The nearest translation to the words is perhaps the following: "He who is separated shall seek the desired thing, (i.e., the object of his desire,) and shall intermeddle (mingle himself) with all realities or all essential knowledge." 3 When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach. In the two clauses of the verse, on the principle of parallelism, there appears to be an inversion of the same sentiment; for, properly speaking, the words uttered are not the deep waters, but the stream that issues from them; and, on the other hand, the wellspring of wisdom is not the flowing brook, but the deep and copious fountain or reservoir from which it issues. Speech, even without any attempt at concealment, must be endlessly deep and wide as uttering all our being. For surely they are the best seekers of knowledge, and are most earnest after it, who have already gotten it. He is morose and supercilious. Is harder to be won; these words are not in the original, but have been inserted to supply the sense. Understanding the gift here spoken of as a special mental endowment (see Hitzig), we remark. As we saw in the previous chapter (Proverbs 18:14) contention or strife is an evil of which none at its beginnings can see the end. a. Ahab and Jezebel dwell in Samaria, and Elijah is compelled to flee into the desert. 1. Such an approach runs counter to sound wisdom because we all need input from other people to make wise decisions. He that hath commanded to cease from labour, hath much more commanded to cease from strife. The subject of Proverbs 18:5 has been treated in the Homiletics on chap. Such minds cannot bear anything that requires close and long-sustained attention. A man may, in various ways, make his lips the instrument of either want on the one hand, or plenty on the other.Wardlaw. That all sorrow of heart does not crush a man. The separated one here is the impenitent. Men who do not seek supernatural help sometimes do it. The name of the Lord That is, the Lord, as he hath revealed himself in his works, and especially in his word, by his promises, and the declarations of his infinite perfections, and of his good-will to his people; is a strong tower Is sufficient for our protection in the greatest dangers. 1. Of what use is industry if its proceeds are not prudently managed when they come in?if husband, or wife, or both, be destitute of discretion, improvident and thriftless? Life is a wide thing; and might, at least, be acted through, before in the darker points we insist upon a judgment Folly, and therefore, mischief; shame, and therefore, ill desert. The stream is ready to flow, and sometimes can scarcely be restrained. The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic, read as follows: "He who wishes to break with his friend, and seeks occasions or pretenses, shall at all times be worthy of blame." My old MS. Bible translates, Occasioun seeketh that wil go awei . More than once he bears testimony to the blessedness of marriage in the true sense of the word, but we never find him praising the practice which was so great a curse to his own life. Sanctified sorrow, although it wounds the spirit, yet it only wounds it to raise it to a higher levelto make it capable of a more refined enjoyment. II. David has been happy to be part of the Blue Letter Bible . Verse 2. Life in conflict - Jesus is your banner. The truth is they contrive to infuse their poison without a bite. Home; . That, of course, is Jesus Christ. The words of a mans mouth are dark as the deep waters of a pool, or tank; but the well-spring of wisdom is as a flowing brook, bright and clear. So taken the verse presents a contrast like that of Jeremiah 2:13.Plumptre. And not less is economy of means. Verse 1. So she sent the little girl out and she got into this psyche books on how to explain the facts of life to your child and all and boned them all up. For he is commonly a fellow slothful in his work, being busy in his words, and he is indeed brother to him that is a great waster, spoiling his own estate by his slothfulness, and by the mischief which his talebearing falleth upon him; and spoiling him to whom he talketh by the ill mind which he putteth into him.Jermin. Fausset remarks that the Hebrew word used for man is ish, a good man, not adam, the general term for man. If our strength were as an army, and our lands not limited save with east and west, if our meat were manna, and our garments as the ephod of Aaron; yet the afflicted conscience would refuse to be cheered with all these comforts. This is true in relation to any and every kind of evil to which men are exposed. And as the ear is one of the great inlets to instruction, it may here, with propriety, be considered as comprehending all the ways in which knowledge may be acquired.Wardlaw. Both may bear the image and superscription of the king, but the one is an insult to the name it bears while the other has a right to be imprinted with the royal name. The selfish and morose man who will not deny himself for anothers good, or who cannot rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, cannot expect others to deny themselves for him and to sympathise with his joy and sorrow. Poverty seems as universal as disease and death, and must be referred to the same source. No other member of the human body can lay claim to such wide-spread and regal authority. It prevents waste of human life. But at other times it is as a flowing brook, more shallow for capacity, but more forcible also in the stream of it, and either by persuasive exhortation carrying on the hearers to a pursuit of virtue and godliness, or else by a dissuasive reproof carrying them away from the practice of wickedness, and in both washing away the stains of their sinful lives. "[3] We shall paraphrase the apparent meaning here: "When any man wishes to separate himself from former friends, he will seek some pretext for doing so; but his behavior is altogether reprehensible. 