The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 289

Yer. 18.-A wrathful man atin·eth np God and does his duty. The way of tho strife (cont,ention). This claus<J recurs righteous is made plain; "is a raised cause- almost identically in eh. xxix. 22 (corup. way ; " selulah, as eh. xvi. 17; Iso.. xl. 3 ; also eh. :x:xvi. 21 and xxviii. 25). He that xlix. 11, The upright ma.n, who treads the is elow to anger appeaseth strife (eh. xiv. path appointed fo1· him resolutely and trust- 20). In the former clause th<J word for fully, finds all difficulties vanish; beforo "contention" is mndon, in the latter "strife'' him the thorns yield o, paRsage; and tho,t is rib, which often means "Jaw dispute." whioh the sluggard regarded as dangerous It requires two to make a quarrel, and where and impassable becomes to him as the king's one keeps his temper and will not be pro- highway. Vulgate, "The path of the just vokerl, anger must subside. Vulgate, "He is without impediment;" Septuagiut, "'l'he who is patient soothes aroused quarrels roads of the manly (&vlip•lc.iv) are well (81U!ci!atas)." Septuagint," A long-suffering beaten." St. Gregory (' Moral.,' xxx. 51), man appee.ses even a coming battle." "Whatever adversity may have fallen in "Regina rerum omnium patientia." their way of life, the righteous stumble not against it. Because with the bound of The LXX. here introdnces a second rendering eternal hope, and of eternal contemplation, of the verse ; "A long-suffering man will they leap over the obstacles of temporal quench suits; but the impious rather adversity" (comp. Ps. xviii. 29). awaketh them." Ver. 19.-The way of the slothful man is Ver. 20-ch. xix. 25.-Third section of t!Jis collection. as an hedge of thorns. The indolent slug- gard is always finding or imagining difficul- Ver. 20.-(For this verse, see eh. x. 1.) ties and hindrances in his path, which serve A foolish man despiseth his . mother, and aR exouses for his laziness. The word for therefore is "heaviness" to her. Or the "thorn" here is chedek. It occurs elsewhere verb may mean "sho.meth.'' "A foolish only in Micah vii. 4, where the Authorized man" is literally" a fool of a man." Version has ''briar;" bnt the particular Ver. 21.-Folly is joy to him that is plant intended is not ascertained. Most destitute of wisdom; literally, void of heart; writers consider it to be some spinous i.e. of understanding ( eh. x. 23). '£he specimen of the solanum. The word refers, perverse, self-willed fool fiuds pleasure in it is thought, to a class of plants the name going on his evil way, and exposing the of one of which, at least, the miscalled fatuity which he takes for wisdom. Septu~ "apple of Sodom," is well known in poetry, gint, "The ways of the senseless are want- and is a proverbial expression for anything ing in intelligence." A man of understand- which promises fair hut utterly disappoints ing walketh uprightly; goes the right way. on trial "This plant, which is really a kind It is implied that the fool goes the wrong of potato, grows everywhere in the warmer way. parts of Palestine, rising to a widely branch- Ver. 22.-Withont oounsel-where no ing shrnb from three to five feet high; the counsel is-purposes are disappointed (eh. ·wood thickly set with spines; the flower xi. 14) ; there can be no concerted action, or like that of the potato, and the fruit, which the means used are not the best that could is larger than the potato apple, perfectly be devised. Hesiod, 'Epy., 293- round, and changing from yellow to bright 'E<T8Abs Ii' ali 1<&,ciwos ~s •li •l1rovn 1rl871.-a,· red as it ripens. . . . The osher of the Arab •os Ii~ K• µ,11.-' ab.-bs volp µ,11-,' IV.Aou &,co6wv is the true apple of Sodom. A very tropical- 'Ev 8uµ,rp {3dJ..A71Ta,, 6 Ii' ail.-' &xp11,os ti.v11p, looking plant, its fruit is like a large smooth apple or orange, and hangs in clusters of (Comp. eh. xx. 18.) In the multitude of three or fonr together. When ripe, it is counsellors they are established (eh. xxiv. 6), yellow, and looks fair and attractive, and is We read of "counsellors" as o.lmost regular soft to the touch, but if pressed, it bursts officials in the Hebrew court, as in modern with a crack, and only the broken shell aud kingdoms (see 1 Uhron. xxvii. 32 ; Isa. i. s row of small seeds in o. half-open pod, 26 • Micah iv. 9; comp. Ezra vii. 28). There with a few dry filaments, remain in the is, 'of course, the danger of secrets being hand" (Geikie, 'Holy Land and Bible,' ii. divulged where counsellors are many; and 74, 117). Cato, 'Diet.,' !iv. 3. 5- there is Terence's maxim to fear, " Quot homines, tot sententiro;" but, properly " Segnitiem fugito, qum vitro ignavia fertur; guarded and d~screetly us~, good counsel Nam quum animus languet, consumit in- is above all price. Septuagmt, "They who ertia. corpus." honour not councils (<Tuvllip,a.) lay usido To the sluggard is opposed the righteous i:n, ( {nr•p.-l8w.-a,) conclusions (i.e. put off coming the second member, because indolence 1s to any definite decision); but in the hearts a grievous sin, and the greatest contrast to of thos<J who consult counsel o.bideth" the active ind11Btry of the man who fears (compare tho parallel clause, eh. xix. 21).  OU. Xv. 1-33.] TRE PROVERBS.