to a surety." The same idea is (Euripides, ' Hel..' 838), 'E,rl 'ToiO"o, 11v11 conveyed in the modern G…
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fulfil hie engagements. Of this unwearied he does. In the case of suretyship sueh nn energy in the pursuit of an object in which issue is uncertain; there is the possibility one is deeply interested, compare David's resolution, "I will not give sleep to mine of escape, the surety may prevail upon his eyes, or slumbP.r …
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1.·atsah being "to decide 11 (see Isa. i. 10; iii. "Parvula (nam exemplo est) ma.gni formica 6, 7; Micah iii. 9). The word, however, is laboris oicut used of a military commander in Josh. x. 24; Ore trahit qnodcunque potest, atque addit Judg. ii. 6-11, and in this sense it is under- aoervo, stood by the Vulgate, wh…
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enough to deny the accuracy of Solomon's gat" (Michaelis, 'Notm Uberiorea'). Muf• etatement" (' Nat. Hist. of the Bible,' p. fet, in loc., keeping to the figure, however, 320). The Miehne., eection 'Zeraim,' also explaine differently, "Poverty shall over- containe a curious piece of legielation which take thee, as a…
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it is indulged in, and leads to consequences signifies either a wol'thless or a lawless which are as irremediable e,s they are person. The latter del'ivation is, however, inentable. rejected by Ges{lniu8 and others. Its ab- stl'act signification is wol'thlessncss, use- Vers. 12-19.-11. Eleventh adnwnit,ory lessness; …
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meo.ning, o.nd tho.t which it usually bears in strare), and hence came to mean " to teach.•· Scripture, is iniquity. "A man of iniquity" The crafty and deceitful character which ie is one who is o.ltngether deficient in moral ?ere prese_nte~ to us is strikingly reproduced consciousness, o.ud who goes about to work m…
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times." Similarly the Vulgate, whioh, how- taken from the shattered fragmonts of 11 e,·er, ,ioins "continually" (Hebrew, b'kol- potter's vessel, whioh it is impossible to re- eth; Vulgate, omni tempore) to the rncond unitl'\, So in the oase of the mnn whose life bemistich, thus : " And at all times he has been one o…
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therefore, thnt the seventh vice is odious hands that ahed innocent blood, i.-,. a mur- _to Goel in nn especial degree n.bove the derous and cruel dispoaitfon, which, rather others, is untena.ble, though it has found than have its plans frustrated, will imbue defenders in Lowenstein, Bcrthen.u, and the hands with in…
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hood," "lying" (of. ob. xxi. 28). .A. fa'la6 stronger of a purely tempor0.l nature could ,cit'M1'11 (Hebrew, ed-k'eavim), &B in margin, be devised. It may be objected that the sin "a witness of lies." The expression, •• aa is not put forward iu the higher light, as cm a false witness," as it appears in the origine.l, i…
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stand "it" as signifying the whole teaching some other souree. The "commandment" or doctrine of wisdom, as Delitzsch. Wisdom an,\ the "law" alike enlighten the con- becomes personified in the representation, ecience and enable one to walk in his way and identified with her teaching. It ahall of life. On this passage Le…
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ra, ,·i,·i mali (eh. xxviii. 5). The Vulgate, .and xxxiv. 24, "Neither shall nnr mnn IH.wc,·cr, gives an adjectival force to t"-, desi,·e thy hmd" (cf. Micah Ii. 2 a'nd eh. rcn,leriug, ii muliere mala. Tbe LXX. d,r~ .xii. 12). In PH; lxviii. 19; Isii. i. 29; liii. 2, ;•vva11<0• {nrd.v1ipov, i.e, "from the married it…
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word kheyk is properly "an undulation" (De- Ver. 30.-The teacher continues his argu- litzsch), not the lap, but as in the Authorized ment with another i!lustmtion, •till keeping Version here, "the bosom," and '' the bosom in view his object, which is to show that the of a garment," as in eh. xvi. 33; xvii. 23; punishme…
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used here for desire, craving, or appetite, as Ver. 32.-But whoso committeth a.dultery in Eccles. vi. 2, 7; Ezek. vii. 19. " To with a woman lacketh understanding. ■atisl'y bis soul" ie "to sustain hie life." The e.rlversa.tive "but" is wa.nting in the .llnima, Vulga.te: ,j,vxfi, LXX. original, but is clearly demanded …
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u:i. 5.) It ma, also have reference to the sentence. The Hebrew l,rnah is '' jealousy" punishment inflicted by the Law. In the as in eh. xxvii. 4, " Who is able to stnnd LXX. the idea is expressed by b6.lv«r, i.e. before envy?" or, as margin, "jealousy.'' "pnins," and so gfres colour to Lapidc's ex- 'l'hc ordinary c…
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idea of something recommendatory, :For to the person add1·essed. "Thouo-h thou the expression, nl2st1 phanim, cf. Gen. xix. 21; givest many gifts," or more literally,-~ thou"h xxii. 21 ; Job xiii. 10; xiii. 8; and Mai. i. 8. thou multipliest the gift," brings the matter The LXX. rendering is, 0&1< ii.v-ral\71.&.!<Ta…
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Ver. 6.-The ant. Scripture sends us to nature. Even the smallest works of nature are full of Divine lessons to him who has eyes to read them. Sometimes we are bidden to consider the heavens, but now we are invited to consider the ant. The telescope has its lessons; so also has the microscope. But when a man refuses to …
