When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: WHEN THOU SITTEST TO EAT WITH A RULER (TAKING UP , END), CONSIDER DILIGENTLY WHAT (FOOD OR DAINTY) IS BEFORE THEE - so as not to eat greedily, or boldly and familiarly, as if thou wast at home Piscator, etc., take it... [ Continue Reading ]
And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. AND PUT A KNIFE TO THY THROAT, IF THOU (BE) A MAN GIVEN TO APPETITE - restrain thy gluttony as it were with a knife applied to thy throat (cf. ). It is better to put a knife to thy throat, so as to keep thyself in fear the whole... [ Continue Reading ]
Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. BE NOT DESIROUS OF HIS DAINTIES; FOR THEY ARE DECEITFUL MEAT. Intimacy with an absolute king is a hazardous privilege. His dainties may injure your body if you are not on your guard. A hasty word of undue familiarity and irreverent fo... [ Continue Reading ]
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. LABOUR NOT TO BE RICH ( ; ); CEASE FROM THINE OWN WISDOM - from that wisdom of thine whereby thou labourest to be rich, as thy first aim. Solomon does not oppose diligence, but anxiety, and the common notion that it is true "wisdom" to make mon... [ Continue Reading ]
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. WILT THOU SET THINE EYES UPON THAT WHICH IS NOT? - literally, Wilt thou cause, thine eyes to fly upon? etc. (cf. 1 Samuel 15:19, "fly upon the spoil"). So the Qer... [ Continue Reading ]
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: AN EVIL EYE. Contrast "a bountiful eye," . An envious, grudging, illiberal spirit ().... [ Continue Reading ]
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. FOR AS HE THINKETH IN HIS HEART (GRUDGINGLY; NOT AS HIS KIND SPEECHES WOULD IMPLY), SO (IS) HE. "Thinketh;" the Hebrew [ shaa`ar (H8176)] means primarily to divide; hence, to decide, or es... [ Continue Reading ]
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. THE MORSEL (WHICH) THOU HAST EATEN SHALT THOU VOMIT UP. You will yet have reason to wish you could give him back his food, when you discover that it was so grudgingly given. Or, imperatively, With all speed return hi... [ Continue Reading ]
Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. SPEAK NOT (NAMELY, WISE WORDS) IN THE EARS OF A FOOL - such as the miserly host just described (Proverbs 23:6; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: ENTER NOT INTO THE FIELDS OF THE FATHERLESS (IN ORDER TO APPROPRIATE THEIR PROPERTY, AS THINKING THEY HAVE NONE TO DEFEND THEM); FOR THEIR REDEEMER IS MIGHTY; HE SHALL PLEAD THEIR CAUSE WITH THEE - (,) So () the poor on... [ Continue Reading ]
_APPLY THINE HEART UNTO INSTRUCTION, AND THINE EARS TO THE WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. WITHHOLD NOT CORRECTION FROM THE CHILD; FOR (IF) THOU BEATEST HIM WITH THE ROD (SO THAT SIN BECOMES HATEFUL TO HIM), HE SHALL NOT DIE - eternally ( end).... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. THOU SHALT BEAT HIM. The "thou" is emphatic: thou, the parent, not lightly delegating the power of the rod to others. If we would pray when we strike our children, it would provoke to wrath neither God nor them-`Lord, do tho... [ Continue Reading ]
My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. MY SON, IF THINE HEART BE WISE, MY HEART SHALL REJOICE. Resumption of the appeal, . 'Lord, let thy blessing so accompany my endeavour, that all my sons may be Benaiahs (the Lord's building), then they will be all Abners (their fa... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. YEA, MY REINS (THE SEAT OF THE AFFECTIONS) SHALL REJOICE WHEN THY LIPS SPEAK RIGHT THINGS. True wisdom begins at the heart (); its crowning is the lips' profession and confession, to the glory of God and the good of men.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. LET NOT THINE HEART ENVY SINNERS - in prosperity, so as to be tempted to imitate their example (; ). BUT (BE THOU) (OR, LET THINE HEART BE: FROM THE FIRST CLAUSE) IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD ALL THE DAY LONG -... [ Continue Reading ]
For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. FOR SURELY THERE IS AN END - there is coming the wished-for end, the reward of piety (; ; ; contrast ). As many sinners flourish outwardly, and many saints suffer adversity, to the close of life, the main reward must be beyo... [ Continue Reading ]
