The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 496

sharpener ra.ther tbe.n the whetstone, bece.use others' minds; "fo'.r wb11t man Imoweth the he wishes to denote the.t one man is of the things of o. man, ea-ve the spirit <if man , so.me ne.ture e.s another, and that this whic? is _in ~irn?" (1 Cor; ii. 11 ). There is identity is that which makes mutual e.ction a solldanty, in human natu~e which enables possible and advante.geous. Some have u~ to .i?dg~ of others by' ourselves. The taken the proverb in a bad sense, as if it difficulties m the construction and wording meant that one angry word leads to another, of the sentence do not affect the interpre~ one man's passion excites another's roge. to.lion. 'l'hey o.re, however, best met by Thus Aben Ezra. The Septuagint perhaps rendering, with Delitzsch, "As it is with supports this notion by rendering,' AY~p lie water, faco corresponds to face, so also the r.apo!~v .. r.poc-unrov haieou. But the best heo.rt of man _to man." Septuagint, "As commentators understand the maxim to say faces are not like faces, so neither are the that intercourse with other men influences thoughts of men;" which is like the saying the manner, appearance, deportment, and of Persins, 'Sat.,' v. 52- cbe.racter of a man, sharpens his wits, con- trols his conduct, and brii;htens his very face. "Mille hominum species, et rerum discolor Horace uses the same figure of speech, 'Ars usus: ' Poet.,' 304- Veile suumcuiq_ue est, necvoto,vivitnruno." " Fnngar vice cotis, acutum Ver. 20.-Hell and destruction are never Reddere qure ferrum valet, exsors ipsa fo.11, "Hell" is sheol, the under-world, sccaudi." Hades, the place of the departed; "destruc- tion" is the great depth, the second death, On the subject of mutual intercourse Euri- personified (see on eh. xv. 11, where the pides says, 'Androm.,' 683- terms also occur). 'l'hese "are never satis- 'H Ii' ~µ.171.(a fied," they are insatiable, all-devouring n,..,,.,.,,, /3po.-oi,n -yl-yve.-a, li11i&crKall.os. (comp. eh. :s:.xx. 16; Isa. v. 14; Hab. ii. 5). So the eyes of mR.n are never satisfied, The "Compe.nionship verb is the same in both clauses, and ought Is that which teaches mortals everything." to hn.ve been so translated. The eye is Ver. 18.-Whoso keepeth the:figtree shell taken as the representative of concupiscence eat the fruit thereof. He who watches, in general. What is true of "the lust of tends, and cultivates the fi~ tree will in the eyes" (1 John ii. 16) is true of all the due time have the reward of his labour in senses; the craving for. their gratification eating its fruit. The abundance of the grows as it is fed, Therefore the senses prod nee of this tree makes it a good figure should .be carefully guarded, lest they lead of the reward of fuitbful service. Septua- to excess and transgression. "Turn away gint, "He that plnoteth a fig tree shall eat mine eyes from beholding vanity," said tile the fruits thereof" (2 Tim. ii. 6). So he psalmist, "and quicken me in thy way" that w11iteth on his master shRll be honoured. (Ps. cxilli, 37). The LXX. here int!'oducea He who pays attention, has loving regard a po.ragraph not in the Hebrew or the Latin to Lis master, shall meet with honour as hie Versions: "He thot fixes (crn1pC(wv) his eye reward at his master's hands, o.nd also from [i.e. storing impudently] is an abomination all who become acquainted with his merits. to the Lord, 11,nd the uninstructed restrain The gnome may well be applied to the case not their tongue." ' of those who do true and laudable service to Ver. 21.-Fining-pot, etc. (see on eh. xvii. their heavenly Master, and who shall one 3; comp. also eh. xxv. 4). So is a man to day hear from hie lips the gracious word, his praise, The Hebrew is literally, Tt,8 " Well done, thou good and faithful servant: crucible for silver, and the f11rnace for golcl, thou hast been faithful over a few things, and a man according .to his praise; i.e. os I will make thee ruler over many things : the processes of metallurgy test the precious enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (ll1att. metals, so a nrnn's public reputation shows XXV. 21), what ho is !'ea!ly worth, os is stoted in eh, Ver. 19.-As in water face anewereth to xii.· 8. As the crucible brings all' impuri- face, so the he11rt of man to man; Vulgate, ties to the surface, so public opinion drags Quomodo iii aquis resplendent vultus 111·08• forth a.II that is bad in a man, o.nd ho who picientium, sic corda hominum manifesta stands this test is genemlly esteemed, sunt prudentibuB, As in clear water the Certainly praise is a stimulus to exer- face of the gazer is reflected, so man tion, an incentive to try' to make one's self finds in his fellow-man the same f~elings, worthy of the _estimo.tion in which one is s,,otiments, lJe.seiooe, which he has himself. held, especially if ·he purifies it from the He eees in others the likeness of himself; dross and earthliness mixed with it, and whatever lie knows himself to be, he will takes to himself only. what is genuine aml ; ce others presenting the eame character. just. •But public opiaion is ,very commonly td f-know ledge, too, leads to iasight into false, o.nd iB always a very unsafe criterion OH, XXVII. 1-27,] THE PROVERBS. 519