The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 468

with clouds when a storm is threatened. good man's fall into misfortune owing to the "Oountenance" is plural in the Hebrew, machinations of sinners ; but in this case denoting, as HHzig points out, that the the comparison loses its force; such persecu- calumniator does not affect one person only, tion would not disturb the purity or lower but occal!ions trouble fo.r and wide, destroys the character of the righteous man; it friendly relations between many, excites would rather enhance his good qualities, suspicion and enmity in various quarters. give occasion for their exercise and develop- Septuagint, "An impudent countenance ment, and therefore could not be described provokes the tongue." as fouling a pure spring. Ver. 24.-A repetition of eh. xxi. 9, t.aken Ver. 27.-It is not good to ea.t much therefore from the Solomonio collection. honey. The ill effects ot a surfeit of honey Ver. 25.-As cold waters to a thirsty soul. have been already mentioned (ver. 16); but The particle of comparison is not in this here the application is different, and occa- first clause in the Hebrew. (For "cold sions some difficulty. The Authorized V tr• waters," comp. Jei-. :xviii. 14.) So is good sion, in order to clear up the obscurity of news from a far oountry. The nostalgia of the text, inserts a negative, So for men to an exile, and the craving for tidings of him search their own glory is not glory, which felt by his friends at home, o.re like a parch- seems to be a warning al!ainst conceit ancl ing thir•t. The relief to the latter, when self-adulation. This is harJly warra11t,,d they receive good news of the wanderer, is by the present Hebrew text, which is lite- as refreshing as a draught of cool water top rally, as Venetian render,, "Ep,uvri ,,., Sota• fainting, weary man. We do not know thlt avTwv B&!a, •• The search of their glory [is] the Hebrews were great travellers in those glory." But who o.ro meant hy " th,·ir"? days; but any communication from a distllnt No persons arc mentioned in the verse to country would be very uncertain in arriving whom the ,uffix in □:n::i;i can be referred, and at its destination, and would at any rate it is not improbable that some words have take a long time in transmission. In most dropped out of the text. At tho same time, cases there would be nothing to rest upon we might naturally in thought supply " for but vague report, or a message carried by men" after "it is not good," such owi,sions some travelling merchant. There is a some- being not unoommon in proverbial sayings; wlrn.t similar proverb found at ver. 13 and the suffix then would refer to them. Com- eh. :xv. 30. The 1mcient commentators have mentators have endeavoured to amend the seen in this news from e. distant country text by alterations which do not commend the announcement of Christ's birth by the themselves. Sohultens supposes that the suf- angels at Bethlehem, or the preaching of the fix had reference to the Divine law and reve- goopel that tells of the joys of heaven, the lations, and, as ,:i::, may mean both "glory" land that is very fo.r oil' (Isa. xx:xiii. 17). and" weight," translates," Vestigatio grnvi- Ver. 26.-Hebrew (see on ver. 11), A tatis eorum, gravitas." Berthoau takes kabod tronblad fountain, and a oorrupted apring- in two different senses," The searching out of n righteous man giving way to the wioked. their glory is a burden." So Delitzsch, by e. A good man neglecting to o.ssert himself and little manipulation of the pointing ( □ J?.?) to llOld his own in the fo.ce of sinners, is as obtains the rendering, "But to search out useless to society e.nd as harmful to the good hard things is an honour." Tuken thus, the on use as a spring that has been defiled by maxim says that bodily pleasures sicken mud stirred up or extraneous matter intro- and cloy, but diligent •tudy brings honour. duced is unserviceable for drinking and pre- This, however, is not satisfactory ; it gives jutlicinl to those who use it. 'l'he mouth of a word two different seus~s in the ~nmo the righteous should be "a well of lifo" clause, and it uffcmls a very feeble contmot. (eh. x. 11), wholesome, refreshing, helpful; One would naturully expect the proverlJ to his con<luct should be consistent and say tlmt the excess, which wns deprec11ted in straightlorwo.rd, fearless in upholJing the the first hemistioh ns re~artls one depnrt- right (Isa. li. 12, eto.), uncompromising in ment, must be equally rejected in another opposing sin. When such a me.n, for fear, sphere. This is sowewhut the iclo1\ given 01· favour, or weakness, or weariness, yields by Jerome, Sio qui scrutator est maje•tatis to the wicked, compromises principle, no opprimetur a gloria. '!'he truth here ,itated longer makes a stand for truth nnd purity will be explained by translating our tex:t, nnd virtue, he loses his high character, "'!'he investigation of weighty wattors is a brings e. scandal on religion, and lowers hie weight." Thus the clause~ are shown to be own spiritual nature. It is this moral well poised. Honey is good, study is good ; cowardice which Obrist so sternly rebukes but both may be used so as to bo prejuJicial. (Matt. x. 33), "Whosoever shall deny me Eating may bo curried to excess ; study before men, him will I also deny before my may attempt to investigate things too hard F,,thcr which is in heaven." Some have or too high. 'l'hat this is a real dnnger we IIS8mucd tho.t the guowo fo concerned with II know woll frow tho coutrovcr,ic~ abuut l'ro-  486 THE PROVERBS. [OH. XXV. 1-28.