8:17 love. Wisdom’s love for the one who receives it is proven by the benefits mentioned in vv. 18–21.
8:18–21 Riches and honor. Cf. 3:16; 22:4. Solomon, who was given great wisdom, experienced its wealth of benefits firsthand as a young king (cf. 1 Kin. 3:12–14; 10:14–29).
8:22–31 The LORD possessed me. Cf. 3:19, 20. Wisdom personified claims credit for everything that God created, so that wisdom was first, as God was eternally first. Christ used His eternal wisdom in creation (John 1:1–3; 1 Cor. 1:24, 30).
8:24–26 Note how these verses parallel the creation account. The earth (v. 23) with day one in Gen. 1:1–5; water (v. 24) with day two in Gen. 1:6–8; and land (vv. 25, 26) with day three in Gen. 1:9–13.
8:27 circle on the face of the deep. The Heb. word for circle indicates that the earth is a globe; therefore the horizon is circular (cf. Is. 40:22). This “deep” that surrounds the earth was the original world ocean that covered the surface of the earth before it was fully formed and given life (cf. Gen. 1:2).
8:29 sea its limit. In creation, God limited the waters on the earth (cf. Gen. 1:9; 7:11; 8:2), commanding into existence shorelines beyond which the oceans cannot go. foundations. This figuratively denotes the solid structure of the earth (cf. Job 38:4; Ps. 24:2).
8:30 master craftsman. As translated in Song 7:1 and Jer. 52:15, this term describes wisdom as competent and experienced in the craft of creation.
8:31 my delight. When God rejoiced over His creation (Gen. 1:31; Job 38:7), wisdom was also rejoicing, especially in the creation of mankind, who alone in the physical creation has the capacity to appreciate wisdom and truth.
8:36 hate me love death. Since wisdom is the source of life (see 3:18), anyone hating wisdom, so as to spurn it, is acting as if he loves death.
Proverbs 9
9:1 seven pillars. The significance of 7 is to convey the sufficiency of this house as full in size and fit for a banquet.
9:2 mixed her wine. Cf. 23:29, 30. Wine was diluted with water as much as 1 to 8, to reduce its power to intoxicate. It was also mixed with spices for flavor (Song 8:2). Unmixed wine is called strong drink (cf. 20:1; 31:6; Lev. 10:9; Is. 28:7; Luke 1:15).
9:3–5 The call of wisdom is not secret, but public. See note on 1:21.
9:5 Come, eat…drink. Cf. God’s banquet call (Is. 55:1–3; Luke 14:16–24; Rev. 22:17).
9:7–9 Wise people receive reproof and rebuke with appreciation; fools do not.
9:10 The fear of the LORD. See note on 1:7.
9:11 See Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes.
9:12 Every individual is responsible for his own conduct, so that the choices we make affect our own lives.
9:13–18 The feast of folly is described as offered by the foolish hostess. Note the contrast with lady wisdom in vv. 1–6 and similarities to the immoral woman in 7:6–23.
9:13 clamorous. Cf. 7:11, 12.
9:17 Forbidden delights sometimes seem sweeter and more pleasant because of their risk and danger.
9:18 hell. See note on 1:12. Like the adulterer, the flattering words of folly lead to death (see 2:18, 19; 5:5; 7:21–23, 26, 27).
Proverbs 10
10:1—22:16 This large section contains 375 of Solomon’s individual proverbs. They are in no apparent order, with only occasional grouping by subject, and are often without a context to qualify their application. They are based on Solomon’s inspired knowledge of the Law and the Prophets. The parallel, two line proverbs of chaps. 10–15 are mostly contrasts or opposites (antithetical), while those of chaps. 16–22 are mostly similarities or comparisons (synthetical).
10:1 grief of his mother. See note on 23:15, 16. This parental grief is most deeply felt by the mother, who plays a more intimate role in raising a child.
10:2 death. The greatest of all treasures, life, is gained by righteousness.
10:3 desire of the wicked. For a while, the wicked may seem to realize their desires; in the end, God removes their accomplishments because they are evil (cf. Ps. 37:16–20).
10:4 diligent. This is in contrast to the sluggard (see notes on 6:6–11). Poverty by itself is not evil, unless it is the product of laziness.
10:5 gathers…sleeps. Cf. 6:6–11; 13:4; 15:19; 24:30–34; 28:19, 20. The timing necessary in agriculture can be applied to the general laying hold of life’s opportunities.
10:6 violence. See 10:13; 12:13; 14:3; 18:6, 7. The violence which has gone forth from the wicked, later falls back upon his foul mouth (cf. Hab. 2:17; Mal 2:16).
10:7 memory…name. This refers to the way a righteous person is remembered by man and God after his death.
