The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 51

spake e,s they 'll"ore moved by the Holy represents the treasuring up ns on e.ccom- l;host." plished foct. The same verb oocurs in eh. Ver. 7.-Wisdom which is the found11tion ii. 1, where it is transl1Lted in the Authorized of security and se.fety, and hence is sound Version by "hide," ond nlso in oh. vii. 1 ,i-i.sdom, is that which God treasures up for and x. H by "llLy up." The laying up, or the righteous. The teacher passes to an- treasuri~g, I?oints to the preciousness of other phase of tho Divine cha!'Mter. God that which 1s treasured, "sound wisdom." is not only the Source of wisdom; he is also Sound wisdom. A great variety of opinions the Ensn;erof safety, the Source of salvation exists as to the true meaning of the word to those who act uprightly. It will ho in the origin1L!, n~tefll') (tvushiyyah), of which noted that the uso of tho word is confined '' sound wisdom" is an interpretation. Zockler to the Pro,·erbs and Job, with tho exception explains it as "wisdom, reflection;" Delitzsch, of the two passages in Ise.iah and Micah. as "ndve.ucement and promotion;" Dathe, Buckler. Besides storing up the treasures as "solid fortune; " Gesenius, as "aid." of sound wisdom, which the righteou~ may The proper meaning of the word seems to use and so obtain security in their upright- be " substance," from the root n~;, "to be, ness, God. is himself e. Buckler, or Shield to exist, to be firm." ProfeBBor Lee remarks o;i;, magen), to those who we.Th: in innocence. on the word, "From the pl1Lces in which it This aspect of God's directly protecting power occurs, either wealth, thought, or some suoh is met with in other parts of Scripture. In sense it manifeltly requires. It occurs in Gen. xv. 1 he encourages Abram with the Joh vi. 13, in parallelism with 'help;' in assurance, "I am thy Shield." In Ps. xx.x.i.i.i. eh. ii. 7, with a' shield;' in Job xi. 6, with 20; l.xxxiv. 11 ; l.xxx.ix. 18; e:xliv. 2, Jehovah 'wisdom;' in Job xii. 16, with 'strength;' is called a Shield to his saints. He renders in eh. iii. 21, with 'discretion;' in eh. viii. them security age.inst the assaults of their 14, with 'counsel' and 'understanding; ' enemies, and especially against the fiery in lea. xxviii. 29, with 'counsel; ' and so in darts of the wicked one. Again, in eh. Job xxvi. 3. In Job xxx. 22 and Micah vi. 9, :x.xx. 5, it is said, " God is e. Shield (magen) ' entirely ' or the like seems to suit the con- unto them that walk uprightly." It ii text; see also eh. xviii. 1, and generally incorrect to take )d9 (magen) either as an ' excess,' or 'abundance,' taken either in a good or bad sense, and ve.ried by other con- accusative after the verb or in apposition with siderations, seems to prevail in every case in "sound wisdom." To them that walk up- which this worJ is used" (see Professor Lee, rightly; literally, ro the walkera in innocence on Job v. 12). The parallelism of the pas- (Oh •_:;,717, l'khol'key thom). oh (thom) is sage before us seems to require that it "integrity of mind," "moral faultlessness," should be understood in the sense of soourity ; "innocence." "To wall!: uprightly" is to and transferring the idea to wisdom as the maintain a C01IlBe of life regulated by moons of security. This idea is reproduced right principles, e.nd directed to right in the LXX. tT<Al-rfip,a., the Vnlge.te salua, ends. He "walks uprightly who lives and the Targnm incolwmitaa. with the fear of God as his principle, the Ver. 8.-He keepeth the paths of judg- Word of God as his rule, and the glory of ment. This verse is explu.natory of the latter God as his end " (Wardlaw). The com- hemistich of var. 7, and points out more pletenus of the moral and religions cha- fully in what way God is n Protector of his racter is involved in the expression which saints. Some connect the Hebrew infinitive is found also in eh. L 9 and Ps. lxxxiv. 11. ;,'-sl~ (lin'tsor), "to wa.tchor keep," with "them The Vnlgate translates the latter cla.nse of tho.t walk uprightly," and translate, "tliem the verse, proteget gradientes aimpliciter, '' he that wall!: uprightly by keeping the po.the of will protect those who we.Th: in simplicity;'' judgment ; " but this is to tru.nsfer the idea cf. 2 Cor. i 12 in illnstre.tion of the phrase. of protection from God 1o suoh persons. The He layeth up; i.e. he treasures up (LXX., verb signifies specially "to defend, to preserve 811nvpl(«11), or preserves and protects (cus- from danger," as in eh. xxii. 12, "The eyes todire, Vulgate), as e. person does "treasure of the Lord preserve knowledge; i.e. defend or jewel, that it may not be stolen" (Zockler). or protect it from danger." It is God who The majority of commentators read the Keri "keepeth the paths of judgment,'' as he (1i:l:r;, "he will tree.sure up," future of )!2:0 alone has the power to do so. He watches in preference to the Khetib ()!,)~), perfect over ell that walk therein, guides, superin- of same verb, with prefix 1, " and· he trea- tends, and protects them. The paths of sured up"), and this is the reading adopted judgment; orrather,justice, t:i,;i!?f;:i n\ni~ (ar'- in the Authorized Version. The Keri im- khoth mieh'pat). The abstract is here used plies that God does tree.sure up sound for the concrete, and the phrase means " the wisdom, while the Khatib, as Delitzsch paths of the just," i.e. the paths in which observes, has the force of the aorist, and so the just walk, or "those who walk justly,.,  OH, II, 1-22.] THE PROVERBS. 87