8 An offering of money is like a stone of great price in the eyes of him who has it: wherever he goes, he does well.
Take no rewards in a cause: for rewards make blind those who have eyes to see, and make the decisions of the upright false.
A sinner takes an offering out of his robe, to get a decision for himself in a cause.
But Esau said, I have enough; keep what is yours, my brother, for yourself. And Jacob said, Not so; but if I have grace in your eyes, take them as a sign of my love, for I have seen your face as one may see the face of God, and you have been pleased with me. Take my offering then, with my blessing; for God has been very good to me and I have enough: so at his strong request, he took it.
And take twice as much money with you; that is to say, take back the money which was put in your bags, for it may have been an error;
You are not to be moved in your judging by a man's position, you are not to take rewards; for rewards make the eyes of the wise man blind, and the decisions of the upright false.
And when David had gone a little way past the top of the slope, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, came to him, with two asses on which were two hundred cakes of bread and a hundred stems of dry grapes and a hundred summer fruits and a skin of wine. And David said to Ziba, What is your reason for this? And Ziba said, The asses are for the use of the king's people, and the bread and the fruit are food for the young men; and the wine is for drink for those who are overcome by weariness in the waste land. And the king said, And where is your master's son? And Ziba said, He is still at Jerusalem: for he said, Today Israel will give back to me the kingdom of my father. Then the king said to Ziba, Truly everything which was Mephibosheth's is yours. And Ziba said, I give honour to my lord, may I have grace in your eyes, my lord, O king!
He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
Be lifted up, O Lord, in your strength; so will we make songs in praise of your power.
The voice of the Lord is full of power; the voice of the Lord has a noble sound.
Your chiefs have gone against the Lord, they have become friends of thieves; every one of them is looking for profit and going after rewards; they do not give right decisions for the child who has no father, and they do not let the cause of the widow come before them.
For I have seen how your evil-doing is increased and how strong are your sins, you troublers of the upright, who take rewards and do wrong to the cause of the poor in the public place.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Proverbs 17
Commentary on Proverbs 17 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 17
Pro 17:1
These words recommend family-love and peace, as conducing very much to the comfort of human life.
Pro 17:2
Note,
Pro 17:3
Note,
Pro 17:4
Note,
Pro 17:5
See here,
Pro 17:6
They are so, that is, they should be so, and, if they conduct themselves worthily, they are so.
Pro 17:7
Two things are here represented as very absurd:
Pro 17:8
The design of this observation is to show,
Pro 17:9
Note,
Pro 17:10
Note,
Pro 17:11
Here is the sin and punishment of an evil man.
Pro 17:12
Note,
Pro 17:13
A malicious mischievous man is here represented,
Pro 17:14
Here is,
Pro 17:15
This shows what an offence it is to God,
Pro 17:16
Two things are here spoken of with astonishment:-
Pro 17:17
This intimates the strength of those bonds by which we are bound to each other and which we ought to be sensible of.
Pro 17:18
Though Solomon had commended friendship in adversity (v. 17), yet let not any, under pretence of being generous to their friends, be unjust to their families and wrong them; one part of our duty must be made to consist with another. Note,
Pro 17:19
Note,
Pro 17:20
Note,
Pro 17:21
This expresses that very emphatically which many wise and good men feel very sensibly, what a grievous vexatious thing it is to have a foolish wicked child. See here,
Pro 17:22
Note,
Pro 17:23
See here,
Pro 17:24
Note,
Pro 17:25
Observe,
Pro 17:26
In differences that happen between magistrates and subjects, and such differences often arise,
Pro 17:27-28
Two ways a man may show himself to be a wise man:-