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. HEAR THOU ... BE WISE, AND GUIDE THINE HEART IN THE WAY. Do not turn back or aside from the narrow way. The steps are: (1) Hear; (2) Be wise-the doctrinal fruit o... [ Continue Reading ]
Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: BE NOT ... AMONG RIOTOUS EATERS OF FLESH - literally, 'among, those who immoderately eat flesh for themselves' (). Maurer translates, 'among those who are lavish of their body' - i:e., who give their body up to carnal lusts. I prefer the E... [ Continue Reading ]
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. AND DROWSINESS (THE NATURAL EFFECT OF EXCESS IN EATING AND DRINKING, ) SHALL CLOTHE (A MAN) WITH RAGS - (.)... [ Continue Reading ]
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. AND DESPISE NOT THY MOTHER WHEN SHE IS OLD - as self-willed sons are apt to do, because of the feebleness of her sex and the inferiority of her authority to the father's.... [ Continue Reading ]
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. BUY THE TRUTH - (; , notes; .) SELL IT NOT - part with it for no consideration, money, pleasure, fame, ease; for it is incomparably more precious than all things else, being the one pearl of great price (). INST... [ Continue Reading ]
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. THE FATHER OF THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL GREATLY REJOICE - (.)... [ Continue Reading ]
Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. THY FATHER ... AND SHE THAT BARE THEE (WITH MANY PAINS) SHALL REJOICE. There is no better way in which thou canst repay the debt of gratitude than by gladdening her and thy father by walking in the truth.... [ Continue Reading ]
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. MY SON, GIVE ME THINE HEART - the center and regulator of the head, the hands, the feet. AND LET THINE EYES OBSERVE MY WAYS. So the Qeri' [titsorªnaah, from natsar], and the ancient versions, except Symmachus. But the Kethibh, 'del... [ Continue Reading ]
For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. A WHORE (IS) A DEEP DITCH ... A NARROW PIT - where the fall is great, and whence there is no escape.... [ Continue Reading ]
She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men. SHE ALSO LIETH IN WAIT AS (FOR) A PREY (OR AS RAPINE ITSELF: THE ABSTRACT FOR THE CONCRETE: OR A PLUNDERER), AND INCREASETH THE TRANSGRESSORS (AGAINST GOD AND THEIR NEIGHBOUR) AMONG MEN - by enticing men, married a... [ Continue Reading ]
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? WHO HATH SORROW? - Hebrew, aboi; an interjection of sorrow arising through want; from abah, to desire. BABBLING - Hebrew, siyach (H7879); the babbling mutter of drun... [ Continue Reading ]
They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. THEY THAT TARRY LONG AT THE WINE - (.) GO TO SEEK - implying their eagerness in searching for choice wine and for convivial meetings; for solitude is disagreeable to those addicted to drink. MIXED WINE - wine mixed with stron... [ Continue Reading ]
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. LOOK NOT THOU UPON THE WINE WHEN IT IS RED. Do not be caught by its beautiful colour in the glass. Much sin enters the soul through the avenue of the eye. WHEN IT GIVETH HIS COLOUR -... [ Continue Reading ]
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. STINGETH LIKE AN ADDER - Hebrew, tsip`oniy (H6848); the basilisk (Bochart); a viper (Maurer).... [ Continue Reading ]
Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. THINE EYES SHALL BEHOLD (i:e. look out for) STRANGE WOMEN. Lust is inflamed by wines. (; ). AND THINE HEART SHALL UTTER PERVERSE THINGS - (; ; ) which shows the connection between looking for intrigues with bad... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. YEA, THOU SHALT BE AS HE THAT LIETH DOWN IN THE MIDST (THE HEART) OF THE SEA - fancying himself secure as if he were in the midst of the land; implying the greatness of the danger; also... [ Continue Reading ]
They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again. THEY (MY BOON COMPANIONS, AND OTHERS PROVOKED BY ME IN MY DRUNKENNESS, WHO INFLICTED MY "WOUNDS WITHOUT CAUSE," ; ESPECIALLY GOD'S JUDGMENTS AND GODS RE... [ Continue Reading ]