Proverbs 3

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:28

The precept of this and that of the preceding verse are very closely related. The former precept enjoined the general principle of benevolence when we have the means; this carries on the idea, and is directed against the postponement of giving when we are in a position to give. In effect it says, "Do not defer till tomorrow what you can do today." This "putting off" may arise from avarice, from indolence, or from insolence and contempt. These underlying faults, which are incompatible with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:29

Devise not evil against thy neighbour. This precept is directed against abuse of confidence. Devise not evil ( al takharosh raah ). The meaning of this expression lies between "fabricating evil" and "ploughing evil." The radical meaning of kharash, from which takharosh, is "to cut into," "to inscribe" letters on a tablet, cognate with the Greek χαράσσειν , "to cut into." But it is used in the sense of "to plough" in Job 4:18 , "They that plough iniquity ( khar'shey aven ) , ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:29-31

Odious passions Let them he held up in the clear exposure of Wisdom, that their very mention may suggest their hideousness. I. MALICE AND ITS DEVICES . ( Proverbs 3:29 .) Literally, "Forge not ill against thy neighbour." 1 . Malice, like love, is all-inventive. But as the devices of the latter are the very instruments of progress and good, so those of the former are pernicious—burglar's tools, cunning instruments of torture. 2 . Directed against unsuspecting objects,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:30

The meaning of the precept in this verse is clear. We are nat to strive or quarrel with a man unless he has first given us offence. So Le Clerc, "Nisi injuria prior lacessiverit." The admonition is directed against those who, from spite, jealousy, or other reasons, "stir up strife all the day long" with those who are quiet and peaceable. Strive. The Keri here reads tariv for the Khetib taruv, but without any change of meaning. The verb ruv, from which taruv, is "to strive or contend... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:31

Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. The thought of strife in the preceding verse leads to that of oppression, and the precept is directed against fellowship with those who outrage the general law of benevolence and justice, Envy not ; i.e. as Stuart, "Do not anxiously covet the booty which men of violence acquire." Success and wealth may follow from severity and extortion, but the man who acquires prosperity by these means is not to be envied even by the victim of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:32

This verse gives the reason for the previous warning. The oppressor is here included under the more general term, "the froward." The froward; naloz, hiph. participle from luz , "to bend aside," and hence a perverted or wicked man, one who turns aside from the way of uprightness, a transgressor of the Law (cf. LXX ; παράνομος ); and so the opposite of "the righteous," y'sharim, "the upright," those who pursue the path of justness, or the straightforward. Abomination ( toevah );... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:32-35

The discernment of Jehovah This is a leading thought of the Old Testament. In ordinary life, in civilized times, the character of individuals is concealed from us by the intermixtures of society and the complexity of its interests. Even in village life it is difficult to classify people; but God distinguishes in— I. HIS VIEW OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER . 1 . He abominates the perverse, the crooked, twisted, deceitful character. All in the spirit must be compared with that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:33

The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked. From Proverbs 3:33 to the end of the discourse the contrast is continued between the condition of the wicked and the just, the scornful and the lowly, the wise and the fools. In the verse before us a further reason is given why the prosperity of the wicked is not enviable. The curse of Jehovah dwells in and rests upon his house. The curse ; m'erah, from arav, "to curse." This word only occurs five times in the Old Testament once in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:33-35

The height of well-being and the depth of ill-being The issues of righteousness and unrighteousness are here very broadly stated. These verses indicate to us the long and large results of wisdom on the one hand and of folly on the other. I. THOSE WHOM GOD FAVOURS AND THAT WHICH HE APPORTIONS THEM . There are three epithets by which they are here characterized; they are called "the just," "the lowly," and "the wise." In those whom God loves and means to bless there... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:34

Surely he scorneth the scorners; literally, if with regard to the scorners he scorneth ( im lalletsim hu yalits ); i.e. he repays scorn with scorn; or, as Rabbi Salomon, "He renders to them so that they fall in their own derision ( reddit ipsis ut in sua derisione corruant ) . " He renders their schemes abortive. He resists them. The scorners ( letsim ) are those who treat with scoffing regard the precepts and truths of God; the arrogant, proud, insolent, here placed in... read more

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