Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Proverbs 11:15-23
Further Contrasts Between The Righteous And The Unrighteous (Proverbs 11:15).
In this subsection we again have the continual contrast between the righteous, the gracious, the merciful and the blameless on the one hand, and the unrighteous, the violent, the perverse and the indiscreet on the other.
The righteous hates suretyship (Proverbs 11:15), obtains honour (Proverbs 11:16), does good to his own inner self (Proverbs 11:17), sows righteousness and has a sure reward (Proverbs 11:18), will attain to life (Proverbs 11:19), is a delight to YHWH (Proverbs 11:20), will be delivered (Proverbs 11:21), and desires only good (Proverbs 11:23). The unrighteous acts as a surety and will smart for it (Proverbs 11:15), obtains ill-gotten riches (Proverbs 11:16), troubles his own flesh (Proverbs 11:17), earns deceitful wages (Proverbs 11:18), pursues evil to his own death (Proverbs 11:19), is an abomination to YHWH (Proverbs 11:20), will be suitably punished (Proverbs 11:21), and can only expect wrath (Proverbs 11:23).
Note that for the first time since Proverbs 10:1 women are directly brought into the equation (Proverbs 11:16; Proverbs 11:22). We must, however, recognise that, whilst Solomon appears to direct his word towards men as those most directly involved in life and politics, he would also include women as having a responsibility to respond to wisdom. Both ‘man' and ‘he' can regularly include both sexes. (In Genesis 1:27 ‘man' (adam) included both male and female). Indeed, he depicted Wisdom as a woman. Consider, for example, how he firmly sees the wise mother as having responsibility alongside the wise father (Proverbs 1:8; Proverbs 4:3), which could only be because she had absorbed wisdom and the Torah.
The subsection can be seen chiastically:
A He who is surety for a stranger will smart for it, but he who hates suretyship is secure (Proverbs 11:15).
B A gracious woman obtains honour, and violent men obtain riches (Proverbs 11:16).
C The merciful man does good to his own inner self, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh (Proverbs 11:17).
D The wicked earns deceitful wages, but he who sows righteousness has a sure reward (Proverbs 11:18).
D He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life, and he who pursues evil does it to his own death (Proverbs 11:19).
C Those who are perverse in heart are an abomination to YHWH, but such as are blameless in their way are his delight. Though hand join in hand, the evil man will not be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous will be delivered (Proverbs 11:20).
B As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman who is without discretion (Proverbs 11:22).
A The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath (Proverbs 11:23).
As Proverbs 6:1 has suggested Solomon saw suretyship as an evil. This was because in the Torah (Law of Moses) God had exhorted that loans be given freely to the poor without strings attached (Deuteronomy 15:7). Thus as with the payment of interest (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36), to take commission from either an Israelite or a stranger dwelling in the land (Leviticus 19:34), for acting as a surety, was frowned on. The one who gives surety for a stranger would only do so for reward, thus Solomon sees him as a fool, because of the risk he takes, and unrighteous, because it went against God's requirements. In contrast those who hated suretyship were the righteous and upright. So in A the unrighteous will smart for what they have done (they will in the parallel come under God's wrath), whilst the righteous, who hate suretyship, are secure. In the parallel the desire of the righteous is only for good (they thus reject suretyship), while the wicked expect wrath. In B the gracious woman who obtains honour is contrasted with the fair woman who is without discretion. In C the merciful man thereby does good to himself, whilst the cruel are headed for trouble, and in the parallel the seed of the righteous will be delivered, (because their father is merciful and has done good to himself) whilst the evil man will not be unpunished. Centrally in D are three verses which demonstrate that the righteous and upright will gain by it for they are a delight to YHWH, whilst the unrighteous, the pursuer of evil and the perverse in heart will receive their reward.
‘He who is surety for a stranger will smart for it,
But he who hates suretyship is secure.'
