I will seek it yet again. We must reason ourselves into a holy contempt of the gratifications of sense: "If thou be a man given to appetite, thou must, by a present solution, and an application of the terrors of the Lord, restrain thyself. All Rights Reserved. Proverbs 7 Matthew Henry's Commentary - Bible Hub He does not say at what rate we must buy it, because we cannot buy it too dear, but must have it at any rate; whatever it costs us, we shall not repent the bargain. Resources: enduringword.com; biblehub.com; logos.com; Matthew Henry Commentary; and Life Application Study Bible. 1. 'an, to eye, as it were, whence majun, man, hit by the piercing look of the envious eye, invidiae, as Apuleius says, letali plaga percussus (Fleischer). It stupifies and besots men. We must endeavor to live comfortably, and provide for our children and families, according as our rank and condition are, but we must not seek great things. They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. What Kind of Place Is Jesus Preparing for Us? He is their Redeemer, who will take their part; and he is mighty, almighty. He shows the many pernicious consequences of the sin of drunkenness, for the enforcement of this caution. They are heedless and fearless of danger, and senseless of the rebukes they are under either from God or man. When the wine is in the wit is out and the passions are up; and thence come drunken scuffles, and drunken frays, and drunken disputes over the cups; many a vexatious ruining law-suit has begun thus. They seek mixed wine, which is most palatable, but most heady, so willingly do they sacrifice their reason to please their palate! Snow will last awhile, and look pretty, if it be left to lie on the ground where it fell, but, if gathered up and laid in the bosom, it is dissolved and gone immediately. But the inspired writer chooses to specify those pernicious consequences of this sin which are present and sensible. A general exhortation to get our minds principled and governed by the world of God, as a sovereign antidote against this sin (v. 1-5). Note, 1. Start for FREE. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. They go irresistibly and irrecoverably, as an eagle toward heaven, that flies strongly (there is no stopping her), and flies out of sight and out of call (there is no bringing her back); thus do riches leave men, and leave them in grief and vexation if they set their hearts upon them. And what a comfort it would be, if herein he answered his ( proverbs 23:17-18 ) disappointed; the end of his trials, and of the sinner's prosperity, is at hand. Rather be so abstemious that thy craving appetite will begin to think thy throat cut than indulge thyself in voluptuousness." It is really a shame to make a god of the belly. 1. The KJV said, As he thinketh in his heart, so is he. Either version teaches that the man who says, eat and drink but is really begrudging the cost in his heart, is betraying his true feelings with his false words. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) - Matthew Henry - Bible Tools 2. It can be morally neutral, and even morally good. 1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 2. Wisdom seems in these chapters to take up the discourse as at the beginning of the book. He is trying to manipulate you and even coerce you into some scheme of his to profit from you. It bewitches men to their ruin. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Eat and drink! he says to you, but his heart is not with you. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Why then should we covet that which will certainly cheat us? We must not think to divide the heart between God and the world; he will have all or none. "Let not thy heart imitate sinners" (so some read it); do not as they do; walk not in the way with them; use not the methods they take to enrich themselves, though they thrive by them. 2. We must keep it as our life: Keep my commandments and live ( v. 2 ), not only, "Keep them, and you shall live;" but, "Keep them as you would your life, as those that cannot live without them." It would be death to a good man to be deprived of the word of God, for by it he lives, and not by bread alone. Proverbs 7:23 - Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary - StudyLight.org Why Should Teolology Matter to Christians? But look not thou upon it. (2.) Therefore," (1.) Long periods, and arguments far-fetched, must be laboured both by him that frames them and by him that would understand them, while a proverb, which carries both its sense and its evidence in a little compass, is quickly apprehended and subscribed to, and is easily retained. Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of your words ( Proverbs 23:7-9 ). With good reason we were bid to stop before the beginning. 25:1-29:27); and then Agurs prophecy (Prov. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they. And again, we had in the last chapter. What was all he expected, nothing but what would be for his own good, that his heart be wise and that his lips speak right things, that he be under the government of good principles, and that by those principles he particularly maintain a good environment of his tongue. Houses of uncleanness are therefore such pest-houses as ought to be suppressed by those whose office it is to take care of the public welfare. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. We must not think to divide the heart between God and the world; he will have all or none. "Be not ruled by sense, but by reason and religion. of A good reason for both of these (v. 18): Surely there is an end, an end and expectation, as Jer 29 11. Drunkenness is the cause of drowsiness; it stupefies men, and makes them inattentive to business, and then all goes to wreck and ruin: thus men that have lived creditably come to be clothed with rags. Buy the truth and sell it not, v. 23. A coelo descendit, Gnothi seautonKnow thyself is a precept which came down from heaven. 2. His prayer was exemplary: Give me a wise and an understanding heart; the answer to it was encouraging: he had what he desired and all other things were added to him. If the heart be guided in the way, the steps will be guided and the conversation well ordered. who hath wounds without cause? The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise. john 8 32) Proverbs 23:7 (King James Version) 23:1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 23:2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. It was a plain and easy way of teaching, which cost neither the teachers nor the learners much pains, nor put their understandings nor their memories to the stretch. Drunkards wilfully make woe and sorrow for themselves. Be not of those that will be rich, that desire it as their chief good and design it as their highest end, 1 Tim 6 9. The heart is what the great God requires. Start your free trial today. The former of these texts imposes a stringent duty, the latter promises divine help to perform it. 9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Here we have an earnest call to young people, to attend to the advice of their godly parents. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. The lxx , for the look of the evil eye, , (cattivo occhio), refers to enchantment; cf. Keep thy heart with all diligence "Above all keeping," guard thy heart. Those know enough who know how to fear God . 23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. What Kind of Place Is Jesus Preparing for Us? Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe. John 7:17. Commentary on Proverbs 18 by Matthew Henry - Blue Letter Bible 4. Who that has common sense would contract a habit, or sell himself to a sin, which tends to such guilt and misery, and exposes a man every day to the danger of dying insensible, and awaking in hell? Tell it not in Gath. 14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Commentary on Proverbs 22 by Matthew Henry - Blue Letter Bible Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery; Blindness; Harlot (Prostitute); Ignorance; Lasciviousness; Temptation; Women; Young Men; The Topic Concordance - Whoredom; Torrey's Topical Textbook - Birds; Flattery; Dictionaries: I. The intents of our hearts must be fastened. Who has not, in this world? (2.) Deuteronomy 15:9; Matthew 15:15) , malignus oculo, the envy and selfishness of egoism seeking to have and retain all for itself. Particular cautions are given against sins most destructive to wisdom and grace in the soul. Better have a dinner of herbs, and true welcome, than dainty meats without it. Wisdom seems in these chapters to take up the discourse as at the beginning of the book. 2. 28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men. Proverbs 23:7 Proverbs 23:6 Proverbs 23 Proverbs 23:8 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup. who hath wounds without cause? Such a feast cannot possibly do good to the guest: thy meal (, from ; cf. Verses 7-9. They are in danger of death, of damnation; as much exposed as if they slept upon the top of a mast, yet feel secure. We must be in the fear of the Lord as in our employment, exercising ourselves in holy adorings of God, in subjection to his precepts, submission to his providences, and a constant care to please him; we must be in it as in our element, taking a pleasure in contemplating God's glory and complying with his will. Dii laboribus omnia venduntHeaven concedes every thing to the laborious. Proverbs 23 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise) - Christianity Beat him with the rod and he shall not die. We must make it our own act and deed to devote ourselves to the Lord, and we must be free and cheerful in it. We are here directed to double our guard at such a time. The covetous man sits hatching upon his wealth, and brooding over it, till it is fledged, as the young ones under the hen, and then it is gone. P R O V E R B S. We have now before us, I. The verb signifies to weigh or consider, to value, to estimate. 'Eat and drink,' he says to you, but his heart is not with you." Explanation and Commentary of Proverbs 23:7 The KJV said, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." (3.) Why Should Teolology Matter to Christians? New American Standard Version (e.g. And many have paid dear for an unbridled tongue. 