10:8 receive commands. To finish the parallelism, the wise listens and is teachable and, therefore, will be lifted up. The fool, always talking, falls because he rejects God’s commands.
10:9 Those who have integrity (who live what they believe) exist without fear of some evil being discovered, while those who are perverse and have secret wickedness will not be able to hide it. Cf. 11:3; 19:1; 20:7.
10:10 winks with the eye. See 6:13, 14.
10:11 well of life. The LORD is the source of this fountain (Ps. 36:9), which then springs up in the wise man as wise speech (10:11), wise laws (13:14), the fear of the LORD (12:27), and understanding (16:22). See notes on 3:18; Ezek. 47:1–12; John 4:10; 7:38, 39. violence. See note on 10:6.
10:12 love. True love seeks the highest good for another (cf. 1 Cor. 13:4–7). First Peter 4:8 quotes this verse.
10:13 rod. This first reference to corporal punishment applied to the backside (cf. 19:29; 26:3) recommends it as the most effective way of dealing with children and fools. See also 13:24; 18:6; 19:29; 22:15; 23:13, 14; 26:3; 29:15.
10:14 mouth of the foolish. The loose tongue of the fool is a recurring subject in Proverbs (cf. vv. 6, 8, 13, 18, 19, 31, 32; 12:23; 13:3; 15:1, 2, 23, 26, 28, 31–33; 17:28; 18:2, 6–8). James parallels this emphasis concerning the tongue (James 1:26; 3:1–12).
10:15 rich man’s…poor. While the rich man thinks he has his walled city for protection (cf. 18:11; 28:11), the poor man knows he has nothing. Both should trust in the LORD as their only protection (cf. 3:5, 6; 11:4, 28; 18:10, 11; Ps. 20:7; Eccl. 9:11–18; James 5:1–6).
10:16 wages. The industry alone of the righteous makes him truly successful, while the earnings of the wicked provide more opportunities for sinning.
10:18 hatred…slander. Both the harboring and venting of hatred are wrong and will be punished. Slander (gossip or lies) is forbidden (cf. 25:10; also 16:28; 18:8; 20:19; 26:20, 22).
10:19 Wisdom is to restrain the tongue, since much speech risks sin. Cf. Ps. 39:1; James 1:26; 3:2–8.
10:20 tongue…heart. These words are used as parallel terms because they are inseparably linked. Cf. Matt. 15:18, 19. choice silver. Good words are scarce, precious, and valuable (cf. 15:23; Is. 50:4).
10:21 feed…die. Sound teaching benefits many; the fool starves himself to death spiritually by his lack of wise teaching (cf. Hos 4:6).
10:22 rich. While having more than what one needs is not the object of wisdom, it is generally the result (cf. Deut. 6:11–15; 1 Kin. 3:10–14). See Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes. no sorrow. None of the sorrow that is associated with ill-gotten wealth (cf. 13:11; 15:6; 16:19; 21:6; 28:6) is associated with wealth provided by the LORD.
10:24 fear of the wicked. The righteous receive what they desire, while the wicked receive what they fear (cf. Heb. 10:26–29).
10:25 whirlwind. See 1:27; 6:15; 29:1.
10:27 fear of the LORD. See note on 1:7.
10:29 The way of the LORD. This is the spiritual path in which God directs man to walk (see note on Acts 18:25).
10:30 Cf. Ps. 37:9–11.
Proverbs 11
11:1 Dishonest scales. Cf. 16:11; 20:10, 23. As indicated in Lev. 19:35, 36; Deut. 25:13–16; Ezek. 45:10; Amos 8:5; Mic. 6:10, God detests dishonesty.
11:2 pride. From a root meaning “to boil,” or “to run over,” indicating an overwhelmingly a
rrogant attitude or behavior. It is used of ordinary men (Deut. 17:12, 13); kings (Neh. 9:10); Israel (Neh. 9:16, 29); false prophets (Deut. 18:20); and murderers (Ex. 21:14). the humble. A rare word, which appears in Mic. 6:8: “walk humbly with your God.” This humble and teachable spirit is first of all directed toward God (cf. 15:33; 16:18, 19; 18:12; 22:4).
11:4 day of wrath. Money buys no escape from death in the day of final accounting to God, the divine Judge (cf. Is. 10:3; Ezek. 7:19; Zeph. 1:18; Luke 12:16–21).
11:11 Social influence for good or bad is in view.
11:12 despises. Lit. one who gossips, slanders, or destroys with words, in contrast to the silence of the wise. See notes on 10:14, 18.
11:13 talebearer. This depicts someone who is a peddler in scandal, who speaks words deliberately intended to harm rather than merely unguarded speech (cf. Lev. 19:16).
