The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 68

of rewnrd (vera, 2, 4, G, 8, 10), e.ncl these commandments must be based on the reco~- promises are brought forward with the view nitiou of the fa.et that the affections of tho to encourage the observe.nee of the duties heart are to be employed in the service of Go<l, the keeping of the commandments is tn recommended or enjoined. Jehovah is the be a labonr of love. Again, tbe expression, central point to which all the exhortations "keep my commandments," implies,of course, converge. Obedience, trnat, self-sacrificing external conformity to their requirements: devotion, submission, are successively brought we are •• to observe to <lo them" (Dent. viii. forward by the teacher e.a due to God, and 1); but it implies, further, spiritual obedience, the persona in whom they are exhibited are i.e. an obedience with which love is combinecl (Deut. xxx. 20), e.nd which arises from the truly ho.ppy in finding Wisdom. The transi- inward principles of the heart being in tion in thought from the former to the latter harmony with the spirit of the command- part of the discourse is easy and natural. ments (see Wardlaw). Obedience and trust e.re represented as Ver. 2.-Length of de.ye (orek yamim); bringing favonr, guidance, e.nd health-in e. Vulgate, longitudo dierum. The expression is literally "extension of days," and signifies word, prosperity. But God is not only to be the prolongation of life, its duration to the honoured in 'times of prosperity, but also in appointed limit-a meaning which is bronght adversity his loving hand is to be recognized; out in the LXX. l'-7/Kos /3fou, "length of and in this submission to his will is true days," the Greek word {3los being used, not wisdom. of existence, bnt of the time and conrse of life. It occurs again in ver. 16, and also in Ver. 1.-llly son (b'm) serves to exter- Job xii. 12 e.nd Pa. xxi. 4. "Length of nally connect this discourse with the preced- days" is represented as a blessing in the ing. Forget not my law. This admonition Old Testament, depending, however, as in the bears e. strong resemblance t.o that in eh. i. present instance, on the fulfilment of certain 8, though the terms employed are somewhat conditions. Thus in the fifth command- different, tmah and mitii'oth here occupying ment it is appended to the honouring of the place respectively of musar and torah parents (Exod. x.x. 12), and it was promised in that passage. My law ( torathi), is lite- to Solomon, e.t Gibeon, on the condition that rally, my teaching, or doctrine, from the root he walked in the 1way, statutes, and com- yarah, "to tee.eh." The torah is the ,whole mandments of God (1 King8 iii. H). The body of salutary doctrine, and designates promise of prolongation of life is not to be "Law" from the standpoint of teaching. pressed historically as applying to ernry Forgetting here is not so much oblivion individual case, but is to be taken as in,li- arising from defective memory, e.s a wilful cating the tendency of keeping the Di vinti disregard e.nd neglect of the o.dmonitions of precepts, which, o.s a rule, ensure preserva- the teacher. Thine heart (libekha); Vul- tion of health, and hence "length of <lays." ge.te, cor; LXX., ,ca.plila.; and so the sum Long life (vush'noth knayyim); litemlly, total of the affections. Keep; yitiitsor, from years of life; Targum Jonathan, Vulgo.te, notsar, "to keep, or observe that which is Syrio.c, and Arabic, anni vitai; LXX., frTJ commanded." The word is of frequent ("';,s. The Authorized Version • scarcely occurrence in the Proverbs, e.nd appears about serves to bring out the sense of the original, twenty-five times. My oomme.ndmenta as there is practically no difference in mean- (mits'othay); Vulge.te, prS!Oepta mea; LXX., ing between" length of days" and" long life." .,.a ~f,µ.a..,.11. µ.ou; i.e. my precepts. The Hebrew The idea conveyed in the expression, "years verb from which it is derived means "to of life," is that of material prosperity. The command, or prescribe." The law nnd com- thought of an extended life is curried on mandments here alluded to a.re those which from the preceding expression, but it fa immediately follow, from ver. 8 onwards. amplified and described. The yeurs of lifo The three me.in ideas combined in this verse will be mo.ny, but tuey will be years of lifo are remembrance, affection, and obedience. in its truest sense, as one of true happiness Remembering the law or teaching will de- 11nd enjoyment, free from distracting- cares, pend, to e. large extent, on the interest felt sickness, an<l other drawbacks. The Hebrew in that le.w; and the admonition to "forget plural, khayyim, "lives," is equivo.lent to thu not" is e.n admonition to give "earnest Greek expression, /3los 13,..,-r&,, "o. life worth heed," so that the law or teaching may be while living" (of. Plo.t., 'Apol.,' 3S, A). To firmly fixed in the mind. In using the the Israelitish mind, the happiness of lifo words, " let thy heart keep," the teacher consisted in "dwelling in tho l_n,)d" ~Deut. goes to the root of the matter. There may iv. 40; v. 30, etc.), auJ "ab,Jmg m the be an historical remembrance of, or an intel- house of the Lord" (Ps. xv. 1; xxiii. 6; xxvii. lectual assent to, the commandments, but 3) (Zockler). The conjecture that the plurul, these are insu ffici0J1t, for the keeping of the khayyim, signifies the present ancl the futura 54 THE PROVERBS. [OH. III, 1-36,