The one who acts as surety for a stranger, that is, someone who was not related, ‘will smart for it'. He will come under God's judgment and be punished. For the righteous man hates suretyship and he will thereby be kept secure by God. Note that the one who acts as surety is paralleled with ‘violent men' (Proverbs 11:16 b), ‘one who is cruel' (Proverbs 11:17 b), and ‘the unrighteous' (Proverbs 11:18 a). In contrast the one who hates suretyship is paralleled with ‘a gracious woman' (Proverbs 11:16 a), ‘the merciful man' (Proverbs 11:17 a), and ‘the one who sows righteousness' (Proverbs 11:18 b).
It is quite clear from Proverbs that Solomon saw suretyship as something disapproved of by God, although not as putting the surety beyond the pale (he provides a way out for him). In Proverbs 6:1 he had urged ‘his son' not to act as a surety, and to have himself released from its obligations at all costs. Now he makes clear that to act as surety for a stranger will have bad consequences, presumably because God frowns on it, whilst the one who hates suretyship is secure. He is doing what is pleasing to God.
This is only understandable in the light of the teaching of the Torah (the Law of Moses). There loans were to be made on compassionate grounds (Deuteronomy 15:7) and without charging interest (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35). Offering suretyship for a commission would therefore have been frowned on. Apparently it was acceptable for a poor man to offer his cloak as security, but that was seemingly short term so that he could buy food, for it had to be restored at sunset so he could sleep in it (Exodus 22:26). Presumably he could by that time have worked the debt off. This last, however, was not what was in Solomon's mind for he was thinking of suretyship that could ruin a man.
And these instructions were not only as regards Israelites, but were equally to be applied to strangers living among them (Leviticus 19:34). The only distinction was that the stranger did not benefit by the seven year release (Deuteronomy 15:3). He was not a holder of land in perpetuity. In Solomon's day his whole kingdom may well have been seen as the area in which the laws applied, although in some matters he did distinguish between Israelites and non-Israelites (1 Kings 9:20).
So being a surety is here seen as the act of an unrighteous man, a fool, whilst refusing to act as a surety was seen as the act of a wise man, a righteous man. It is paralleled in the chiasmus with the desire of the righteous man which is good (among other things he does not act as surety), and the expectation of the unrighteous which is wrath. He can expect to smart for what he has done.
‘A gracious woman obtains honour,
And violent men obtain riches.'
Women are not prominent in the Book of Proverbs, but nor are they excluded, a balance which we might have expected in those days. In the Prologue Wisdom was regularly depicted as a woman, and the influence of the mother was seen as important (Proverbs 1:8; Proverbs 4:3; Proverbs 6:20), whilst the faithful wife was to be enjoyed and treasured (Proverbs 5:15). And this continues to be the case (Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 12:4; Proverbs 14:1 a; Proverbs 18:22). It may well have been his acknowledgement of the influence of good women on growing children (experienced by him as a child - Proverbs 4:3 b), which made him depict wisdom as a woman. This counters the fact that adulterous and immoral women were regularly depicted as a source of men's downfall (Proverbs 2:16; Proverbs 5:3; Proverbs 7:5; Proverbs 9:13), and that foolish and contentious women were seen as able to destroy a home (Proverbs 14:1 b; Proverbs 21:9). He saw both sides of the question.
Here in this subsection we have a contrast between such women. On the one hand there is ‘a gracious woman' (Proverbs 11:16 a) and on the other ‘a fair woman who is without discretion' (Proverbs 11:22 b). The former resembles the wise mother and good wife, the latter the indiscreet, foolish and contentious woman who simply stirs up trouble. Solomon is bringing out that in women graciousness is more important than beauty (compare Proverbs 31:30). The distinction in the context of Proverbs reminds us of Paul's exhortations in 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:11; 1Ti 5:13-14; 2 Timothy 3:6; Titus 2:4.
The woman who is gracious is honoured by all who know her, and is well thought of in society. She is well valued, and is of those who are righteous and wise. She is gracious and gentle and clearly depicted in Proverbs 31:10. In direct contrast are violent and forceful men. They may become wealthy, but they do so at the expense of honour and reputation. They are of those who are unrighteous and foolish. Their riches will not profit them in the day of wrath (Proverbs 11:4), and meanwhile they are dissatisfied within themselves (Proverbs 11:17 b). Macho man is as nothing compared with virtuous woman.
