15 A judge is moved by one who for a long time undergoes wrongs without protest, and by a soft tongue even bone is broken.
By a soft answer wrath is turned away, but a bitter word is a cause of angry feelings.
If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.
And he gave them orders to say these words to Esau: Your servant Jacob says, Till now I have been living with Laban: And I have oxen and asses and flocks and men-servants and women-servants: and I have sent to give my lord news of these things so that I may have grace in his eyes. When the servants came back they said, We have seen your brother Esau and he is coming out to you, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was in great fear and trouble of mind: and he put all the people and the flocks and the herds and the camels into two groups; And said, If Esau, meeting one group, makes an attack on them, the others will get away safely. Then Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, the God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, Go back to your country and your family and I will be good to you: I am less than nothing in comparison with all your mercies and your faith to me your servant; for with only my stick in my hand I went across Jordan, and now I have become two armies. Be my saviour from the hand of Esau, my brother: for my fear is that he will make an attack on me, putting to death mother and child. And you said, Truly, I will be good to you, and make your seed like the sand of the sea which may not be numbered. Then he put up his tent there for the night; and from among his goods he took, as an offering for his brother Esau, Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred females and twenty males from the sheep, Thirty camels with their young ones, forty cows, ten oxen, twenty asses, and ten young asses. These he gave to his servants, every herd by itself, and he said to his servants, Go on before me, and let there be a space between one herd and another. And he gave orders to the first, saying, When my brother Esau comes to you and says, Whose servant are you, and where are you going, and whose are these herds? Then say to him, These are your servant Jacob's; they are an offering for my lord, for Esau; and he himself is coming after us. And he gave the same orders to the second and the third and to all those who were with the herds, saying, This is what you are to say to Esau when you see him; And you are to say further, Jacob, your servant, is coming after us. For he said to himself, I will take away his wrath by the offering which I have sent on, and then I will come before him: it may be that I will have grace in his eyes. So the servants with the offerings went on in front, and he himself took his rest that night in the tents with his people.
But one of the young men said to Nabal's wife Abigail, David sent men from the waste land to say kind words to our master, and he gave them a rough answer.
And falling at his feet she said, May the wrong be on me, my lord, on me: let your servant say a word to you, and give ear to the words of your servant. Let my lord give no attention to Nabal, that good-for-nothing: for as his name is, so is he, a man without sense: but I, your servant, did not see the young men whom my lord sent. So now, my lord, by the living God and by your living soul, seeing that the Lord has kept you from the crime of blood and from taking into your hands the punishment for your wrongs, may all your haters, and those who would do evil to my lord, be like Nabal. And let this offering, which your servant gives to my lord, be given to the young men who are with my lord. And may the sin of your servant have forgiveness: for the Lord will certainly make your family strong, because my lord is fighting in the Lord's war; and no evil will be seen in you all your days. And though a man has taken up arms against you, putting your life in danger, still the soul of my lord will be kept safe among the band of the living with the Lord your God; and the souls of those who are against you he will send violently away from him, like stones from a bag. And when the Lord has done for my lord all those good things which he has said he will do for you, and has made you a ruler over Israel; Then you will have no cause for grief, and my lord's heart will not be troubled because you have taken life without cause and have yourself given punishment for your wrongs: and when the Lord has been good to you, then give a thought to your servant. And David said to Abigail, May the Lord, the God of Israel, be praised, who sent you to me today: A blessing on your good sense and on you, who have kept me today from the crime of blood and from taking into my hands the punishment for my wrongs. For truly, by the living Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept me from doing you evil, if you had not been so quick in coming to me and meeting me, by dawn there would not have been in Nabal's house so much as one male living. Then David took from her hands her offering: and he said to her, Go back to your house in peace; see, I have given ear to your voice, and taken your offering with respect. And Abigail went back to Nabal; and he was feasting in his house like a king; and Nabal's heart was full of joy, for he had taken much wine; so she said nothing to him till dawn came. And in the morning, when the effect of the wine was gone, Nabal's wife gave him an account of all these things, and all the heart went out of him, and he became like stone. And about ten days after, the Lord sent disease on Nabal and death came to him. And David, hearing that Nabal was dead, said, May the Lord be praised, who has taken up my cause against Nabal for the shame which he put on me, and has kept back his servant from evil, and has sent on Nabal's head the reward of his evil-doing. And David sent word to Abigail, desiring to take her as his wife. And when David's servants came to Carmel, to Abigail, they said to her, David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife. And she got up, and going down on her face to the earth, said, See, I am ready to be a servant-girl, washing the feet of the servants of my lord. Then Abigail got up quickly and went on her ass, with five of her young women, after the men whom David had sent; and she became David's wife. And David had taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, to be his wife; these two were his wives. Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish of Gallim.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Proverbs 25
Commentary on Proverbs 25 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 25
Pr 25:1-28.
