The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  3:11, 12 not despise…chastening. Since even the wisest of God’s children are subject to sin, there is necessity of God’s fatherly discipline to increase wisdom and blessing. Such correction should not be resisted. See notes on Heb. 12:5–11.

  3:14, 15 Cf. Ps. 19:10, 11. Divine wisdom yields the richest treasures, described in vv. 14–18 as “profits,” “length of days,” “riches,” “honor,” “pleasantness,” “peace,” “life,” and happiness.

  3:18 tree of life. This expression is a metaphor referring to temporal and spiritual renewal and refreshment (cf. 11:30; 13:12; 15:4).

  3:19, 20 Solomon is indicating that wisdom is basic to all of life, for by it God created everything. Since God used it to create the universe, how eager must we be to use it to live in this universe.

  3:22 life to your soul. The association of wisdom with the inner spiritual life (cf. vv. 2, 16) unfolds throughout the book (cf. 4:10, 22; 7:2; 8:35; 9:11; 10:11, 16, 17; 11:19, 30; 12:28; 13:14; 14:27; 15:4, 24; 16:22; 19:23; 21:21; 22:4). grace to your neck. The wisdom of God will adorn one’s life for all to see its beauty (cf. 1:9).

  3:25, 26 afraid…confidence. Living in God’s wisdom provides the basis for the believer’s peace of mind (v. 24) and removes fear (v. 25).

  3:28 neighbor. A neighbor is anyone in need whom God brings across one’s path. See Luke 10:29–37.

  3:29 devise…dwells. Do not plan evil against one trusting in your protection.

  3:30 strive. This can mean “come to hand blows,” or, with legal overtones, “accuse a man.”

  3:31 envy. Many law-keepers wish they were law-breakers (Ps. 37:1–7). They would like to be oppressors rather than the oppressed.

  3:32 abomination. Specifically, an abomination is an attitude or act that is incompatible with God’s nature and intolerable to Him, leading to His anger and judgment. This is an important theme in Proverbs (see note on 6:16–19). secret counsel. This means that God discloses Himself and His truth to the upright (cf. Ps. 25:14).

  3:34 humble. Lit. “he who bends himself” (James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5).

  Proverbs 4

  4:2 good doctrine…my law. There is no wisdom but that which is linked to good doctrine, which should be the focal point of all instruction (cf. 1 Tim. 1:10; 4:13, 16; 5:17; 2 Tim. 3:10, 16; 4:2; Titus 1:9; 2:1, 10).

  4:3–5 my father’s son…my mother. This is Solomon’s reference to David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:24).

  4:8 Exalt…embrace. The more highly one esteems wisdom, the more highly wisdom lifts that person.

  4:9 head. See note on 3:22.

  4:13 Take…not let go; keep. The father commanded his son in v. 5 to “get wisdom”; here he commands him to hold on to it.

  4:14 Do not enter the path of the wicked. Sin is best dealt with at its beginning by the application of necessary wisdom to suit the initial temptation (cf. Ps. 1:1).

  4:15 Four verbs identify aspects necessary in urgently dealing with sin at its start (v. 14): 1) avoid the sinful situation; 2) travel as far from it as possible; 3) turn away from the sin; and 4) pass beyond or escape the sin. The plan here fits exactly with the pattern of sin’s enticement outlined in James 1:13–15.

  4:16, 17 they do not sleep. Cf. 3:24. They have to sin before they can sleep, and they view their sin as food for their hungry, wicked souls.

  4:18 path of the…shining sun. The path of the believer is one of increasing light, just as a sunrise begins with the faint glow of dawn and proceeds to the splendor of noonday.

  4:21–23 heart. The “heart” commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason (3:3; 6:21; 7:3), but also includes the emotions (15:15, 30), the will (11:20; 14:14), and thus, the whole inner being (3:5). The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever affects speech (v. 24), sight (v. 25), and conduct (vv. 26, 27).

  Proverbs 5

  5:1, 2 pay attention. The wise father marshals all the essential terms to sum up his call to wisdom (cf. 1:2; 2:2; 3:13; 4:5).

  5:3 lips…mouth. Seduction begins with deceptive flattery (cf. 2:16). Lips of honey should be part of true love in marriage (Song 4:11).

  5:4, 5 in the end. Lit. “the future” of tasting her lips is like “wormwood,” a symbol of suffering (cf. Deut. 29:18), and a “sword,” the symbol of death. She travels on the road to death and hell (cf. 2:18).

  5:5 hell. See note on 1:12.

  5:6 Her ways are unstable. Her steps willfully and predictably stagger here and there as she has no concern for the abyss ahead.

