The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 467

" Strains of ~ladnees the consc!ousness of his ill doing, which ie Suit not souls with angwsh torn." 1tcc01upame~ by the sharp pain of regret. The true Christian sympnthy teaches to S~. Augustme, "Ne dubitaveris flgurate " rejoice with them that rejoice, to weep dictum .•. ut intelligas carbones ignis with them that weep" (Rom. xii. 15). esse ~entes pamiteutim gemitus, quibus Plumptre, in the • Speaker's Commentary,' su_perb10. s9:n~tur ejus, q_ui dolet se inimicum suggests that the effervescence caused by fmsse hom1ms, a quo eJus miserire subveni- the mixture of acid and alkali is taken as a tur" (' De Doctr. Christ.,' iii. 16). Lesetre t~·pe of the irritation produced by the inop- quo~es St. F~ncis de Sales, who gives again portune songs. But this is importing a a different view, "You are not obliged to modern new into a paragraph, such as seek reconciliation with one who has would never have occurred to the writer. offended you; it may be rather his part to Tbe Septuagint, followed partially by seek you; yet nevertheless go and follow Jerome, the Syriac, and the Targum, intro- the Saviour's counsel, prevent him with duces another proverb not found in the good, rende! him good for evil; heap coals Hebrew," A.s a moth in a garment, and a of fire on his head and on his heart which worm iu wood, so the sorrow of a man hurts may burn up all ill will and constr;in him his heart." to love you" (' De l' Am. de Dieu,' viii. 9). And the Lord shall reward thee. This con• Vers. 21, 22.-This famous tetrastrich is sideration can scarcely be regarded as the reproduced (with the exception of the fourth chief m_otive for the liberality enjoined. line) from the Septuagint by St. Paul(Rom. though 1t would be present to the kind per• s~n•s. mind, and be a support and comfort to :xii. 20). him m a course of conduct repugnant to the Ver. 21.-The traditional hatred of natural man. He would remember the enemies is here strongly repudiat.ed (see eh. glorious reward promised to godliness by :xxiv. I 7, IS, and notes there). Thus Elisha the prophet (Isa. !viii. 8, etc.), and how Saul tr~ated the Syrians, introduced blindly into had expressed his consciousness of David's the midst of Samaria, ordering the King of magno.1!imity in sparing his life. "Thou art Israel to set bread and water before them, more righteous than I; for thou bast re- and to send them away unharmed (2 Kings warcled me good, whereas I have rewarded vi. 22). "Punish yonr enemy by benefiting thee evil . . . where fore the Lord reward him," say the .Axabs, though they are far thee good for that thou hast done unto me from practising the injunction ; "Sweet this day" (L Sam. xxiv. 17, 19 11ncl xxvi. 21). words break the bones; " "Bread and salt Ver. 23.-Thenorth winddriveth away rain. humble even a robber," say the :Russians. So St. Jerome (Ventus Aquilo dissipat plu- Ver. 22.-For thou shalt heap ooals of fire vias), Symmachus, Aben Ezra, and others. npon his head. This expression has been The north wind is called by tho natives of taken in various senses. It has been thought Palestine" the heavenly," from the bright to mean that the forgiveness of the injured effect which it produces in the sky. " Dy person brings to the cheek of the offender the means of the north wind cometh he (the sun} burning blush of shnme. But heaping coals forth as gold" (Job x.xxvii. 22). But the on the head cannot naturally be taken to verb here used (?1n) means "to bring forth, express such an idea. St. Chrysosiom and produce" (Pa. xc. 2) ; hence the Hcvi~cd oth~r FatherR consider that Di vine ven- Version rightly renders, "The north wind geance is implied, as in Ps. xi. 6, "Upon the bringeth forth rain." '.rhis is quito tme if wickecl he shall rain snares; fire and brim- "north wincl" be tllken us equivalent to stone a.nd burning wind shall be their por- "wind from the d0,rk quarter "(Umbroit), tion;" ancl Ps. ex!. JO," Let burning coalH like (o</Jos in Greek; and, in fact, the north- foll upon them." Of course, in one view, west wind in Pul~stiue does bring rain. Sep- kinclntss to au evil man only gives him tuagint, "The north wind 0,rouseth ('!eyel- occasion for fresh ingratitude and hatred, pu) clouds." So cloth an angry oountenanoe a. aud tLcrefore increaseH God's wrath against baokbiting tongue. Carrying on tho inter- Lim. But it would be a wicked motive to pretation intended by the Authorized Ver- act this beneficent part only to have the sion, this clause means that an angry look satisfaclion of seeing your injurer humbled will check a slanderer and incline him to or punished. And the gnome implies that hold his peace from prudential motives. the sinner is benefited by the clemency But with the rcuclering given above, ehowu to him, that the requital of evil by "bringeth forlb," 0,nother explauntion is gc,o<l \,rings the offender to ll better mind, involvc:cl, viz. "So does a secret, sl0,ndering ancl aids his s1,iriiual life. "Coals of fire" tongue cuuso 0, troubled couutcnance." are a n,etaphoc for the penetrating pain of When a wan di~cove1·s lhat n ~ecret slnndorcr reruorBe 11n<l repentance. The u,uneritcd is workiug 11guiust him, he shows it by his kindness which he receive~ fr"""..11 •1puu him gloomy 0,11d uugry look, a~ tho sky is dark on. xxv. 1-28.] 'l'RE PROVERBS. 485