11:14 multitude of counselors. As in 15:22; 20:18; 24:6, a good decision is made with multiple wise advisers. The more crucial the decision, the more appropriate is corporate wisdom. Note the example of David (2 Sam. 15:30—17:23).
11:15 See note on 6:1.
11:16 gracious woman…ruthless men. While evil men may grasp at wealth, they will never attain the honor due a gracious woman (cf. 31:30).
11:18 deceptive work. The efforts of the wicked deceiver do not yield the riches his deception seeks, but the righteous receive a reward from God.
11:20 abomination. Defined throughout Scripture as attitudes, this involves words and behaviors which God hates (see 6:16).
11:21 Though they join forces. The combined power of the wicked cannot free them from just punishment, while the unaided children of the righteous find deliverance by reason of their relationship with God.
11:22 ring of gold. A nose ring was an ornament intended to beautify a woman in OT times (cf. Gen. 24:47; Is. 3:21; Ezek. 16:12). It was as out of place in a pig’s nose as the lack of discretion was in a lovely lady.
11:23 desire…expectation. These terms refer to outcomes from God’s perspective.
11:24–26 scatters, yet increases. The principle here is that generosity, by God’s blessing, secures increase, while stinginess leads to poverty instead of expected gain. The one who gives receives far more in return (Ps. 112:9; Eccl. 11:1; John 12:24, 25; Acts 20:35; 2 Cor. 9:6–9).
11:28 trusts in his riches. Cf. 23:4, 5; see notes on 1 Tim. 6:17, 19.
11:29 inherit the wind. The one who mismanages his house will see all he has blown away, and he will have nothing left in the end. He will serve the one who manages well (15:27).
11:30 tree of life. See note on 3:18. wins souls. Lit. “to take lives,” in the sense of doing them good or influencing them with wisdom’s ways (cf. Luke 5:10). The word is also used for capturing people for evil purposes as in 6:25; Ps. 31:13; Ezek. 13:18.
11:31 recompensed. God’s final blessing and reward to the “righteous,” and His judgment and punishment of the “ungodly and sinners” come after life on this earth has ended. But there are foretastes of both during life on the earth, as the righteous experience God’s personal care and goodness, while the wicked are void of it.
Proverbs 12
12:1 stupid. From the Heb. “to graze”; he is as stupid as the brute cattle (cf. Pss. 49:20; 73:22).
12:3 root. The familiar image is of the righteous being firm like a flourishing tree (Ps. 1; Jer. 17:7, 8).
12:4 excellent wife. See notes on 31:10; Ruth 3:11. For the opposite see 19:13; 21:9, 19; 25:24; 27:15. rottenness in his bones. This speaks of suffering that is like a painful and incurable condition.
12:6 Lie in wait. See notes on 1:11, 12.
12:7 house. The rewards of wise living are not only to individuals, but extend to one’s household or family.
12:9 Better…than. This is one of several proverbs which makes a distinct comparison using “better…than” (cf. 15:16, 17; 16:8, 19, 32; 17:1; 19:1; 21:9, 19; 25:7, 24; 27:5, 10; 28:6). slighted…honors himself. The obscure one of lowly rank, who can at least afford to hire a servant because of his honest gain is better than the one who falsely boasts about his prominence but is really poor.
12:10 regards…cruel. Lit. he has concern for the condition of his beast, while the wicked has no concern for people.
12:11 frivolity. Energy expended in worthless pursuits and fantasies is as useless as outright laziness. See notes on 6:6–11; 20:4; 24:30–34.
12:12 covet the catch. This refers to the desire for booty gained by the schemes of the wicked, contrasted with a simple life of obedience that produces blessing.
12:14 fruit of his mouth. This deals with the power of words; the reward of wise words is like the reward for physical labor (cf. 10:11; 15:4; 18:4).
12:16 covers shame. A model of self-control, the prudent man ignores an insult (cf. 9:7; 10:12).
12:17 speaks truth. In the court, the truthful witness promotes justice.
12:18 speaks…piercings. The contrast here is between cutting words that are “blurted out”(Ps. 106:33) and thoughtful words that bring health. Cf. Eph. 4:29, 30.
12:20 Deceit. The contrasting parallel is implied, not stated. Those who plan evil by deceit have no joy because of the risks and dangers in their plan, but the righteous who lead by peace fear nothing, and thus have joy.
12:23 conceals. Unlike the fool who makes all hear his folly, the wise person is a model of restraint and humility, speaking what he knows at an appropriate time (cf. 29:11). See notes on 1:4; 10:14.
12:24 forced labor. Unlike the hardworking people who have charge over their work, the lazy are eventually forced to go to work for the diligent to survive.
