The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 461

EXPOSITION. his reputation for wisdom. The title is CHAPTER XXV. given in the Septuagint, thus: A~Ta1 al Ver. 1--oh. x.x.i.x.-Part VI. SECOND ,ra16,ia1 la"-<,,µ&11.-os a/ a.61&.1tp1TO<, &s 11;.-ypa,j,• GREAT COLLECTION OF SOLOMONIC PROVERRS, avTO ol cp{i\o, >E(E,clou Toii f3arri'>..l"Js -rijs- 'lov6ala~, What is meant by a6,d.,cp,.-o, is gathered by " the men of Hezekiah," in uncertalD. It has been translated "impos- which wisdom is set forth as the greatest sible to distinguish," equivalent to "mis- bl!'ssing to the king and his subjects. cellaneous;" "beyond doubt," equivalont ver. 1.-The superscription: These are to "genuine," "harcl to interpret," as in elso proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Polyb., xv. 12. 9. St. James (iii. 17) ap- :Hezekiah King of Jude.h copied out. The plies the term to wisdom, but the interpre- word "also" implies that a previous collec- ters there o.re not agrned as to the meaning, tion was known to the compiler of the it being ren<lered "without partiality," present book-probably the one which we '' without variance," "without doubtful- have in eh. x.-xxii. 16, of which nine pro- ness," etc. , It seems best to take the word verbs are inserted here. But there was still as used by the LXX. to signify "mixed," e. large number of proverbial sayings attri- or "miscellaneous." buted to Solomon, o.nd preserved partly by Vera. 2-7.-Proverbs concerning kings. ore.I tradition and partly in writing, which Ver. 2.-It is the glory of God to conoeal it waa advisable to collect and secure before a thing. That which is tho chief glory of they were lost. The zeal of Hezekiah took God is his mysteriousness, the unfathomablo this in hand. He was not, as far ns we character of his nature and attributes and know, an author himself, but he evidently doings. The more we search into these felt e. warm interest in literature, and " the matters, the more complete we find our men of Hezekiah," not mentioned elsewhere, ignorance to be; finite faculties are utterly must have been his counsellors and scholars, unable to comprehond tho infiuite; they to whom was entrusted the duty of gather- can embrace merely what God ollooses to ing together into a volume the scattered reveal. "Secret thingd belong unto the sa_yings of the wise king. Among these Lord our God" (Dent. xxix. 29), o.nd the contemporaries, doubtless, IEaiah was emi- great prophet, favoured with Divine revela- nent, and it is not improbable that Shebne. tions, can only confess, " Verily, thou art a the scribe and Joah the chronicler were God that hidest thyself" (Isa.. xiv. 15; members of the learned fraternity (2 Kings comp. Eccles. viii.17; Rom. xi. 33, etc.). But xviii. 18). The verb rightly translated the honour of kings is to sea.roh out a matter. "copied out" (atha1') means, properly, "to The same word is used for " glory " and reruove," "to transfer" from one place to "honour" in both olauses, and ought to have another (transtulerunt, yulgate); l1ence it been rendered similarly. It is the king's glory signifies here to copy lllt-0 a book words to execute justice and to defend the rights taken from other writings or people's and safety of his people. To do this effec- mouths. The sayings thus collected, whether tually he must invesLig:1.le matters brought truly Solomon's or not, were exte.nt under beforo him, look kcculy into political <lilli- liiH nu.we, aud were regarded as worthy of oultics, get to tile bottom of aJJ complic"" OH, XXV, 1-28.] '.l.'HE PROVERBS. 47!)