Chapter 10

From this chapter to the five and twentieth are sundry observations of moral virtues, and their contrary vices.

1. Proverbs of Solomon. This chapter begins a long section of brief proverbs more or less independent of one another. There is some kind of grouping apparent at times, but in general there is little consecutive thought. Because many of the proverbs stand alone, this section is contrasted with the coherent sections that make up the first part of the book.

Some connection between this series of proverbs and the previous sections may be observed by considering these proverbs as demonstrations of the two highly differentiated ways of life described in the preceding chapters and as statements of the principles that govern these ways.

The antithetical form of Hebrew poetry, that is, the one in which the second part of the verse is in sharp contrast with the first (see p. 24), is the one commonly employed in these proverbs. Verse 1 is an illustration of this form of parallelism.

Heaviness. The intended contrast is not between diversified reactions of the father and the mother. Both rejoice in the child who walks in the way of wisdom, both are grieved and weighed down when a child seeks after folly (see chs. 13:1; 15:20; 23:24).

2. Treasures of wickedness. These treasures do not profit because the only profit really worth gaining is eternal life, and no amount of gold will purchase that (Matt. 16:26).

Righteousness. Moral and ethical goodness that not merely concerns itself with avoiding the pollution of sin, but exercises itself in the maintenance of equitable treatment of others, in deeds of kindness and help when needed (see Matt. 25:40–46).

3. Casteth away. God promises that bread and water shall be sure to the righteous, and that all needs will be supplied to those who seek His kingdom (Isa. 33:16; Matt. 6:33), but He cannot bless the desires of those who oppose or neglect the way of salvation. The withdrawal of blessing is not in revenge. The troubles God permits to come upon men are intended to awaken them to their true position and secure their salvation (see Haggai 1:5–11; PP 109, 325, 326).

Substance. Heb. hawwah, translated “mischievous desire” in Micah 7:3 and “naughtiness” in Prov. 11:6. Here “desire,” or “mischievous desire,” is probably the intended meaning.

4. A slack hand. Laziness and inefficiency frequently go together and can be counted on to produce poverty. No employer can be expected to be pleased with the worker who displays these characteristics. On the other hand, diligence is usually combined with efficiency. The verse presents a vivid contrast between these two types of workers.

5. Sleepeth. Heb. radam, the word for heavy sleep, not for mere dozing. A lazy son is a shame at any time, but indolence in harvesttime is so utterly inexcusable that it brings contempt upon both son and father. The folly of sleep in time of crisis is even more tragic when spiritual matters are in question. To wake up and realize that the opportunity for salvation is past will force from human lips the saddest words ever to be uttered, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jer. 8:20).

6. Blessings. The plural emphasizes the fullness of the blessing to be reaped by the just. Because of his kindly deeds, many are led to call down blessings upon his head (see v. 7; ch. 31:28).

Violence covereth. As translated by the KJV, this clause seems to declare that the wicked man must keep his mouth closed because the guilty memory of his evil prevents his speaking out. The sentence may also be translated, “The mouth of the wicked concealeth violence.” The meaning then becomes, “By fair words the wicked man covers up his evil plans” (see ch. 26:24).

7. The memory of the just. It is not that evil men are forgotten, but rather that they are remembered with fear or loathing, while the memory of good men is recalled with pleasure (see Ps. 72:17). Thus the memory of the wicked is well compared with offensive corruption.

8. A prating fool. Literally, “a fool of lips.” The wise man controls his speech and is willing to listen to instruction and to accept direction. The fool talks idly, boasting of his own deeds and speaking evil of others. Since he is too busy talking to listen to counsel, he will fall, and come to ruin.

9. Uprightly. The LXX renders this word “simply.” The simple goodness of the righteous man arms him against Satan’s temptations and disarms the envy and malice of other men (see Isa. 33:15, 16).

Shall be known. The one who turns aside to walk in crooked paths, whether in relation to God or to man, is certain to be exposed. Many are discovered and punished in this life. Those who escape detection will have their wicked course laid bare in the day when God reveals the secrets of men’s hearts (Luke 12:2, 3).

10. He that winketh. A wink may seem to be innocent enough, but it often typifies sly evil (see ch. 6:13). Mischief follows the crafty malice of the covert evildoer, and the innocent victims suffer sorrow. The prating fool represents a silly, self-exposing sinner who quickly comes to grief.

11. A well of life. Or, “a fountain of life.” Words of wisdom, counsel, and edification flow out of the mouth of the good. Like a refreshing stream these words, if received and heeded by others, bring new life and growth. It is an honor for the righteous to be so described, for God Himself is said to be a fountain of living waters (Ps. 36:9; Jer. 2:13; cf. John 4:14; 7:38).

12. Hatred stirreth up strifes. Love and hatred are here brought into sharp contrast. Hatred motivates those who deliberately make trouble between others by talebearing (Jer. 20:10, 11; 5T 94, 241, 242). On the other hand, love forgives and forgets; love puts aside all the bitterness that may have been suffered, and is ready to return good for evil (Matt. 5:9; 6:12; 1 Cor. 13:4–7; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 2:9–11).

