The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 52

(Mercerus). This expression corresponds cal-ma'gal-wv), i.e. every course of action of with'' the wa,y of his saints," just as "keep" which goodness is the characteristic, or, B8 and ''preserve" are synonymous verbs, both the Authorized Version," every good path," mea,ning "to guard, keep safe, or protect." He the sense in which it was understood by St. preeerveth the way of his saints. God does Jerome, omnem orbitam bcmam. The word this (1) by his preventing grace, as in Ps. here used for" path" is ~~P? (ma'gal), "the Ixvi. 9, "He suffereth not our feet to slip." way in which the chariot rolls" (Dclitzsch), Of. Hannah's song, " He will keep the feet and metaphorically a course of action, BB in of his saints " (1 Sam. ii. 9) ; (2) by angelic eh. ii. 15; iv. 26. agency, e.s in Pa. xci. 11, "He shall give hie angels charge over thee to keep thee in Vers. 10-19.-Statement of the advan- all thy ways." The saints are ever under tages which result from the possession of the watchful care and mighty protection of Wisdom, and specially as a safegna.rd against Jehovah. His saints (1:rp!), khasidOID); i.e. the evil men (vers. 12-15) and evil women (vers. pious towards God, the godly, those in whose hearts the principles of sanctity have been 16-19). implanted, and who cherish earnest inward Ver. 10.-When wisdom entereth into love to God, and "walk righteously" and thine heart. There is practically litLle dif- "speak uprightly" (Isa. xxxiii. 15). It is re- ference as to the sense, whether we render markable that the word" saints" only occurs the Hebrew ':J by the conditional "if" or by once(in this pe.ssage) in the Proverbs. During the temporal "when" as in the Authorized the period of the Maccabman Wars, 0, party Version. The conditional force is adopted or sect, which aimed at ceremonial purity, by the LXX. Uv and the Vulgate Bi. In the claimed for themselves the title of Ohasidim previoua section of this address, the teacher or Asidalans ('Aa-,lla.a,), as expressive of their has shown that the search after Wisdom will piety or devotion. They are those whom result in possession:; now he points out, when Moses called " men of holiness," Exod. xx.ii. Wisdom is secured, certain advantageous con- 31 (;;;:ip...,!?/t:ll•"'a~'shev-kodesh); cf•.!.s.lxxx.ix. sequences follow. The transition is easy 5; cxhx.1; lxxxix. 8; Dent. xxxm. 3; Dan. and natura.J.. The form of constrnction is vii. 18, 21, 22, 25. Under the Christian very similar to that adopted previously. dispensation, the saints are those who are There is first the hypothesis, if we give sanctified in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. i. 2; 1 John this foroe to .':.), though much shorter; and v. 1), and who are holy in all manner of secondly the climax, also shorter a.nd brnnch- conversation (1 Pet. i. 15 ; 1 Me.co. ii. 42; ing off into the statement of two special vii. 13; 2 Mace. xiv. 6); see Bishop Light- cases. EnteTeth; or,shall enter(~i~y. thavo) foot, ' Colossians and Philemon,' diss. ii. in the sense of permanent residence in tlio p. 365. heart. Wisdom is not only to come in, hut Ver. 9.-Then (11,1, az), repeated from ver. to Test there (cf. eh. xiv. 33). Tl:e expression 5, introduces the second apodosis. As the is illustrnted by John xiv. 23. The imagery former referred to God, so this appears to of the verse is t.aken from the reception nnd refer more especially to man, and thus we entertainment of a guest. As we receive a have stated the whole benefit, in its twofold welcome guest, and find plensure in his e.spect, which Wisdom confers on those who company, so is Wisdom to be denr to the diligently seek her. It is not to be affirmed, heart and soul. Into thine heart (1::i~:;i, b'li- however, that righteousness and judgment and equity refer exclusively to man; they becha). The heart (~~)"concentrates· in it- must represent some aspects of our relation- self the personal life of man in 1111 its rela- ship to God, both from the meaning of the tions, the conscious and the unconscious, the words themselves, and because the fow which voluntary and the involuntary, thll physic,il regulates our dealings and intercourse with and the spiritual impnlses, the emotions and man hCLs its seat in the higher law of our states" (Cremer,' Bib. Theo!. Lex.,' s_ub voce relation to God. • Righteousness, and judg- ,capll/a), It is that in which the zopJ. (ne- ment, and equity. 'l'hese three words occur pliesh),"soul," manifests itself. Itis the c~ntre in the same collocation in eh. i. 3, which of the life of will ond desire, of the emotions, see. Yea, every good path. " Yea " does and of the moral life. Rudloff(' Lehre von not occur in the original. The expression Menscher,' p. 59, sqq., apud Zockler) remarks is 0, summarizing of the three previous con- that everywhere in the Scriptures the heart ceptions, as if the teacher implied that all appears to belong more _to the lifo of d~sire good paths ar<l embraced by and included and feeling than to the rntellectual aotiv1ty in " righteousness, and judgment, and of tho soul. But at the same time, it is to &1,uity;" but the term is also ~omprehensive be noted that intelligent conception is at- in the widest degree. The literal transla- tributed to the heart (:i~); eh. xiv. 10; viii. tion is "every path of good" pic-,~pl?-,i', 5; xvi. 9. The expression seems lo be put  38 THE PROVERBS. [oH, II, 1-22.