The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 249

21; comp. Rev. iii. 17, 18). The IIC<'ond the latter part is borrowed from Ps. xxxvii. clause tcnches that wealth expended in 21 or cxii. 5, " Crafty souls go astray in God's service makes a man rich in the sins; righteous men show mercy nnd pity." treasury of heaven (Luke xii. 21, 33). One The Vulgate inserts this pamgmph o.fter who thus uses the menns entrusted to him ver. 13. could be spoken of like St. Paul," 11.8 poor, Ver. I 0. -Only by pride oometh contention. yet making many rich; a.s ha.ving nothing, Sml:1-e render " surely " (raq) for "only," and yet possessing all things" (2 Cor. vi. as ID Gen. xx. 11. Others rightly trans- 10). late, "By pride cometh only, nothing but, Ver. 8.-The ra.nsom of a man's life are contention." Vulgate, "Between the proud his riches. A rich man can save himself disputes are always rife." One who is from mnny difficulties and dangers by the haughty CLnd overbearing, or who is too con- 11acrifice of a portion of his wealth, e.g. when ceited to receive advice, is sure to quarrel his money or his life is demanded by o. with others. Septuagint, " An evil man robber; when men in authority make ex- with insult doeth evil.'.' With the well- tortionate demands on pain of death; or advised is wisdom ; those who are not, like when he ho.s incurred extreme penalty by the proud, above taking advice and follow- infringement of law (Exod. x.xi. 22, 30). ing it, are wise (eh. xi. 2; xii. 15). As the Spiritually discerned, the passage recalls Vulgate puts it, "They who do all things Christ's injunction, "Make to yourselves with counsel are directed by wisdom." The friends of the mnmmon of unrighteousness, LXX., reading differently, has, " They that when it shall fail, they may receive who know themselves are wise,'' which im- yon into the eternal tabernacles" (Luke xvi. plies that the wise know their own weakness 9). The poor heareth not rebuke; has not and imperfection, aud hearken humbly to to listen to (Job iii. 18) threats from the good counsel. oovetous or abuse from the envious. He Ver. 11.-Wealth gotten by vanity ~hall h8.8 nothing to lose, and no one can gain be diminished; literally, wealth by a breath; anything by interfering with him. So the i.e. wealth obtained without labour and poor roan is at peace. " A hundred men exertion, or by illegitimate and dishonest cannot rob one pauper." means, is soon dissipated, is not blessed by " Cantabit vacuns coram latrone via.tor." God, and has no stability. _Vulgate, "riches acquired hastily;" Septuagint, "substa.nce Ver. 9.-The light of the righteom re- gotten hastily with iniquity." This makes joiceth; /a;tifioat, Vulgate. But the verb the antithesis more marked, the contrast is intransitive, and means "bum joyfully," being between wealth gotten hastily and bright and clear, as the sun rejoices as a that acquired by diligent Jabour. Cito etrong man to run a race (Ps. xix. 5). This nata, cito peTeunt, "Quickly won, quickly light (or) is the grace and virtue which adorn gone" (see on eh. xx. 21 ; xxi. 5). So.ye the the good man's life, and which beam through Greek maxim- all his actions with a cheerful, kindly radiance M¾, 0'1TEVOE 1TAOV'TEW, µ.¾, nxlir 1TEV1]S -ylvr,. (comp. eh. iv. 18, 19). This is a true light, kindled in his heart by God, different from "Haste not for wealth, lest thou be quickly the lamp (ner) of the wicked, which is poor." devised and lighted by themselves, and has He that gathereth by labour; literally, with no element of permanence, but soon shall be the hand, handful after handful. Vulgate, put out (eh. x.xiv. 20; comp. eh. xx. 20; Job paulatim, "little by little," by patient in- xviii. 5; John i. I!; v. 35, where the dis- dustry. Labor imp,·obus omnia vincit. tinction between "light" and "lamp" is Septuagint," He that gathereth for himself maintained). The lamp of the wicked is the with piety shall be increased." Then is false show of wisdom or piety, which may added, " A good man is merciful and glimmer and deceive for a time, but is ere lendeth," from Ps. xxxvii. 26. The Septuo.- long detected and brought to naught. There gint here uses the term ebulffoa., which is may be here an allusion to a common custom received in St. Paul's pastoral Epistles and in the East. "No Louse, however poor," St. Peter's, taking the place of the earlier says Dr. Geikie (' Holy Land,' i. 117), phrase, q,o{Jos Kvplov. "is left without a light burning in it all Ver. 12.-Hope deferred maketh the heart night; the housewife rising_ be~imes to secure aiok. Delay in the accomplishment of some its continuance by replen1sh111g the lamp much-desired good occasions sinking of the with oil. If a lamp goes out, it is a fat.al spirits, languor, and despondence. Many omen" (comp. l Kings xv. 4; JP-r. xxv. 10; refer this sentence to the impatient longing Rev. xviii. 23). Septuagint, "The light of for heaven which holy men feel, such as we the righteous is everlasting; but the light of may read in 'De Imitatione,' iii. 48, 49, and sinners is quenched." Then is introduced in the hymns, "For thee, 0 dear, dear :i couplet not found in the Hebrew, of which country," ullll "We've no abiding city," de. UII, XIII, 1-25,] THE PROVERBS.