  5:7–14 These verses describe the high price of infidelity. The focus here is on the guilty suffering of the one who yields to lust rather than obeying God’s law. Contrast the proper response to such temptation in the case of Joseph (Gen. 39:1–12).

  5:9, 10 your honor to others. The consequences of this sin may include slavery, as a commuted punishment, instead of death that should have come for adultery (Deut. 22:22). In that case, “the cruel one” was the judge and the “others” were the masters to whom all the energy of youth was directed in slavery. All personal wealth was lost to outsiders, and one served in a stranger’s house helping him to prosper.

  5:11 flesh and…body. This could be a reference to venereal disease (cf. 1 Cor. 6:18), or to the natural end of life. At that point, filled with an irreversible regret (v. 12), the ruined sinner vainly laments his neglect of warning and his sad disgrace.

  5:14 midst of the assembly. A most painful loss in such a situation is public disgrace in the community. There can be public confession, discipline, and forgiveness, but not restoration to one’s former place of honor and service. See 6:33.

  5:15–19 Using the imagery of water, the joy of a faithful marriage is contrasted with the disaster of infidelity (vv. 9–14). “Cistern” and “well” refer to the wife from whom the husband is to draw all his satisfying refreshment, sexually and affectionately (v. 19; cf. 9:17, 18; Song 4:9–11).

  5:16, 17 fountains…streams. The euphemism refers to the male procreation capacity with the idea of the foolish as a fountain scattering precious water—a picture of the wastefulness of sexual promiscuity. The result of such indiscriminate sin is called “streams of waters in the streets,” a graphic description of the illegitimate street children of harlotry. Rather, says Solomon, “let them be only your own” and not the children of such immoral strangers.

  5:18 fountain…blessed. God offers to bless male procreation when it is confined to one’s wife. It should be noted that, in spite of the sinful polygamy of David and Solomon, as well as the disastrous polygamy of Rehoboam (cf. 2 Chr. 11:21), the instruction here identifies God’s ideal as one wife from youth on.

  5:19 graceful doe. The doe has graceful beauty in her face and form and is often used in the poetry of Bible times for the beauty of a woman. breasts. This is imagery of affection (cf. Song 1:13; 4:1–7; 7:7, 8).

  5:20 Such behavior is presented as having no benefit; thus, to justify such folly is senseless.

  5:21, 22 ponders…caught. The LORD sees all that man does and in mercy withholds immediate judgment, allowing the sinner time to repent or to be caught in his own sin (cf. Num. 32:23; Pss. 7:15, 16; 57:6; Prov. 1:17; Gal. 6:7, 8). Note the example of Haman (Esth. 5:9–14; 7:1–10).

  5:23 He shall die. See note on 2:18.

  Proverbs 6

  6:1 surety…pledge. The foolishness here is making one’s self responsible for another’s debt and pledging to pay if the other defaults (cf. 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26). While there is precedent for such a practice, it is far better to give to those in need (see Deut. 15:1–15; 19:17) or lend without interest (see Lev. 25:35–38; 28:8).

  6:2–4 snared…come into the hand. Cf. 22:26, 27. Anyone who becomes responsible for another person’s debt is trapped and controlled because he has yielded control of what God has given him as a stewardship. The situation is so serious that it is imperative to take control of one’s own God-given resources and get out of such an intolerable arrangement immediately (“deliver yourself,” vv. 3,
4) before coming to poverty or slavery. Cf. Gen. 43:9; 44:32, 33.

  6:6–11 A warning against laziness is appropriate after the discussion on the folly of guaranteeing someone else’s debt, since it is often lazy people who want sureties.

  6:6 ant…sluggard. Cf. 30:25. The ant is an example of industry, diligence, and planning (vv. 7, 8) and serves as a rebuke to a sluggard (a lazy one who lacks self-control). Folly sends a lazy man to learn from an ant (see 10:4, 26; 12:24; 13:4; 15:19; 19:15; 20:4; 26:14–16).

  6:11 prowler…armed man. The lazy man, with his inordinate devotion to sleep rather than work (vv. 9, 10), learns too late, thus coming to inescapable poverty just as a victim is overpowered by a robber (see 24:33, 34). While laziness leads to poverty (cf. 10:4, 5; 13:4; 20:4, 13), laziness is not always the cause of poverty (cf. 14:31; 17:5; 19:1, 17, 22; 21:12; 28:3, 11).