1. They read, they hear, they frequent ordinancesand yet their progress in spiritual attainments bears no proportion to the extent of their advantages. We must try to fathom the profound meaning which is hidden under this simple but striking proverb. The name I AM, by which He revealed Himself to Israel (Exodus 3:14) set forth His eternal self-existence, but He has also revealed Himself by names which are used to express human relations, such as king, judge, husband, father. As a muscle, the tongue isn't as capable of producing force as a leg or even the jaw, but its power is measured by the damage it can do and the life it can bring. John separated himself in the wilderness, Paul in Arabia, our blessed Lord in frequent retirement, in order to greater concentration in their momentous work. If the wise man sometimes spares his words, it is not for want of matter, but for greater edification. When two talk in diverse languages they are known to be men of diverse countries; but when the poor and rich talk together, so different is their speech that one would hardly think them to be both men, and of the same nature. Wealth is a fortress with a most uncertain foundation. But a good wife is the best friend of all (22-24). Perhaps the next verse helps us to determine the meaning (Stuart). NIV. Hence. When a wicked man enters upon the stage, that creature, the most degraded of the universe, and who has the least right to show any contempt, is the very person to be the most contemptuous; and the mortal who is himself most disgraced, shows the readiest mind to cry shame upon and to reproach and that even the Most High. They may be dwelling under the same roof, and so have every opportunity of enjoying each others society and gladdening each others life. So the man whose words are listened to and waited for by other menwhether he be the skilful barrister, or the powerful statesman, or the preacher of the Gospel, has a satisfaction in being able so to put forth his conceptions as to give to his fellow-men new ideasto show them things in a light in which they might never have seen them but for this power which he possesses. He rages against all wise judgment. What doest thou here? Much is there to be inquired into and pondered. She said, "Well, honey, you go outside and play for a little while and then come on in and Mother will tell you." [Note: Toy, p. These two are not apart, but flow easily into each other. Well, you're not you're not showing yourself friendly. Like the apostles of old, he cannot but speak the things which he has seen and heard (Acts 4:20). Proverbs 14:23). The man who is lazy, slothful in his work, he's a brother to him that is a great waster. Proverbs 18:19. Our translation seems to take it as an excitement to diligence in the pursuit of wisdom. They're starting to explain their situation and we assume that, "Oh, yes, this is what they want to know," and we start giving out all these worthless information.Like the little child who came in to her mother one day and said, "Mother, where did I come from?" The last clause of this verse may be divided into two smaller ones and placed in apposition, thus: a bubbling brook,a fountain of wisdom. And there is an aspect in which we may view the slothful man in which we not only note the close resemblance he bears to his prodigal brother, but in which he is transformed into a prodigal himself. The hand can strike down the body of a single foe, or of two or three at once. Through desire (through self-willed and self-seeking desire of wisdom)wisdom, Heb. When men take a pride in separating themselves from the sentiments and society of others, in contradicting all that has been said before them and advancing new notions of their own, which, though ever so absurd, they are wedded to, it is to gratify a desire or lust of vain-glory, and they are seekers and meddlers with that which does not belong to them. Even Daniel, although a captive in Babylon, found that the God-given powers within him made room for him at a heathen court and brought him before more than one mighty monarch. II. He does violence to his own understandingto those mental faculties which enable him to place things side by side and to compare them, and to sift and weigh evidence before he arrives at a conclusion. A man can rise above pain of body. that is: Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 15:18, Proverbs 19:11, Psalms 103:8, Ephesians 5:1, James 1:19. and he: Proverbs 16:19, Proverbs 25:28, Romans 12:21, Revelation 3:21. Talleyrand defined speech to be the art of concealing ones opinions. Contention between any men is a plain proof that there is some flaw in human nature, that the relations of human creatures are not what they ought to be. The need of cross-examinationof another to come and search him. Questioning may not convict the first person of any mis-statement, but it may elicit other facts which give quite a different colouring to the whole. So long as a man has this no pain of body or sorrow of soul can cast him down entirely, but without it he has little power to bear manfully the burdens of life, and a sense of the absence of it would be enough to crush him utterly although he had no other burdens to bear. Studylight has an interesting tool called "Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary" - This allows you to quickly see the comments from multiple resources without having to leave the page. (1 Samuel 15:17-23.) I. "So it's possible to answer a matter before you really know what the matter is. 