The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:21-25
(See homily on Proverbs 10:1 .)—C. read more
Provérbios 17:22-24 Nvipt
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:21-28
Varied experiences of good and evil in life We may divide them into the sorrowful, the joyous, and the mixed experiences. I. SAD EXPERIENCES . The sorrow of thankless children . ( Proverbs 17:21 , Proverbs 17:25 .) To name it is enough for thereto who have known it. It has its analogue in Divine places. How pathetically does the Bible speak of the grief of God over the rebellious children he has nourished and brought up! and of Christ's lamentation as of a mother over... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:22
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. So Aben Ezra, understanding the particle of comparison, which is not in the Hebrew. The ward translated "medicine" ( gehah ) occurs nowhere else, and probably means "healing" "relief." The clause is better rendered, a cheerful heart maketh a good healing (comp. Proverbs 15:13 ; Proverbs 16:25 ). Vulgate, aetatem floridam facit ; Septuagint, εὐεκτεῖν ποιεῖ , "makes one to be in good case." A cheerful, contented disposition enables a... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:22
The healing effects of cheerfulness I. CHEERFULNESS IS COMMENDED IN SCRIPTURE . The Bible does not put a premium on sombreness. It never suggests that there is a merit in gloom. It urges the need of repentance, calls upon men to grieve for their sins, threatens the wrath of God against impenitence, and so brings up occasions for distress of soul; it also rebukes "the laughter of fools," the empty merriment of frivolity and the riot and revelry of dissipation ( Ecclesiastes 7:6 ... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:23
A gift out of the bosom ; i.e. secretly from the fold of the garment, and not from the purse or bag wherein money was ostensibly carried. A corrupt judge "taketh," i.e. receives a bribe conveyed to him secretly ( Proverbs 21:14 ). To pervert the ways of judgment. The judges had no appointed salaries; hence the unprincipled among them were open to bribery. The strict injunctions of the Law, and the stern denunciations of the prophets, were alike ineffectual in checking corruption... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:24
Wisdom is before [the face of] him that hath understanding. The idea is that the intelligent man directs his look towards Wisdom, and therefore she beams upon him with all her light; as the Vulgate puts it, "In the face of the prudent wisdom shines." He has one object to which he directs all his attention ( Proverbs 15:14 ). The Septuagint rendering is not so satisfactory: "The countenance of a prudent man is wise;" he shows in his look and bearing the wisdom that guides him. Thus ... read more
Joseph Benson
Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 17:22
Proverbs 17:22. A merry heart Cheerfullness of mind, especially that which is solid, and ariseth from the testimony of a good conscience; doeth good like a medicine Even to the body; it contributes very much to the restoration or preservation of bodily health and vigour, as physicians observe and experience shows; but a broken spirit A spirit sad and dejected; drieth the bones Wasteth the marrow of the bones, and the moisture and strength of the body. read more
Joseph Benson
Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 17:23
Proverbs 17:23. A wicked man Whether judge or witness; taketh a gift out of the bosom In secret, as this phrase is expounded Proverbs 21:14, being privily conveyed from the bosom of the giver into his own bosom; to pervert the ways of judgment To give or procure an unjust sentence. Bishop Patrick’s paraphrase of the verse is, “No man would willingly be known to be so wicked as to be bribed to do injustice, but there are too many that will suffer themselves to be secretly corrupted by... read more
Joseph Benson
Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 17:24
Proverbs 17:24. Wisdom is before him Hebrew, את פני , in the face, or countenance, of him that hath understanding His wisdom appears in his very countenance, or in his gestures, or looks, which are modest, composed, and grave. Or, rather, wisdom is before him, or in his eye, he never loses sight of it; it is the mark at which he constantly aims, and the rule by which he constantly walks, and by which he orders all his steps, continually minding his present duty and business. But the... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:16-24
Use and neglect "There is everything in use," we say. And certainly a man's position at any time depends far less upon his bestowments and advantages than upon the use he has made of them. The wise man, in these verses, laments the fact that the price of wisdom should so often be in the hand of a man who fails to turn it to account ( Proverbs 17:16 ), and that the foolish man wastes his capacities by directing them to things at a distance instead of giving his attention to that which is... read more