*H My son, forget not my law, and let thy heart keep my commandments.
Ver. 1. My son. God speaks, or the master instructs his disciple. v. 21. C. — We must remember and love instruction, and reduce it to practice. W.
*H For they shall add to thee length of days, and years of life, and peace.
Ver. 2. Peace. These prefigured more substantial blessings. C.
*H Let not mercy aud truth leave thee, put them about thy neck, and write them in the tables of thy heart.
Ver. 3. Truth. Be kind and faithful to all. Gen. xxiv. 27. Ps. xxiv. 10.
*H And thou shalt find grace, and good understanding before God and men.
Ver. 4. Good. Sept. "forecast good before the Lord and men." S. Paul seems to allude to this version, Rom. xii. 17. and 2 Cor. viii. 22. H.
*H Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence.
Ver. 5. All. God will have nothing by halves. — Lean not. By pride. 2 Cor. xii. 13. All must be referred to God. C. — In him we may safely trust. W.
* Footnote * Romans 12 : 16
Being of one mind one towards another. Not minding high things, but consenting to the humble. Be not wise in your own conceits.*H For it shall be health to thy navel, and moistening to thy bones.
Ver. 8. Bones. Thou shalt enjoy perfect health.
*H Honour the Lord with thy substance, and give him of the first of all thy fruits;
Ver. 9. Fruits. Sept. add, "of justice;" to intimate that no presents will be acceptable, which have been unjustly acquired.
* Footnote * Tobias 4 : 7
Give alms out of thy substance, and turn not away thy face from any poor person: for so it shall come to pass that the face of the Lord shall not be turned from thee.* Footnote * Luke 14 : 13
But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind.*H My son, reject not the correction of the Lord: and do not faint when thou art chastised by him:
Ver. 11. Him. Correction is rather a proof of love than of anger. Ps. iii. 19. C. — God thus shews that he approves of his servants; and therefore his other promises, which seem of a temporal nature, must be understood with reference to the next life. W.
* Footnote * Hebrews 12 : 5
And you have forgotten the consolation which speaketh to you, as unto children, saying: My son, neglect not the discipline of the Lord: neither be thou wearied whilst thou art rebuked by him.* Footnote * Apocalypse 3 : 10
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon the whole world to try them that dwell upon the earth.*H For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth: and as a father in the son he pleaseth himself.
Ver. 12. And as. Sept. "but he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth," as S. Paul quotes this passage. Heb. xii. 6. The verb is now wanting in Heb. or ceab; "as a father" may signify "scourgeth, in piel, (M.) with i prefixed. C.
*H She is more precious than all riches: and all the things that are desired, are not to be compared to her.
Ver. 15. Riches. Heb. peninim, (H.) "pearls." Job xxviii. 18. C.
*H Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and glory.
Ver. 16. Glory. Her hands are full, and she grants favours with profusion, (H.) as with both hands, promising eternal life. W.
*H She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her: and he that shall retain her is blessed.
Ver. 18. Life. Like that planted in paradise. Gen. ii. 9.
*H The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, hath established the heavens by prudence.
Ver. 19. Wisdom. Hitherto he had spoken of that virtue. Now he treats of the uncreated wisdom, (C.) which is God the Son. M. Jans. S. Greg. Mor. xii. 4.
*H By his wisdom the depths have broken out, and the clouds grow thick with dew.
Ver. 20. Out. The higher and lower waters being divided, (C.) or the channels formed to receive the waters. Piscat. — It may also speak of the deluge. Ven. Bede.— With. Heb. "have distilled dew." This is so copious, as to resemble rain in Palestine. Judg. vi. 37. and 2 K. xvii. 12.
*H And there shall be life to thy soul, and grace to thy mouth.
Ver. 22. Mouth. There have been wise and virtuous men afflicted, v. 11. But they have borne all with patience, and have merited a more glorious reward than what this earth could afford. C.
*H Do not withhold him from doing good, who is able: if thou art able, do good thyself also.
Ver. 27. Able. Prot. "withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it." Relieve the distressed. H. — They have a title to that wealth, since those who possess it are bound to relieve the indigent. C. — Sept. "refrain not from doing good," &c. H.
*H Say not to thy friend: Go, and come again: and to morrow I will give to thee: when thou canst give at present.
Ver. 28. Present. Alms in season are doubly valuable. W. — Antigonus acquired the title of ∆ωσων, "about to give," as he never gave, (Plutarch) but only promised.
*H Strive not against a man without cause, when he hath done thee no evil.
Ver. 30. Cause. We may defend ourselves; but herein great discretion is necessary. C. — Cum pari contendere anceps est: cum superiore furiosum; cum inferiore sordidum. Senec. Prov.
*H Envy not the unjust man, and do not follow his ways.
Ver. 31. Ways. Of injustice. Seek not to attain his prosperity by the same means. C.
* Footnote * Psalms 36 : 1
A psalm for David himself. BE not emulous of evildoers; nor envy them that work iniquity.*H Want is from the Lord in the house of the wicked: but the habitations of the just shall be blessed.
Ver. 33. Want. Heb. "a curse." — Shall be. Heb. "he blesseth." H.
*H He shall scorn the scorners, and to the meek he will give grace.
Ver. 34. Scorners. Lit. "he will delude the scorners." H. — He will treat them as they would treat others. Ps. xvii. 27. C. — Sept. "the Lord resisteth the proud," &c. So the apostles quote this passage. 1 Pet. v. 5. Jam. iv. 6. H.
*H The wise shall possess glory: the promotion of fools is disgrace.
Ver. 35. Disgrace. They are seen by more, and their fall is more dangerous. C. — "A fool extols what is ignominious." Pagn. H.