The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 465

@uch phenomena, which, according to current hollow trees (1 Sam. xiv. 27), or in more meteorological observation, gave every hope unlike)y situations (Judg. xiv. 8), and was of a refreshing shower in the time of summer extens1 vely used as an article of food. All drought, to see the clouds pass away with- travellers in Palestine note the great abun- out affording a single drop of rnin is a dance of bees therein, o.nd how well it grievous disappointment. The metaphor is a~swcrs_ to its description o.s "e. land flowing found in the New Testament. St. Jude with mllk and honey." Eat so muoh as is (ver. 12) calls false teachers "clouds without sufficient for thee. 'l'he agreee.ble sweetness water, carried along by winds." "A gift of of honey might lead the finder to eat too falsehood," equivalent to" a false gift," one much ofit. Against such excess the moralist that deceives, because it is only promised warns : Lest thou be filled therewith and and never given. A man makes a gre.at vomit it. Thus wrote Pindar, 'N em.:• vii. parade of going to bestow a handsome pre- 51- scn t, and then sneaks out of it, and gives , AAAc\ -yap &vd,rav<Tir Iv ,..,.,,.,2 -yA111<ei'a lpyrp. nothing. Such a one is, as St. Jerome 1<6pov o'tx.. 1·cnders, Vir gloriosus, et promissa non com- plens. The oh! commentators quote Ovid, K.il JL•A• 1<al Ta .,Jp,rv' ltvB•' 'A<f,po3l<T,a. • Heroid.,' vi. 109- M?7o~v 1£-yav, Ne quid nimis, is a maxim con- " llfobilis 1Esonide, vernaque incertior aura, tinually urged by those who wished to teach Cur tua pollicito pondere verba carent?" moderation. Says Homer,' Iliad,' xiii. 636- "Deeds are frnits," says the proverb,•• words " Jlfen are with _all things sated-sleep, and are but leaves;'' and "Vain-glory blossoms, Jove, but never bears fruit." Concerning the Sweet sounds of music, and the joyous folly of making stupid boasts, the Beng[llee dance." proverb speaks of e. pedlar in ginger getting (Lord Derby.) tidings of his ship. The Septuagint is in- Says Horace, 'Sat.,' i. 1. 106- correct, "As winds, and clouds, and rains are most evident (i,r,q,ave<T-raTa), so is ho " Est modus in rebus, sunt certi denique who boasts of a false gm." fines, Ver. 15.-By long forbearing; i.e. by pa- Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere tience, calmness tuat does not break out rectum." into passion whatever be the provocation, The honey is a figure of all that pleases the even, it is implied, in the face of a false and senses; but the maxim is to be extended malicious accusation (comp. eh. xiv. 29). beyond physical matters, thongh referring Is a prince persuaded. J(atson is rnther primarily to such pleasures. The mind may "an axbiter," or ju,lge, than "a prince,'' and be overloaded as well as the body; only the proverb says that such an officer is led such instruction as can be digested ond to take a favourable view of an accused assimilated is se1·viceable to the spiritual person's case when he sees him calm and nature; injudicious crnmming produces composed, ready to explain the matter with- satiety and disgust. Again, "'.l'o • find out any undue heat or irritation, keeping honey,'" says St. Gregory(' Moral.,' xvi. 8), steadily to the point, and not seduced by "is to taste ihe sweetness of holy intelli- calumny or misrepresentation to forget him- gence, which is ea.ten enough of then when self and lose his temper. Such a bearing our perception, according to the mcasuro of presupposes innocP-nce and weighs favour- our faculty, is hel<l tight under control. For ably with the judge. The LXX. m11kcs the he is• filled with honey, and vomits it' who, gnome apply to monarchs alone, "In long- in seeking to di 1·e deeper than be hos capo- suffering is prosperity unto kings." A soft city for, loses that too from whence he tongue breaketh the bone. A soft answer might have derived nourishment." Ancl in ( eh. xv. I), gentle, conciliating words, over- another place (ibid., xx.18)," The sweetness come opposition, and disarm the most deter- of spiritual meaning he who seeks to eat mined enemy, and make tender in him that beyond what he contains, even wha.t he he.d which was hardest and most uncompromis- eaten he 'vomiteth;' because, whilst he ing. "Gutta ea vat lapidem, non vi, sed smpe seeks to make out things above, beyond his cadendo." Simil11r proverbs are found else- powers, even the things tha.t he hod wade where, though probably in a different sense. out aright, he forfeits" (Oxford transl.). Thus in modern Greek, "The tongue has Ver. 17.-Withdraw thy foot from thy no bones, yet it breaks bones;" in Turkish, neighbour's hoU&e; literally, make thy /out "The tongue has no bone, yet it crushes;" precioUB, rare; Septua.gint, "Ilring thy agaiu, "One drop of honey," says the Turk, foot sparingly (<Tmiv,ov) into thy friend's "catches more bees than a ton of vinegar." house." The proverb seoms to be loosely Ver. 1G.-Hast thou found honey l Honey connected with tho preceding, 11s urgin~ would be found in crevices of rocks, in moderation. Du not pay too frequent visits OH. xxv.1-28.J THE PROVERBS. 483