Posted by Jeff Short on December 4, 2019 · Leave a Comment
A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.
– Proverbs 28:17
The word for
violence is a form of the same word in translated
oppressor in verse 16. It typically refers to extortion, and here is coupled with
blood, so it refers to murder. Fleeing
to the pit refers to going to the grave and means that guilt overwhelms the murderer. The last line is difficult and has been interpreted variously. It most likely seems to be a warning against interfering with justice.
Posted by Jeff Short on December 3, 2019 · Leave a Comment
The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.
– Proverbs 28:16
A prince is a ruler and wanting
understanding means he is a foolish ruler. He lacks the wisdom needed in ruling justly. The foolish ruler becomes an
oppressor, or tyrannical in his rule. The word for
oppressor refers to extortion. The second line forms an uneven parallel. The ruler that hates
covetousness has wisdom and it tends to life (Proverbs 15:28; 29:14). The word for
covetousness refers to unjust gain that might result from deceptive business practices, or in this case, tyrannical abuse of authority. The implication for the foolish ruler is their folly rejects wisdom and tends to death (Proverbs 8:36).
Posted by Jeff Short on January 24, 2019 · Leave a Comment
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
– Proverbs 27:20
The words for
hell and
destruction are
sheol and
abaddon in the Hebrew, and occur in Proverbs 15:11 (
see comments for discussion of meaning). Here, they are
never full and that refers to the grave as insatiable. We might say something like the funeral home and cemetery are always in business. Proverbs 30:15-16 has the same sense where
sheol is translated
grave. The figure is: the grave is always hungry and ready to swallow up lives.
The parallel comparison is to the insatiable desires of men. Man’s insatiable desires also destroy lives and that is a subtext in the comparison.
Posted by Jeff Short on June 8, 2018 · Leave a Comment
For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
– Proverbs 24:20
This verse gives the explanation for the warning in the previous verse and takes a deathly serious turn. Commentators vary as to how much the afterlife is in view in Proverbs. Wisdom in Proverbs is concerned with the long view and the end of ways, so it is expected that the end of life, and what’s after, is in view. The word for
reward means after part, or end. It is most often translated “end” in this book (Proverbs 5:4; 14:12-13; 16:25; 19:20; 20:21; 23:18; 25:8). Those verses reflect the meaning of outcome, and in many instances it is the outcome of life. When taken with the last phrase, it is plain this verse is talking about death and the loss of expectation or hope for the wicked. The imagery of the
candle being
put out for the
wicked is used consistently to indicate the forfeiture of any good expectation at the death of the wicked (Proverbs 13:9; 20:20).
The saying is a sober warning to realize the end of the wicked and therefore not to envy or begrudge their successes. The prosperity of evil men is temporary, though it may seem to last their entire earthly lives. This warning is echoed throughout Proverbs (Proverbs 5:23; 8:36; 9:18; 11:7; 23:13-14).
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Posted by Jeff Short on February 21, 2018 · Leave a Comment
The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor.
– Proverbs 21:25
The word for
desire means longing, or wish. In the negative sense, the word refers to greed and lust. The desire is explained in the next verse as daily, greedy coveting. The word for
killeth can mean to die as a penalty, or what we might call execution. The slothful man’s desire destroys him. The first phrase is explained by his refusal to work. The
slothful have an animal laziness that marks them (Proverbs 6:9-11; 12:27; 19:24). When laziness is couple with strong appetites, then unrighteousness is sure to follow. The slothful man will go to various evil means to obtain what he desires and bring ruin upon his own head.
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Posted by Jeff Short on February 9, 2018 · Leave a Comment
The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
– Proverbs 21:16
Wisdom takes the long view and is concerned with outcomes throughout Proverbs. The word for
way mean road, or path. It is a metaphor for the course of one’s life. Just as roads lead somewhere, the way we go in this life has a somewhere we will come to. The word for
understanding means prudence, and to wander is go astray from the way of wisdom, or prudence. The
way of understanding is a way that leads to life (Proverbs 6:23; 15:24; 14:32). Despite diverse appearances, all other ways lead to death (Proverbs 5:32; 11:7). The fatherly addresses warn of the path to death with the strange woman (Proverbs 2:18-19; 7:26-27; 9:18). The word for
remain means rest, not in the sense of refreshing but rather in the sense of dwelling. This is the destination of the way that departs from wisdom. The word for
dead means shades and refers to the realm of the dead. So going in the way of wisdom or folly is literally a matter of life and death.
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Posted by Jeff Short on January 29, 2018 · Leave a Comment
The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of that seek death.
– Proverbs 21:6
The wording of this proverb is difficult and interpretations vary. The first phrase clearly speaks of acquiring wealth through deceit. Such wealth is the ill-gotten gains we frequently speak of from Proverbs (Proverbs 10:2; 13:11; 20:14). The second phrase gives two consequences of profit by deception. Some like fleeting vapor for
vanity tossed to and fro. Wealth acquired through ill means does not last, or does not bring the satisfaction sought. The second consequence of ill-gotten gains is to be ensnared by death. This looks more to the judgment to come on the one who lies, cheats, and steals his way to riches.
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Posted by Jeff Short on November 23, 2017 · Leave a Comment
He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.
– Proverbs 19:16
The word for
commandment means law, or precept. It’s often used in Proverbs for the instruction of father and mother (Proverbs (2:1; 3:1; 6:20; 7:1). However, the instructions of father and mother are instructions in divine wisdom with life or death consequences (Proverbs 4:4; 6:23; 13:13). The fist phrase is like saying keep the commandment and keep your life. The word for
despiseth means to hold in contempt, or think lightly of. The word for
shall die means to be put to death, so it connotes a judicial punishment. Despising the way of wisdom and God’s commandment is not to merely run the risk of natural death, but it is to run afoul of the righteous Judge and face irremediable punishment.
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Posted by Jeff Short on August 23, 2017 · Leave a Comment
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
– Proverbs 16:25
This proverb is a repeat of Proverbs 14:12. The proverb speaks of man’s contrivance apart from divine wisdom. He plans a
way that seems
right and good, but despite the best efforts and intentions, all plans not founded in wisdom will go astray and fail (Proverbs 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 15:24). The man is either ignorant of God’s sovereignty or rejects it in his plans (Proverbs 16:9). Proverbs presents wisdom as looking ahead and considering the outcome of a way (Proverbs 14:15).
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Proverbs 28:17
Posted by Jeff Short on December 4, 2019 · Leave a Comment
A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.
The word for violence is a form of the same word in translated oppressor in verse 16. It typically refers to extortion, and here is coupled with blood, so it refers to murder. Fleeing to the pit refers to going to the grave and means that guilt overwhelms the murderer. The last line is difficult and has been interpreted variously. It most likely seems to be a warning against interfering with justice.– Proverbs 28:17
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Filed under 28, Proverbs, Short Comments · Tagged with Commentary, Death, Guilt, Justice, Life, Proverbs