Clarke's Commentary - Proverbs - Song Of ... - Media Sabda Org

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But he that hath mercy on the poor] Who reproaches no man for his poverty or scanty intellect, but divides his bread with the hungry-happy is he; the blessing of God, and of them that were ready to perish, shall come upon him. Verse 23. In all labour there is profit] If a man work at his trade, he gains by it; if he cultivate the earth, it will yield an increase; and in proportion as he labours, so will be his profit: but he who talks much labours little. And a man of words is seldom a man of deeds. Less talk and more work, is one of our own ancient advices. Verse 24. But the foolishness of fools is folly.] The Targum reads, The honour of fools is folly. The fool, from his foolishness, produces acts of folly. This appears to be the meaning. Verse 26. In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence] From this, and from genuine Christian experience, we find that the fear of God is highly consistent with the strongest confidence in his mercy and goodness. Verse 27. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life] mekor chaiyim, the vein of lives. Another allusion to the great aorta which carries the blood from the heart to all the extremities of the body. <strong>Of</strong> this phrase, and the tree of lives, Solomon is particularly fond. See on #Pr 4:23; 10:12. Verse 28. In the multitude of people] It is the interest of every state to promote marriage by every means that is just and prudent; and to discourage, disgrace, and debase celibacy; to render bachelors incapable, after a given age, of all public employments: and to banish nunneries and monasteries from all parts of their dominions;—they have ever, from their invention, contributed more to vice than virtue; and are positively point blank against the law of God. Verse 29. That is hasty of spirit] ketsar ruach, "the short of spirit;" one that is easily irritated; and, being in a passion, he is agitated so as to be literally short of breath. Here put in opposition to erech appayim, long of nostrils; see on #Pr 14:17; and of the same import with St. Paul's , longsuffering, longmindedness. See on #Eph 4:2. Verse 30. A sound heart is the life of the flesh] A healthy state of the blood, and a proper circulation of that stream of life, is the grand cause, in the hand of God, of health and longevity. If the heart be diseased, life cannot be long continued. Verse 31. He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker] Because the poor, or comparatively poor, are, in the order of God, a part of the inhabitants of the earth; and every man who loves God will show mercy to the poor, for with this God is peculiarly delighted. The poor have we ever with us, for the excitement and exercise of those benevolent, compassionate, and merciful feelings, without which men had been but little better than brutes. Verse 32. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness] He does not leave life cheerfully. Poor soul! Thou hast no hope in the other world, and thou leavest the present with the utmost regret! Thou wilt not go off; but God will drive thee.
But the righteous hath hope in his death.] He rejoiceth to depart and be with Christ: to him death is gain; he is not reluctant to go-he flies at the call of God. Verse 34. But sin is a reproach to any people.] I am satisfied this is not the sense of the original, vechesed leummim chattath; which would be better rendered, And mercy is a sin-offering for the people. The Vulgate has, Miseros autem facit populos peccatum, "sin makes the people wretched." ; "But sins lessen the tribes.”—Septuagint. So also the Syriac and Arabic. The plain meaning of the original seems to be, A national disposition to mercy appears in the sight of God as a continual sin-offering. Not that it atones for the sin of the people; but, as a sin-offering is pleasing in the sight of the God of mercy, so is a merciful disposition in a nation. This view of the verse is consistent with the purest doctrines of free grace. And what is the true sense of the words, we should take at all hazards and consequences: we shall never trench upon a sound creed by a literal interpretation of God's words. No nation has more of this spirit than the British nation. It is true, we have too many sanguinary laws; but the spirit of the people is widely different. If any one will contend for the common version, he has my consent; and I readily agree in the saying, Sin is the reproach of any people. It is the curse and scandal of man. Though I think what I have given is the true meaning of the text. Verse 35. The king's favour is toward a wise servant] The king should have an intelligent man for his minister; a man of deep sense, sound judgment, and of a feeling, merciful disposition. He who has not the former will plunge the nation into difficulties; and he who has not the latter will embark her in disastrous wars. Most wars are occasioned by bad ministers, men of blood, who cannot be happy but in endeavouring to unchain the spirit of discord. Let every humane heart pray, Lord, scatter thou the people who delight in war! Amen-so be it. Selah!
