From this chapter to the “twenty fifth” are various proverbial sentences, without any very apparent connection or coherence with each other; describing righteous and wicked men; setting forth their different temper, conduct, and actions, and the fruits and effects of them.

The proverbs of Solomon This title is repeated from ; and very properly stands here; since here begin those pithy sentences of Solomon, which bear the name of proverbs; the preceding chapters being a sort of preface or introduction to them; in which Solomon recommends the study of wisdom, shows the…

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing By which are meant either a large abundance of riches in general, which for the most part are enjoyed by wicked men, and abused to wicked purposes, ; or an affluence of them, obtained in a wicked way, by fraud, oppression, and the like; see ; Or are either not…

The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish, &c.] Or to perish by famine: not but that good men may be afflicted with it, as Jacob and his sons were, when the famine was in Egypt and in other lands; and as the apostles, particularly the Apostle Paul, were often in hunger and…

He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand That is either remiss in giving to the necessities of others, according to his abilities, and as cases require; or that is negligent and slothful in his business.

He that gathereth in summer is a wise son Which is the time of gathering the fruits of the earth, and laying them up against winter, as the ant is said to do, ; but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame; to himself, and to his parents and relations.

Blessings are upon the head of the just That seeks for righteousness, not by the works of the law, but by faith; that lives by faith upon the righteousness of Christ, and is justified by it, made, accounted, and reckoned just through it; and, in consequence of his faith, does justly, and lives…

The memory of the just is blessed Men to whom he has been useful, either in temporals or spirituals, bless him, or wish all blessings to him while alive, whenever they make mention of his name; and after death they speak well of him, and pronounce him blessed; for such are had in everlasting…

The wise in heart will receive commandments Such who have true wisdom in the hidden part of the heart, of which the fear of the Lord is the beginning: these will not only, as good subjects, honour their king, and attend to his lawful commands; and, as dutiful children, regard those of their…

He that walketh uprightly walketh surely Or, “that walketh in perfection” [[2]] as the Targum. Not that walks without sin, no man does that; but that walks in the sincerity, integrity, and uprightness of his heart, both before God and men; who worships God in spirit and in truth, and speaks the…

He that winketh with the eye The Syriac and Arabic versions add, “with fraud”. A descriptive character of a wicked man, ; who so does, either to draw and allure persons to go along with him, and join him in his evil practices; or by way of scorn and contempt of others; or as a token to another of…

The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life Like a fountain of living water, continually running and flowing with water, wholesome, reviving, and refreshing; so the righteous man’s mouth, out of the abundance of his heart, overflows with good things, which minister grace to the hearers, and are…

Hatred stirreth up strifes A man, whose heart is full of hatred and malice against his neighbour, will stir up, or awake, as the word [[3]] signifies, contentions and quarrels which were happily laid asleep; these he renews by tale bearing, and whisperings, and evil surmises; by raising lies,…

In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found, &c.] He that has an understanding, especially of divine, spiritual, and evangelic things, which is the pure gift of God; wisdom will be found in his lips, his mouth will speak of it; not of mere natural wisdom, but spiritual wisdom; of the…

Wise men lay up knowledge Which they get by reading, prayer, meditation, hearing the word of God, and conversation with good men: this they lay up in their hearts, minds, and memories, that they may not forget it, and as a rich treasure they highly value it; that they may bring it forth at proper…

The rich man’s wealth is his strong city What a fortified city is to persons in time of war, that is a rich man’s wealth to him; by it he can defend himself from the injuries of others, and support himself and family in times of public calamity; for money is a defence, and answers all things, .

The labour of the righteous tendeth to life To natural life, and the support of it; all that he labours for is to get a livelihood for himself and family; that is all he desires, nor does he seek great things for himself: or to spiritual life; so his spiritual exercises in praying, reading, and…

He is in the way of life Of eternal life, which is truly, properly, and by way of eminency, “life”, ; and which is a life of glory; a life of perfection, of perfect holiness, knowledge, obedience, love, peace, and joy; a life free from all the inconveniences of the present life, animal or…

He that hideth hatred with lying lips Or he whose “lying lips hide hatred”, which is much the same; who pretends to be a friend, and outwardly behaves as one, but inwardly nourishes and cherishes hatred in his heart, which he covers and conceals, till he has a proper opportunity of showing it; as…

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin Where a great deal is said, without care and forethought, there will not only be many weak things uttered, but much falsehood, and at least many idle things, which cannot be excused from sin; not but that much and long speaking may be to great profit…

The tongue of the just is as choice silver Which utters things precious, pure, pleasant, and profitable; things for worth and value as choice silver; the doctrines of the Gospel, the power of which he has felt upon his heart; the precious promises of it, which have been applied unto him; and the…

The lips of the righteous feed many Not their bodies; words are but wind, and will not feed; it is not enough to say to the distressed, “be ye warmed and filled”, and give nothing; unless this can be understood of obtaining food for others by their prayers, as Jarchi interprets it: but the souls of…

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich In the diligent use of means; see ; riches are from the Lord, and should be acknowledged as such, and not attributed to the industry, diligence, sagacity, and merit of men; but should be looked upon as had through the blessing of the Lord upon the labours of…

It is as sport to a fool to do mischief To do any injury to the persons and properties of men; which shows a most wicked and malicious spirit, a very depraved nature indeed: or rather “to commit sin” [[13]] of any sort, which he has devised in his own heart; it is as a “laughing” [[14]], as the…

The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him What he dreads in his own mind will be his unhappy case, sooner or later it comes upon him; his fear of distresses, calamities, and judgments in this life, and of eternal wrath and vengeance hereafter; for the most profligate and abandoned wretches,…

As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more The wicked themselves are like a whirlwind, noisy, boisterous, and blustering; such is the man of sin, who speaks like a dragon, breathing out slaughter and threatening against the saints; and so are his followers, fierce and heady, and like a…

As vinegar to the teeth Which, with its coldness and sourness, blunts the teeth, and makes it troublesome to eat: the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it, “as the sour grape is hurtful to the teeth;” sets them on edge; and as smoke to the eye; dims the sight, causes the eye to water,…

The fear of the Lord prolongeth days Not beyond the time fixed in the unalterable purposes and decrees of God, ; but longer than some others, or than those that fear the Lord expect to live; or longer than, according to the course of nature, and the weakness of their constitutions, it could be…

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness Or, “is gladness” [[21]]; it is now attended with joy; he has a pleasure in the exercise of the grace of hope as to future things; he rejoices in hope of the glory of God, and is enabled to hold fast the rejoicing of his hope firm unto the end, ; and the…

The way of the Lord is strength to the upright Who are upright in heart and life; who have the uprightness or righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and right spirits renewed in them; in consequence of which they walk uprightly, .

The righteous shall never be removed They may be removed from place to place in this world, through the persecutions of their enemies, or through one providence or another, as they often are; they may be removed from a state of outward prosperity to a state of adversity, as Job was; they may be…

The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom As the earth brings forth its increase, and a tree brings forth its fruit; hence speech is called the fruit of the lips; wisdom is good fruit; a good man is comparable to the fruitful earth, and to a good tree; whose mouth brings forth wise things in…

The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable To God and man; what is well pleasing to, God, and what ministers grace to the hearers, or what is grateful: and such things they will deliver out; they are used and accustomed to them; not only the righteous know in their judgment what is…