This chapter relates the false steps Solomon took, notwithstanding all his wisdom, in marrying strange wives, and worshipping other gods, 1 Kings 11:1–8 upon which the Lord threatens him to rend the kingdom in his son’s time, 1 Kings 11:9–13 and he raised up adversaries against him, Hadad, Rezon,…

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler Either a supreme ruler, a king, or a subordinate ruler, a nobleman, a judge, a civil magistrate, a person of honour, dignity, and authority; and to sit at table with such is sometimes allowed, and is always reckoned an honour; this particularly diligent and…

And put a knife to thy throat Refrain from too much talk at the table; give not too loose to thy tongue, but bridle it, considering in whose presence thou art; do not use too much freedom, either with the ruler or fellow guests; which, when persons have ate and drank well, they are too apt to do,…

Be not desirous of his dainties His savoury food, which is very grateful to the taste, his rich provisions and royal dainties; do not lust after them, as the word [[17]] signifies, in an immoderate way, as the Israelites lusted after the fleshpots in Egypt: these may be lawfully desired, but not…

Labour not to be rich In an immoderate over anxious way and manner, to a weariness, as the word [[19]] signifies, and even as to gape for breath men ought to labour, that they may have wherewith to support themselves and families, and give to others and: if they can, lay up for their children; but…

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? &c.] The Vulgate Latin version is, “do not lift up thine eyes to riches which thou canst not have;” riches no doubt are intended, and which may be said to be “not”; they are not the true riches, have only the shadow and appearance of riches; they are…

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye A sordid covetous man, that grudges every bit that is eaten, in opposition to a man of a good eye, or a bountiful one, that is liberal and generous, ; if he invites to a meal, do not accept of it, sit not down at his table to eat with him: neither…

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he He is not the man his mouth speaks or declares him to be, but what his heart thinks; which is discovered by his looks and actions, and by which he is to be judged of, and not by his words; eat and drink, saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee; he…

The morsel which thou hast eaten, shalt thou vomit up It shall turn in thy stomach, thou shall not be able to keep it, when thou understandest thou art not welcome; or thou wilt wish thou hadst never eaten a bit, or that thou couldest vomit up what thou hast; so disagreeable is the thought of being…

Speak not in the ears of a fool For it is only beating the air, and speaking to the wind; it is casting pearls before swine, and that which is holy to dogs.

Remove not the old landmark (See Gill on Prov. 22:28); and enter not into the fields of the fatherless; to carry off the increase of them, to reap their wheat, or mow their grass, or turn in cattle to eat it; or to encroach upon them, take in any part of them, or join the whole to their own; for if…

For their Redeemer is mighty As he must needs be, since the Lord of hosts is his name; who sympathizes with them, has mercy on them, is their father, and their friend; see ; he shall plead their cause with thee; or “against thee”, as the Vulgate Latin version; and will certainly carry it for them,…

Apply thine heart unto instruction To the instruction of parents, and to the instruction of ministers of the word; to the Scriptures, which are profitable to instruction in righteousness; to the instruction of wisdom, or to the Gospel of Christ, which instructs in things relating to him, and to…

Withhold not correction from the child When he has committed a fault, and correction is necessary; for to spare it is the ruin of the child, and no proof of true affection in the parent, but the reverse; see ; for, if thou beatest him with a rod, he shall not die; if he be beaten moderately, there…

Thou shall beat him with the rod Or, correct him with the stripes of the children of men, in a moderate and suitable manner, proportionable to the fault committed; and as he is able to bear it, both as to body and mind; and shalt deliver his soul from hell; be a means of preventing those sins which…

My son, if thine heart be wise To that which is good; so as from it to understand in a spiritual and experimental manner things divine and heavenly; he may be said to have a wise heart who knows in some measure what his heart is, the wickedness, the original depravity and corruption, of it; the…

Yea, my reins shall rejoice Which is only another phrase expressive of the same thing, and confirming the greatness of joy on the above occasion; not only his heart rejoiced, which was affectionately concerned for his son, near which he lay, the desires of which were frequently drawn out for his…

Let not thine heart envy sinners Their present prosperity and happiness, the pleasure, profit, and honour, they seem to enjoy; all which is but a shadow, fading had temporary; and yet good men are apt to envy it in their hearts, if they do not express it with their lips; and are ready to murmur and…

