The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 53

l1ere for tl1e moral side of man's nature; and the l outwa1·d m.anifestntion of wisllom; it in the Hellenistic sense, H:a;plila, the proper tests what is uucerto.in, and arnids danger equivalent of ::17., "heart," involves all that (Hitzig). The word canies with it the idea stuuds for vovs, A6')'o<, cruv,l871,r1s, and 8vµ.6s; of reflection or consideration (see eh. iii. 21 ; i.e. it includes, besides other things, the in- v. 2 ; viii. 12). The LXX. reads, flov>..~ H:<>A7/, tellectual faculty. The word "soul " (tti~_l, "good counsel; " and the Vulgate, concilium. ne71hesh) is here found in combination with Shall prese1·ve thee. The idea of protection "heRrt." The other passages where they nncl gunrding, which is predicated of Jehovah are mentioned together are Dent. vi. 5; Ps. in ·ver. 8, is here tmusferred to discretion xiii. 2; Jcr. iv. 19; eh. xxiv. 12. The and understanding, whioh to some extent soul is primarily the vital principle, but are put forward as personifications. Under- according to the usus loquendi of Holy standing (;v1::ir:,, t'vunah), as in eh. ii. 11; Scripture, it frequently denotes the entire the power of distinguishing and separe.ting, inward nature of me.n; it is that part which and, in the case of conflicting interests; to is the object of the work of redemption. decide on the .best. Shall keep i .i.e. keep The home of the soul is the bee.rt, as ap- safe, or in the sense of watc!iing •,over or pee.rs from eh. xiv. 10, "The -'heart guarding. tl'he two "verbs "to preserve" knoweth his own bitterness [ or, 'the bitter- (11?~, shamar) and "to keep" (i~J, ~taar), nel'S of his soul,' Hebrew]." While the ~XX. ,,-.;,p ..,,, occur together again in oh. 1v. 6. , , ·: • . : "heart" (::17.) is rendered by H:czpSla and Ver. 12.-To ,deliver,thee from the way of ,j,vxf,, the only Greek equivalent to "soul" the evil man. The first special advantage (~J) is ,j,vxf,. The two expressions," heart;" resulting from the 'protecting guardianship and "soul," in the passage before us me.y be of discretion and understanding._ From the taken as designating both the moral and way of the e'Dil man; .properly, from an evil spiritual sides of m='s nature. Wisdom is way; Hebrew,v:;i ,r;i.;11;:i (midarek ra),not neces- to be acceptable and pleasant to man in these respects. It may be remarked that an in- sarily, though by implication, connected with tellectual colouring is given to the word man, as in tile-Authorized Version. JI? (ra), ''heart" by the LXX., who render it by "evil," "wicked," in an ethical sense, is an li,a.voi<>, as also in Deut. vi. 5 and other adjective', ns in J er. iii. 16 (n ::i\ iev ra), "an passages, evidently from the idea that pro- evil heart;" cf. the LXX., a1rl, .S~ou 1<1ucf;s'; minence is given to the reflective faculty. the Vulgate, To.rgum, ap.d Are.hie, a via Cla.ssically, ouwolczis equivalent to "thought," mala, and the Syriac; a viia.p'ravia., ''Way,'' "faculty of thought," "intellect." Know- is here used in the s~nse •cif "conduc_t," and ledge (Hebrew, T1fJ); literally, to know, as in the evil way is a line- of 'conduct or li.ction eh. -rili. 10 and xiv. 6; here used synony- which is essentially wicked or evil. 'fhe mously with "wisdom." Knowledge, not teacher. has already warned youth against merely as cognition, but perception; i.e. not the temptations and dangers of the way of merely knowing a thing with respect to its evil men in _eh. i. 10-15; he now shows existence and being, but as to its excellence that discretion, arising from wisdom being and truth. Equivalent to the LXX. al,r871- resident in the heart,'will be a sufficient safe- cns, "perception," and the Vulgate scientia. guard against its allurements. From the Is pleasant (Hebrew, DF, yin'am); literally, man that spe.i,keth frowiu-d things, Perverse shall be pleasant; i.e. sweet, lovely, beautiful; utterances are here brought in contradis- The same word isnsed impersonallyinJacob's tinction to the evil way or froward conduot. blessing of 'lssachar (Gen. xlix. 15, "And Man (!tit', iah) is here used genericnlly, as the he saw the land that it was pleasant"), and representative of the whole· class of base and also in eh. :x:xiv. 25, "To those that punish wicked men, since all tha following verbs nre [i.e. the judges] there shall be delight." And in the plural. Froward things. The word this usage has led Dunn·totake "kn'owledge" r,bip;:i~ (tah'pucoth), here tranillnted "fro- as an accusative of reference, and to translate, ward· things;" is derived from the root "lj!c)y " There is pleasure to thy soul in respect of (haphak), "to turn," "to per.vert," and should know ledge;" but the Authorized Version be translated "perverseness." . Perverseness may be accepted as correct. ''Knowledge" is the wilful misrep:i-esente.tion of that is masculine, ae in eh. viii 10 and xiv. 6, and which is good, and true. The utterances are agrees with the masculine verb "is pleasant." of o. distorted an4 tortuous che.re.cter. The Knowledge will be pleasant from the enjoy- word, only found in the plural, is abstract in ment and rest which it yields. The Arabic foi-m, and is of frequ.ent, though not of ex- preRente the idea of this enjoyment under a clusive, occurrence iu the Proverbs. It is <litferent aspect: "And prudence shall be attributed to the Israelites in Deut. xxxii, i11 thy soul the most beautiful glory." 20. It is met with ngain in such expressions Yer. 11.-Discretion shall preserve thee, as '' the mouth of perversei;iess," Authorized 11 i- cretion (T"IPJ'I?,, m' zimoth), e.s in eh, i. 4, is Version "froward mouth" (eh. viii. 13); "the CII, II, 1-22.] THE PROVERBS. 39