The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 545

or thnt the wamlng agninst being reproved a.nd what is snfllcient (Tel llloVTtt ""! T<k as n liar ia corroborated by the prayer nge.inet awdpr,71)." vanity nnd lice (but see below, on ver. 9). Ver. 9.-The reason for the latter prayer It is the first of Agur's numerical proverbs. follows, unless, as some consider, the prayer is one, as if Agnr asked, "Take from me Ver, 7.-Two things ha.ve I required of riches which lead to vanity, and poverty thee. The ptraone.l pronoun a.pplies to God, which leads to lying and deceit," In this who, according to our interpretation, he.a case the ground of the request would l'm- been invoked in ver. 1; otherwise it stands brace both parts of tl:.e petition. Lest I ba without reference to nnything preceding. full, and deny thee, and sa.y, Who is the Deny me not before I die; i.e. grant me Lord (Jehovah)? Great wea!til aud temporal these .two things for the rest o~ my life. prosperity tempt to forgetfulness of God, Septua.gint, "Ta.ke not grace (xapu,) from to self-confidence a.nd pre.ctica.l unbelief me before I die." in Divine providence. Like Pharaoh, the Ver. 8.-Here is the first request: :Re- haughty rich man asks with scorn, " Who move far from me vanity a.nd lies. Slia11, is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?" "vanity," is inward hollowness e.nd worth- (Exod. T. 2; comp. Dent. viii. 12, etc.; Job lessness, e.nd "lies" a.re the expression cf xxi. 14, eto.; Pa. xiv. 1). Septuagint," Lest this in words. The prayer might indeed be being :filled I become false, a.nd aoy, Who to.ken e.s e.n entreaty against being polluted seeth me? " Or lest I be poor, aud steal ; with the companionship of the evil, like lest my necessities lead to dishonesty. And "Lead us not into temptntion, but deliver take the name of my God in vain. The verb ua from evil ; " bnt it is best to.ken subjec- taphas means "to gre.sp at, seize violently, tively, a.a a. supplica.tion for personnl truth- handle roughly,'' a.nd the sin intended may fulness a.ad sincerity in e.11 relations both be either false swearing in denial of his towards God a.nd ma.n. Give me neither theft a.nd to escape punishment, or the poverty nor riches. Both extremes e.re arraignment of God's providence which has deprecated : the mean is the safest a.nd the allowed him to fall into such distress. T!rns happiest. Horace, 'Ca.rm.,' iii. 16. 42- Isa.. viii. 21, "They aha.II pa.as through it, " Multa. petentibus hardly bestead a.nd hungry; and it •hall Desunt multa.; bene est, cni dens obtulit come to pass that, when they shall be Pa.rca, quod satis est, ma.nu." hungry, they sbe.11 fret themselves, and curse their king a.nd their God." In view "The • ever craving' is Want's slo.ve and of the proverbs that follow, the clause seems thrall; to be best taken of the blasphemy attending The gods most wisely thllB their gifts on impatience and want of resignation to accord, God's will (comp. eh. xix. 3). Giving • enough,' they amply ~ive to all." Ver. 10.-Acouse not a. servant unto his (Stanley.) master. Ca.lumnioto, slander not; µ¾ 1<11T11- Theognis, 'Param.,' 1155- >.a>..i, 11pr, Theodotion; µ'I, 8,a;/Jcl>..pr, Symma- ohus. Do not secretly bring a. charge against 0~,c tpa.,.a, ..-AovTEiJI ou3' .tlxoµ,u, d>.>.cl ,.., a. man's slave, and make his master suspi- .r., cious of him; hove a. kind,feeling for those in z;v nb .,.;,., l,A[..,,,,.,, ,..,slv txo11T1 ,CQ;/COJI, lowly condition, a.nd do not render their lot "I want not wealth; I only ask to live more unbearable by insinua.tiug false or On frugal means without corroding care." frivolous accuso.tions against them. E wuld and others would render, '' Entice not a. :Feed me with food convenient for me; servant to slander his moster;" but there literally, gi1'e me to eat the bread of my is no need so to to.ke the expression, e.s the J)01'tion; that which by God's provide~ce is hiph. of the verb is used in poat-bi~li~~ determined for me (comp. Gen. xlvu. 22, Hebrew in the senl!ll of "to calummate. which speaks of t~e portion assi~ed for the 'l'he Septuagint hos, "Deliver not _o. serva.ut support of the pnests; Job xxm. 14; and into the ho.ode of his master," which seems below, oh. mi.15). It is natnre.l to refer to to refer to the treatment of runawl\y slaves .,.b., 11.pTov 11,,_;.v Tb11 '1rioJ,no11 of _the ~rd's (Deut. xxiii. 15). Lest he ourae thee, a.nd Pre.yer (Matt. vi. 11); but the idea 18 not thou be fonnd guilty, and hove to a.tone for the same. In the le.ttor, bread for the it. The slo.ndered ela.ve imprecates C\ c~ae needs of the coming de.y is !Ileant; in ?ur on his ale.adorer, and, ns the latter ~e.s in- pe.sse.ge it is more iudefin~te, a. _oastrng curred vengoonce by hid word or acttoi:i, the one's self on the Divine love, in re~1ncss to curse will not fall hnrmless (oh. xxn 2); to.ko what that love assigns. "He.vmg food God's righteous retr!butio~ will o\·crbko e.nd covering," says St. Paul (1 '[im._ vi. 8), him, ond he shull sutler for 1t. •· we shall be therewith content. 8cptua- 1iut, 11 Appoillt for me whe.l is necc1m1r, Vere. 11-31 contain si.x groups of four  574 THE PROVERBS. [ce:. xxx. 1-33.