For surely there is an end Both of the prosperity of the wicked, which is but for a short time; and of the afflictions of the righteous, which are but as it were for a moment; and therefore there is no reason to envy the one, nor to be fretful under the other; the end to a good man will be peace…

Hear thou, my son, and be wise Hear the instruction of a father, of the word of Wisdom, of the ministers of the Gospel, which is the way to be wise unto salvation; faith comes by hearing; spiritual wisdom, and an increase of it; the Spirit of God, and his gifts and graces; and guide thine heart in…

Be not amongst winebibbers Who drink to excess, otherwise wine may be drank, provided moderation is used; but it is not good to be in company with, excessive drinkers of it, lost a habit of excessive drinking should be acquired; among riotous eaters of flesh; flesh may be lawfully eaten, but not in…

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty They consuming their substance upon their bellies, in eating and drinking; see ; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags; excessive eating and drinking brings drowsiness on men, unfits them for business, and makes them idle and slothful;…

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee And who has a true and hearty affection for thee, and whatever he says is for thy good and welfare, which he studies and has at heart; and who therefore also has an authority over thee, and what he enjoins ought to be strictly regarded; and, having lived…

Buy the truth, and sell it not Evangelical truth, the word of truth, the Gospel of salvation, which comes from the God of truth; has Christ, who is the truth, for the stem and substance of it; men are directed and led into it by the Spirit of truth; the whole matter of it is truth; truth, in…

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice Or “in rejoicing shall rejoice” [[3]], in his son; not that he is rich, but righteous, truly righteous, internally and externally; having the righteousness of Christ imputed to him, and righteousness and true holiness wrought in him, and so lives…

Thy father and thy mother shall be glad That, is when thou art righteous and wise; see ; or “let thy father and thy mother be glad” [[4]]; do everything that may make their hearts glad, and their lives easy and comfortable in their old age; by ministering to their necessities, if in any; by…

My son, give me thine heart These words are not the words of Solomon to his son, for a greater than Solomon is here; besides, the claim and possession of the heart do not belong to a creature, but to God; but they are the words of Wisdom, or Christ, to everyone of his sons, the children the Father…

For a whore is a deep ditch Or, “as a deep ditch”, so Aben Ezra; to which she may be compared for the filthiness of her whoredoms, and for her insatiable lust, as well as for her being never satisfied with what she receives from her lovers.

She also lieth in wait as for a prey At the door of her house, in the corner of the streets, in the dark of the night; laying her snares, and spreading her nets, for unwary persons, to make a prey of their virtue and of their money.

Who hath woe? &c.] In this world and in the other, in body and soul; diseases of body, distress of mind, waste of substance, and all manner of evils and calamities; if any man has these, the drunkard has: from whoredom, the Holy Ghost proceeds to drunkenness, which generally go together; and…

They that tarry long at the wine At drinking it. Do not care to stir from it when at it; spend whole days and nights in it, and are overcome by it, and so bring upon them all the above evils; they that go to seek mixed wine, not wine mixed with water, as used commonly by temperate people in hot…

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red Or, “because it is red” [[16]]; or shows itself red. Which was the only wine used in the land of Canaan, or, however, the most esteemed of, and that most of art which had the best colour; when it had a good, bright, red colour, or sparkled, and looked…

At the last it biteth like a serpent Though it goes down sweetly, yet it leaves a sting behind it, intemperately drank; a nausea in the stomach, a stink in the breath, pains and giddiness in the head, weakness in the eyes, trembling in the members of the body, palsy, gout, and other distempers,…

Thine eyes shall behold strange women Being inflamed with wine, shall look upon women, other men’s wives, and lust after them; or harlots, whom seeking after or meeting with, when in their cups, are drawn into their embraces; excess of wine leads to whoredom [[21]].

Yea, thou shall be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea Not in the open sea, and the waves of it, there fluctuating and tossed about; nor in an island encompassed by sea; but in a ship at sea, a drunken man reels and tumbles about, just as a ship does at sea; hence the motions and…

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick, &c.] Or “grieved not” [[22]]; or was not wounded or skin broken [[23]]; see . The drunken man is here represented as saying, that though his companions, with whom he quarrelled and fought in his drunken frolics, beat him very much, yet he…