The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 426

stolid, stupid man, who cnnnot bo moved reward of righteousness. Proper discipline from his own 11arrow grooYe (see on eh. i. preserve~ a :i:outh not only from many material 22~. It is a mere cnsting of pearls before dangers incident to nnbrirlled passions, but swme (Matt. vii. G) to speak to such a man se.ves him f~om spiritual death, the decay of high aims, righteous motives, self-sacrifice and destruction of grace here and the retri- (comp. eh. ix. S). He will despise the wis- bution tho.t a\vaits the ein~er iu another dom of thy words. He cannot enter into the world (comp. Ecclus. xxx, 1-12). meaning of words of wisdom; he has no Ver. 15.-The mornlist now addresses the appetite for them, be cannot assimilate <lisciple, and so to. the end of the chapter. them; and in his self-satisfied dulness he If _thine he9:1"t. be_ wise ; become wise by pro- feels for them nothing but contempt (Ecclus. fitmg by d1sc1plme, and havin., its natural :nii. 7, etc., "Whoso teacheth a fool is as folly (cl.1 .. xxii. 15) eradicated~' My heart one that glueth a potsherd together, and as shall reJ01oe, even mine. The pronoun i5 he that waketh one from a sound sleep. He rel?~ated for the sake of emphasis (as in eh. that telleth a tale to a fool speaketh to one xxn. 19), the speaker thus declaring nis in a slumber: when he hnth told his tale, supreme interest in the moral progress of he will say, What is the matter?") his pupil. ' • ,ers. 10, 11.-A.n enlargement of eh. x:tli. Ver. 16.-My reins shall rejoice. The "reins" (kelayoth), kidneys, are regarded as 2S combined -with eh. xxii. 22, 23. the seat of feeling and sensation (Job xjx. ver. 10.-::Enter not into the :fields of the 27~, or of the inner nature generally (Ps. fatherless. Do not think to appropriate the xvi. 7 ; Rev. ii. 22). I sbe.11 rejoice in my fields of orphans, as if there were no one to very soul when thy lips speak 1i.ght things ; defend their rights ( comp. eh. xv. 25). i.e. when thy heart is so replete with wis- Ver. 11.-For their Redeemer is mighty. dom, thy mind so well instructed as to utter The redeemer (goeT) is the near kinsman, ne.ugbt but what is true nnd sensible (eh. who had to a,,.enge bloodshed, carry on the viii. 6). The composition of these two verses blood-fend, or ,,.indicate the cause of a is noteworthy, 15a being parallel to 16b, and relation othe:r-wise unsupported (see Nnmb. 15b to 16a. Septuagint, "And thy lips xxv. 12, 19, 21 ; Le'"- xxv. 25; Rntb iii. 2, shall linger in words ( "'15,a'l'pl,fm 71.o-yo,s,) 9, 12). God himself will be the orphans' with my lips, if they be right," which seems Goel. This term is often applied to God; to mean, "If thy lips utter what is right, e.g. Job xix. 25 ; Ps. xix. H; J er. L 34. He they will gather wisdom from my words and shall plead their co.use with thee. He will, impart it to others." as it were, conduct their cause, try thee, Ver. 17.-I.et not thine heart envy sinners, conYict tbee of injustice, and pronounce thy when thou seest them apparently happy condemnation (eh. xxii. 23). end prosperous (comp. eh. iii. 31; xxiv. 1, V .. r. 12 commences a new series of pro- 19; Ps. xxxvii. 1 ; lxxiii. 3). The Autho- verbs of wisdom. This general admonition rized Version, in agreement with the Septua- is addressed to all, tutor and disciple, edu- gint, Vulgo.te, Arabic, and other versions, ce.tor and educated. Apply thine heart unto takes the second clause of this verse as an i.!lstruction. (For musar, "instruction," see independent one; but it seems evidently to note on eh. i. 2.) be constructionally connected with the pre• Ver. 13.-An injunction to the tutor or ceding, and to be governed by the same parent (comp. eh. xiii. 24; xix. 18; xxii. 15; verb, so that there is no occasion to insert xxix. 17). For if thou bee.test him with the "be thou." But be thou in the fear of the rod, he shell not die. This has been under- I.ord all the day long. Jerome, corrected, stood in vnrious senses; e.g. "Tbough thou would read, Non :Emuletur co1· tuum pecca• scourge him, that correction will not kill tO'l'es, sed timoreni Domini tota die, As him;" "If thou chastise him, thou wilt Delitzsch and Hitzig, followed by Nowack, BBVe him from the doom of the rebellions have pointed out, the Hebrew verb, ~)jl, son" (Deut. xxi. 18-21); or," He shall not (lcana), is here used in two senses. In the die eternally," which rather anticipates the first clause it signifies to be envious of a conclusion in the next verse. The expres- person ; in the second, to be zealous for e. sion merely means-Do not be weak, think- thing, both senses combining in the thought ing that you will injure your child by judi- of being moved with eager d~sire. Z71ll.o- cious correction, and in this fear withholding .,..,,,,., fa used in this double' sense, and your hand; but punish him firmly when temulor in Le.tin. So the gnome comes to necessary, and, far from harming him, you this-Show your heart's desire, not by envy will be doing him the greatest good. of the sinner's fortune, but by zeal for trae Ver. 14.-She.lt deliver his soul from hell religion, that fear of the Lord whioh leads (eheol); de inferno, Vulgate; l,c 8a11,fro11, to strict obedienoe and earnest desire to Septuagint. Prematuredeath was regarded please him. u a punishment of sin, ea long life wea the Ver. 18.-l'or IUJ'elJ there lam ..a. err, XXlII. 1-35.] THE PROVERBS. 443