12:26 astray. Cf. 1 Cor. 15:33. This verse could be understood as saying that the righteous “guides” his friends carefully, unlike the wicked who leads his companions astray.
12:27 does not roast. The sluggard lacks commitment to make something of his opportunities (cf. vv. 11, 25).
Proverbs 13
13:2, 3 The parallels here are implied. A man of good words prospers, but a man of evil words (thus unfruitful to God) provokes violence against himself.
13:4 See notes on 6:6, 11.
13:7 makes himself rich…makes himself poor. The same pretense is presented in two contrasting weaknesses; one pretends to be rich while the other pretends to be poor. In contrast, men should be honest and unpretentious (cf. 11:24; 2 Cor 6:10).
13:8 ransom…riches…poor…rebuke. Riches deliver some from punishment, while others suffer, because they will not heed the rebuke of laziness, which keeps them poor.
13:9 light…lamp. This image of life, prosperity, and joy is contrasted with adversity and death (cf. Job 3:20).
13:10 The proud spurn advice from others; the wise accept it.
13:11 Cf. 20:21.
13:12 tree of life. See note on 3:18.
13:13 word…commandment. These terms refer to divine revelation.
13:14 fountain of life. The same Heb. word for “well of life.” See note on 10:11.
13:16 lays open. The language vividly shows that a fool displays folly, like a peddler openly spreads out his wares for others to gaze upon. Cf. 12:23; 15:2.
13:19 The fool’s relentless pursuit of evil and hatred of good does not ever let him taste the sweet blessings of obedience.
13:20 walks…companion. This speaks of the power of association to shape character. Cf. 1:10, 18; 2:12; 4:14; 16:29; 22:24, 25; 23:20; 28:7, 19; Ps. 1.
13:21 This is a basic theme/general principle throughout Proverbs and is illustrated throughout the OT, which establishes that righteousness brings divine blessing and evil brings divine cursing.
13:22 leaves an inheritance. While good men’s estates remain with their families, the wealth of the wicked does not. In the providence of God, it will ultimately belong to the righteous. Cf. 28:8; Job 27:16, 17.
13:23 lack of justice. The contrast here is between the poor, but industrious, man who will be rewarded with provision from his efforts, and the rich man whose efforts are brought to ruin
by his deeds of injustice (cf. James 5:1–6).
13:24 rod…disciplines…promptly. Early childhood teaching (see note on 22:6) requires both parental discipline, including corporal punishment (cf. 10:13; 19:18; 22:15; 29:15, 17), and balanced kindness and love. There is great hope that the use of the “divine ordinance” of the rod will produce godly virtue (cf. 23:13, 14) and parental joy (cf. 10:1; 15:20; 17:21; 23:15, 16, 24, 25; 28:7; 29:1, 15, 17). Such discipline must have the right motivation (Heb. 12:5–11) and appropriate severity (Eph. 6:4). One who has genuine affection for his child, but withholds corporal punishment, will produce the same kind of child as a parent who hates his offspring.
13:25 This states more directly the teaching of vv. 13, 18, 21.
Proverbs 14
14:1 builds her house. Cf. the wise woman building her house (31:10–31) with lady wisdom building her house (9:1–6).
14:3 rod. A rare Heb. word that refers to a small shoot (see Is. 11:1). Here it is metaphoric for the proud, inflicting tongue in a fool’s mouth, which destroys the fool and others (cf. 11:2; 16:18; 29:23).
14:7 Go. Avoid association with all who cannot teach you wisdom. Cf. 1 Tim 4:6, 7; 6:3–5.
14:9 Fools mock at sin. While fools ridicule their impending judgment (cf. 1:26), the wise are promised favor with God (cf. Is. 1:11–20) and man (cf. 10:32; 11:27). Cf. 1 Sam. 2:26; Luke 2:40, 52.
14:10 At its depth, suffering and rejoicing are personal and private. No one is able to communicate them fully (1 Sam. 1:10; 1 Kin. 8:38; Matt. 2:18; 26:39–42, 75).
14:12 way of death. See notes on Matt. 7:13, 14.
14:14 backslider in heart. This term, so often used by the prophets (Is. 57:17; Jer. 3:6, 8, 11, 12, 14, 22; 8:5; 31:22; 49:4; Hos. 11:7; 14:4), is here used in such a way as to clarify who is a backslider. He belongs in the category of the fool, the wicked, and the disobedient and he is contrasted with the godly wise. It is a word that the prophets used of apostate unbelievers.
14:17 quick-tempered…wicked intentions. The contrast is between the hasty anger that is labeled as folly and the deliberate malice which produces hatred (Ps. 37:7).
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