*H He that hath a mind to depart from a friend, seeketh occasions: he shall ever be subject to reproach.
Ver. 1. Reproach. True friendship resembles charity, and bears all things. 1 Cor. xiii. 4. Heb. now reads Thave, "desire;" instead of Thuane, occasion, or "pretext," which must have been in the copies of the Sept. and Vulg. C. — Prot. "through desire, a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom." The solitary seeks heaven. H.
*H A fool receiveth not the words of prudence: unless thou say those things which are in his heart.
Ver. 2. Heart. Conformable to his passions. C. — Heb. "unless to lay open his heart." He wishes to appear wise, and to justify his wicked designs. H.
*H The wicked man, when he is come into the depths of sins, contemneth: but ignominy and reproach follow him.
Ver. 3. Contemneth both God and man. Lu. xviii. 4. Heb. "is contemned" in his turn. C. — He is like a man abandoned by the physician. Op. Imp. in Matt. Hom. 40.
*H Words from the mouth of a man are as deep water: and the fountain of wisdom is an overflowing stream.
Ver. 4. Man, who is just and wise. His advice deserves attention. C. xx. 5.
*H The lips of a fool intermeddle with strife: and his mouth provoketh quarrels.
Ver. 6. Quarrels. Heb. "blows." Sept. "death;" (v. 7.) which are the usual consequences of quarrels.
*H The words of the double tongued are as if they were harmless: and they reach even to the inner parts of the bowels. Fear casteth down the slothful: and the souls of the effeminate shall be hungry.
Ver. 8. Tongued. Heb. "calumniator." He pretends to wish well to those of whom he speaks, or else to guard the company against deceit. C. — "If the devil be upon the detractor's tongue, he is in the ears of those who pay attention to him." S. Fran. de Sales. — Fear, &c. is in the Sept. above. The Vulg. retains both this and the new version of S. Jerom.
*H He that is loose and slack in his work, is the brother of him that wasteth his own works.
Ver. 9. Brother. Like him, as both end in poverty. C. x. 4. and xii. 11.
*H The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the just runneth to it, and shall be exalted.
Ver. 10. Name. Essence, or protection of God. The rich depends on his own wealth.
*H He that answereth before he heareth, sheweth himself to be a fool, and worthy of confusion.
Ver. 13. Heareth the end of the question. C. i. 5.
*H The spirit of a man upholdeth his infirmity: but a spirit that is easily angered, who can bear?
Ver. 14. Infirmity of the flesh. Matt. xxvi. 41. — That is. Theodot. "is wounded, who shall support?"
*H A man's gift enlargeth his way, and maketh him room before princes.
Ver. 16. Princes. He easily finds access by showing submission. C.
*H The just is first accuser of himself: his friend cometh, and shall search him.
Ver. 17. Him. To see that he act with sincerity.
*H The lot suppresseth contentions, and determineth even between the mighty.
Ver. 18. Lot. C. xvi. 33. Sept. "silence." C. — But Grabe substitutes "lot." H.
*H A brother that is helped by his brother, is like a strong city: and judgments are like the bars of cities.
Ver. 19. Judgments of many are more deserving of credit. Heb. "a brother offended, is like a strong place, and their quarrels," &c. The are not easily reconciled. Civil wars are most terrible. C.
*H Of the fruit of a man's mouth shall his belly be satisfied: and the offspring of his lips shall fill him.
Ver. 20. Satisfied. Those who are guarded in their words get employment. H. C. xii. 14.
*H Death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof.
Ver. 21. Love it, and speak well or ill, shall receive accordingly. Matt. xii. 37.
*H He that hath found a good wife, hath found a good thing, and shall receive a pleasure from the Lord. He that driveth away a good wife, driveth away a good thing: but he that keepeth an adulteress, is foolish and wicked.
Ver. 22. Good wife. Good is not in Heb. but should be understood, as it is expressed in Sept. of Complut. (C.) and Alex. H. — He that, &c. occurs not in Heb. Sixtus V. &c. But it is found in Sept. and Arab. The Syriac omits the last sentence. — Wicked. S. Aug. had frequently asserted that a divorce was only of counsel: but this he retracted, when he reflected on this text. Ret. i. 19. — The Hebrews, Athenians, and Romans, followed the same practice with adulteresses. Selden, Ux. iii. 16. Dem. in Neæram, &c. — Hermas (past. i. 4.) prescribes that the penitent shall be received again, but not often. In case of divorce, the fathers still permit not a second marriage, that the parties may be reconciled. They enjoin the husband to put away only such as are incorrigible. S. Aug. Adul. ii. 3. C.
*H A man amiable in society, shall be more friendly than a brother.
Ver. 24. Brother. The ties of nature are not so strong as those of friendship. C. — Heb. "a man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Prot. H. — Ut ameris ama. Mart.