The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 82

Envy not ; i.e. BB Stuart, " Do not anxiously Ver. 88.-The curse of the Lord is in the covet the booty which men of violence house of the wicked. From ver. 33 to the ELcquire." Success and wealth may follow end of the discourse the contrast is con- from severity and extortion, bnt the mELn tinued between the condition of the wicked who acquires prosperity by these means and t~e just, the scornful and the lowly, is not to be envied even by the victim of the wise and the fools. In the verse before his oppression (for the verb, see eh. xxiii. us a further reason is given why the pros- 17; xxiv.1,19). Theoppressw(iehkhamas); perity of tbe wicked is not enviable. The literally, a man of violence (see margin). curse of Jehovah dwells in and rests upon The expression occurs in eh. xiv. 29; Ps. his house. The curse; m'erah, from ara11, xviii. 41, and in its plural form, lsh "to curse." This word only occurs five, lthiimam,m, "man of violences," in 2 Sam. times in the Old 'fesle.ment-once in Deute- xxii. 49; Ps. ex!. 1, 4. The man of violence ronomy, twice in Proverbs (here and in eh. is one who "grinds the faces of the poor," xxviii. 27), e.nd twice in Malachi. The and whose conduct is rapacious, violent, nature of the curse may be learned from and unjust. And choose none of his ways; Dent. xxviii. 20, where it is the infliction literally, and choose not all his ways, i.e. with of · temporal misfortunes ending with the a view to acquire the same wealth, greatness, "cutting off" of the wicked (see Ps. xxxvii. and power. The LXX. renders th.is verse, 22). It is a hovering evil, the source of "Do not acquire the hatred of evil men, constant misfortune. LXX., Ka-rdpa.. Cf. neither be jealous of their wo.ys," evidently " the cursing" (a/ah) a.gains t thieves and from having taken tiv'khar, "choose," in the swearers in Zech. v. 4. But he bleeseth the second hemistich, for titl,'khar, "he jealous." habitation of the just. The contrast to the Ver. 82.-This verse gives the rea30n for former, as in Deut. xxviii. 2-6. He bles,eth; the previous warning. 'l'he oppressor is i.e. both temporarily and spiritually. Bless- here included under the more general term, ing does not exclude affliction, but "trio.ls" "the froward." The froward; naloz, hiph. are not "curses" (Wardlaw). Both the participle from luz, "to bend o.side," and LXX. and the Vulgate render, "But the hence a perverted or wicked man, one who habitations of the just shall be blessed," turns aside from the way of uprightness, the LXX. having rea.d the pne.1 future e. transgressor of the Law (cf. LXX., 'll'apd.- (y't:oriik), "tliey shall be blessed," for the 11oµos); and so the opposite of "the right- picl future (y'varik), "he sho.11 bless," of eous," y'sharim, "the upright," those who the text. The habitation; naveh, from navah, pursue the path of justness, or the straight- "to sit down," "to dwell." A poetic and forward. Abomination ( toevah) ; i.e. an nomad (Fleischer) word usually understood abhorrence, something which, being impure of e. email dwelling is tugurium, the shep- and unclean (of. LXX., ,L,d.Ba.p-ros), is especi- herd's hut or cottage, "tho sheepcote" of ally o.bhorrent to Jehovah. In some passages 2 Sam. vii. 8. The LXX. fua.ull.,s, e.nd the it is connected with idolatry, e.s in 1 Kings Vulge.te habitaculurn, f11,vour the suggestion xiv. 24 and 2 Kings xxiii. 18, but is never of Gejerus, that a contl'ILSt is here made used in this sense in the Proverbs, where it between the large house or po.lace (bayith) occurs a.bout twenty times (see oh. xxviii. 9; of the wicked and the small dwelling of xxi. 27; xi. 1, 20, etc.). The passage shows the just. In eh. xxi. 20 o.nd xxiv. 15 the that prosperity e.nd worldly success a.re not word is rendered "dwelling." always e. true measure of Divine favour. Ver. 84.-Surely he scometh the scorners; Bis seoret (s/Jdo); Vulgate, sermocinatio. literally, if with regard to the scomers ha Hero sod probably means "familia.r inter- scorneth (im liilletsim hu yalits); i.e. he re- course," e.e in Job xxix. 4 and Ps. xxv. 14; pays scorn with scorn; or, as Rabbi S11,Jomon, e.nd hence the specie.I favour with which " He renders to them so that they fall in their Jehovah regards the upright, by revesling own derision (reddit ipsis ut in sua derisiona to them what he conceals from others, or corruant)." He renders their schemes abor- his friendship (compare what our Lord BELys tive. He resists them. The scOT116TB (letsim) in John xv. 14, 15). Dathe translates, a.re those who treat with scoffing regard the "probis vero est familiaris." Gesenius says precepts and tl'llths of God; the arrogant. ,oa properly means "e. couch," or triclinium, proud, i~solent, here placed in contrast with on whioh people recline; but Delitzsch "the lo\vly." Vulgate, derisores; LXX., derives it from the root sod, •• to be firm," " compressed," e.nd states tho.t it therefore b'll'<pfi,Pa110,, "the overbearing." The 7 for means properly "a. being together, or sitting il? (!'ha), prefixed to letsim, signifies "with togethei·." The LXX. continues the "fro- regard to," as in Job xxxii. 4 ( cf. Ps. x.vi. 3, ward man" ('11',ipo.pop.os) as the 11Ubject, o.nd "With regard to the s11,ints (lik'tloshim), in renders, "Every transgressor is impure them only I delight"). 11ut he giveth grace before God, and does not sit together with unto the lowly; or, on the other hand, the 7 (ou a'Vll,llp,6.(.. ) the just." prefixed to laii11ayim, "to the lowly," havin,I  68 THE PROVERBS. [011, III, 1-36,