The same contrast was found in Proverbs 1:11 between violent men, who sought to entice the naive into sin, and woman Wisdom who guided the naive in the right way. Solomon lays great emphasis on the influence of good women. Whilst the violent and forceful often shape society from the outside, to its detriment, gracious women shape society from the inside. It is, of course, ironic that Solomon was the perfect example of the former with his forced levees and high taxes which would have caused hardship to many families.
‘The merciful man does good to his own inner self,
But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.'
In contrast to the violent and forceful in Proverbs 11:16 is the merciful and kind man (so not all men are to be written off). He is the man of chesed (‘covenant love'). He not only benefits others by his compassion, but he also does himself a great deal of good. ‘He does good to his own inner self'. He enjoys peace and contentment and a sense of wellbeing.
The cruel man, on the other hand, may, like the violent, become wealthy, but he does so at the expense of his own inner peace. He ‘troubles (disturbs) his own flesh', making himself uneasy and dissatisfied and morally discontent. The contrast with ‘does good to his own self' suggests that ‘troubling his own flesh' also refers to his own personal inner experience. But it may also be seen as including the fact that he can bring violent repercussions on himself and on his family.
For the idea of ‘troubling his own flesh' compare Ahab's words to Elijah, ‘Is it you, you troubler (disturber) of Israel', to which Elijah replied, ‘it is not I who have troubled Israel, but you --' (1 Kings 18:17). Achan had also troubled Israel (Joshua 7:25). In these cases to ‘trouble' meant to bring devastating repercussions on.
The contrast between the inner self and the flesh used in the same context is interesting, suggesting a significant difference spiritually between the truly righteous and the unrighteous, indeed almost, but not quite, in terms of spirit and flesh. One is ruled by his inner self which is at peace, the other by his outer flesh which is ever discontented. That we are not to apply the terms too literally comes out in the next verse. Solomon is dealing in metaphors.
‘The wicked earns deceitful wages,
But he who sows righteousness has a sure reward.'
The violent, the cruel, and the unrighteous not only ‘trouble their own flesh', but they also earn for themselves ‘deceitful wages'. They gain nowhere. They may appear to be achieving value, but in the end their ‘wages' are revealed as unsatisfying and not worth what they have cost. The deceitful wages are, of course, representative of all that the unrighteous obtain for themselves. They may think that they are doing well by their behaviour, but they will learn that it has all been an illusion. The deceivers are deceived about what they will receive.
Meanwhile the merciful man sows righteousness, and eventually receives a sure reward. Sowing involves scattering widely, it depends on God for increase, and where successful it achieves great returns. So does the man of righteousness sow his righteous acts and behaviour widely, look to God for any increase, and have confidence that he will have great returns.
Note the interesting contrast between the quick returns coming to the unrighteous, ‘wages' which would be paid at once by men, and the slower but more certain returns of the righteous who sow and then wait for God to give the increase, an increase which may be slow, but is sure and well founded. Man looks at the short term. God looks at the long term.
‘He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil does it to his own death.'
And in the end those issues are ones of life and death. The one who is steadfast in righteousness attains to life (compare Proverbs 3:16; Proverbs 4:4; Proverbs 10:16; Proverbs 10:27). He finds prosperity, peace, wellbeing and security (Proverbs 1:33; Proverbs 3:2; Proverbs 3:16; Proverbs 3:35; Proverbs 4:18; etc.). And the continual contrast with death suggests that Solomon saw life as going on beyond the grave (compare Proverbs 15:24; Psalms 16:11; Psalms 17:15; Psalms 23:6). In the words of Jesus, those who believe in Him will obtain good things in this life, and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29).
In contrast those who pursue evil do so ‘to their own death'. They ‘die' in this life, losing the wholesomeness of life (Proverbs 11:17 b, Proverbs 11:18 a), and then finally sink to the world of the grave, to eternal death (Proverbs 2:18; Proverbs 5:5; Proverbs 7:27; Proverbs 9:18); Proverbs 10:2; Proverbs 11:7).
An alternative translation is, ‘Behold the righteous attain life.' But it makes little difference to the sense.
‘Those who are perverse (twisted) in heart are an abomination to YHWH,
But such as are blameless (straight) in their way are his delight.