1. When the wine is in the wit is out, and then the man, according as his natural temper is, either mocks like a fool or rages like a madman. Verses 7-9 - Matthew Henry's Commentary - Bible Gateway By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Proverbs 4:23 - Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary - StudyLight.org Every man therefore must be careful not to injure them in any thing, or to invade their rights, either by a clandestine removal of the old land-marks or by a forcible entry into their fields. The goods are said to flow away as a stream (Job 20 28), here to flee as a bird. Our eyes must observe these, as he that writes observes his copy, that we may keep in the right paths and may proceed and persevere in them. Riches are very uncertain things; certainly they are so: They make themselves wings, and fly away. They are wasting in their own nature, and like a handful of dust, which, if it be grasped, slips through the fingers. Beware of deceitful men, whose courtesies even you will repent of having accepted. Those that hold them ever so fast cannot hold them long; either they must be taken from us or we must be taken from them. ), with sn; and Rashi, retaining the schn, compares the "sour figs," Jeremiah 29:17. They fill their heads with projects more than they understand, so that their life is a constant toss of care and fear; but do not thou thus vex thyself: Cease from thy own wisdom; go on quietly in the way of thy business, not contriving new ways and setting thy wits to work to find out new inventions. The heart is what the great God requires. who hath redness of eyes? Withhold not correction from the child: for. They fear no peril when the terrors of the Lord are laid before them; nay, they feel no pain when the judgments of God are actually upon them; they cry not when he binds them. Both Davids devotions and Solomons instructions are sententious, which may recommend that way of expression to those who minister about holy things, both in praying and preaching. Proverbs Commentary - Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete) Banish the Unofficial Luggage of Foster Care Join PLUS Login. My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Proverbs in conversation are like axioms in philosophy, maxims in law, and postulata in the mathematics, which nobody disputes, but every one endeavours to expound so as to have them on his side. As all our knowledge must take rise from the fear of God, so it must tend to it as its perfection and centre. We must, (1.) Riches should be employed for the getting of knowledge, rather than knowledge for the getting of riches. 7a is difficult. Do not neglect the study of it, nor throw off the profession of it, nor revolt from under the dominion of it, for the getting or saving of any secular interest whatsoever. Proverbs 23:7 Meaning of Verse and Simple Commentary Thy eyes shall behold strange things (so some read it); when men are drunk the house turns round with them, and every thing looks strange to them, so that them they cannot trust their own eyes. They covet to have thee among them; for those that are debauched themselves are very desirous to debauch others; therefore do not gratify them, lest thou endanger thyself." . Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary Proverbs 23 Chapter 23 Summary Verses 1-3 Verses 4-5 Verses 6-8 Verse 9 Verses 10-11 Verses 12-16 Verses 17-18 Verses 19-28 Verses 29-35 12:5. Critics judge of wine, among other indications, by the colour of it; some wine, they say, looks charmingly, looks so well that it even says, "Come and drink me;" it moves itself aright, goes down very smoothly, or perhaps the roughness of it is grateful. An argument to enforce this call, taken from the great comfort which this will be to their parents, v. 24, 25. Our great care must be about our children's souls; we must not see them in danger of hell without using all possible means, with the utmost care and concern, to snatch them as brands out of everlasting burnings. The tongue grows unruly; the heart utters things contrary to reason, religion, and common civility. Many Ephesians denounce satanic practices after in incident with the sons of Sceva. who hath contentions? Proverbs 23:7 Meaning of Verse and Simple Commentary Apr 19, 2020 by Editor in Chief Proverbs 23:7 "For he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. 2. But why this circumlocution in the expression? Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. si'r), to measure, to tax to as to determine the price, to reckon; and then like , in general, to think, and thus also Meri with the neut. It is a sin from which few recover themselves when once they are entangled in it. (2.) Eat and drink! he says to you, But his heart is not with you. He doesnt want you to eat his food and drink his wine at his expense. True, he says to thee: eat and drink (Sol 5:1), he invites thee with courtly words; but his heart is not with thee (, like Proverbs 24:23): he only puts on the appearance of joy if thou partakest abundantly, but there lurks behind the mask of liberal hospitality the grudging stubborn calculator, who poisons thy every bite, every draught, by his calculating, grudging look. gain access to 50+ premium resources to enhance your study of Scripture. A parent correcting his child. 20.). It bewitches men to their ruin. who hath sorrow? Greedy and duplicitous men and women are all of a certain type. Drunkards wilfully make woe and sorrow for themselves. Eat and drink, they say, but they dont mean it. Children will be a joy to their parents if they be righteous and wise. 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: 5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stra. When we are at pains in searching after truth, that we may come to the knowledge of it and may distinguish between it and error, then we buy it. He is their Redeemer, who will take their part; and he is mighty, almighty. 1. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? I. Buy the truth, and sell it not; be willing to part with any thing for it. Even those who, being virtuously educated, endeavour to shun the adulteress, she will lie in wait for, that she may assault them when they are off their guard and she has them at an advantage. Give me thy heart, v. 26. It makes men quarrel. But in this situation, there is a false motive and the provider of the meal has some greedy purpose that he is not disclosing. One adulteress may be the ruin of many a precious soul and may help to debauch a whole town. Do not make thyself burdensome to any, especially those not sincere. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. In a descending order of importance, here are the criteria to know a man's heart: 1. , to divide and distribute bread, whence , to receive aliment, is derived) which thou hast eaten thou wilt spue out, i.e., wilt vomit from disgust that thou hast eaten such food, so that that which has been partaken of does thee no good. And, as we have no book so useful to us in our devotions as Davids psalms, so have we none so serviceable to us, for the right ordering of our conversations, as Solomons proverbs, which as David says of the commandments, are exceedingly broad, containing, in a little compass, a complete body of divine ethics, politics, and economics, exposing every vice, recommending every virtue, and suggesting rules for the government of ourselves in every relation and condition, and every turn of the conversation. Observe, 1. They are pleasant to the palate, but perhaps rise in the stomach, turn sour there, upbraid a man, and make him sick. Those are completely such as they should be who are not only wise (that is, knowing and learned), but righteous (that is, honest and good), and not only righteous (that is, conscientious and well-meaning), but wise (that is, prudent and discreet) in the management of themselves. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. The learned bishop Hall has drawn up a system of moral philosophy out of Solomons Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Let these words, Take heed lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and so that day come upon you unawaresor those, For all these things, God shall bring thee into judgmentor those, Drunkards, shall not inherit the kingdom of God, be a knife to the throat." He is here brought in persuading him to give his mind to his book, and especially to the scriptures and his catechism, to attend to the words of knowledge, by which he might come to know his duty, and danger, and interest, and not to think it enough to give them the hearing, but to apply his heart to them, to delight in them, and bow his will to the authority of them. There is nothing got by ill designs. They are in imminent danger of death, of damnation, lie as much exposed as if they slept upon the top of a mast, and yet are secure and sleep on. He is, in actuality, resistant. Here is a parent instructing his child to give his mind to the Scriptures. The thought is far-fetched, and does not cover itself by the text. Cease from that wisdom, for it is a mistake; a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses, Luke 12 15. When we are called by God to his feast, and to let our souls delight themselves, Isa. 10:1-24:34); after that a second volume (Prov. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. Proverbs 23:2 The more we cause our eyes to fly upon them the more likely they are to fly away from us. The word Mashal, here used for a proverb, comes from a word that signifies to rule or have dominion, because of the commanding power and influence which wise and weighty sayings have upon the children of men; he that teaches by them dominatur in concionibusrules his auditory. Note, (1.) It stupifies and besots men. Whoredom. We shall rejoice in hope that you will be a credit and comfort to us, if we should live to be old, that you will bear up the name of Christ in your generation, that you will live comfortably in this world and happily in another.". When we choose rather to suffer loss in our temporal interest than to deny or neglect the truth they we buy it; and it is a pearl of such great price that we must be willing to part with all to purchase it, must make shipwreck of estate, trade, preferment, rather than of faith and a good conscience. A new way of writing, in which divine wisdom is taught us by Proverbs, or short sentences, which contain their whole design within themselves and are not connected with one another. is also derived from : (Note: Immanuel makes so much of having recognised the verb in this (and has he persuaded thee), that in the concluding part of his Divan (entitled Machberoth Immanuel), which is an imitation of Dante's Divina Commedia, he praises himself on this account in the paradise of King Solomon, who is enraptured by this explanation, and swears that he never meant that word otherwise. Take heed of any approaches toward this sin, it is very hard to retreat from it. OF THE. Trading value for value in the marketplace is a good and righteous thing, but this is referring to something less than that: a cunning scheme that causes one to trade value for garbage. Matthew Henry's Commentary. 