Pro 29:3 Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth [his] substance. Ver. 3. Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father. ] See Trapp on " Pro 10:1 " But he that keepeth company with harlots. ] See Trapp on " Pro 5:9 " Those she sinners, as they call them, are costly creatures, and they that keep them care not what cost they cast away upon them. read more
Pro 29:4 The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it. Ver. 4. The king by judgment stablisheth the land. ] This one piece of Solomon’s politics hath much more good advice in it than all Lypsius’s Beehive, or Machiavel’s Spider web. But he that receiveth gifts. ] Heb., A man of oblations; that is, as some interpret it, a man that sacreligiously meddleth with things dedicated to pious uses, and makes a gain of them to himself. See Proverbs 20:25 . read more
Pro 29:5 A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet. Ver. 5. A man that flattereth his neighbour, &c. ] A smooth boots, as the word a signifies, a butterspoken man, see Isa 3:12 or a divided man, for a flatterer’s tongue is divided from his heart. a Glaber. read more
Pro 29:6 In the transgression of an evil man [there is] a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice. Ver. 6. In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare. ] Or, A cord - viz., to strangle his joy with - to check and choke all his comforts. In the midst of his mirth he hath many a secret gripe, and little knows the world where his shoe pincheth him. Every fowl that hath a seemly feather hath not the sweetest flesh, nor doth every tree that bringeth a goodly leaf bear good fruit.... read more
Pro 29:7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: [but] the wicked regardeth not to know [it]. Ver. 7. The righteous considereth the cause of the poor. ] The cause, not the person of the poor, for that is forbidden in the law. Lev 19:15 The great must not be favoured for their might, nor the mean for their misery, but justice, justice must be done to all, as Moses hath it; that is, even law and execution of right - as the oath runs that is given to our judges - without respect of... read more
Pro 29:8 Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise [men] turn away wrath. Ver. 8. Scornful men bring a city into a snare. ] The Vulgate render it, Pestilent persons undo a city or a state; as Nahash did the Ammonites, 1 Samuel 11:2 ; 1Sa 11:11 and as his son Hanan did much more. 2Sa 10:4 ; 2Sa 12:31 Mocking is catching, as the pestilence, and no less pernicious to the whole country. Geraldus Cambrensis tells of three Irish kings that, being derided for their rude habits and... read more
Proverbs 29:9 [If] a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, [there is] no rest. Ver. 9. If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man. ] Such fools were the Pharisees, though for their worldly wisdom called princes of this world. 1Co 2:8 Christ piped to them, John mourned to them, neither wrought upon them. Mat 11:16-17 Such was their peevishness and pertinace in evil, that they "rejected the counsel of God against themselves," Luk 7:30 being ingrati gratiae Dei, as... read more
Pro 29:10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul. Ver. 10. The bloodthirsty hate the upright. ] As Cain did Abel for his goodness, 1Jn 3:12 and as many bloody villains still, who bear about, and, so far as they dare, make use of Cain’s club to knock on the head God’s righteous Abels. All hatred is bloody, but especially the habit of hatred. No sight pleased Hannibal better than a ditch running over with man’s blood. Nothing would satisfy Farnesius, the Pope’s champion,... read more
Pro 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise [man] keepeth it in till afterwards. Ver. 11. A fool uttereth all his mind. ] He is full of chinks, and can hold nothing; his heart lies so near his mouth, that he will out suddenly. פתי , a fool , and פתאם , suddenly , are from the same root. He hath little command of himself at any time, but especially when he is angry; then he sputters and spews out all that he hath in his heart. The Septuagint here translate, A fool uttereth all his... read more
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John Trapp Complete Commentary - Proverbs 29:2
Pro 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. Ver. 2. When the righteous are in authority. ] Or, Are increased, as Proverbs 28:28 ; See Trapp on " Pro 28:28 " The people mourn. ] Heb., Sigh (as the oppressed Israelites in Egypt did) where they dare not speak out. But what a bloody tyrant was Sulla, who put to death Marcus Plaetorius only for sighing at the cruel execution of Marcus Marius! So one Lancelot was burnt in... read more