The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 341

forth (&,,a,r7186.i) a. river u.nd e. fountain of word rendered "wounds" (millahamim) is life." Or we mu.y, with Delitzscb, tu.ke the to be differently explained. It is probably whole u.s one idea., e.nd consider that 11, man's the hitbp. participle of laham," to swallow," words a.re deep waters, 11, bubbling brook, and seems to mean "dainty morsels," such e.nd e. fountain of wisdom. as one eagerly swallows. Thus Gesenius Ver. 5.-It ie not good to e.ocept the person Schultens, Delitzech, Nowack, and others'. of the wioked. To" accept the person" is So the clause means, "A whisperer's words to show pe.rtio.lily, to be guided in judgment, a.re received ,vith avidity; calumny, slander, not by the facts of e. case, or the abstract o.nd evil stories find eager listeners." The principles of right or wrong, but by extre.- so.me metaphor is found in eh. xix. 28; Job ueoue considerations, o.s a man's appearance, xxxiv. 7. There may, at the same time, be manners, fortune, family. (For the expres- involved the idea that these dainty morseb sion, comp. Lev. xix. 15; Dent. i. 17; nnd in a.re of poisonous character. Vulgate, Verba our book, eh. xxiv. 23; xxvili. 21.) The Sep- bilinguis, quasi simplicia, "The words of a tuagint phrase is 6a.vµ.,fra., ,rp6rrw,rov, which man of double tongue seem to be simple," St. Jude adopts (ver. 16). Other writers in which contains another truth. They go down the New Testament use Aa.µ.{3d.v<tv ,rp6rrw-rov into the innermost parts of the belly ( eh. xx. in the so.me sense; e.g. Luke xx. 21; Go.I. ii. 27, 30). The bearers take in the slanders and 6). To overthrow (turn aside) the righteous treasure them up in memory, to be naed o.s .in judgment is not good (comp. Isa. x. 2). occasion shall offer. The LXX. omits this The construction is the so.me as in eh. xvii. verse, and in its place introduces a paragraph 26. The LXX. adds in tho sreond clause, founded partly on the next verse and pertly ou6~ 8rr,ov, which makes the sentence clear; on eh. xix. 15. The Vulgo.te also inserts not seeing this, the Vulgo.te renders, ut the interpolation, "Fear overthrows the declines a '1/eritate judicii. The offence sluggish ; and the souls of the effeminate censured is the perversion of justice in (av6po-yvvc,w) shall hunger." giving sentence against e. righteous mo.n Ver. 9.-:e:e also that is slothful (slack) whose cause the judge has reason to know in his work. A mo.n that does hie work in is just. some sort, but not heartily o.nd diligently, Ver. 6.-A fool's lips enter into conten- as one who knows that labour is not only tion; litere.lly, come with quarrel(comp. Ps. a duty and necessity, but o. means of sancti- lxvi. 13); i.e. they lead him into strife o.nd fication, a training for a higher life. Is quarrels ; miscent se rizis, Vulgo.te; "lead brother to him that is a great waster; a. him into evils," Septuagint. The foolish destroyer. " Brother" is used as "com- man meddles with disputes in which he is po.niou" in eh. xxviii. 24 (comp. Job xxx. not concerned, and by his silly interference 29), for one of like attributes and tendencies; not only exposes himself to reprisals, but e.s we say, "next door to ; "o.nd the destroyer also exacerbates the original difficulty. His is, as Nowack says, not merely one who mouth oalleth for strokes. His words pro- wastes his property by reckless expenditure, voke severe punishment, "stripes for his but one who delights in such destruction, finds back," as it is so.id in eh. xix. 29. Septua- e. morbid plea.sure in ho.voo and ruin. So the gint, "His mouth which iB e.udo.cioue calls maxim asserts that remissness in duty is as for death." mischievous a.a actual destructiveness. "An Ver. 7.-The results of the fool's disposi- idle bro.in," say the Ita.lians, "is tbe devil's tion o.nd actions are further noted. A fool's workshop." The word rendered " great" is mouth is his destruction (comp. eh. x. 14; baal(ch. i.19), "owner," patrono(Montn.nus), xiii. 3; Eccles. x. 12). A medimval adage domino (Vntablus): and, ta.king this sen;;e, pronounces, '' Ex lingua stulta veniunt in- according to Wordsworth and others, the commode. multe.." His lips are the snare of sentence implies that the servant who is his soul; bring his life into danger (see on slothful is brother to e. master who is a eh. xii. 13; comp. oh. xiii. 14; xiv. 27; prodigal. 'But the interpretation giYeu :x.vii. 28). So St. Luke (xxi. 35) speaks of a.hove is best founded. The LXX., reading the last do.y coming upon men like "e. N!l"ll'\O instead of ;J!l"ll'\O, renders, "He who snare ( ,ra-yls)," the word used by the Septua- heo.leth not (6 µ.:i, iwµ.,vos) himself in his gint in this passage. works is brother to him who destroyeth Ver. 8.-The words of a to.le-bearer a.re e.s himself." Maxims concerning laziness 1no wounds. Ncrgan, "tale-bearer," is better found in other places; e.g. eh. x. 4; xii. 11, rendered " whisperer" (see on eh. xvi. 28). 24 ; xxiii. 21. 'fhe Authorized Version reminds one of the Ver. 10.-The No.me of the Lord is a medimval jingle- strong tower. The Nome of the Lord signifies o.11 that God is in himself-his " Lingua. eusurronis attributes, his love, mercy, power, know- Est pejor felle dro.conie." ledge; which allow mo.n to regard him as The verijo recurs iu oh. ;ixvi. ~2; but the 11 sure Ref11ge. '' Tho11 hast b~en a Shelter  THE PHOVERnS. [cH. xvm. 1-24.