The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 409

of the world (eh. xviii, 23). Aben Ezra. ex- (t.vBpa l>,.,ipl,11 ital B&,,-7111 •~"-O'Y•• 6 e~&r); plains the gnome ae showing the advantage but he shall bring to a.n end ( <r,n,oro,,11,i) of wealth and the inconvenience of poverty; the vanity of his works." The first hemi- the former bringing power and pre-emi- stich is remarkable for being quoted by nence, the le.tter trouble and servitude : and St. Pa.ul (2 Cor. ix. 7), with e. slight varia- hence tho moralist implies that every one tion, 'IM.pdv 'Yap 61f-r11v a...,,a..,,rj 6 0••~- So should strive and labour to obte.in a compe- Ecclus, x:xxii. (xxxv.) 9, "In all thy gifts tency, and thus a.void the evils of im- show a cheerful countenance (,>.rip11111011 -ro pecuniosity. The borrower is servant to the orp611unr&v 110v)." lender, (For the relation between borrower Ver. 9.-lle that bath a bountiful eye and lender, or debtor e.nd creditor, eee on shall be blesaed. The " good of eye" is the ~h. :u:. 16; and .comp. Me.tt. xviii. 25, 34.) kindly looking, the benevolent man, in Delitzsch cites the German saying, "Borg- contra.et to him of the evil eye, the envious, hart (borrower) is Lehnhe.rt's (lender's) the unfriendly and niggo.rdly man (eh. servant." We ho.ve the proverb," He that xxiii. 6; xxviii. 22). St. Jerome renders, goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing," !he Qui pronua ut ad misericardiam. Such e. Septuagint departs from the other versions one is blessed by God in this world and the and our Hebrew text, translating, "The rich next, in time and in eternity, according to will rule over the poor, and household the sentiment of eh. xi. 25. Thus in the servants will lend to their own m11sters"- temporal sense (Ecclus. xxxiv. (xxxi.) 23), 11, reading on which some of the Fathers •• Him that is liberal in food lips shall have commented. bless, and the testimony of his liberality Ver. 8.-Xe that soweth iniquity ahall will be belie\'ed." Septuagint, "He tha.t reap vanity; ehall gain nothi~g substa.ntie.l, ho.th pity upon the poor shall himself be shall have nothing to show tor his pains. continually sustained (61a.-rpacrfi11,-r,11)." The But aven also means "cale.mity," "trouble," reason is added, l!'or he giveth of his bread ns eh. xii. 21; so the gnome expresses the to the poor. The blessing is the con- tl'uth that they who do evil shall meet with sequence of his charity and liberality. punishment in their very sins-the exact 2 Cor. ix. 6, "He that soweth bountifully contrast to the promise to the righteous shall resp also bountifully (i..-' £1i>.<ry(a1<)." (eh. xi.18), "To him that soweth righteous- The Vulgate and Septuagint a.dd a distich ness shall be a sure reward." 'fhus we ho.ve not in the Hebrew, Victoriam et honorem in Job iv. 8, "They that plough iniquity, acquiret qui dat munera; animam auten1 and sow ,wickedness, reap the same ; " and aufert accipientium; Nl1C1Jv 1tal -r,µ.'l,v ,r,p, - the npostle asserts (Gal. vi. 7, etc.), "What- oro,,i-ra., 6 6rJpa. 600,, -r'l,v µ.frro, ,/,ux'/rv acpa, · soever e. man soweth, that shall he also p,i-rcu -rrJv 1t<lt'T'1/µ.l11111v, "Victory and honour reap. For he that eoweth to hie flesh shall he obta.ineth who giveth gifts; bi.t he of the flesh reap corruption; but he that takes away the life of the possessors." soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap The first hemistich appears to be a vo.rio.nt life e\'erlasting." Ee.stem proverbs run, of eh. xix. 6b, the second to be derived from "As the sin, so the o.tonement;"" Those who eh. i. 19b. The second portion of the Latin EOW thoms co.n o::ily reap prickles" (comp. oh. o.ddition may mean tha.t the liberal man xii.14), And the rod of his anger shall fail. wine a.nd co.rries awo.y with him the souls The writer is thinking especially of cruelty of the recipients of his bounty. But this, nnd injustice practised on a neighbour, as though Ewald would fain ha.ve it so, c11nnot Delitzsch has pointed out, and he means be the signification of the corresponding tha.t the rod which he has raised, the Greek, which seems to mean tha.t the man violence intended against the inuocent who is so liberal in distributing gifts victim she.II v11nish away or fnll harm- obtains the power to do so by opp1e,sing lessly.' Ewald and others think that the o.nd wronging others. rod is the Divine anger, and translate the Ver. 10.-Cast out the scorner, and con- verb (kalah) "is prepo.red," a 6ense which tention shall go out; Septuagint, tJC/3a1'.• here it will not well bear, though the ilc 11vv,6plou l\oiµ&v, " Cast out of the LXX. ho.a lent some couuteno.nce to . it company 11, pestilent fellow." Chnse aw11y by rendering " And shall fully a.ccomplish the scorner (eh. i. 22), the man who ho.s the pln=e (~>-mv,? I punishment') of his no respect for things human or Di\'ine, deecls.""'The rendering," shall foil,"" suo.11 and the disputes and ill feeling which he be consumed or annihilated," is confirmed c11used will be ended: for "where no wood bv Gen. xxi: 15; !BB, i. 28; xvi. 4, otc. is, the fire goeth out" (eh. xxvi. 20). Yea, The Septm1gint adds ~ distic!1 here, of strife and reproaoh shall oease. Tlie re- which the first member 1s a van11nt of ver. 9s, o.nd the second another rendering of the prou.ch and ignominy (li?R, Tcalon) are those latter hemistioh of the present verse: "A which the presence and words of the scorn or cheerful man and a givor God blessoth bring with them; to h,1ve such o. one iu  THE PROVERBS. [oa. xxir. 1-29,