The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 76

seek her. The LXX. aclds, "Out of her deeming work. "The tree of life is the mouth proceedeth righteousness; justice cross of Christ," lignum vitro crux Christi ancl mel'cy she bea.reth upon her tongue ; " (quoted by Delitzsch). The symbol, Plump- possibly suggested by eh. viii. 3. The tre remarks, entered largely into the re- words of the teacher remind us of the saying ligious imagery of Assyria, Egypt, and uf Menander, 'O li1a.tblp"'v 71.<Yyrrrµt; .,,,l,,.,.• Persia.. To them that lay hold upon (lam- lx .., " He who excels in prudence possesses makhazi'kim, b.iph. participle); Vulgate, hi8, all things." qui aP'JYT'ehenderint; LXX.. -rois a.v-rexo- ,er. 17.-Ways of pleasantness (dar'lcey µlvo,s. The Hebrew verb P!~ (khazak), "to .wam); Vulga.te, '!Jim pulchrm; LXX., ooo! tie fast," is in hiph. with ;:i (b')," to take hold r«i"A.a.l. Wisdom's ways are those in whillh of," "to seize any one." Happy is every one substantial delight me.y be found. They that retaineth her. In the original, the are beautiful and lovely to look upon, and participle," they retaining her" (tom'keyah), afford happiness. All her paths are peace is plural, and the predicate, "happy" or (v'kal-n'thivo-theyah shalom); literally, as in "blessed" (m'u.hshar), is singular. The the Authorized Version. "Peace," shalom, latter is used distributively, and the con- is not genitive as "pleasantness." 'l'he struction is common (cf. eh. xv. 22). The character of peace is stamped upon her Authorized Version aptly renders the origi- paths, so that in speaking of Wisdom's pa.the nal. The neces~ity for" retaining" as well we speak of peace. She brings tranquillity as •• laying hold" of Wisdom is pointed out. m,d serenity and blessedness. Her pa.the The verb ,;ii;: (tamak) is "to hold fast are free from strife and a.farm, and they lead something taken." Such will be blessed to peace. (On ·the distinction between who hold Wisdom tene.ciously and per- ••ways" and" paths "-the more open and the more private walks-see eh. ii. 15.) severingly. Ver. 18.-A tree of life (ets-khayyim}; Vers. 19-26.-5. Fifth hortatory dis- Vulga.te, lignum vitm; LX.X., (~71.ov {wjjs. course. Wisdom, the creative powe:r of God, This expression obviously refers to "the tree exhibited as_ the protection of those 1cho fen.r of life" (ets-halw.yyim), which was placed in God. TLe teacher in this discourse presents the midst of the garden of Eden, and con- ferred immortality on those who ate of its Wisdom under a new aspect. Wisdom is the fruit (Gen. ii. 9 ; iii 22). So Wisdom be- Divine power of God, by which he created comes equally life-giving to those who lay the world, o.nd by which he sustains the hold on her, who ta.ate of her fruit. She work of his hands and regulates the opera- communicates life in its manifold fulness tions of nature. This eminence of Wisuom, and richneBB (so the plural "lives" indi- cates) to those who seize her firmly; What in her intimate association with Jehovah, is is predicated of Wisdom here is predicated made the basis of a renewed exhortation to in other passages (eh. xi. 30; xiii. 12 : keep Wisdom steadily in view. The elevated xv. 4) of the fruit of the righteous, the thought tho.t Wisdom has her source in fulfilment of desire, and a wholesome Jehovah might seem in itself a.n adequate tongue. Each of these, the teaoher says, is "a tree of lire." Elater denies that there is and sufficient rea.son for the exhortation. any reference to "the tree oflife," and classes But another motive is adduced intimately the expression among those other figurative bound up with this view of Wisdom. Jehovah expressions-a " fountain of life," in eh. becomes the ground of confidenoe.and the xiii. 4 and xiv. 27, and a "well of life,'' in protection in all conditions of life of those eh. x. 11 : but if it be once admittt1d the.t there is such a reference, and it be remem- wllo keep Wisdom. bered also that Wisdom is the same as " the Ver. 19.-The Lord by wisdom bath fear of the .Lord," the point insisted on in founded the earth. The emphatic position the Proverbs o.nd in Job, it «eems difficult to of the word Jehovah, "the Lord," at the deny that the teacher has in view the blessed beginning of the sentence (of. Pa. xxvii. ; immortality of which the tree of life in xcvil.: xcix.), as well e.s the nature of the Paradise was the symbol. In this higher discourse, indioates a new paragraph. The aense the term is used in the Revelation description of the creative Wisdom of Jehovah (ii. 7: xxii. 2, 14). Wisdom restores to her may have been suggested to the mind of worshippers the life which was lost in .Adam the teacher by the mention of the tree of (Cartwright). It is remarkable that the life, in ver. 18 (Zockler); but the connection imagery here employed is confined to these between this and the preceding passage ha.s two books. After the historical record in to be sought for in something deeper. The Genesis, no other sacred writers refer to the scope of the teacher is to exhibit, and so to tree of life. Old ecclesiastical writers saw in recommend, Wisdom in every respect, anrl the expression a reference to Ohriet's re- after &hewing her excellence in mo.n, he uow  62 THE PROVERBS. [cu. m. 1-35.