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needs. But if earthly prudence is pra.ctised, shall we stop there? Are we consistent in our providence? We have provided for the natural winter: have we provided for other, more terrible, winters? We may have a philosophy of life which suits the happy sunshine, but how are we provided against the storms and frosts of t…
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of considering hateful things. Let us look at the general fel\tures of the seven abominations. I. 'l'HEY ARE DEFINED IN DETAIL. We are not only told that sin is odious. Par• ticular :sins are specified. A general confession of sin may be made withont any admission of guilt in regard to one's own special faults. 'l'he …
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Ver. 23.-The object of religious teaching. I. IT IS TO SERVE AS A LIGHT. How much so-called religious teaching "darkens counsel with words without know1edge" ! We do not give right Christian instruction when we urge upon the belief of people unintelligible dogmas in phrases which are to them meaningless. Like the book …
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all life. Though some animals are drowned in water, others are fitted to find it their natural element; but all living creatures perish in fire. The phcenix is an impossibility. So sin mocks life and beauty and healthy energy. But it is only a death-power. 1. ~t is destructive. l:<'ir~ ex_ists by consuming its victi…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 1-5.-The perils of suretyship. Here we ha.ve- 1. A FEATURE OF ANCIENT LIFE. The warnings against incurring this responsibility a.re very frequent in this book ( eh. xi. 15; xvii. 18; xx. 16; xxii. 26). For the bail was treated like the insolvent debtor (2 Kings iv. 1; Matt. xviii. 2…
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Vers. 12-15.-.d picture of spite. L THE SPITEFUL MAN DEFINED GENERALLY, (Ver. 12.) He is" naughty," the old English word being expressive; otherwise" a thing of naught," a "slight man" (Shakespeare); in German heilloss, "unsound," "unworthy," and so worthless. Gather up the sense and force of these adjectives, and we g…
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Vers. 25_:35.-Warning against adultery. No candid student can ignore the fact that the view of this sin, and the motives deterrent from it, are of far lower order thim those of pure Christianity. They do not rise above those of Horace, or aoy general morality of men of the world. In the sense that the body is the templ…
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hunter, t.be bird from the fowler. 3. If necessary, with self-humiliation (ver. 3). We hate to "humble ourselves," but we ought to be ready to do this rather than allow trouble and ruin to bang over our home. IV, THAT IF THIS URGF.NCY BE DUE TO TEMPORAL DANGERS, HOW MUCH MORE IMPERA- TIVE 18 OUR DUTY TO GAIN DELIVERAN…
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Vers. 16, 17.-T/ie condemnation of pride. The simple, strong langnage of the text tells us that pride is a thing which God hates. We should therefore make some inquiries concerning it, and know all we can learn about it; for who would like to have in bis heart and life that which is positively odious to the Father o…
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"hands shed innocent blood" are strongly condemned of him. 'l'hese include, noL only (1) men guilty of murder and manslaughter in the literal sense, but also (2) those who are responsible for the death of the innocent through culpable carelessness (e.g. an indifferent and negligent judge or reckless captain), and also …
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me.y expect the bitterest revenge. To steal the love of a wife from her husband, or of e. husbe.nd from hie wife, ie to make one enemy whose wrath nothing will appease. It is an evil thing, even if it be not a. dangerous thing, to go through life bearing the malice, exposed to the intense and inextinguishable hatred of…
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and liable to be injured unless guarded passed in the street withot1t being himself with scrupulous onre (comp. Ps. X\'ii. 8; visible from without (Cant. ii. 9). The Zerh. ii. 8). Similarly the Greeks called Septuagint reads the senteuoe ns spoken of this organ r,:&p 77 , "damsel" or "puppet," the woman : "For from the…
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in apposition: "There mot him o woman, incessu, nutantibus ocnlis, et ludentihus o harlot's dress" (ehith, Pd. lxxiii. G); her jBculans p"lpebris retie., quibns pretio,0.1 attiro catches the eye at once, and iden- e.nirnas juve11um eapit." tifies her (comp. Gen. xxxviii. 14). In Ver. 14.-I have peace o:fferinge with me…
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Rpposition, but the littter point to the goodm~n is not at home. "Goodman" is material used, which ie l•t::ll:!, etun (li,r.,E e.n old word meaning" lllAster of tbo house," heyoµ•vov), "linen yarn or threl\d," hence or hueba?d (Malt. :xx. 11, eto.); but the equivalent to "coverlets of Egyptian thread." Hebrew 1s sim…
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cuUy in the tranelution of thie clause. The not that it is for his life; i.e. the infatuated Authorized Version, with which Delitzsch youth does not consider that his life is at virtmilly agrees, is obtained by transposition st_ake1 !hat he is bringing upon himself, by of the nouns, thia natural rendering of the his VI…
