Proverbs 3:16-22 NIV

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:16

The remaining three verses (16-18) state in what respects Wisdom is incomparable in value. Length of days ; orek yamim, as in Proverbs 3:2 . Wisdom is here represented as holding in her right hand that which is previously promised to obedience. Length of days is the blessing of blessings, the condition of all prosperity and enjoyment, and hence is placed in the right hand, the chief place, for among the Hebrews and other Oriental nations, as also among the Greeks the right hand was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:17

Ways of pleasantness ( dar'key noam ); Vulgate, viae pulchrae ; LXX ; ὁδοὶ καλαὶ . Wisdom's ways are those in which substantial delight may be found. They are beautiful and lovely to look upon, and afford happiness. All her paths are peace ( v)kal-n)thivo-theyah shalom ); literally, as in the Authorized Version. "Peace," shalom, is not genitive as "pleasantness." The character of peace is stamped upon her paths, so that in speaking of Wisdom's paths we speak of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:18

A tree of life ( ets-khayyim ); Vulgate, lignum vitae ; LXX ; ξύλον ζωῆς . This expression obviously refers to "the tree of life" ( ets-hakayyim ) , which was placed in the midst of the garden of Eden, and conferred immortality on those who ate of its fruit ( Genesis 2:9 ; Genesis 3:22 ). So Wisdom becomes equally life giving to those who lay hold on her, who taste of her fruit. She communicates life in its manifold fulness and richness (so the plural "lives"... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:19

The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth. The emphatic position of the word Jehovah, "the Lord," at the beginning of the sentence (cf. Psalms 27:1-14 ; Psalms 97:1-12 ; Psalms 99:1-9 ), as well as the nature of the discourse, indicates a new paragraph. The description of the creative Wisdom of Jehovah may have been suggested to the mind of the teacher by the mention of the tree of life, in Proverbs 3:18 (Zockler); but the connection between this and the preceding passage has to be... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:19-20

Wisdom the principle of the creation Perhaps the mention of the tree of life has reminded the writer of the early account of the creation in Genesis 1:1-31 , it. He thus traces the visible world and its order to its spiritual root in the mind of God. He gives a brief sketch of the construction of the cosmos, according to the ancient mode of thought. Both heaven and earth are fixed and made fast; and the water masses divided into those above and those below the "firmament;" the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:19-26

5. Fifth hortatory discourse. Wisdom, the creative power of God, exhibited as the protection of those who fear God . The teacher in this discourse presents Wisdom under a new aspect. Wisdom is the Divine power of God, by which he created the world, and by which he sustains the work of his hands and regulates the operations of nature. This eminence of Wisdom, in her intimate association with Jehovah, is made the basis of a renewed exhortation to keep Wisdom steadily in view. The elevated... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:20

By his knowledge the depths are broken up. This is usually taken to refer to that primary act in creation, the separation of the waters from the earth, when "the waters were gathered together unto their own place," as recorded in Genesis 1:9 . So Munster, Zockler, Wardlaw. But it seems better to understand it (as Mercerus, Lapide, Delitzsch, and Authorized Version) of the fertilization of the earth by rivers, streams, etc; which burst forth from the interior of the earth. In this sense the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:21

My son, let not them depart from thine eyes. After the description of the power of Wisdom exhibited in creating and sustaining the earth, the exhortation to keep Wisdom steadily before the eyes, and the promises of Divine protection, appropriately follow. Since Wisdom is so powerful, then, the teacher argues, she is worthy of being retained and guarded, and able to protect. Let them not depart ( al-yaluzu ); i.e. "let them not escape or slip aside from your mind (cf. Vulgate, ne... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:21-26

Confidence and the sense of security in the ways of God In rich variation the religious habit of mind is presented. What has been spoken of as worthy to be hung about the neck as precious is now referred to as to be kept continually before the eyes of the mind. The designation of wisdom or its attributes is also varied, viz. "thoughtfulness and circumspection" ( Proverbs 3:21 ). In the next, former modes of statement recur (comp. Proverbs 3:3 , sqq .). I. RELIGION STRENGTHENS ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:22

So shall they he life to thy soul, and grace to thy neck. So shall they be ( n'yikva ); and they shall be. The "soul" and "neck" stand for the whole man in his twofold nature, internal and external. Life is in its highest and widest sense given to the soul (see Proverbs 2:16 , Proverbs 2:18 ; Proverbs 4:22 ; Proverbs 8:35 ), and favour is conferred on the man, i.e. he becomes acceptable to his neighbours, if he has wisdom. The latter expression is very similar to Proverbs... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:19-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:19-26

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:20

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:21

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:21-26

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 3:22

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