1. The character of these proverbs sustains the title (see Introduction).
also—refers to the former part of the book.
copied out—literally, "transferred," that is, from some other book to this; not given from memory.
2. God's unsearchableness impresses us with awe (compare Isa 45:15; Ro 11:33). But kings, being finite, should confer with wise counsellors;
3. Ye wisely keeping state secrets, which to common men are as inaccessible heights and depths.
4, 5. As separating impurities from ore leaves pure silver, so taking from a king wicked counsellors leaves a wise and beneficent government.
5. before—or, "in presence of," as courtiers stood about a king.
6, 7. Do not intrude into the presence of the king, for the elevation of the humble is honorable, but the humbling of the proud disgraceful (Lu 14:8-10).
8. (Compare Pr 3:30).
lest … shame—lest you do what you ought not, when shamed by defeat, or "lest thou art shut out from doing any thing."
9, 10. (Compare Mt 5:25, Margin).
secret—that is, of your opponent, for his disadvantage, and so you be disgraced, not having discussed your difficulties with him.
11. a word fitly—literally, "quickly," as wheels roll, just in time. The comparison as apples … silver gives a like sense.
apples, &c.—either real apples of golden color, in a silver network basket, or imitations on silver embroidery.
12. Those who desire to know and do rightly, most highly esteem good counsel (Pr 9:9; 15:31). The listening ear is better than one hung with gold.
13. Snow from mountains was used to cool drinks; so refreshing is a faithful messenger (Pr 13:17).
14. clouds—literally, "vapors" (Jer 10:13), clouds only in appearance.
a false gift—promised, but not given.
15. Gentleness and kindness overcome the most powerful and obstinate.
long forbearing—or, "slowness to anger" (Pr 14:29; 15:18).
16, 17. A comparison, as a surfeit of honey produces physical disgust, so your company, however agreeable in moderation, may, if excessive, lead your friend to hate you.
18. A false witness is as destructive to reputation, as such weapons to the body (Pr 24:28).
beareth … witness—literally, "answereth questions," as before a judge, against his neighbor.
19. Treachery annoys as well as deceives.
20. Not only is the incongruity of songs (that is, joyful) and sadness meant, but an accession of sadness, by want of sympathy, is implied.
21, 22. (Compare Mt 5:44; Ro 12:20). As metals are melted by heaping coals upon them, so is the heart softened by kindness.
23. Better, "As the north wind bringeth forth (Ps 90:2) or produces rain, so does a concealed or slandering tongue produce anger."
24. (Compare Pr 21:9, 19).
25. (Compare Pr 25:13).
good news—that is, of some loved interest or absent friend, the more grateful as coming from afar.
26. From troubled fountains and corrupt springs no healthy water is to be had, so when the righteous are oppressed by the wicked, their power for good is lessened or destroyed.
27. Satiety surfeits (Pr 25:16); so men who are self-glorious find shame.
is not glory—"not" is supplied from the first clause, or "is grievous," in which sense a similar word is used (Pr 27:2).
28. Such are exposed to the incursions of evil thoughts and successful temptations.