25 It is a danger to a man to say without thought, It is holy, and, after taking his oaths, to be questioning if it is necessary to keep them.
If anyone is untrue, sinning in error in connection with the holy things of the Lord, let him take his offering to the Lord, a male sheep from the flock, without any mark, of the value fixed by you in silver by shekels, by the scale of the holy place.
No outside person may take of the holy food, or one living as a guest in the priest's house, or a servant working for payment. But any person for whom the priest has given money, to make him his, may take of it with him; and those who come to birth in his house may take of his bread. And if the daughter of a priest is married to an outside person she may not take of the holy things which are lifted up as offerings. But if a priest's daughter is a widow, or parted from her husband, and has no child, and has come back to her father's house as when she was a girl, she may take of her father's bread; but no outside person may do so. And if a man takes the holy food in error, he will have to give the holy thing back to the priest, with the addition of a fifth part. And they may not make common the holy things which the children of Israel give to the Lord,
And if it is a beast of which men make offerings to the Lord, whatever any man gives of such to the Lord will be holy. It may not be changed in any way, a good given for a bad, or a bad for a good; if one beast is changed for another, the two will be holy.
And every tenth part of the land, of the seed planted, or of the fruit of trees, is holy to the Lord. And if a man has a desire to get back any of the tenth part which he has given, let him give a fifth more.
And Moses said to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, This is the order of the Lord. When a man takes an oath to the Lord, or gives an undertaking having the force of an oath, let him not go back from his word, but let him do whatever he has said he will do. If a woman, being young and under the authority of her father, takes an oath to the Lord or gives an undertaking; If her father, hearing of her oath or the undertaking she has given, says nothing to her, then all her oaths and every undertaking she has given will have force. But if her father, hearing of it, makes her take back her word, then the oaths or the undertakings she has given will have no force; and she will have forgiveness from the Lord, because her oath was broken by her father. And if she is married to a husband at the time when she is under an oath or an undertaking given without thought; If her husband, hearing of it, says nothing to her at the time, then the oaths she made and the undertakings she gave will have force. But if her husband, hearing of it, makes her take it back, then the oath she made and the undertaking she gave without thought will have no force or effect, and she will have the Lord's forgiveness. But an oath made by a widow or one who is no longer married to her husband, and every undertaking she has given, will have force. If she made an oath while she was under the authority of her husband, And her husband, hearing of it, said nothing to her and did not put a stop to it, then all her oaths and every undertaking she gave will have force. But if her husband, on hearing of it, made them without force or effect, then whatever she has said about her oaths or her undertaking has no force: her husband has made them without effect, and she will have the Lord's forgiveness. Every oath, and every undertaking which she gives, to keep herself from pleasure, may be supported or broken by her husband. But if the days go on, and her husband says nothing whatever to her, then he is giving the support of his authority to her oaths and undertakings, because at the time of hearing them he said nothing to her. But if at some time after hearing of them, he makes them without force, then he is responsible for her wrongdoing.
It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it. Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands. Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.
Will a man keep back from God what is right? But you have kept back what is mine. But you say, What have we kept back from you? Tenths and offerings. You are cursed with a curse; for you have kept back from me what is mine, even all this nation. Let your tenths come into the store-house so that there may be food in my house, and put me to the test by doing so, says the Lord of armies, and see if I do not make the windows of heaven open and send down such a blessing on you that there is no room for it.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Proverbs 20
Commentary on Proverbs 20 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 20
Pr 20:1-30.
1. mocker—scorner. Such men are made by wine.
strong drink—made by spicing wine (compare Isa 5:11, 22); and it may include wine.
raging—or boisterous as a drunkard.
deceived—literally, "erring," or reeling.
2. (Compare Pr 19:12). Men who resist authority injure themselves (Ro 13:2).
3. to cease from strife—or, better, "to dwell from or without strife," denoting the habit of life.
fool … meddling—(Pr 17:14).
4. shall … beg—literally, "ask" (in this sense, Ps 109:10).
5. Counsel … water—that is, deeply hidden (Pr 18:4; Ps 13:2). The wise can discern well.
6. Boasters are unreliable.
goodness—or, "kind disposition."
7. The conduct of good men proclaims their sound principles. God's covenant and their good example secure blessing to their children (Pr 4:26; Ps 112:1, 2).
8. As in Pr 14:35; 16:10, 15, this is the character of a good king, not of all kings.
9. The interrogation in the affirmative strengthens the implied negation (compare Job 15:14; Ec 7:20).
10. Various measures, implying that some are wrong (compare Pr 11:1; 16:11).
11. The conduct of children even is the best test of principle (compare Mt 7:16).
12. Hence, of course, God will know all you do (Ps 94:9).
13. Activity and diligence contrasted with sloth (Pr 6:9; 10:11).
lest … poverty—literally, "be deprived of inheritance."
14. when … his way—implying that he goes about boasting of his bargains.
15. The contrast denotes the greater value of knowledge (compare Pr 3:14-16).
16. Take his garment—implies severe exaction, justified by the surety's rashness.
a strange woman—by some readings "strangers," but the former here, and in Pr 27:13, is allowable, and strengthens the sense. The debauchee is less reliable than the merely careless.
17. Bread … sweet—either as unlawfully (Pr 9:17) or easily obtained.
mouth … gravel—well expresses the pain and grief given at last.
18. (Compare Pr 15:22). Be careful and considerate in important plans.
19. Those who love to tell news will hardly keep secrets.
flattereth … lips—(compare Margin; Pr 1:10).
meddle … him—literally, "join," or "associate with."
20. his lamp—(Compare Pr 13:9; 24:20).
21. gotten hastily—contrary to God's providence (Pr 28:20), implying its unjust or easy attainment; hence the man is punished, or spends freely what he got easily (compare Pr 20:17).
22. (Compare Ps 27:14; Ro 12:17-19).
23. (Compare Pr 20:10; 11:1).
24. Man's goings—literally, "Stately steppings of a strong man."
a man—any common man.
understand—or, "perceive."
25. devoureth … holy—or, better, "who rashly speaks promises," or "devotes what is holy," consecrating any thing. This suits better the last clause, which expresses a similar view of the results of rashly vowing.
26. (Compare Pr 20:8).
bringeth … over them—The wheel was used for threshing grain. The figure denotes severity (compare Am 1:3).
27. The spirit … Lord—Men's minds are God's gifts, and thus able to search one another (compare Pr 20:5; Pr 18:8, 17; 1Co 2:11).
28. (Compare Pr 3:3; 16:6, 12).
29. The glory of young men … the beauty of old men—Each age has its peculiar excellence (Pr 16:31).
30. blueness—literally, "joining," the process of uniting the edges of a wound throws off purulent matter.
stripes … belly—So punishment provides healing of soul (Pr 18:8), by deterring from evil courses.