15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Proverbs 4:23 - Bible Hub If the heart be guided, the steps will be guided. Thus also Fleischer: quemadmodum reputat apud se, ita est (sc. Intemperance must be avoided in meat as well as drink. Here is a parent encouraging his child, telling him what would be for his good. The very first of them (Prov. The wounds which men receive in defence of their country and its just rights are their honour; but wounds without cause, received in the service of their lusts, are marks of their infamy. But that is not enough: lay the axe to the root; mortify that appetite which has such a power over thee: Be not desirous of dainties." non ut loquitur), with the remark that (whence , measure, market value, Arab. 3 Incredible Things You Can Do to Reflect Christ in Dark Times. Licentiousness takes away the heart that should be given to God. What a comfort it would be to him if herein he answered his expectation: "If thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, shall rejoice in thee, even mine, who have taken so much care and pains about thee, my heart, that has many a time ached for thee, for which thou shouldst study thus to make a grateful requital." evil eyeor purpose (Pr 22:9; De 15:9; Mt 6:23). In its latter end it bites (so the word is); think therefore what will be in the end thereof. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 21. He asks, Who hath woe? Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Be not of those that will be rich. Moderate labour, that we may have to give, is our wisdom and duty, Eph 4 28. Most moderns (Bertheau, Zckler, Dchsel, etc. Or, as if a man should be fond of a flight of wild-fowl that light in his field, and call them his own because they are upon his ground, whereas, if he offers to come near them, they take wing immediately and are gone to another man's field. Let none therefore be at any time secure. For as one that calculates with himself, so is he. KEEPING AND KEPT Proverbs 4:23. Solomon, having undertaken to teach a young man knowledge and discretion, . It bites like a serpent, when the drunkard is made sick by his surfeit, thrown by it into a dropsy or some fatal disease, beggared and ruined in his estate, especially when his conscience is awakened and he cannot reflect upon it without horror and indignation at himself, but worst of all, at last, when the cup of drunkenness shall be turned into a cup of trembling, the cup of the Lord's wrath, the dregs of which he must be for ever drinking, and shall not have a drop of water to cool his inflamed tongue. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.. It is not substantial and satisfying: "Wilt thou be such a fool as to set thy eyes, to cause thy eyes to fly with eagerness and violence, upon that which is not?" They fear no peril when the terrors of the Lord are before them; they feel no pain when the judgments of God are actually upon them. We are here directed to double our guard at such a time. Do not part with it for pleasures, honours, riches, or any thing in this world. They would seem to be liberal in making the entertainment, and would have the credit of it, but they have so great a love to their money, and so little to their friends, that they cannot have the comfort of it, nor any enjoyment of themselves or their friends. Resources Matthew Henry's Commentary Proverbs Chapter 1 Verses 7-9. NIV For he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. 23:3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. NLT They are always thinking about how much it costs. - 1 Peter 1:5. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. All rights reserved. It is no disparagement to the greatest princes and potentates in the world to instruct those about them in religion and the laws of it. 9. It is therefore folly for us to set our eyes upon them, to admire them as the best things, to appropriate them to ourselves as our good things, and to aim at them as our mark at which all our actions are levelled, to fly upon them as the eagle upon her prey. 2. Nay, drunkards wound themselves in a tender part, for they have redness of eyes, symptoms of an inward inflammation; their sight is weakened by it, and their looks are deformed. 1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Here is a parent encouraging his child, telling him what would be for his good. The penmen of scripture, hitherto, were most of them men of the first rank in the world, as Moses and Joshua, Samuel and David, and now Solomon; but, after him, the inspired writers were generally poor prophets, men of no figure in the world, because that dispensation was approaching in the which God would choose the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the wise and mighty and the poor should be employed to evangelize. Some particular cautions against those sins which are, of all sins, the most destructive to the seeds of wisdom and grace in the soul, which impoverish and ruin it. Does the Bible Advise Us about Dealing with Grief? , Aram. one reaches the same end, (Note: We may write : the Mehuppach (Jethb) sign of the Olewejored standing between the two words represents also the place of the Makkeph; vid., Thorath Emeth, p. A tender parent can scarcely find in his heart to do this; it goes much against the grain. Take heed of any approaches toward this sin, it is very hard to retreat from it. 3 Incredible Things You Can Do to Reflect Christ in Dark Times. Drunkards wilfully make woe and sorrow for themselves. The world is full of examples of this sin and temptations to it, which all young people are concerned to stand upon their guard against and keep at a distance from Be not a wine-bibber; we are allowed to drink a little wine (1 Tim 5 23), but not much, not to make a trade of it, never to drink to excess. Drunkenness stupifies men, and then all goes to ruin. Of drinking long, tarrying long at the wine, and spending that time in drunken company which should be spent in useful business, or in sleep, which should fit for business, v. 30.