11 By the blessing of the upright is a city exalted, And by the mouth of the wicked thrown down.
Men of scorning ensnare a city, And the wise turn back anger.
Righteousness exalteth a nation, And the goodliness of peoples `is' a sin-offering.
and Pharaoh saith unto his servants, `Do we find like this, a man in whom the spirit of God `is'?' and Pharaoh saith unto Joseph, `After God's causing thee to know all this, there is none intelligent and wise as thou; thou -- thou art over my house, and at thy mouth do all my people kiss; only in the throne I am greater than thou.' And Pharaoh saith unto Joseph, `See, I have put thee over all the land of Egypt.' And Pharaoh turneth aside his seal-ring from off his hand, and putteth it on the hand of Joseph, and clotheth him `with' garments of fine linen, and placeth a chain of gold on his neck,
and now, ye -- ye have not sent me hither, but God, and He doth set me for a father to Pharaoh, and for lord to all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
And there hath been called there a man of worthlessness, and his name `is' Sheba, son of Bichri, a Benjamite, and he bloweth with a trumpet, and saith, `We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; each to his tents, O Israel.'
And Hezekiah the king prayeth, and Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, concerning this, and they cry to the heavens, and Jehovah sendeth a messenger, and cutteth off every mighty one of valour -- both leader and head -- in the camp of the king of Asshur, and he turneth back with shame of face to his land, and entereth the house of his god, and those coming out of his bowels have caused him to fall there by the sword. And Jehovah saveth Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Asshur, and from the hand of all, and He leadeth them round about;
And Haman saith to the king Ahasuerus, `There is one people scattered and separated among the peoples, in all provinces of thy kingdom, and their laws `are' diverse from all people, and the laws of the king they are not doing, and for the king it is not profitable to suffer them; if to the king `it be' good, let it be written to destroy them, and ten thousand talents of silver I weigh into the hands of those doing the work, to bring `it' in unto the treasuries of the king.' And the king turneth aside his signet from off his hand, and giveth it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, adversary of the Jews; and the king saith to Haman, `The silver is given to thee, and the people, to do with it as `it is' good in thine eyes.' And scribes of the king are called, on the first month, on the thirteenth day of it, and it is written according to all that Haman hath commanded, unto lieutenants of the king, and unto the governors who `are' over province and province, and unto the heads of people and people, province and province, according to its writing, and people and people according to its tongue, in the name of the king Ahasuerus it hath been written and sealed with the signet of the king, and letters to be sent by the hand of the runners unto all provinces of the king, to cut off, to slay, and to destroy all the Jews, from young even unto old, infant and women, on one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month -- it `is' the month of Adar -- and their spoil to seize, a copy of the writing to be made law in every province and province is revealed to all the peoples, to be ready for this day. The runners have gone forth, hastened by the word of the king, and the law hath been given in Shushan the palace, and the king and Haman have sat down to drink, and the city Shushan is perplexed.
And in the twelfth month -- it `is' the month of Adar -- on the thirteenth day of it, in which the word of the king, even his law, hath come to be done, in the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to rule over them, and it is turned that the Jews rule over those hating them -- the Jews have been assembled in their cities, in all provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to put forth a hand on those seeking their evil, and no man hath stood in their presence, for their fear hath fallen on all the peoples. And all heads of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the governors, and those doing the work that the king hath, are lifting up the Jews, for a fear of Mordecai hath fallen upon them; for great `is' Mordecai in the house of the king, and his fame is going into all the provinces, for the man Mordecai is going on and becoming great. And the Jews smite among all their enemies -- a smiting of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction -- and do with those hating them according to their pleasure, and in Shushan the palace have the Jews slain and destroyed five hundred men; and Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, adversary of the Jews, they have slain, and on the prey they have not put forth their hand. On that day hath come the number of the slain in Shushan the palace before the king, and the king saith to Esther the queen, `In Shushan the palace have the Jews slain and destroyed five hundred men, and the ten sons of Haman; in the rest of the provinces of the king what have they done? and what `is' thy petition? and it is given to thee; and what thy request again? and it is done.' And Esther saith, `If to the king `it be' good, let it be given also to-morrow, to the Jews who `are' in Shushan, to do according to the law of to-day; and the ten sons of Haman they hang on the tree.' And the king saith -- `to be done so;' and a law is given in Shushan, and the ten sons of Haman they have hanged. And the Jews who `are' in Shushan are assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they slay in Shushan three hundred men, and on the prey they have not put forth their hand. And the rest of the Jews, who `are' in the provinces of the king, have been assembled, even to stand for their life, and to rest from their enemies, and to slay among those hating them five and seventy thousand, and on the prey they have not put forth their hand;
and there hath been found in it a poor wise man, and he hath delivered the city by his wisdom, and men have not remembered that poor man!
