Proverbs 19:19
A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
– Proverbs 19:19
The word for
wrath literally means heat, so it stands for anger, or rage. The word for
punishment means a penalty, or a fine. It has a legal connotation. The first phrase pictures a hot and quick tempered man who creates trouble for himself (Proverbs 29:22). Proverbs elsewhere warns against association with angry men (Proverbs 22:24-25). The point of this proverb is similar to such warnings. The second phrase has a condition and consequence. The word for
deliver means to save and refers to somehow rescuing him from the penalty he has incurred. If you bail such a one out of trouble, you will have to do so repeatedly. In other words, the angry man will not learn the folly of his way and leave it. Wisdom discerns how to handle the situation and when to let someone suffer the consequences of his own actions.
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Posted by Jeff Short on Monday, November 27, 2017 · Leave a Comment
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