The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 139

it is indulged in, and leads to consequences signifies either a wol'thless or a lawless which are as irremediable e,s they are person. The latter del'ivation is, however, inentable. rejected by Ges{lniu8 and others. Its ab- stl'act signification is wol'thlessncss, use- Vers. 12-19.-11. Eleventh adnwnit,ory lessness; its concrete or adjectival, worth- discourse. Warning against mischievousness less. The word "naughty" (Anglo-Saxon, as a thing hateful to God. The connection naht, ne aht, "not anything," equivalent to o[ this with the preceding discourse is not "nothing"), in the sense of good-for- nothing, ne'er-do-well, adopted in the at first sight very clear, but it may be found Authorized Version, exactly reproduces its in the fact, attested only too unhappily by strict etymological meaning. The word, experience, that sloth leads those who iu- however, always carries with it the idea of dulze in it to such vices as are next enume- moral turpitude. In the present instance rat;d, The sluggard may develop into a its meaning is determined by the apposi- tional phrase, "a man of iniquity," or "a treacherous and deceitful man, and even if wicked man," and such iniquity as takes such should not happen, the characteristics the form of mischief-making, deceit, and of the two are nearly allied, and their end is sowing discord among brethren. The "man much the same. St. Paul, in his First Epistle of Belia!" is not therefore simply, as its to Timothy, observes this same combination etymological derivation would imply, a worthless individual, one who is of no use of character, and remnrks thnt idlers are either to himself or to the community at " tattlers also and bnsy bodies, speaking large, but a positively wicked, iniquitous, things which they ought not" (see 1 Tim. and despicable character. The meaning of vi. 13). The intention of the discourse is the word varies in other passages. Th us in obviously to dissuade all, and especially the Deut. xiii. 13, where it first occurs, it is used to designate those who have fallen young, from the vices, and to preserve them eway into idolatry, and induce others to from the ruin, of those men of whom "the follow their example. In this sense it cor- naughty person and wicked man" is the responds with the Vulgate, apostata, as type. eignifying a defection from the worship of the true God. Again, in 1 Sam. i. 16 it Ver. 12.-A na.ughty person, a wicked is applied to the profanation of sacred :m.e.n, wal.keth with a froward mouth, The places. When Hannah is accused by Eli teacher begins by stating in general terms of drunkenness in God's house at Shiloh, the nature and character of the man whom she replies, "Count not thine handmaid for he now holds up as a warning to others, a daughter of Belia!." In the historical and then proceeds to point out the variollB books (e.g. Judges, 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 features in his conduct and behaviour by Chronicles), where it is of frequent oc- which he may be known. In couciEe terms currence, it has the gE!neral meaning of be is described as "a naughty person, a " wickedness,'' under whatever form it ap- wicked man." This is pre-eminently his pears. So in the Psalms (xviii. 4; xii. II ; character, anJ the first feature in it is that ci. 3) and Nahum (i. 11, 15). In the Book liis life is one of wilful and injurious mis- of Job (xxxiv. 18, once only) it is used representation of the truth. A naughty per- adjectively and as a term of r"prnach, "Is son, a wicked man. In apposition and it fit to say to a king, Thou 111·t wicked mutually explanatory. The grammatical [b'liyyiiiil; i.e. 'worthless']?" Individuals arrangement of the sentences which follow, possessing the qualities of worLhlessness, each of which is introduced by a participle, profanity, or wickedness are designated and is thus co-ordinate to the others, as in Holy Scripture either as "sons," "chil- well as the parallel terws, " person " ( adam) dren," "daughfors," or "men of Belia!." and" man" (uh), determine this appo8ition. The word only occurs in two other passages So Bertbeau and Delitzsch. Others (as in the Proverbs-oh. xvi. 27 and xix. 28. Zockler, Noyes, Kamph), however, connect In the New Testament (2 Car. vi. 15) tho tl:e second expression with the series of word " Belia!" (Greek, fj,>..la.p or IJ•Ala.>..) cLaracteristics which follow, and render, appears as an appellative of Satan, 6 1rov11pos, "A worthless person is a deceiver, who," "tho evil one," as the representative of all etc., but wrongly. A naughty person (He- that is bad, and as antichriet. A wicked man brew, adam b'ligyiiiil); literally, a man of (Hebrew, ish avln); literally, a man of 13elial ; Vulgate, homo apostata; LX X., vanity or iniquity; Vulgatc, 'Vir inutilis; a.v½p o.,ppr,,,v. The word "Belia!" is derived LXX., av¾,p 1ra.po.vo,,.os. The radical idea. from b'li, "without," and yiiiil," profit" (i.e. of aven (from un, "nothing") ie that of • without profit"), or from 1/Zi and lil, emptiness or vanity, and has much, there- " yoke" (i.e. "withoQt yoke"), and strictly fQre, i11 com111011 with b'liyviia/. Itij secon~ary on. vr. 1-35.] THE PROVERBS. 129