The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 20

it" (Delitzsob). Understanding; Hebrew, tion,'' but wrongl,r, Cornelius ll. Lapide tJinah (ni•;i), connect.ad with the hiph. (1'=?07 states that "justice and judgment and l'havin), properly "to distinguish," hence equity" indicate the same thing in different "to discern," of the same clause, signifies aspects. itself-that "Justice stands for the thing which is juwt; judgment in re- the capability of discerning the true from spect of right reason, which says it is jnst; the false, good from .bad, etc. With this and equity in respect of its being agreeable ugrees Cornelius a. Lapide, who says, "Unde to the Law of God." Juetice; Hebrew, p~ prudenter discernas inter bonum et malum, licitum et illicitum, utile et noxium, verum (tsedek), from the root p2~ (tsadak), "to be et falsum," and from which you are enabled right, or straight; " in a moral sense it to know what to do in any circumstances, and means "rectitude," "right," aa in Isa. xv. what not to do. Tho LXX. renders the 2 (Geeenius). The underlying idea is that word by tf,pov111ns, the Vulgate by prudentia. of straightness. Heidenheim, quoted by 4>pov11<1'<s, in Pie.to and Aristotle, is the virtuo Delitzsch, maintains that in tsedek the con- concerned in the gove.mment of men, manage- ception of the justum prevails; but the latter ment of affairs, and the like (see Plato, enlarges its meaning, and holds that it also • Sym.,' 209, A.; Arist., 'Eth.,' N. 6. 5 and has the idea. of a mode of thought a.nd action 8), and means practical wisdom, prudence, regulated, not by the letter of the Law, but or moral wisdom. Van Ese,Allioli, Holden, by love, as in Isa. xii. 2; xiii. 6. Plumptre translate "prudence." thinks " righteousness " would be a better Ver. 3.-To reoeive the instruction of translation of the word, on the ground that wisdom, Thie :verse carries on the state- the Helirew includes the ideas of truth and ment of the design ofl the Proverbs, To beneficence. Compare with this the LXX. recei-oe ;' Hebrew, n~R.~ (lal,akhath), not the liucaio<T6V'fl a.,\116,\s. Ziickler also renders same word as "to know" (n)t!~), in ver. 2, "righteousness," i.e. "that which is in accord with the will and ordinances of God though regarded as synonymous with it by e.s Supreme Judge," In the Authorized Delitzsch. Its meaning is well represented Version, in eh. ii. 9, where we have the by the LXX. BiEa<1'Bcu, and the Authorized sawe collocation of words, tsedek is trans- Version "to receive." The Hebrew, n~f?_~, lated" righteousness;" cf. eh, xii. 17, "He is infinitive, and means properly "to take, who utters truth shows forth righteousness or lay hold of," hence "to receive," Greek, (tsedek)." Judgment; Hebrew, l!ll)lf9 (mish'- Blxoµ.a,. No doubt it conveys the idea of pat), from the root l!l@~ ( shapat), " to adjust, intellectual reoeption (of. eh. ii. 1). The judge," corresponds with the Hebrew in i11Btruction of wisdom ; Hebrew, ~;illr'i'.! ie10 meaning; it is the delivery of a correct (musar has'lcel); i.e. the discipline or moral judgment on human actions. Compare the trainin.,. which leads on to reason, intelli- LXX. Kplµ.a Ka'l'Eu66v ..v. Eg_uity; i.e. recti- gence,;'rwisdoin(as Hitzig, Fuerst,Zockler); tude in thought and action (Delitzsch), or or discipline full of insight, discernment, or integrity (Zockler). This quality expresses thoughtfulness (as Umbreit, Ewald, De-. upright demeanour or honourable action on litzsch). The phrase does not ,mean the one's own part individually, while "judg- wisdom which instruction imparts. The ment" has regard both to our own and the word musar occurs here in a slightly differ- actions of others. The Hebrew, mesharim ent sense from its use in ver, 2; there it is co•:,~i;>), used only in the plnro.1, is from the objective, here its meaning as a medium for root ,!?~ (yashar), "to be straight or even," the attainment of wisdom is more distinctly nnd is equal to "uprightness." The plnral brought out. Wisdom (has'kel) is properly form is reproduced in the ~arginal reading "thoughtfulness" (so Umbreit, Ewald, "equities;" comp. Ps. xvu. 2, "Let thme Delitzscb, Plumptre). It is strictly the in- eyes behold the things that are equal finitive absolute of~~~ (sakal)," to entwine (mesharim)." The Vulgate reads zquitaa, or involve,'' and as a substantive it eto.nde and the Syriac Tectitudo. The two ideBB in for the thinking through of a subject, so judgment and equity appear to be expreeaed " thoughtfulness." The LXX. renders this in the LXX. by the phrase,Kplµ.a ,canuBvvE111, sentence, Bi(a<1'Bal .,. <1''1'po.pcls A/,,ywv, which Ver. 4.-To give aubtilty to the simple. St. Jerome understands as "versut,ias ser- In this verse and the following we are intro- monum et solutionee mnigmatum" (" the duced to the classes of persons to whom the cunning or craftiness of word~ and th? ex- proverbs will be beneficial. The ~ with the plication of enigmas"). J'ust1oe, and Judg- infinitive, nr.,~ (latheth), shows that in con- ment, and equity. These words seem to b11 struction this proposition is co-ordinate with the unfolding of the meaning contained in those in vers. 2 and 3, and not dependent as the expression, ''the instruction of wisdom.". represented by f1111 3,j (LXX.) and ut detur Holden regards the last four w~rds as (Vulgate). Subtilty; Hebrew, np~ (ar''llah). objective genitives dependent on "mstruc- 4- 'l'HE PROVERBS. [orr. I. 1-33