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9), we should seek for a different interpretation. A lot of people complain, "Oh, we don't have any friends." The one speaks as if he had hardly breath to bring forth his words, the other speaketh with such a strong breath that the harshness of it giveth an ill scent a great way off.Jermin. The words bring out and contain the counsel.Wardlaw. They bring contempt, not to themselves only, but to the places they fill, and the societies to which they become unitedto themselves, for the unworthy manner in which they fulfil the duties of the trust they have assumed, or have had committed to them; and to their places and societies, with which their names are associated. Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeks and intermeddleth with all wisdom. There is no anguish to that of the conscience: A wounded spirit who can bear? He who offends our Brother Prince shuts a high tower (Psalms 18:2). The spirit of a man, at least among those to whom Solomon wrote, had truth enough to save him if he would only listen. The heart is here, as in many other instances, apparently used for the mind in general, including both the intellect and the affections. And however their success may dazzle mens eyes and warp their judgment for a season, contempt is their portion at last. than to o divide the spoil with the proud. If we convict a man of prodigality for wasting gold, what shall we say of him who wastes what no gold can buy? It is the overflow of heartfelt experience. Findeth implies the rarity of the thing obtained (Ecclesiastes 7:27-28), and the need of circumspection in the search. We must understand Solomon here to refer to a good manto a man whose words are in harmony with the mind of God. Water may be sent through a tract of country by artificial means; fields may be watered and reservoirs filled by calling in science to supply natural deficiencies. 10 million Ukrainians without power because of Russia. He that is first in his own cause seems just; but his neighbor comes and searches him. High - In the Hebrew the same word as "safe" Proverbs 18:10, and manifestly used in reference to it. An industrious old man, by trade a mason, was engaged to build a certain piece of wall at so much per yard. Proverbs 18:6. Desire is the chariot-wheel of the soul, the spring of energy and delight. She said, "Oh yes, Mommy." Without itChristianthy soul can never prosper. A certain degree of solitude seems necessary to the full growth and spread of the highest mind; and therefore must a very extensive intercourse with men stifle many a holy germ, and scare away the gods, who shun the restless tumult of noisy companies, and the discussion of petty interests. Those who trust in God know they are safe, but those who trust in their wealth only think they are safe. A reference to the Critical Notes will show that the word translated wounds may be rendered dainties, and it is because evil reports of others are so keenly relished by an unsanctified soul that the words of a tale-bearer are able to inflict such suffering and work so much ill in the world. God is not far from every one of us (Acts 17:27), and being ever near, is always accessible. Proverbs 11:28. We know the viper. Surely then if we have any desire, we shall separate ourselves from the cloudy atmosphere around us, that we may have fellowship with these happy investigators of the Divine mysteries.Bridges. They who have not gotten it do not know the worth of it, and so have no mind to look after it, or if they have the mind, they have no knowledge how to seek it. His burden of conscience is relieved. Contempt and reproach are their final portion. The favour of God is a fortune for a period which extends beyond that named in the marriage vow, it is a fortune which no creature can afford to despise, and a blessing which those who know Him prize before all things in earth or heaven. When this word vir is used for man in sacred Scriptures it signifieth one who is strong and mighty, and for his strength great and excellent, and then by a man here we may understand him who is mighty and great in knowledge; the words of such a man are as deep waters, to the bottom whereof the shallow capacity of every one is not able to reach. Another passage may serve to confirm this view. h "immiscet se omni negotio", Munster; "omnibus quae sunt immiscet se", Junius & Tremellius. That's an important proverb to me. So is it with contention, or a dispute in words. It's idea of flipping a coin, you know. A communication has been established between the soul of a good man and the living Godhe holds constant communion with a source of spiritual life which can never fail, and consequently he can never be at a loss for subjects upon which to discoursehis mind is always filled with new thoughts of God, and new hopes of heaven upon which to meditate himself and which he can communicate to others. 4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood, . But the way in which a man uses his lips and his tongue, as the organs of speech, may contribute not a little to his getting, or his failing to get, the meat that perisheth. 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