8. Further advice for wise living chs. 14-15These proverbs are more difficult to group together under a general heading because there are fewer common ideas that tie them together. read more
The ends of the wise and the foolish are in view."The wise are crowned, that is, blessed with wealth (cf. Proverbs 3:16; Proverbs 8:18; Proverbs 8:21; Proverbs 15:6; Proverbs 22:4) because of their diligence (Proverbs 14:23), but foolish conduct results not in blessing but in more folly (cf. Proverbs 14:18)." [Note: Sid S. Buzzell, "Proverbs," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, p. 936. Cf. Toy, p. 296; and McKane, p. 466.] read more
1. The prosperity of the family depends on the wife (Proverbs 31:10-31). 3. Of pride] RM ’for his pride.’4. Where there are no oxen men have not to labour at keeping the crib clean, but at the same time there is no profit. The men who unload coal in Calais harbour used to sing: ’The coalis black, but the money’s white.’8. The wise man’s concern is how shall he act; the foolish man’s how shall he deceive others. 9. Lit.’ the guilt-offering mocketh at fools.’ This seems to mean that fools trust... read more
(24) The crown of the wise is their riches.—They adorn and set off the wisdom of the wise, and bring it more prominently into notice; but the “foolishness of fools” remains folly. The rich fool only displays his folly all the more from being set in a conspicuous position. read more
Sin and Its Mockers Proverbs 14:9 It is one thing to mock in such a fashion as that the sinning person shall say, 'This thing which the mirror holds up to me is base, contemptible, unprofitable, and I will henceforth abjure it'; and another thing to laugh in such a fashion as to make him imagine 'This thing is trivial, it is of no serious import whatsoever, and I will therefore conduct myself as I like. The first kind of mockery is the austere, if somewhat cynical, expression of moral... read more
CHAPTER 15THE INWARD UNAPPROACHABLE LIFE"The heart knoweth its own bitterness and a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy."- Proverbs 14:10"Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of mirth is heaviness."- Proverbs 14:13"Yes! in the sea of life enisled, With echoing straits between us thrown, Dotting the shoreless watery wild, We mortal millions live alone. The islands feel the enclasping flow, And then their endless bounds they know." -Matthew ArnoldWE know each other’s... read more
CHAPTER 14 The Wise and The Foolish: The Rich and The Poor The contrast now concerns the wise and the foolish, the rich and the poor. Let us see some of these contrasts. “In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise shall preserve them” Proverbs 14:3 . The foolish shoots forth his foolishness like a branch. Separation from the foolish man is commanded in the seventh verse. The wise cannot have fellowship with the foolish, as the believer is not to be yoked to the... read more
Some regard the division now entered upon as the original nucleus of the whole collection of proverbs (see the first sentence of verse one). The division extends really to the close of chapter 22, and contains “maxims, precepts and admonitions with respect to the most diverse relations of life.” In so much of it as is covered by the present lesson we have a contrast “between the godly and the ungodly, and their respective lots in life.” We have this contrast set before us, first in general... read more
The Backsliding Heart, Etc. Pro 14:14-34 Backsliding takes place in the heart, and not in the foot. It is in the foot indeed that we show it, but the collapse took place in the spirit before the foot began to falter, and to recede, and to fall. The issue is that the backslider shall be filled with the fruit which he has coveted; he shall drink deeply of the draught which he has mingled: he shall be allowed to see how fully he has succeeded in making a failure of life. He shall be mocked and... read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Proverbs 14:24
24. (Compare :-). foolishness . . . folly—Folly remains, or produces folly; it has no benefit. read more