Proverbs 25:27-28

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 25:27

I. Two things we must be graciously dead to:?1. To the pleasures of sense, for it is not good to eat much honey; though it pleases the taste, and, if eaten with moderation, is very wholesome, yet, if eaten to excess, it becomes nauseous, creates bile, and is the occasion of many diseases. It is true of all the delights of the children of men that they will surfeit, but never satisfy, and they are dangerous to those that allow themselves the liberal use of them. 2. To the praise of man. We must... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 25:28

Here is, 1. The good character of a wise and virtuous man implied. He is one that has rule over his own spirit; he maintains the government of himself, and of his own appetites and passions, and does not suffer them to rebel against reason and conscience. He has the rule of his own thoughts, his desires, his inclinations, his resentments, and keeps them all in good order. 2. The bad case of a vicious man, who has not this rule over his own spirit, who, when temptations to excess in eating or... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 25:27

It is not good to eat much honey ,.... That is too much otherwise it is good to eat, Proverbs 24:13 ; but too much is hurtful, it surfeits the stomach increases choler F5 Suidas in voce μουλι . and creates loathing; and indeed, too much of anything is bad F6 "Vitiosum est ubique quod nimium est", Seneca de Tranquilitate, c. 9. ; so for men to search their own glory is not glory : to set forth their own excellencies, to sound forth their own praises to seek honour of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 25:28

He that hath no rule over his own spirit ,.... His affections and passions, puts no restraint, unto them, as the word signifies; no guard against them, no fence about them, to curb his curiosity, to check his pride and vanity, to restrain his wrath and anger and revenge, and keep within due bounds his ambition and itch of vainglory; is like a city that broken down and without walls ; into which the may go with pleasure, and which is exposed to the rapine and violence of everyone;... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 25:27

It is not good to eat much honey - Coverdale translates the whole passage thus: "Like as it is not good to eat to muche hony; even so, he that wyll search out hye thinges, it shal be to hevy for him." As he that etith myche honye, and it is not to him goode; so, that is a sercher of mageste, schal ben oppressid of glorie - Old MS. Bible. He that searches too much into mysteries, is likely to be confounded by them. I really think this is the meaning of the place; and shall not puzzle either... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:16-27

The wisdom of moderation We can only eat a small quantity of honey; it we go beyond the limit we find out our mistake. Of this, as of all very sweet things, the words of the great dramatist are true, that "a little more than enough is by much too much." This is particularly applicable to that to which it is here referred. I. SELF - PRAISE . We may go a little way in that direction, but not far. If we transgress the narrow bounds allowed, we shall soon find that we have done... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:23-28

Moral invectives I. AGAINST SLANDER . ( Proverbs 25:23 .) Here is a striking picture. Gunning and slanderous habits beget a dark and gloomy expression on the brow; as a homely German proverb says, "He makes a face like three days' rainy weather." The countenance, rightly read, is the mirror of the soul. Without the candid soul the brow cannot be clear and open. If we look into the mirror, we may see the condemnation which nature (that is, God) stamps upon our evil and unholy moods. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:27

It is not good to eat much honey . The ill effects of a surfeit of honey have been already mentioned ( Proverbs 25:16 ); but here the application is different, and occasions some difficulty. The Authorized Version, in order to clear up the obscurity of the text, inserts a negative, So for men to search their own glory is not glory, which seems to be a warning against conceit and self-adulation. This is hardly warranted by the present Hebrew text, which is literally, as Venetian renders, ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:28

A proverb like the last, concerned with self-control. In the Hebrew it runs thus (see on Proverbs 25:11 ): A city that is broken down without wall—a man on whose spirit is no restraint . "A city broken down" is explained by the next words. "without wall," and therefore undefended and open to' the first invader. To such a city is compared the man who puts no restraint on his passions, desires, and affections; he is always in danger of being carried away by them and involved in sin and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:28

A city that is broken down. Elsewhere the wise man has told us that it is greater for a man to get the victory over his own passions than to take a city ( Proverbs 16:32 ). Now we learn the reverse truth—the shame, misery, and ruin of lack of self-control. I. THE LACK OF SELF - CONTROL . We need to see what this condition really is. Every man is permitted, in a large measure, to be his own sovereign. No tyrant can invade the secret sanctuary of his thoughts. His ideas,... read more

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