| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 Also these are Proverbs of Solomon, that men of Hezekiah king of Judah transcribed: |
There are also – Chapters 25 to 29 were collected and added later by King Hezekiah. R1518:2
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| 2 The honour of God [is] to hide a thing, And the honour of kings to search out a matter. |
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| 3 The heavens for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings [are] unsearchable. |
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| 4 Take away dross from silver, And a vessel for the refiner goeth forth, |
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| 5 Take away the wicked before a king, And established in righteousness is his throne. |
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| 6 Honour not thyself before a king, And in the place of the great stand not. |
Put not forth thyself – Ambition is a necessary faculty of the human mind, but a very dangerous element as respects the formation of Christian character. R3832:2
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| 7 For better [that] he hath said to thee, 'Come thou up hither,' Than [that] he humble thee before a noble, Whom thine eyes have seen. |
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| 8 Go not forth to strive, haste, turn, What dost thou in its latter end, When thy neighbour causeth thee to blush |
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| 9 Thy cause plead with thy neighbour, And the secret counsel of another reveal not, |
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| 10 Lest the hearer put thee to shame, And thine evil report turn not back. |
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| 11 Apples of gold in imagery of silver, [Is] the word spoken at its fit times. |
A word fitly spoken – What a power the tongue has for good. OV208:4
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| 12 A ring of gold, and an ornament of pure gold, [Is] the wise reprover to an attentive ear. |
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| 13 As a vessel of snow in a day of harvest, [So is] a faithful ambassador to those sending him, And the soul of his masters he refresheth. |
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| 14 Clouds and wind, and rain there is none, [Is] a man boasting himself in a false gift. |
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| 15 By long-suffering is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh a bone. |
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| 16 Honey thou hast found eat thy sufficiency, Lest thou be satiated [with] it, and hast vomited it. |
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| 17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house, Lest he be satiated [with] thee, and have hated thee. |
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| 18 A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, [Is] the man testifying against his neighbour a false testimony. |
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| 19 A bad tooth, and a tottering foot, [Is] the confidence of the treacherous in a day of adversity. |
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| 20 Whoso is taking away a garment in a cold day, [Is as] vinegar on nitre, And a singer of songs on a sad heart. |
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| 21 If he who is hating thee doth hunger, cause him to eat bread, And if he thirst, cause him to drink water. |
If thine enemy – Although, if destitute, we should feed them; yet so long as they are the adversaries of the Lord's cause, they are our adversaries, and we are theirs. R1861:4
Give him bread – If love so broad and comprehensive was obligatory upon natural Israel, to what degree should spiritual Israel possess and manifest this noble quality? R5643:6
Not to see how badly you can make him feel, but because love is the principle of your nature. R2214:6
Illustrated by Elisha's feast to the Syrians who came to take him captive. (2 Kings 6:22, 23) R3441:5
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| 22 For coals thou art putting on his head, And Jehovah giveth recompense to thee. |
Fire upon his head – Make him ashamed of his conduct in contrast with yours. R3830:3
Many a man, like Nero, when awakened, will be greatly humiliated by the generous forgiveness of formerly injured fellow-men. R1655:1
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| 23 A north wind bringeth forth rain, And a secret tongue indignant faces. |
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| 24 Better to sit on a corner of a roof, Than [with] a woman of contentions, and a house of company. |
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| 25 [As] cold waters for a weary soul, So [is] a good report from a far country. |
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| 26 A spring troubled, and a fountain corrupt, [Is] the righteous falling before the wicked. |
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| 27 The eating of much honey is not good, Nor a searching out of one's own honour honour. |
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| 28 A city broken down without walls, [Is] a man without restraint over his spirit! |
No rule – A will-less man is a good-for-naught. OV196:T
A lawless disposition, the spirit of anarchy. R5487:6
Indecision and lack of character in little things (irregularity in arising and indecision as to proper foods) affect all the greater things of life. R5653:4
"A wise man sometimes changes his mind; a fool, never." Ruling our own spirit does not mean that we are to go to extremes. R5653:4
One who yields to sin and various weaknesses and assaults of the Adversary has lost his real manhood. R4789:6
If we rule our mind and our thoughts we shall rule our tongue. R5488:2
His own spirit – The impulses of one's native mind, disposition. R5488:1,5, R5652:6
In creating man God gave him a will; but it needs to be defended and kept in repair. R4789:3
The will is to be continually on guard over the mind, to allow nothing to enter except through the regular gates of conscience and judgment. R5653:1
A city – One's will; the will governs the mind and conduct. R5488:5, R5489:1
Whether our wills are strong or weak, they need direction. R5487:3
In olden times cities were particularly places of refuge and had strong walls. R5487:3
Broken down – Not from visible forces alone, but by evil spirits subduing and breaking down the will. R4789:6
Even failures, subsequently recognized, lead to greater fortification of the will. R4790:4
Without walls – Open to attack. R5487:3
Would invite attack and be certain to meet disaster sometime, as would a broken-down human will. R5653:1
No will, no self-control. R4789:3, R5653:1
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