This chapter relates Rehoboam’s going to Shechem to be made king, and Jeroboam’s return from Egypt, 1 Kings 12:1, 1 Kings 12:2, the people’s request to Rehoboam to be eased of their taxes, as the condition of making him king, 1 Kings 12:3, 1 Kings 12:4, his answer to them, after three days, having…

Be not thou envious against evil men Or, “men of evil” [[1]]. Such who are addicted to evil, and given up to it, whose principles and practices are bad; such as are before described in the preceding chapter; gluttons and drunkards, men given to women and wine: envy not their present prosperity, or…

For their heart studieth destruction To others; to good men, that separate from them, and reprove them, or are in their way; or any ways hinder them in the prosecution of their wicked designs; as Haman’s heart studied the destruction of the Jews: or their hearts study to draw men into their…

Through wisdom is a house builded A family is built up, furnished and supplied with the necessaries and conveniences of life, and brought into flourishing and prosperous circumstances, by wise and prudent management, by diligence and industry, through the blessing of God upon them, without taking…

And by knowledge shalt the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. ] That are both of worth, value, and usefulness, and for ornament and delight; the more private and retired parts of a man’s dwelling house, as well as his shops, warehouses, barns, and granaries, shall be filled…

A wise man is strong He can do that sometimes by his wisdom, and which requires strength and courage too, which another cannot do by his strength; see (Eccles. 9:15, Eccles. 9:16) .

For by wise counsel thou shall make thy war Counsel, as well as strength, is necessary for war: kings and states, before they enter on a war, should not only well consider the justness of their cause, but should consult whether they have a sufficiency of men and money to carry it on; and should…

Wisdom is too high for a fool It is out of his reach, he cannot attain it; natural wisdom, or the knowledge of many things in nature; at least it seems so to himself, and therefore will not take any pains, or make use of any means, to obtain it; as the knowledge of human laws; of medicine, of…

He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person] To do evil is natural to men, all are prone to it; being conceived and born in sin, and, from the womb, more or less commit it: but for a man to sit down and contrive evil, as some men are inventors of evil things; contrive new sins,…

The thoughts of foolishness is sin The thought of sin is sin [[4]], before it comes into action; the motions of sin in the mind, the workings of corrupt nature in the heart, the sinful desires of the flesh and of the mind: these are forbidden and condemned by the law of God as sin, which says,…

If thou faint in the day of adversity When under bodily afflictions, stripping providences, reduced to great straits and wants; or under the violent persecutions of men, which is sometimes the case of the people of God; whose times are in his hands, times of adversity, as well as prosperity; and…

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, &c.] Or “taken for or unto death” [[7]], in a violent way; who are taken by thieves and robbers, and used in a barbarous manner, as the man in the parable, whom the priest and Levite took no notice of, and was helped by the good Samaritan;…

If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not The danger the person was in; or the innocency of his cause; or what method to take to deliver him; or that it was in our power to do anything for him; so the Vulgate Latin version, “if thou sayest, strength is not sufficient”: or “we knew him not” [[9]], who…

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good It is good for food; there was plenty of it in Palestine, and it was eaten for food, not only by children, but grown persons; and was very nourishing, strengthening, and refreshing to them, as Samson, Jonathan, John the Baptist, and others; and is good for…

So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul Or let it be taken in as greedily and with as good an appetite; as pleasant, useful, delightful, and profitable; even the knowledge of Christ, the Wisdom of God, which is preferable to all things else, and more desirable than the most pleasant and…

Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous The church of God, which is the righteous man’s dwelling place, and where he desires and delights to dwell; or his own dwelling house; it may be rendered, “at the dwelling of the righteous” [[14]]; lay not wait at his door to observe…

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again, &c.] This is to be understood of a truly just man; not of one that is only outwardly and seemingly so, or of temporary believers and nominal professors; but of such who are thoroughly convinced of their own unrighteousness, and believe in…

