Reference: Proverbs, Book of
Easton
a collection of moral and philosophical maxims of a wide range of subjects presented in a poetic form. This book sets forth the "philosophy of practical life. It is the sign to us that the Bible does not despise common sense and discretion. It impresses upon us in the most forcible manner the value of intelligence and prudence and of a good education. The whole strength of the Hebrew language and of the sacred authority of the book is thrown upon these homely truths. It deals, too, in that refined, discriminating, careful view of the finer shades of human character so often overlooked by theologians, but so necessary to any true estimate of human life" (Stanley's Jewish Church).
As to the origin of this book, "it is probable that Solomon gathered and recast many proverbs which sprang from human experience in preceeding ages and were floating past him on the tide of time, and that he also elaborated many new ones from the material of his own experience. Towards the close of the book, indeed, are preserved some of Solomon's own sayings that seem to have fallen from his lips in later life and been gathered by other hands' (Arnot's Laws from Heaven, etc.)
This book is usually divided into three parts: (1.) Consisting of ch. 1-9, which contain an exhibition of wisdom as the highest good.
(2.) Consisting of ch. 10-24.
(3.) Containing proverbs of Solomon "which the men of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, collected" (ch. 25-29).
These are followed by two supplements, (1) "The words of Agur" (ch. 30); and (2) "The words of king Lemuel" (ch. 31).
Solomon is said to have written three thousand proverbs, and those contained in this book may be a selection from these (1Ki 4:32). In the New Testament there are thirty-five direct quotations from this book or allusions to it.
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Solomon composed 3,000 proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005.
Hastings
The second book among the 'Writings' is the most characteristic example of the Wisdom literature in the OT. 1. We may adopt the division of the book made by the headings in the Hebrew text as follows:
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Solomon's proverbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.
Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich-both lead only to poverty. Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge.
Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge.
Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge. For it is pleasing if you keep them within you and if they are constantly on your lips.
For it is pleasing if you keep them within you and if they are constantly on your lips. I have instructed you today-even you- so that your confidence may be in the Lord.
I have instructed you today-even you- so that your confidence may be in the Lord. Haven't I written for you thirty sayings about counsel and knowledge,
Haven't I written for you thirty sayings about counsel and knowledge, in order to teach you true and reliable words, so that you may give a dependable report to those who sent you?
in order to teach you true and reliable words, so that you may give a dependable report to those who sent you?
for their destruction will come suddenly; who knows what disaster these two can bring? These [sayings] also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. read more. Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"- people will curse him, and tribes will denounce him; but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a generous blessing will come to them. He who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the lips. Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; afterwards, build your house. Don't testify against your neighbor without cause. Don't deceive with your lips. Don't say, "I'll do to him what he did to me; I'll repay the man for what he has done." I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense. Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined. I saw, and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction: a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit.
Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds, for wealth is not forever; not even a crown lasts for all time. read more. When hay is removed and new growth appears and the grain from the hills is gathered in, lambs will provide your clothing, and goats, the price of a field; there will be enough goat's milk for your food- food for your household and nourishment for your servants.
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man's oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
Don't add to His words, or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. Two things I ask of You; don't deny them to me before I die:
The leech has two daughters: Give, Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough!":
The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him: What [should I say], my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows? read more. Don't spend your energy on women or your efforts on those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers [to desire] beer. Otherwise, they will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed. Give beer to one who is dying, and wine to one whose life is bitter. Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more. Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy. Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels.
Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Morish
In this book God has furnished, through the wisest of men, principles and precepts for the guidance and security of the believer in passing through the temptations to which he is exposed in an evil world. The admonitions speak in terms of affectionate warning 'as to sons:' Heb 12:5. Under symbolic terms, such as 'the evil man' and 'the strange woman,' the great forms of evil in the world, violent self-will, and corrupting folly, are laid bare in their course and end. Wisdom is shown as the alone guard against one or the other. Wisdom is presented, not as a faculty residing in man, but as an object to be diligently sought after and acquired. It is often personified, and is spoken of as lifting up her voice. In Prov. 8, under the idea of wisdom, we have doubtless Christ presented as the resource that was with God from 'the beginning of His way,' so that God could independently of man establish and bring into effect His thoughts of grace for men.