13. Void of understanding. Literally, “one in want of heart.” The heart was regarded as the seat of intelligence. The unintelligent brings a rod upon his back in many ways: his conscience gives him no peace from its scourging, he suffers tongue-lashings from many of those with whom he has to deal, and anciently literal floggings by the order of magistrates were his (chs. 19:29; 26:3). The LXX combines the two elements in this verse thus: “He that brings forth wisdom from his lips smites the fool with a rod.”

14. Lay up knowledge. A wise man learns from everyone he meets and from every experience of life. It is his pleasure as well as habit to seize upon each new piece of knowledge and to seek to fit it into his total fund of information. As a result he is equipped with knowledge and wisdom to meet unexpected emergencies (see Matt. 13:52). The foolish man has the opposite experience. He despises knowledge and understanding. What he is forced to learn he makes no effort to remember. As a natural consequence he is ill-equipped to meet life’s problems.

15. The poor. Heb. dallim, a word that describes the poor as low, helpless, reduced, downcast, and ignorant. In countries outside of Israel the poor were left to shift for themselves and to sink ever lower in the social scale. In Israel the restrictions upon land sale and the provisions of the jubilee and seventh-year statutes were designed to prevent both abject poverty and the accumulation of land (Lev. 25:1–55).

Poverty need not be the ruin of a family. Those who set about to use all their abilities will be blessed by God and will usually be able to provide for a reasonably comfortable way of life. Unfortunately, poverty often saps the energy and destroys the confidence of the poor, so that many of them fall into despair.

16. Tendeth to life. The rich compensations of honest labor are contrasted with the frustrating rewards of a life of sin.

17. He is in. The words “is in” are supplied. The sentence may also be translated, “the man who keeps instruction is a way to life.” This would seem to indicate that his wise counsel and good example make the wise man a guide, directing others in their pursuit of life. On the other hand, the translation of the KJV makes an equally true observation.

Erreth. The form of this verb in the Hebrew is causative, suggesting that the one who refuses to heed instruction and reproof leads others astray.

18. Lying lips. The first sentence may also be translated, “He who concealeth hatred is of lying lips.” The one who harbors hatred in his heart frequently practices deception and dissimulation.

As it stands this verse is an example of synthetic parallelism (see p. 24). The construction is unnatural in a series of antithetic parallelisms. The LXX preserves this latter construction by its reading, “Righteous lips cover enmity; but they that utter railings are most foolish.”

19. Multitude of words. The tongue is a difficult member to control and has tremendous potentialities for both good and evil (James 3:1–10). A tongue permitted to utter a multitude of words is in danger of leading its owner into many forms of sin. Exaggeration frequently accompanies verbosity, and exaggeration is a falsification of truth. Scandal and defamation are not far from one who talks much and seeks to make a sensation. The wise man screens carefully everything that he says, and remembers that one day he will have to give account for his words (see Eccl. 5:1–3; Matt. 12:36; James 3:2; 4T 331).

20. Choice silver. The contrast is between the words of a good man and the mind and heart of a fool. Although the wise man does not express all that is in his heart, what he does say is good. It comes from a pure source, and has been carefully evaluated before being uttered (see ch. 8:19).

The words of the wicked are of little value because the mind from which they come is perverse, carnal, and concerned only with temporal affairs.

21. Lips of the righteous. The utterances of the wise feed all who will listen. Those who will not pay any attention to wisdom not only fail to feed others; they starve themselves.

22. The blessing of the Lord. Some think that riches depend only upon skill and diligence; others, that they are the result of good fortune. But there can be no real and lasting wealth without the blessing of the Lord. There is no successful multiplication of wealth unless God works with man, and riches melt away when God does not add His blessing (see Haggai 1:5–9; Mal. 3:8–12).

Addeth no sorrow. Riches do not always bring happiness. A man must have health if he is to enjoy his wealth. Also death brings sorrow into every home, rich or poor. Riches without the blessing of God often cause sorrow by turning the heart of the owner from a preparation for the world to come to contentment and preoccupation with this world. But riches that come with the blessing of God come with no added sorrow. Wealth that is used as a trust from the heavenly Master blesses the faithful steward and those upon whom he expends it (see Eccl. 5:18, 19).

23. To do mischief. This verse may also be translated, “It is as sport [laugh] to the fool to carry out an evil intention, likewise to the wise man [to practice] wisdom.” One mark of a fool is that he delights to do evil. He knows the difference between right and wrong, but he has no deep feeling about moral rectitude and does not restrain his impulses to do mischief. His conscience has been so hardened that he seems to have no concern over the damage he is doing and the suffering he is causing.

In direct contrast, the man of understanding has allowed the Spirit of God to work upon his heart so freely that his conscience has become quick and tender. He is keenly aware of the consequences of his actions and takes delight in seeing that they all tend to the good of others (see Gal. 6:2).

24. Fear of the wicked. That is, the apprehension of calamity that haunts the wicked. Although many evildoers go along in their wicked pathway in apparent heedlessness of the inevitable results of their course, they are haunted, at times, by gloomy fears of the future. The fool seeks to dispel these fears and tries to make light of the prospect before him, but it is still there.

