1. Every wise, &c.—literally, "The wisdoms" (compare :-) "of women," plural, a distributive form of speech. buildeth . . . house—increases wealth, which the foolish, by mismanagement, lessen. read more
This verse makes better sense if for "house" we read "household." Either translation is legitimate. read more
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
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
XIV(1) Every wise woman buildeth her house.—This should be rendered, “The wisdom (literally, wisdoms; see above on Proverbs 1:20; chokhmôth should probably be read here, as there, not chokhmôth) of women buildeth (for each) her house, but (their) folly plucketh it down,” &c.Buildeth her house.—Each person and each good work throughout the household grows, as it were, under her fostering hand. (Comp. Ephesians 2:21.) 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
14:1 Every wise woman {a} buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.(a) That is, takes pains to profit her family, and to do that which concerns her duty in her house. read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 14:1
Proverbs 14:1. Every wise woman— See chap. Pro 12:4 and Exodus 1:21. Though to build the house is frequently used for increasing posterity, it seems in this place principally to refer to that oeconomy and good management by which a wise woman advantages her family. See Titus 2:5. read more