In detail the book refers to the world, showing what things are to be sought and what to be avoided, and evinces that in the government of God a man reaps according to what he sows, irrespective of the spiritual blessings of God in grace beyond and above this world. It maintains integrity in the earthly relationships of this life, which cannot be violated with impunity. The instruction rises altogether above mere human prudence and sagacity, for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning or 'principal part,' margin of knowledge." We have in it the wisdom of God for the daily path of human life.
The book divides itself into two parts: the first nine chapters give general principles, and Prov. 10 onwards are the proverbs themselves. This latter portion divides itself into three parts: Prov. 10: to Prov. 24, the proverbs of Solomon; Prov. 25 to Prov. 29, also the proverbs of Solomon, which were gathered by "the men of Hezekiah king of Judah." Prov. 30 gives the words of Agur; and Prov. 31 the words of king Lemuel.
The Proverbs is a book of poetry. The proverbs vary in style: some are antithetical couplets, one being the opposite of the other, as "a wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." Others are synthetical, the second sentence enforcing the first, as "The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." See POETRY.
In Prov. 1 the purport of the proverbs is pointed out: it is that instruction in wisdom, justice, judgement, and equity might be received: the fear of the Lord is the starting point. Satan would of course oppose this, so warnings are at once given to avoid the enticings of sinners. Wisdom cries aloud and in the streets: her instructions are for all. Retribution is for such as refuse her call.
Prov. 2 gives the results of following in the path of wisdom, whereas the wicked will be rooted out.
Prov. 3 shows that it is the fear of God, and subjection to His word, that is the only true path in an evil world.
Prov. 4 enforces the study of wisdom: it will surely bring into blessing. Evil must be avoided and be kept at a distance. The heart, the eye, and the feet must be watched.
Prov. 5 warns a man against leaving the wife of his youth (the lawful connection) for the strange woman, which leads to utter demoralisation.
Prov. 6 enjoins one not to be surety for another. Wisdom is not slothful, violent, nor deceitful. There are seven things which are an abomination to the Lord. The strange woman is again pointed out to be avoided as fire: there is no ransom for adultery.
Prov. 7 again shows the traps laid by the strange woman, which alas, are often too successful. Her house is the way to hell (Sheol).
Prov. 8 proclaims that wisdom calls, and invites all to listen: it is valuable for all
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The Lord made me at the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago.
I was rejoicing in His inhabited world, delighting in the human race.
There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth. read more. There is a generation-how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks. There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land and the needy from among mankind. The leech has two daughters: Give, Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough!": Sheol; a barren womb; earth, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, "Enough!"
Three things are beyond me; four I can't understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a young woman.
The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food, read more. an unloved woman when she marries, and a serving girl when she ousts her lady. Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: the ants are not a strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer; hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks; a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings' palaces. Three things are stately in their stride, even four are stately in their walk: a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn't retreat before anything, a strutting rooster, a goat, and a king at the head of his army.
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord's discipline lightly, or faint when you are reproved by Him;
Smith
Prov'erbs, Book of.
The title of this book in Hebrew is taken from its first word, mashal, which originally meant "a comparison." It is sometimes translated parable, sometimes proverb as here. The superscriptions which are affixed to several portions of the book, in chs.
attribute the authorship of those portions to Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. With the exception of the last two chapters, which are distinctly assigned to other author it is probable that the statement of the superscriptions is in the main correct, and that the majority of the proverbs contained in the book were uttered or collected by Solomon. Speaking roughly, the book consists of three main divisions, with two appendices:--
1. Chs. 1-9 form a connected didactic Wisdom is praised and the youth exhorted to devote himself to her. This portion is preceded by an introduction and title describing the character and general aim of the book.