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth These words are spoken not to the wicked man, ; but to the just man, or Solomon’s son, or the children of Wisdom; for by the “enemy” is meant such who are at enmity with the people of God, as the seed of the serpent, and those after the flesh, are: and when…

Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him Who sees all things, not only external actions, but the heart, and the inward motions of it; and though men may hide the pleasure they feel at the misery of an enemy from others, they cannot hide it from the Lord; nor is this said by way of doubt, but as a…

Fret not thyself because of evil men Because of their outward prosperity and worldly happiness, any more than rejoice at their adversity; neither do the one nor the other; where the one prevails, the other does also; by the frequent repetition of this advice, it looks as if this evil is what good…

For there shall be no reward to the evil man No reward of good things, such as is for the righteous in a way of grace; but he shall have a reward of evil things, a just recompence of reward for his sins: of “no end” [[16]]; there will be an end of his life in this world, and there will be an end of…

My son, fear thou the Lord, and the king First the Lord, and then the king; and such as fear the Lord are generally loyal to their king; the fear of God includes love to him, reverence of him, faith in him, submission to him, and the whole worship of him, inward and outward, attended with holiness…

For their calamity shall rise suddenly And come upon those that fear not God, and rebel against the king and the state, and innovate in matters of religion; and especially that bring in damnable heresies, and, while they cry Peace, peace, and are pleasing themselves with their new schemes and…

These things also belong to the wise Both what is said before concerning fearing God and the king; these belong to the wise and unwise, rich and poor, great and small; particularly judges and civil magistrates, and all subordinate governors, who have, or ought to have, a competency of wisdom; these…

He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous Not in a private way, or as giving his opinion or character of a man that is wicked, whom either through ignorance or flattery another may call righteous; which may be done and not resented by people and nations; but in an open court of judicature…

But to them that rebuke him shall be delight That is, such that rebuke in the gate, or openly, in a court of judicature; that reprove delinquents, such as are found guilty of malpractices, and punish them as they ought to be, according to the laws of God and man; they shall have delight in…

Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer. ] Either as a witness to a question put to him in court, to which he answers aptly and uprightly; or rather as a judge, who, having heard a cause, answers and gives his opinion of it faithfully, and pronounces a righteous sentence; everyone…

Prepare thy work without As Solomon did for the building of the temple; timber and stones were prepared, hewed, squared, and fitted for the building before brought thither, ; or diligently attend to thy business without doors, whatever it is, that thou mayest provide for thyself and family the…

Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause Unless forced unto it, except there is some urgent reason for it; not upon any trivial account, or in any frivolous matter; never appear forward and eager to bear witness against him, and, whenever obliged to it, be not a false witness, but speak…

Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me He has falsely accused and reproached me, and bore a false testimony, or suborned false witnesses against me, and I will do the same to him, now an opportunity serves; but as private revenge itself is sinful, so especially when it is pursued in a…

I went by the field of the slothful This very probably was a real matter of fact; King Solomon’s way lay at a certain time by the field of a slothful man, who never went into it himself, there being a lion in the way; and which he took no care of to manure and till, to plough and sow, but let it…

And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns Or “thistles” [[23]]; which grow up of themselves, are the fruit of the curse, and the effect of slothfulness; and nettles had covered the face thereof; so that nothing was to be seen but thorns and thistles, nettles and weeds; and such is the case of the…

Then I saw, and considered it well Or, “when I saw, I considered it well”; or “set my heart it” [[24]]; when he saw as he passed along the field and the vineyard, he, considered who was the owner and proprietor of them; what a sluggish and foolish man he was, and what a ruinous condition his field…

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber The sight of the field and vineyard of the slothful put Solomon in mind of an observation he had made before, which fitly describes the disposition and gesture of the sluggard, by which means his field and vineyard came to ruin; while he should be up and tilling…

So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth Swiftly and suddenly, both in a temporal and spiritual sense; (See Gill on Prov. 6:11); and thy want as an armed man; irresistibly.