Proverbs 23

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:12-18

Discipline in Divine wisdom I. THE TEMPER OF DOCILITY . ( Proverbs 23:12 .) It is submission of the affections to a higher law. It is the resignation of the will to a higher leading. It is the opening of the understanding to Divine counsels. It is the realization, on the one hand, of dependence and need; on the other, of the light, the wisdom, and the goodness which ever meet that need. II. THE NECESSITY OF DISCIPLINE FOR THE YOUNG . ( Proverbs 23:13 ,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:13

An injunction to the tutor or parent (comp. Proverbs 13:24 ; Proverbs 19:18 ; Proverbs 22:15 ; Proverbs 29:17 ). For if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. This has been understood in various senses; e.g. "Though than scourge him, that correction will not kill him;… . If thou chastise him, thou wilt save him from the doom of the rebellious son" ( Deuteronomy 21:18-21 ); or, "He shall not die eternally," which rather anticipates the conclusion in the next verse. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:13-14

(See homily on Proverbs 13:24 .)—C. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:14

Shalt deliver his soul from hell ( sheol ); de inferno, Vulgate; ἐκ θανάτου , Septuagint. Premature death was regarded as a punishment of sin, as long life was the reward of righteousness. Proper discipline preserves a youth not only from many material dangers incident to unbridled passions, but saves him from spiritual death, the decay and destruction of grace here, and the retribution that awaits the sinner in another world (comp. Ec Proverbs 30:1-12 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:15

The moralist now addresses the disciple, and so to the end of the chapter. If thine heart be wise ; become wise by profiting by discipline, and having its natural folly ( Proverbs 22:15 ) eradicated. My heart shall rejoice, even mine. The pronoun is repeated for the sake of emphasis (as in Proverbs 22:19 ), the speaker thus declaring his supreme interest in the moral progress of his pupil. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:16

My reins shall rejoice. The "reins" ( kelayoth ) , kidneys, are regarded as the seat of feeling and sensation ( Job 19:27 ). or of the inner nature generally ( Psalms 16:7 ; Revelation 2:22 ). I shall rejoice in my very soul when thy lips speak right things; i.e. when thy heart is so replete with wisdom, thy mind so well instructed as to utter naught but what is true and sensible ( Proverbs 8:6 ). The composition of these two verses is noteworthy, Proverbs 23:15 being... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:17

Let not thine heart envy sinners, when thou seest them apparently happy and prosperous (comp. Proverbs 3:31 ; Proverbs 24:1 , Proverbs 24:19 ; Psalms 37:1 ; Psalms 73:3 ). The Authorized Version, in agreement with the Septuagint, Vulgate, Arabic, and other versions, takes the second clause of this verse as an independent one: but it seems evidently to be constructionally connected with the preceding, and to be governed by the same verb, so that there is no occasion to insert "be... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:17-18

Envying sinners I. THERE IS A GREAT TEMPTATION TO ENVY SINNERS . The wise man would wastewords in giving a warning if he saw no danger. This temptation is fascinating on various accounts. 1 . Sinners prosper. This was the old ground of the psalmist's perplexity. The righteous were suffering while the wicked were fattening in ill-earned luxury ( Psalms 73:3-9 ). 2 . Sinners take forbidden paths with impunity. They trespass and are not arrested. Thus they attain... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:17-18

God's righteous judgment Nothing is more foolish than to endeavour to found a proof of the righteousness of God's rule upon a single case of human experience. Yet is that often done. A good man seizes upon a piece of good fortune in a godly man's life, and exaggerates its importance; a bad man pounces upon a piece of bad fortune and draws unwarrantable conclusions therefrom. But are there not indications, if not proofs, to be had for the seeking, that all things are under the direction of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:18

For surely there is an end. Some take the hemistich conditionally, rendering אִם "when," or "if the end comes;" but cue sees no object in the thought being expressed conditionally; and it is best. with the Authorized Version, Nowack, and others, to take כִּי אִם equivalent to "assuredly," as in 15:7 ; 2 Samuel 15:21 . "End" ( acharith ) is the glorious future that awaits the pious ( Proverbs 24:14 ; Jeremiah 29:11 ). The prosperity of simmers is not to be envied,... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:12-18

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:13

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:13-14

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:15

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:17-18

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:17-18

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:18

Verse of the Day

Daily Devotional

Group of Brands