2. Chs. 10-24 with the title "The Proverbs of Solomon," consist of three parts:
a collection of single proverbs and detached sentences out of the region of moral teaching and worldly prudence;
a more connected didactic poem, with an introduction,
which contains precepts of righteousness and prudence;
with the inscription "These also belong to the wise," a collection of unconnected maxims, which serve as an appendix to the preceding. Then follows the third division chs. 25-29, which, according to the superscription, professes to be collection of Solomon's proverbs, consisting of single sentences, which the men of the court of Hezekiah copied out. The first appendix, ch. 30, "The words of Agur the son of Jakeh," is a collection of partly proverbial and partly enigmatical sayings; the second, ch. 31, is divided into two parts, "The words of King Lemuel," vs. 1-6, and an alphabetical acrostic in praise of a virtuous woman, which occupies the rest of the chapter. Who was Agur and who was Jakeh, are questions which have been often asked and never satisfactorily answered. All that can be said of the first is that he was an unknown Hebrew sage, the son of an equally unknown Jakeh, and that he lived after the time of Hezekiah. Lemuel, like Agur, is unknown. It is even uncertain whether he is to be regarded as a real personage, or whether the name is merely symbolical. The Proverbs are frequently quoted or alluded to in the New Testament and the canonicity of the book thereby confirmed. The following is a list of the principal passages:--
compare Roma 3:10,15
compare Roma 12:16
compare Hebr 12:5,6, see also Reve 3:19
compare Jame 4:6
compare 1Pet 4:8
compare 1Pet 4:18
compare Roma 12:17; 1The 5:15; 1Pet 3:9
compare Jame 1:19
compare 1Joh 1:8
(LXX.), compare 2Cor 9:7
compare, Roma 12:20
compare, 2Pet 2:22
compare, Jame 4:13,14
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The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
because their feet run toward trouble and they hurry to commit murder.
Don't consider yourself to be wise; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Do not despise the Lord's instruction, my son, and do not loathe His discipline; for the Lord disciplines the one He loves, just as a father, the son he delights in.
He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble.
Solomon's proverbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.
Solomon's proverbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother. Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death. read more. The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the wicked what they crave. Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches. The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful. Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. A wise heart accepts commands, but foolish lips will be destroyed. The one who lives with integrity lives securely, but whoever perverts his ways will be found out. A sly wink of the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will be destroyed. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses.
Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses. Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense. read more. The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction. A rich man's wealth is his fortified city; the poverty of the poor is their destruction. The labor of the righteous leads to life; the activity of the wicked leads to sin.
The labor of the righteous leads to life; the activity of the wicked leads to sin. The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray. read more. The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is pure silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. The Lord's blessing enriches, and struggle adds nothing to it.
If the righteous will be repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and sinful.
If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house.
The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding.
Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin"?
Whoever curses his father or mother- his lamp will go out in deep darkness.
The one who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge.
Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge. For it is pleasing if you keep them within you and if they are constantly on your lips.
For it is pleasing if you keep them within you and if they are constantly on your lips. I have instructed you today-even you- so that your confidence may be in the Lord.
I have instructed you today-even you- so that your confidence may be in the Lord. Haven't I written for you thirty sayings about counsel and knowledge,
Haven't I written for you thirty sayings about counsel and knowledge, in order to teach you true and reliable words, so that you may give a dependable report to those who sent you?
in order to teach you true and reliable words, so that you may give a dependable report to those who sent you?
in order to teach you true and reliable words, so that you may give a dependable report to those who sent you? Don't rob a poor man because he is poor, and don't crush the oppressed at the gate,
Don't rob a poor man because he is poor, and don't crush the oppressed at the gate, for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them. read more. Don't make friends with an angry man, and don't be a companion of a hot-tempered man,
These [sayings] also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"- people will curse him, and tribes will denounce him; read more. but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a generous blessing will come to them. He who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the lips. Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; afterwards, build your house. Don't testify against your neighbor without cause. Don't deceive with your lips. Don't say, "I'll do to him what he did to me; I'll repay the man for what he has done." I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense. Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined. I saw, and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction: a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit.
These too are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied.
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
Don't boast about tomorrow, for you don't know what a day might bring.
Each person should do as he has decided in his heart-not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Above all, keep your love for one another at full strength, since love covers a multitude of sins.
And if the righteous is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?
It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, "a sow, after washing itself, wallows in the mud."
If we say, "We have no sin," we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.