This book is called, in some printed Hebrew copies, “Sepher Mishle”, the Book of Proverbs; the title of it in the Vulgate Latin version is, “the Book of Proverbs, which the Hebrews call “Misle”:” 6: T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 30. 2.

The proverbs of Solomon Who is said to make three thousand proverbs, ; but whether any of them are contained in this book cannot be said: however, it is certain that they are not all in it, since, if you except the first “nine” chapters, which are the introduction to the Proverbs, there are but six…

To know wisdom and instruction That is, these proverbs were made, and written, and published, to make known or to teach men wisdom and knowledge; not only in things moral, and therefore these proverbs are by some called Solomon’s “ethics”; and indeed they do contain the best system of morality in…

To receive the instruction of wisdom Or “prudence” [[7]]; of wise and prudent men; and especially of Christ himself, who bears those names, whose instructions this book is full of; and the design of which is to engage the attention of men to them, and prevail upon them to receive them, and act…

To give subtlety to the simple Men of mean abilities, weak capacities, shallow understandings, incautious, credulous, and easily imposed upon: these, by attending to what is herein contained, may arrive to a serpentine subtlety; though they are simple and harmless as doves, may become as wise as…

A wise man will hear With great attention, and hearken to the proverbs and wise sayings herein delivered; for here are many things entertaining to men of years and wisdom, as well as instructive to young men and simple ones; and will increase learning; or “add” [[9]] to his stock of learning; or,…

To understand a proverb, and the interpretation This may be connected either with the first verse, “the proverbs of Solomon”, &c. are written, as for the above ends and purposes, so for these; or with , a wise and understanding man, by hearkening and attending to what is here delivered, will not…

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge Here properly the book begins, and this is the first of the proverbs, and an excellent one; it is such an one as is not to be found in all the writings of the Heathens.

My son, hear the instruction of thy father This is not to be understood of God the Father of mankind, and of that law which he has given them, as Jarchi and Gersom interpret it, but of Solomon and his son in a literal sense; and of anyone that came to him for instruction, any pupil, hearer, or…

For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head The instructions and laws of parents being attended unto and obeyed by children, render them more lovely and amiable than any beautiful ornament whatever that can be put upon their heads; and chains about thy neck; be that unto them as chains of…

My son, if sinners entice thee Endeavour to seduce thee from thy parents, and draw thee aside from them, from listening to their instructions, advice, and commands; and make use of all plausible arguments to persuade thee to join with them in the sins they are addicted unto, and are continually…

If they say, come with us Leave your father’s house, and the business of life in which you are; make one of us, and become a member of our society, and go along with us upon the highway; let us lay wait for blood; lie in ambush under some hedge or another, waiting till a rich traveller comes up and…

Let us swallow them up alive as the grave The innocent person, and those that are with him, his servants; our gang is so numerous that we can very easily dispatch him and all his attendants, and bury them out of sight at once, as if they were swallowed up alive in a grave, and so no more to be seen…

We shall find all precious substance Among one or another we meet with; gold and silver and precious stones, everything that is valuable; not considering that hereby they were in danger of losing the more precious substance, their immortal souls; and the most precious substance of all, the…

Cast in thy lot among us Or “thou shall cause thy lot to fall among us” [[19]]; though just entered, as soon as any booty is taken thou shalt cast lots with us, and have thy full share with those that have been longer engaged; let us all have one purse; or “we will all have one purse” [[21]]; will…

My son, walk not thou in the way with them In the same way as they do, which is the broad way that leads unto destruction; set not one foot in it; make no trial of it, whether it will be pleasant and profitable walking in it; the experiment will be dangerous; refrain thy foot from their path; their…

For their feet run to evil To the evil of sin, to commit robberies and murder, and all manner of iniquity; they are eager upon it, and in haste and swift to do it, [[22]]; being carried away with their inordinate affections, which are as feet to the soul; and drawn aside with their lusts, and…

Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. ] Or “without cause” [[23]], as the word is rendered in ; and so the words are an illustration of the preceding; showing that the blood of innocent persons is shed without cause, no injury being done by them to those that do it, but is shed…

And they lay wait for their own blood While they lie in wait for the blood of others, they lie in wait for their own; and when they shed the blood of innocent persons, it in the issue comes upon their own heads, and is the cause of their own blood being shed; vengeance pursues them, and justice…

So are the ways of everyone that is greedy of gain That is set upon getting riches in an unlawful way, by robberies and murder; his ways will end in the loss of his own blood and life, and in the loss of his immortal soul; this will be what his wicked ways and course of life will bring him to, and…

Wisdom crieth without Here the person instructing throughout this whole book is represented under the name of “Wisdom”; by which we are to understand not the attribute of divine wisdom displayed in the works of creation; nor the light of nature in man; nor the law of Moses given to the Israelites;…

She crieth in the chief place of concourse Where a multitude of people meet together; the Targum is, “on the top of palaces;” but rather it is to be understood of the synagogues of the Jews, where Christ frequently preached; and which, from hence, they build in the highest part of the city [[2]];…

How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? &c.] Simple foolish things, agreeably to their character, being weak simple men, men of weak capacities and shallow understandings; and such were the first persons that were called by Christ through the ministry of the word, even effectually; they…

Turn ye at my reproof Or rather “to my reproof”, for the words are not an exhortation to the conversion of the heart, or to him repentance; but to an attendance to the external ministry of the word preached, which reproves of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and does not design the turning of the…

Because I have called, and ye refused This is to be understood not of the internal call of Wisdom, or Christ, which is by the special grace of his Spirit; is according to an eternal purpose, the fruit of everlasting love, peculiar to God’s elect, and by a divine power; and is also a call to special…

But ye have set at nought all my counsel The same with “the counsel of God”, . The whole Gospel, and all the truths of it; the entire scheme of salvation by Jesus Christ, which is the produce of divine wisdom, and is according to the counsel of the divine will, and his eternal purpose in Christ…

I also will laugh at your calamity By way of retaliation, measuring measure for measure; even as they scorned him, and delighted in their scorning, now he in his turn will “laugh” at them and their distress; which act is ascribed to the Lord by an anthropopathy; see ; signifying that he should not…

When your fear cometh as desolation When such will be the calamity that will occasion this fear, that it shall be like some desolating judgment, as famine, sword, and pestilence, which lays all waste: and such was the destruction of the Jews by the Romans; it not only laid Jerusalem and the temple…

Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer As he called them, and they refused to answer to his call, ; so it was just in him to return no answer to them, when they called on him to deliver them from the Romans, and save them from ruin: for this was what they called out for, and what they…

For that they hated knowledge Spiritual and evangelical; the knowledge of the Scriptures, of the promises and prophecies of them respecting the Messiah, though they were called upon and exhorted to “search” them; the knowledge of the Messiah, his person, offices, and grace; the knowledge of his…

They would none of my counsel Neither his doctrines nor his ordinances; nor would they attend to the wholesome counsel and advice he gave them in his sermons upon the mount, and in other discourses of his at other times and places; they despised all my reproof; for their hypocrisy, uncleanness,…

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way Their evil ways; be punished according to their deserts, and receive the just reward of their iniquities; see (Isa. 3:10, Isa.

For the turning away of the simple shall slay them Or be the cause of their being slain; even their turning away from Christ, their aversion to him; their turning their backs on him, and a deaf ear to him; their turning away from his Gospel, and putting it from them, thereby judging themselves…

But whoso hearkeneth unto me To Wisdom, or Christ; to the cry and call above; to the voice of his Gospel, not only externally, but internally; so as spiritually and experimentally to understand it, to distinguish it from the voice of a stranger; so as to approve of it, and receive it in the love of…