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Proverbs 11
Commentary on Proverbs 11 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 11
Pr 11:1-31.
1. (Compare Margin). The Hebrews used stones for weights.
just—complete in measure.
2. Self-conceit is unteachable; the humble grow wise (compare Pr 16:18; 18:12).
3. guide—to lead, as a shepherd (Pr 6:7; Ps 78:52).
perverseness—ill-nature.
destroy—with violence.
4. (Compare Pr 10:2).
wrath—that is, of God.
5. direct—or, "make plain"; wicked ways are not plain (Pr 13:17).
6. deliver them—that is, from evil, which the wicked suffer by their own doings (Pr 5:22; Ps 9:16).
7. expectation … perish—for death cuts short all his plans (Lu 16:25).
hope of unjust—better, "hope of wealth," or "power" (compare Isa 40:29, Hebrew). This gives an advance on the sentiment of the first clause. Even hopes of gain die with him.
8. Perhaps the trouble prepared by the wicked, and which he inherits (compare Pr 11:6).
9. (Compare Ps 35:16; Da 11:32). The just is saved by superior discernment.
10, 11. The last may be a reason for the first. Together, they set forth the relative moral worth of good and bad men.
11. By the blessing—implying active benevolence.
12. despiseth—or, "reviles," a course contrasted with the prudent silence of the wise.
holdeth his peace—as if neither hearing nor telling.
13. tale-bearer—(Compare Margin), one trading as a peddler in scandal, whose propensity to talk leads him to betray confidence.
14. counsel—the art of governing (Pr 1:5).
counsellors—literally, "one giving counsel"; the participle used as a collective.
15. (Compare Pr 6:1).
suretiship—(Compare Margin), the actors put for the action, which may be lawfully hated.
16. retaineth—or literally, "lay hold of as a support." Honor is to a feeble woman thus as valuable as riches to men.
17. merciful—kind to others; opposed to cruel. Such benefit themselves by doing good to others (compare Pr 24:5), while the cruel injure themselves as well as others.
flesh—that is, his body, by penuriousness (Col 2:23).
18. a deceitful work—or, "wages," which fail to satisfy, or flee away (Pr 10:2; 23:5).
sure reward—or, "gain," as from trading (Ho 10:12; Ga 6:8, 9).
19. Inference from Pr 11:18 (compare Pr 11:5, 6; 10:16).
20. (Compare Pr 11:5).
froward—as in Pr 2:15, opposed to the simplicity and purity of the upright.
in their way—or, "conduct."
21. The combined power of the wicked cannot free them from just punishment, while the unaided children of the righteous find deliverance by reason of their pious relationship (Ps 37:25, 26).
22. Jewels were often suspended from the nose (Ge 24:47; Isa 3:21). Thus adorned, a hog disgusts less than a fair and indiscreet woman.
23. (Compare Pr 10:28).
wrath—is that of God.
24-31. The scope of the whole is a comment on Pr 11:23. Thus liberality, by God's blessing, secures increase, while penuriousness, instead of expected gain, procures poverty.
25. liberal soul—(Compare Margin).
made fat—prospers (Pr 28:25; De 32:15; Lu 6:38).
watereth … watered—a common figure for blessing.
26. Another example of the truth of Pr 11:23; the miser loses reputation, though he saves corn.
selleth it—that is, at a fair price.
27. good [and] mischief—that is, of others.
procureth … seeketh—implying success.
28. (Compare Pr 10:15; Ps 49:6; 1Ti 6:17).
righteous … branch—(Ps 1:3; Jer 17:8).
29. troubleth—as Pr 15:27 explains, by greediness for gain (compare Pr 11:17).
inherit … wind—Even successful, his gains are of no real value. So the fool, thus acting, either comes to poverty, or heaps up for others.
30. a tree of life—Blessings to others proceed from the works of the righteous (Pr 3:18).
winneth souls—(Compare Margin) to do them good as opposed to Pr 6:25; Eze 13:18 (compare Lu 5:10).
31. Behold—Thus calling attention to the illustrations (compare Pr 11:23), the sentiment of which is confirmed even in time, not excluding future rewards and punishments.