The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 410

the oomp1my is a disgrace to ·all good men. danger in the midst of the town, I shall Thus fahmael and his rnothnr were driven be &lain in the atreets. Others conaider from Abraham's dwelling (Gen. xxi. 9, cto.), that the slugg11rd makes two exouses for nnd the apostle quotes (Gill. iv. 30), "Cast his inactivity. If work co.lie him o.broo.d, ont ((,cfJa.J,.•) ihc bondwoman and her son." he may meet the lion which report says is Septuagint, "For when he sits in the prowling in the neighbourhood; if he hos company he dishonours nil." The next to go iuto the streets, he mlly be attacked verse gh·es a happy eontrast. and murdered by ruffians for motives of Yer. 11.-He that loveth pureness of plunder or revenge. "Sluggards a.re pro- heart; he who strives to be pure in heart phets," Eays the Hebrew proverb. Septua- (Malt. v. 8), free from guile, lust, cupidit.y, gint, "The sluggard maketh excuses, and vice of even kind. The next clause carries so.ith, A lion is in the ways, there are on the description of the perfect character, murderers in the streets." Lions, though aud is best translated, And hath grace of now extinct in Polestine, seem to have lips, the king is his friend. He who is not lingered till the timo of the Crusades, and only virtuous and upright, hut has the such of them as became man-eaters, the gift of graciousness of speech, winning old or feeble, wero a real dauger in the manner in conversation, such a man will vicinity of villages (comp. Jer. xlix. 19; attach the king to him by the closest bonds 1. 44). of friendship. We have had something very Ver. 14.-Tha mouth of strange women is similar at eh. xvi. 13. Some of the versions a deep pit. The hemistich reappears in o. consider that by the king God is meant. slightly altered form at eh. xxiii. 27. (For Thus tbe Septuagint, "The Lord loveth holy "strange woman" as equivalent to "o. harlot" hearts, and all blameless persons are accept- or "adulteress," see note on eh. ii. 16.) By able with him." The rest of the clause is her "mouth" is meant her wo.nton, seduc- connected by the LXX. with the following tive words, which entice e. man to destruc- verse," A king guides his flock (1ro1µ.ulve1) tion of body and soul. It may he that with his lips; hut the eyes of the Lord," theology rather than moro.ls is signified etc. here-rather false doctrines thou evil Ver. 12.-The eyes of the Lord preserve practice. In this case the mention of the knowledge. 'l'he expression, "preserve strange or foreign woman is very appro- knowledge," is found at eh. v. 2 (where see priale, seeing that perversions of belief and note) in the sense of" keep,"•• retain," and, worship were always introduced into IsrQel takeu by itself, it might here signify that from external sources. He that is abhorred the Lord alone possesses knowledge, o.nd of the Lord shall fe.ll therein. He who has alone imparts it to his servants (1 So.m, incurred the wrath of God by previous ii 3); hut as in the following clo.nse a unfaithfulness and sin is left to himself to person, the transgressor, is spoken of, it is fall a prey fo the allurements of the wicked natural to expect a similar expression in woman (comp. Eccles. vii. 26). Septuagint, the former. 'l'be Revised Version is correct "The month of a transgressor (m,pavoµ.ov) in rendering the abstract" knowledge" by is a deep ditch; and he that is hilted of the the concrete " him that hath knowledge; " Lord shall fall therein." Then are e.ddetl eo that. the clanse so.ye that God watches three lines not in the Hel.Jrew, which, over and protects the man who knows him however, seem to be remiuiscences of other and walks in his ways, and uses hie means passages: "There are evil ways before o. aud abilities for the good of others (Ree eh. man, and he loveth not to turn awny from xi. 9). But he (the Lord) overthroweth the them; but it is needful to tun1 away from a. words of the transgressor. Tue transgressor perverse and evil way." here is the fo.lse, troo.cheroue, perfidious Ver. 15.-P'ooliahness is bound in the man ; and the gnome asserts that God heart of a ohild. Foolishness (ivveleth) here frustrates by turning in another direction implies the love of misohief, the wayward- the outspoken intentions of this man, which ness and self-will, belonging to children, he had planned against the righteous bound up in their very nature. Septuagint, (comp. cl.i. xiii 6; xxL 12). Septuagint, •• Folly is attached ( ltij1r,-u1) to the heart "But the eyes of the Lord preserve know- of the young," in which version Cornelius o. ledge, but the transgressor despiaeth words," Lapide sees an allusion to the ornament i.e. commands, or words of wisdom and hung by fond parents round the neck of o. warning. child whom they were inclined to spoil Ver. 13.-The ■lothful man ■aith, There rather than to train in self-denying ways. is a lion withou (eh. :uv:. 13). The 'fo such a child folly ndhores as closely ns absurd nature of the sluggard's excuse is the bulla with which he is decomted. But hardly understood by the casual reader. the rod of correotion shall drive it far from The supposed lion is without, in the open him. Judicious education overcomes thi11 country, and yet he professes to be in natural tcndenoy, by punishing it when 011. nu. 1-29.] THE PROVERBS. 425