The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 72

thus they are strengthened: •· His bones are a religious obligation was observed by an- moistened with marrow'' (Job xxi. 24). cient pagan nations (see Dio<l. Sic., i. 14; Where there is an absence of marrow the Pint.,' De lside,' p. 377; Pliny, 'Hist. Nat.,' drying up of the bones ensues, and hence 18. 2 (Ziickler). Some of the ancient com- their strength is impaired, and a general mentators find in this verse an argument for debility of the system sets in-they "wax the support of the ministry. It is well old" (Pa. xxxii. 3). The effect of a broken known that the priests "lived of the sacri- spirit is thus described : "A broken spirit fice," and were "partakers of the altar," and drieth up the bones" ( eh. xvii. 22). The as their support by these means tended to physiological fact here brought forward is the maintenance of Divine worship, so those borne witness to by Cicero, 'In Tusc. : ' "In who supported them were in the highest visceribus atque medullis omne bonnm con- degree "honouring God." The injunctions didisae nature.m" (of. Pie.to). The meaning also show that the honouring of God does of the passage is that, as health to the navel not consist simply of lip-service, of humility and marrow to the bones stand as representa- and confidence in him, but also of external tives of physical strength, so the fear of the worship, and in corporeal things. They are Lord, etc., is the spiritual strength of God's not peculiar to Israel, but are binding on all. children. They oppose all eelfah nee of God's temporal Ver. 9.-Honour the Lord with thy sub- gifts, and lead to the'.thought that, in obey- stance, etc. An exhortation to self-sacri- ing them, we a.re only giving back to God ficing devotion by the appropriation and use what are his own. "'l'be silver and the of wealth to the service of Jehovah. With gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts " (Hag. thy substance (mehonekha); Vulge.te, de tua ii. 28). eubstantia ; LXX., ,i,rb <roJ11 6<1,alc.J11 1rovoJ11. "We give thee but thine own, Hon, properly "lightness," is "opulence," Whate'er the gift may be; "wealth," e.s in eh. i. 13. The min in com- All that we have is thine alone, position with hon is not partitive, as A trUBt, 0 Lord, from thee." Delitzsch e.nd Berthee.u take it, but signifies (Day's' Psalter.') "with" or "by means of," e.s in Pa. xxviii, 7; Isa. lviii. 12; Ezek. xxviii. 18; Obad. 9. Ver. 10.-So shall thy ba.:rns be filled with The insertion 'of ;.,,,.Cos by the LXX. limits plenty. 'l'he promise held out to encourn.ge the wealth to that which is justly acquired, the devotion of one's wealth to J ehovah's e.nd ~o guards against the erroneous idea. service, while supplying a motive which at that God is honoured by the appropriation first sight appears selfish and questiono.ble, to his use of unlawful wee.Ith or go.in is in reality a trial of faith. Few persons (Plumptre). The Israelites" honoured Je- find it easy to realize that giving a.way will hovah with their substance" when they increase their store (Wo.rdle.w). The teo.chcr contributed towards the erection of the is warranted in bringing forward this pru- tabernaole in the wilderness, and later when mise by the language of Moses in Deut. they assisted in the preparations for the xxviii. 1-8, where, among other thing~, lw building of the temple, and in the payment promises that Jehovah will command 1\ of tithes. The injunction may undoubtedly blessing upon the "storehouses" o.nd in- refer to tithes, e.nd is in 11ccorde.nce with the dustry of those who honour God. The priu- requirement of the Mosaio Le.w on that and ciple is otherwise expressed in eh. xi. 2.\ other points as to oblations, free-will offer- "The libE1ral soul shall be made fat, aud ht> ings, etc. ; but it has a wider bearing and that watereth shall be also watered him;elf;" contemplates the use of wealth for all pious and it is exemplified in Hag. i. ~11 ; ii. and charitable purposes (see eh. xiv. 31). 15, 19; Mai. iii. 10-12, and in the New The word maaser, "tithe," does not occur in Testament in Phil. iv. 14-19; 2 Cor. iis. the Proverbs. With the drstfruits (mere- 6-8. Thy barns; asameyl.ha, the only form ehith); Vulgate, de primitiis. So Targum in which asam, " a storehoUBe," "burn," or Jonathan, Syriac, and Arabic. The law of "granary," occurs. The Hebrew asam is the firstfruits is found in Exod. xxii. 29; the same RB the Lo.tin horrettm (V ulgn le) xxiii. 19; xxxiv. 20; Lev. xxiii. 10; Numb. and the Greek -,a;µ.«iov (LXX.). With xviii. 12; Dent. xviii. 4; xxvi. 1-3. The plenty (sava); Vulgo.te, saturitas; i.e. ful- fi1·stfruits were presented by every Israelite ness, abundnnce, plenty. The r?ot sava _is to the priests, in token of gratitude and "to become satisfied,'' and that riohly satis- humble thankfulness to Jchomh, and con- fied. This expression and the followiug, sisted of the produce of the land in its and thy presses ahe.11 burst out with new natural state, or prepared for human food wine, depict the greatest abundance. 'J.'lty (Maolear, 'Old Test. Hist.,' bk. iv. c. iii. a). presses (y'lmveykha). The word hero truus- The "firstf:ruits" also carried with it the latod "presses" is, strictly speaking," vats" idea of the boat. The custom of offering the or "reservoirs," into which the must from firstfruits of the field and other revenues as the wine-press flowed. 'fhe winc-pr,'llS con•  58 THE PROVERBS. (err. m. 1-35.