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Vers. 6--27.-Profli,gacy. [It would not, perhaps, be wise for any one to discuss this subject in the presence of a general congregation. The sin is so fearfully contaminating that it is scarcely possible to touch it in any way without contracting some defilement; and the few who might benefit by a public exposure of t…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-27.-.A tragedy of temptation. This is a fine piece of dramatic moral description, and there is no reason why it should not be made use of, handled with ta.et and delicacy, with an audience of young men. I. 'l'nE PROLOGUE. (Vers. 1-5.) On ver. 1, see eh. i. 8; ii. 1; vi. 20. On ver…
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(shagah), as in eh. v. 20. Beware of that intoxication of the senses and fancy which leads to such an end. For she is a feller of men, a cruel murderess (ver. 26). Her house is as the vestibule of hell, the facilis descensus Avel"ni-the passacre0 to the chambers of death (see on eh. ii. 18; v. 5). LESSONS. 1. Foll…
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excellence (vers. 12-21), (3) She dis- capabilities. At the hand of the gates (I courses of her origin and action (vere. 22- Sam. xix. 3). She posts herself at the side 81). (4) She a.gain inculcates the duty of ?f the city gat11s, uncle~ the arch way pierced hearkening to her instructions (vers. 82- m the wall, wher…
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then proceeds to pnrUculo.rize the evil which those who weigh causes; the latter explana- tho Lord ho.tea, To.king the clause in this tion seems most suitable. Vulgate, lqum sense, we have no need to alter the persons condit<rres; Septuagint, ol 3vv&o--ra.,. These o.nd forms of the verbs to '' I fear the Lord, are said…
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So the Lord says (Matt. vii. 7), "Seek ((71- p1uing for" an inheritance inoorl'Uptible, cmrl .,.,i'.,-,). and ye shall find;" Ecclus. iv. 12, undefiled, a11d that fodeth not away" (M1\tt. "He that lo1·eth her loveth life; and they vi. 20; Luke xii. 83; 1 Pot. i. 4). The that seek to her early ( ol ap6pl(ovns 1rpos L…
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who tells us that thoy who prophesied of the with God (6 A/ryo, ;jv ,rpb, -rhv 0,011)." So grace of Christ sought e.nd searched dili- we may assert that Solomon has arrived at gently what the Spirit of God that was in the truth that Wisdom was ,rpb, -rbv 0,6v, if them did point unto, and were shown that he has left it …
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seems no proof that the word has this mean- the world, even from everlasting to ever- ing. It signifies properly "to pour forth" lasting thou art God." (as of molten metal), then" to put down,"" to Ver. 26.-The earth, nor the fields. Tho appoint or establish." The versions recog- distinction intended is lnnd as cultiva…
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n111,rkcd out (&cp~p,,,) his throne upon the day, which may tnean either ns in Authorized winds." 'l'he tmnslo.tors ho.ve referred tchom, Version, or "I bad delight continually " i.e. •• depth," to the wo.ters above. it may signify (I) either that God' took Ver. 28.-When he established the olonda pleasure in the wisd…
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mnn ! " as in oh. 'iii. 13. For the ways of Hebrew verb (eh. xii. 2). The grnce of God Wi~dom, see eh. iii. 17. bringcth 51\\vation ('l'itus ii. 11). Scpt1m- Yer. 33.-:Be wise. This will be the gint, "For my outgoings ((~080,) a.re the effect of attending to the injunction, Hear outgoings of life, and the will is pr…
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unfortunrito that many young men in the present clay seem to despise all intellectual pursuits, nnd confiue the attention of their leisur'} moments to idle amusements or at 'best to athletics. They fall to see the mental death that they are conrting. But infinitely worse are they who turn from the moral side of wisdom-…
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Ver. 13.-Hatred of evil. I. RELIGION INCLUDES MORALS. This is the broad lesson of the text. It should be accepted as a self-evident truism. Yet it has been often obscured by dangerous sophisms. Thus some have regarded relicrion as consis.tincr in correctness of creed or iu assiduity of devotion-thincrs treated by Go…
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Ver. 17.-The blessedness of loving and seeking Ohrist. Wisdom is here personified. 'l'his is only the beginning of a process that is to grow through sub~equent ages, mani- festing itself in the Books of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, and finally developing into the doctrine of the "Logos" and the great revelation of Christ…
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Ver. 29.-The decrPe of the 8ea. We live under the reign of law. This fact is taken to be the late revelation of modern science. But it is embedded in Old Testament teaching. There we see that the laws of nature, which are but the ways of God on earth, are recognized as fixed and stable. But the Bible helps us in two…
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tion that is too often overlooked. It is thought to be good policy to "Christianizo" these passages of the Old Testament; i.e. it is thought they are thus most profitably used. On this low ground even an answer can be given-it may be shown that the policy is bad. The morn Christian idea is true in itself. But it is …
784 wordsSource & rights
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.