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WESLEYAN HERITAGE Library Commentar
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ON THE DESIGNED AS A HELP TO A BETT
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Those nations with which we are bes
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affection, and piety towards God. T
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Equity] mesharim, rectitude. The pu
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will shall be free; or, rather, tha
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to turn, because he was of the peth
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Verse 9. Then shalt thou understand
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PROVERBS CHAPTER III An exhortation
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Some have rendered the last clause,
Page 21 and 22: Verse 19. The Lord by wisdom hath f
Page 23 and 24: PROVERBS CHAPTER IV The preceptor c
Page 25 and 26: steps are not straitened; he sees h
Page 27 and 28: in pace producet. "For himself will
Page 29 and 30: her own husband for the sake of her
Page 31 and 32: PROVERBS CHAPTER VI Exhortations ag
Page 33 and 34: Verse 15. Suddenly shall he be brok
Page 35 and 36: Verse 34. Jealousy is the rage of a
Page 37 and 38: endangering himself by cohabiting w
Page 39 and 40: wounded, also signifies soldiers or
Page 41 and 42: human race. As Jesus Christ tasted
Page 43 and 44: shophetey tsedek, "righteous judges
Page 45 and 46: heavens in the course of a single h
Page 47 and 48: egotten, nor proceeding, more than
Page 49 and 50: PROVERBS CHAPTER IX Wisdom builds h
Page 51 and 52: myrrh, mandragora, opium, and such
Page 53 and 54: PROVERBS CHAPTER X It is impossible
Page 55 and 56: Think much, speak little, and alway
Page 57 and 58: PROVERBS CHAPTER XI A parallel of t
Page 59 and 60: Verse 21. Though hand join in hand]
Page 61 and 62: times the women in Judea did some o
Page 63 and 64: Verse 21. There shall no evil happe
Page 65 and 66: PROVERBS CHAPTER XIII Various moral
Page 67 and 68: mekor chaiyim, the great aorta whic
Page 69 and 70: PROVERBS CHAPTER XIV Various moral
Page 71: 2. He shall be satisfied from himse
Page 75 and 76: Verse 13. By sorrow of the heart th
Page 77 and 78: PROVERBS CHAPTER XVI Man prepares,
Page 79 and 80: Verse 6. By mercy and truth iniquit
Page 81 and 82: Verse 27. An ungodly man diggeth up
Page 83 and 84: PROVERBS CHAPTER XVII Contentment.
Page 85 and 86: Verse 26. Nor to strike princes for
Page 87 and 88: Verse 4. The words of a man's mouth
Page 89 and 90: Verse 20. With the fruit of his mou
Page 91 and 92: PROVERBS CHAPTER XIX The worth of a
Page 93 and 94: Verse 26. He that wasteth his fathe
Page 95 and 96: Verse 9. Who can say, I have made m
Page 97 and 98: And after vows to make inquiry.] Th
Page 99 and 100: Verse 9. In a corner of the houseto
Page 101 and 102: PROVERBS CHAPTER XXII A good reputa
Page 103 and 104: "The docile colt is form'd with gen
Page 105 and 106: 4. They must not only be heard, but
Page 107 and 108: Verse 23. For the Lord will plead t
Page 109 and 110: PROVERBS CHAPTER XXIII Sobriety in
Page 111 and 112: Verse 27. For a whore is a deep dit
Page 113 and 114: Thy strength is small.] tsar cochac
Page 115 and 116: Verse 18. And he turn away his wrat
Page 117 and 118: paid no attention to it. He alone w
Page 119 and 120: Verse 3. The heaven for height] The
Page 121 and 122: Verse 15. A soft tongue breaketh th
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PROVERBS CHAPTER XXVI Honour is not
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Verse 20. Where no wood is, there t
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danger. So is the man who leaves hi
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Verse 25. The hay appeareth] Take c
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Verse 5. They that seek the Lord un
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PROVERBS CHAPTER XXIX We must not d
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To this verse the VULGATE adds the
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Agur seems to have been a public te
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Lest he reprove thee] Lest he try t
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The word alukah, which we here tran
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confidential slaves, that no regime
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PROVERBS CHAPTER XXXI The words and
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3. She is an unspotted wife. The he
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11. She is truly charitable. She kn
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Verse 27. She looketh well to the w
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INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF ECCLESI
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PROPOSITION III Men known not what
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PRACTICAL INFERENCES Chap. Ver. XI.
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highest to the lowest station; the
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produce a real and lasting advantag
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The royal preacher loud proclaims,
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own discoveries, which have been wr
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ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER II The vanity
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If, after all this, I may add one c
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Verse 23. His days are sorrows] Wha
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Verse 3. A time to kill,—heal,—
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and anxieties, submit to God; make
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Verse 20. All go unto one place]
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ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER IV The vanity
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Rushn Achter signifies a bright or
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take up some particular cross, to p
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Verse 18. Behold that which I have
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mehaloch nephesh, is the travelling
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Verse 6. For as the crackling of th
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exalted, while living wickedly. The
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influence with her ascendancy; his
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is power-influence, authority, and
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ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER IX No men know
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of help; and, 4. No wisdom—restor
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himself on his operations. To whom
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solicitude must naturally be to enr
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But money answereth all] This sayin
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are themselves generally good for n
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III. Remember him in thy YOUTH, in
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11. Fears shall be in the way] They
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author of this book: the fountains,
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Verse 14. For God shall bring every
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so many touches in the form and man
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I had for a long time hesitated whe
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and forsaken, &c.; and that the Cor
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some of the more difficult or obsol
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IDYL V Scene, a Chiosk or Pavilion
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soul, and putting him into the mini
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We will run after thee] Speaking in
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principal ornaments of their faces.
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Meantime the lofty rooms the prince
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eating the grapes. They abounded in
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The bottom thereof of gold] This ma
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Within thy locks.] See on #So 4:1,
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Now buskin'd like the virgin huntre
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passage has been proposed by Mr. Ha
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Verse 4. My beloved put in his hand
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SONG OF SOLOMON CHAPTER VI The comp
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With this chapter the fifth night i
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did not project from the mountain a
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SONG OF SOLOMON CHAPTER VIII The lo
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As soon then as my sister is in my
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