  Prov. 6:11

  Symbols for the Bible

  Symbol: 1. Jesus Christ

  Reality: Personification of the Word

  Texts: John 1:1; Rev. 19:13

  Symbol: 2. Valuable Metals

  Reality: Incalculable worth

  Texts: Ps. 12:6 (silver)

  Pss. 19:10; 119:27 (gold)

  Symbol: 3. Seed

  Reality: Source of new life

  Texts: Matt. 13:10-23; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23

  Symbol: 4. Water

  Reality: Cleansing from sin

  Texts: Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 21:6; 22:17

  Symbol: 5. Mirror

  Reality: Self-examination

  Texts: James 1:22-25

  Symbol: 6. Food

  Reality: Nourishment to the soul

  Texts: 1 Cor. 3:2; 1 Pet. 2:1-3 (milk)

  Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4 (bread)

  1 Cor. 3:3; Heb. 5:12-14 (meat)

  Ps. 19:10 (honey)

  Symbol: 7. Clothing

  Reality: A life dressed in truth

  Texts: Titus 2:10; 1 Pet. 3:5

  Symbol: 8. Lamp

  Reality: Light for direction

  Texts: Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23; 2 Pet. 1:19

  Symbol: 9. Sword

  Reality: Spiritual weapon

  Texts: Eph. 6:17 (outwardly)

  Heb. 4:12 (inwardly)

  Symbol: 10. Plumb line

  Reality: Benchmark of spiritual reality

  Texts: Amos 7:8

  Symbol: 11. Hammer

  Reality: Powerful judgment

  Texts: Jer. 23:29

  Symbol: 12. Fire

  Reality: Painful judgment

  Texts: Jer. 5:14; 20:9; 23:29

  6:12 A worthless person. A scoundrel (1 Sam. 25:25; Job 34:18), lit. a “man of Belial” (useless; cf. 1 Sam. 2:12; 30:22), a term which came to be used of the Devil himself (see 2 Cor. 6:15).

  6:13 winks…shuffles…points. Apparently this was common in the East. Fearing detection, and to hide his intention, the deceiver spoke lies to the victim while giving signals with his eyes, hands, and feet to someone else in on the deception to carry out the intrigue.

  6:14 discord. The sin of strife, dissent, or creating conflict intentionally recurs in Proverbs (15:18; 16:28; 17:14; 18:19; 21:9, 19; 22:10; 23:29; 25:24; 26:21; 27:15; 28:25; 29:22).

  6:15 without remedy. The results of iniquity can be irreversible. His punishment will fit his crime when God judges.

  6:16–19 six…seven. The sequence of these two numbers was used both to represent totality and as a means of arresting attention (cf. 30:15, 18; Job 5:19; Amos 1:3). These 7 detestable sins provide a profound glimpse into the sinfulness of man. These verses act as a summary of the previous warnings: 1) haughty eyes (v. 13a ,”winks”); 2) lying tongue (v. 12b, “perverse mouth”); 3) hands (v. 13c, “fingers”); 4) heart (v. 14a); 5) feet (v. 13b); 6) false witness (v. 12b); and 7) discord (v. 14c).

  6:20, 21 See notes on 3:1, 3.

  6:22 roam…sleep…awake. Cf. 3:23, 24. This parallels the 3 circumstances of life in Deut. 6:6–9; 11:18–20, for which wisdom provides direction, protection, and meditation. The biblical instruction for parents prevents the entrance of evil by supplying good and true thoughts, even when sleeping.

  6:23 the commandment…the law…instruction. These all identify the Word of God, which provides the wisdom leading to abundant and eternal life.

  6:24 See notes on 2:16; 5:3. Parental instruction in wisdom is crucial to strengthen a person against the strong attraction of sexual sin. By loving truth and being elevated to wisdom, men are not seduced by lying flattery.

  6:25 lust. Sexual sin is rooted in lust (imagination of the sinful act), as implied in Ex. 20:17 and addressed by Christ in Matt. 5:28. This initial attraction must be consistently rejected (James 1:14, 15).

  6:26 crust of bread. Here the smallest piece of bread demonstrates how the prostitute reduces the life of a man to insignificance, including the loss of his wealth (see 29:3), freedom, family, purity, dignity, and even his soul (v. 32).

  6:27–29 Powerful metaphors are given here to describe the obvious danger and destructive consequences of adultery, showing that punishment is a natural and expected consequence.

  6:29 touches her. This refers to a touch intended to inflame sexual passion. Paul uses the same expression with the same meaning in 1 Cor. 7:1.

