The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 446

Yers. 23-34.-Part V. A SEC01'"D Cot- answer; or beUer, l\.e Tdsseth tho lips w110 LECTION, forming a second snpplement to gfretl1 a right answer. An o.nswcr that is the first Solomonic book, and containing fair and suitable to the circumstnuces is as further "words of the wise." pleasant and assuring to the hearers as 11 kiss on the lips. Such a salutation_ would Vers. 23-25.-Partiality and impartiality be a natuml sign of sympathy and affection. a. hexastich. Thus Absalom won the hearts of the people Ver. 23.-These things also belong to the by kissing thoso who came to court with wise; o.re the sayings of wise men. The their suits (2 Sam. :s:v. 5). In Gen. xli. 40, following pro,crbs,_as well as the preceding, where the Authorized Version has "Accord- are deri,·cd from wise men. lllistakiug this ing to thy word shall all my 'people be superscription, the LXX. makes it a. personal ruled," the Hebrew runs, "Thy mouth shall address: ;, This I say to you who are wise, o.ll my people kiss," i.e. they shall do homage ,;;o that ye may learn." '.l'he first line is not to thee, which is another signification of a prov~rb, but t~e introduction to the ensuing this action. This, however, would not be ~ollcct.ion. It 1s not good to have respect suitable here, as the kiss is supposed to be -0f persons in judgment (see eh. xviii. 5, given by I.he sp~aker, though the LXX. and note there; and :s::s:viii. 21, where the mistakenly translates, "But men will kiss expression is the same as here). •ro regard lips that answer good words." one person before another is to be partial Ver. 27.-Prepare thy work without. The and unjust. To say this error is "not good" proverb enjoins o. man to look well to his is a. meiosis, the meaning being that it is resources before he uurlertakes to build o. ,ery evil and sinful (comp. eh. n:. 23). house or to establish a family. ·'Without" The statement is developed and co:c.firmed (chuts) (eh. vii. 12; viii. 26); in the fields. in the next two verse~, which show the Put in due order all immediate work in thy reSlllts of partiality and its opposite. farm. And make it flt for thyself in the Ver. 24.-He the.t saith unto the wicked, field; aµd got ready for what has to come Thou art righteous. The jndge is supposed next. That is, in short, steadily and with to be acquitting a guilty person. Him shall due foresight cultivate your fond; provide· the people curse. The Hebrew is "peoples," e.bundaut means ot' subsistence before you as Septuagint and Vulgate, maledicent eis attempt to build up your house. A suitor populi. Nations shell abhor. him. Not had, as it were, to purchase his bride from her individuals, nor families only, but the whole relations by making considerable presents; ,commuuity, wherever such an iniquitous it was therefore necessary to provide a cer- ruler is found, shall execrate and hate him. tain o.mouut of wealth before contoruplo.ting The voice of the people is universally against matrimony. And afterwards build thy house. him; no one is so blind and degraded as This is, indeed, the meaning of the passage; openly to applaud his acts. The verb 11akab, but the Hebrew makes a difficulty, as it id "to curse," means primarily "to bore or literally, "afterwards and thou sho.lt build." pierce;" hence some have tral.U3lated it hare, Some have supposed that some words have "him shall the peoples stab." But the dropped out of the text (Cheyoc, 'Job and word is used in the sense of distinguishing Solomon'). But vav in i;i•;~1, coming !lfter by a mark or brand, and thence passes into a date or notification of time, ns here after the sense of cursing, as at eh. xi. 26; Lev. icii-t ( comp. Gen. iii. 5), "has the future signi- xriv. 11; Job iii. 8. In eh. xvii. 15 the fication of o. perfect consecutive" (Delitzsch), unjust judge is called an abomination to the equivalent to "after that, then, thou mnyest Lord. In tuis case the voz populi is voz Dei. build." Septuagint, "Prepare thy works for Ver. 25.-But to them that rebuke him thy going forth (,ls 'TijV t(oBov), and get shall be delight (see on eh. ii. 10). They ready for the field, and come after 1ne, and who punish the wicked, with them it is thou aha.It build up thine house." In o. well ; they are approved by God and spiritual sense, the heart must be first cleared applauded by the people. Vulgate, Qui ar- of thorns, and opened to genial influences, guunt eum, laudabuntur, "They who ClJnvict before the man can build up the fe.brio of him shall be praised." And a good blessing virtuous ho.bits, and thus arrive at the shall come upon them; literally, a blei,sing virtuous character. lJj good-one that bas in it all good things, Ver. 28.-Be not a witness against thy tbe happy coutrast to the curses which meet neighbour without oause (chinnam); gratui- the unjust judge. Septuagint, "But they tously (eh. iii. 30; xxiii. 29; xxvi. 2), when tbat convict them (the guilty) shall appear you are not obliged in the performance of more excellent, and upon them shall come e. plain duty. Persons are not to put blessing." themselves forward to give testimony to o. Ver. 26.-A distich connected with the neighbour's discredit, either officiously o.s subject of tbe preceding paragraph. Every busybodies, or maliciously as slanderers. man ■hall kiBe b.is lips that 1~veth a right The maxim is expr~s~ed i11 general terms: on. XXIV. 1-34.] THE PROVERBS. 463