Though hand join in hand (literally ‘hand to hand'), the evil man will not be unpunished,
But the seed of the righteous will be delivered.'
These two proverbs are to be seen together. The perverse (twisted) in heart are an abomination to YHWH and will not go unpunished, those who walk blamelessly (straightly) are His delight, and their seed will be delivered. Thus as so often in Proverbs God is seen to divide mankind into two. On the one hand are the perverse in heart, always at cross-purposes with God and His ways, and seeking to please themselves. And it is not a temporary blip, but an attitude of heart. On the other are the blameless, those who walk in His wisdom and seek to please Him. They walk in a way that fills Him with delight. What they are comes out in their walk. So the one are a hateful thing to Him, the others are His delight.
Note also how the unrighteous go on their way ‘hand to hand'. They are all in agreement about their attitude towards God's wisdom. They combine their forces against God. They are all in it together (compare Proverbs 1:11). And they will all be punished together. In contrast the blameless saves not only himself but his seed. His whole family will be blessed. Godly families have always been the foundation on which godliness has flourished. They perpetuate godliness from one generation to another even when times are evil (although, of course, not unfailingly). The evil man finds his ‘family' in terms of those who unite with him in evil. In contrast the family of the righteous (his seed) are close knit and support each other in godliness.
‘As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,
So is a fair woman who is without discretion.'
The ring of gold was a nose ring of a kind regularly worn by women in the Ancient Near East. Eliezer, Abraham's steward, gave one to Rebekah (Genesis 24:22). The ring would have a small breach in it with two pointed ends, and would fit on the nose. It was a sign of wealth. The pig, of course, was seen as an ‘unclean' animal. And the point is that you can put such an expensive gold ring in a pig's snout, but it is totally incompatible. It will not remedy the pig's defects or make it clean. You cannot turn a pig into a beauty. What could have been so beautiful in the right surroundings (for example on the woman's nose) has been debased. No one will stop to admire it. People will only wonder at the waste. (Incongruously there are some today who would put a gold ring in a pet pig's snout, but that simply reveals their extravagance. The pig does not appreciate it in the least).
In the same way a beautiful woman is a contradiction to herself if she is not beautiful at heart. If she is ‘without discretion', in other words does not behave wisely, her beauty counts for nothing. Her outward form is like the gold ring, but her inward heart is like the pig's snout. The two are incongruous. Many a beautiful woman has spoiled herself by her bad temper, her wilfulness, and her total selfishness. Not all the beauty in the world can make up for such traits. In the end they will only disgust. What a contrast this woman is with the gracious woman of Proverbs 11:16 a who is honoured by all.
‘The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
This verse parallels to some extent Proverbs 10:28, ‘the hope of the righteous will be joyfulness, and the expectation of the wicked will perish,' but now instead of expressing the hope of joyfulness to come, it expresses the desire for what is good, and instead of expectation perishing, it results in wrath (compare Proverbs 11:4).
So this subsection comes to an end with a summary of the situation for the righteous and the unrighteous. The righteous desire only what is good. Their hearts are set on goodness. In consequence their expectation is also good. They are honoured by men (Proverbs 11:16 a), satisfied at heart (Proverbs 11:17 a), will receive a sure and abundant reward (Proverbs 11:18 b), attain to life (Proverbs 11:19 a), and are a delight to God (Proverbs 11:20 b). They know that they will finally be delivered (saved), along with their families (Proverbs 11:21 b).
In contrast are the unrighteous. Their only expectation is the wrath of God (compare Proverbs 11:4). They may obtain riches (Proverbs 11:16 b), but these will bring them no lasting joy (Proverbs 11:17 b). What they will earn by their ways is in fact deceptive, it is not as good as it at first seems (Proverbs 11:18 a), whilst the consequence of their behaviour is death (Proverbs 11:19 b). Indeed, they are an abomination to YHWH (Proverbs 11:20 a), are destined for punishment (Proverbs 11:21 a), and are like a gold ring in a pig's snout (Proverbs 11:22 a), which is where they belong. They are ostentatious and misplaced. Their expectation can only be wrath, in other words, the wrath of God.