  6:30–35 Adultery is compared to a thief. Unlike the pity extended to a starving thief, who, though it may cost all he has, can make restitution and put the crime behind him permanently (vv. 30, 31), for the adulterer there is no restitution as he destroys his soul (v. 32; cf. Deut. 22:22). If he lives, he is disgraced for life (v. 33) with a reproach which will never go away. The jealous husband will have no mercy on him either (vv. 34, 35; cf. 27:4; Song 8:6).

  6:31 sevenfold. Varying measures of restitution occur in Scripture (cf. Ex. 22:1ff.; Lev. 6:5; Num. 5:7; 2 Sam. 12:6; Luke 19:8), but none are so severe as for the thief.

  Proverbs 7

  7:1–4 Cf. 2:1–4; 3:1–3; 4:10.

  7:2 apple of your eye. This expression refers to the pupil of the eye which, because it is the source of sight, is carefully protected (see Deut. 32:10; Ps. 17:8; Zech. 2:8). The son is to guard and protect his father’s teachings because they give him spiritual and moral sight.

  7:3 Bind. This is a call to give the truth of divine wisdom a permanent place in the mind and in conduct. Cf. 3:3; 6:21; Deut. 6:8.

  7:6 The drama of seduction by the adulteress, introduced in v. 5 and unfolding to v. 23, is described from the viewpoint of one who is watching from his window.

  7:7 simple…devoid of understanding. See notes on 1:2–4.

  7:8 took the path. Against the advice of 4:14, 15, he put himself right in the harlot’s place. “Fleeing immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18) starts by not being in the harlot’s neighborhood at night. Cf. v. 25.

  7:10 a crafty heart. Lit. “hidden.” This is an unfair contest between the simple young man, who lacks wisdom and is void of the truth, and the evil woman, who knows her goal, but hides her true intentions. See notes on 6:26; 23:27, 28.

  7:11, 12 These verses break the narrative to describe the woman’s modes of operation leading to her successful seduction of the simple man.

  7:14 peace offerings. According to the law of peace offerings (Lev. 7:11–18), the meat left over after the sacrifice was to be eaten before the end of the day. She appears very religious in making the invitation that the man join her because she had made her offering and is bringing home the meat that must be eaten.

  7:15 It is already night (v. 9) and the meal must be consumed. It cannot be left for morning. Such hypocrisy is concerned about the ceremonial law while aggressively seducing someone to violate God’s moral law.

  7:16, 17 Egyptian linen. Fine linen was a sign of wealth (31:22; Is. 19:9; Ezek. 27:7). Here the solicitation is direct, as she describes the comfort of her bed with its aromatic spices (cf. Song 1:13; 3:6).

  7:18 fill of love. Adultery is not true love, but mere physical gratification.

  7:19, 20 She gives the simple man the assurance that there is no fear of discove
ry of their act, since her husband has taken a large sum of cash, needed because he will be away for a long time (lit. “a full moon”), returning at a set time and not before.

  7:21 When the location, time, and setting were allowed, the seduction was easy (cf. v. 26).

  7:22 slaughter…stocks. Ignorant of the real danger and incapable of resistance, he quickly succumbs like a beast to be butchered or a criminal put in stocks.

  7:23 arrow…bird. This refers to a mortal wound, as the liver represents the seat of life (Lam. 2:11) and the bird is snared to be eaten (cf. 6:26).

  7:24 The appropriate application of this drama is made in the admonition of these verses to avoid her deadly seduction.

  7:26 It is not just weak men who fall, but strong men in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong thoughts for the wrong reasons.

  7:27 Cf. 5:5.

  Proverbs 8

  8:1–3 wisdom. See note on 1:21. The openness and public exposure of wisdom contrasts with the secrecy and intrigues of the wicked adulterers in chap. 7.

  8:4, 5 simple ones. See note on 1:4.

  8:6–8 The virtues of wisdom are summarized in all that is excellent, right, true, and righteous.

  8:9 plain. Lit. “clear.” The one who applies his mind to the wisdom of God will understand and gain moral knowledge and the insight to recognize truth. Cf. 1 Cor. 1:18–25.

  8:10, 11 The most valuable reality a young person can attain is the insight to order his life by the standard of truth (see notes on 3:14, 15; 8:18–21; also Job 28:12–28; Ps. 19:10).

  8:13 The fear of the LORD. See note on 1:7. arrogance…hate. Wisdom hates what God hates (cf. 6:16–19; Ps. 5:5). The highest virtue is humility (submission to God), and thus wisdom hates pride and self-exaltation above all.

  8:15, 16 kings…rulers…princes…nobles. In this royal court setting, Solomon addresses his son as a future king. All these leaders should do their work by God’s wisdom and justice.