The wicked man can never have his full desire. What he wants is to go his own way and yet be happy. He wants to sow evil and yet reap good. But this can never be. It is the very nature of sin that it inevitably brings misery and death, however long the coming of the penalty may be delayed (see James 1:15).

The good man desires to be regenerated so that he may do good and be good. It is his purpose to walk in the way of life and happiness. The more he so desires, the easier it is for God to grant him his desires. Happiness is as inevitable a consequence of righteousness as sorrow is of sin (see Gal. 6:7).

25. As the whirlwind passeth. The LXX translates the first clause, “when the storm passes by, the ungodly vanishes away.” When the tempest of calamity has passed, the wicked are gone, but the righteous are unmoved (see Job 21:18; Isa. 17:12–14).

Vinegar. The product that results when wine undergoes a fermentation by which the alcohol in the wine changes into acetic acid. The product was thought to be injurious to the teeth. The LXX here reads, “As a sour grape is hurtful to the teeth.”

As smoke. In Solomon’s day, men were well acquainted with the sting of wood smoke in the eyes, for stoves and chimneys as we have them seem to have been unknown. Similarly annoying is the slothful messenger who is dilatory in carrying out his errand. The LXX renders the last clause, “so iniquity hurts those that practice it.”

27. Prolongeth days. Compare Ex. 20:12; Ps. 91:16; Prov. 3:2; 9:11. The promise of longevity is conditional. The history of human experience reveals many exceptions. Yet a good life, lived in the fear of the Lord, so that the anxieties that break down the nervous forces are excluded by a living experience of faith, naturally tends to longevity (see MH 281). Similarly, a life without faith, whether actively sinful or not, tends to be shortened by fretfulness and worry. Selfish indulgence contributes to the deterioration of life forces (see Ps. 107:17, 18.

The question may be raised, How does the centenarian who has indulged in unhealthful practices throughout his long life attain to his great age in good health, while the conscientious observer of the rules of health may, at a much younger age, be able to keep himself in only fairly good health? The answer in part lies in the fact that men are born into the world with constitutions of varying virility inherited from their ancestors. Some inherit a constitution so hardy that they are able to abuse it throughout life, seemingly with impunity, while others must exercise great care in order to keep in reasonably good condition. Another factor is the childhood development and environment. These do much to build up or break down the constitution before a person is old enough to care for his own health (see 3T 140, 141).

28. The hope. Today the hope of the Christian is centered in the new earth, where every noble ambition, now so often thwarted, will be carried out, every pure delight enjoyed without the admixture of the slightest trace of sadness. Failure will be unknown, and every success will open the way to still greater achievements. Sad partings will never come to cloud the eyes. Farewells will cease to introduce long hours of anxious waiting (see Rev. 21:4; GC 675–678), for every journey will be safe and prosperous and lead to a happy return.

The expectation. The sinner has recurrent attacks of fear (see on v. 24), but he persuades himself that everything will come out well in the end even if he does deliberately defy God and live in conflict with the laws of life. God’s long-suffering accounts in part for his false hope. Because his iniquity is not immediately punished, and he is given a continued probation, the transgressor strengthens himself in his evil and presumes upon the goodness of God (see Eccl. 8:11; Rom. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

At the very moment when the hope of the righteous is to be realized, the expectation of the wicked utterly perishes, leaving the sinner helpless and hopeless in the knowledge that it is forever too late to exchange his selfish mirage for the glorious certainties of those who were willing to surrender self.

29. Strength. Heb. maФoz, “a place of refuge,” or “a means of refuge.” The way of the Lord forms a sure defense around those who serve Him (see Ps. 91:2; cf. Job 1:10). God foresees every attack of the enemy upon the righteous, and is able to counter each move, so as to bring victory to the righteous. The obdurate workers of iniquity forfeit God’s protection, and, deprived of their defense, are destroyed (see PP 325).

30. Never be removed. Solomon was speaking primarily of the condition of the two classes in this life, though his statement is true also regarding the future life. Though the righteous are continually being removed by death, and all the righteous together will be taken to heaven for the duration of the millennium (Rev. 20:1), still they are as surely established as the inheritors and owners of this earth as if they had never left it. Their removal in death is only a sleep, their visit to heaven no more than a brief stay in the Father’s house before they take up their abode for eternity upon the earth. This world has never really ceased to be their home (see Isa. 45:18).

The wicked have set their hearts upon a worldly way of life. Their ideal of eternal life is an existence in which they may live as sensually and greedily as in this present life. The sinner would not be happy in God’s presence. Heaven would hold no pleasure for him. He is shut out by his own unfitness for the holy environment (see SC 19, 20).

31. Bringeth forth wisdom. Literally, “beareth the fruit of wisdom.” The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom as naturally as a good fruit tree produces fruit. The artificial attempt to expound wisdom, when it is lacking in the heart, fails as completely as an attempt to make one’s light shine when there is no light (see Matt. 5:16).

Cut out. Perhaps the simile of a fruit-bearing tree is continued. The perverse tongue, which speaks only that which is twisted and evil, will be cut out as a diseased branch is pruned away by a husbandman (see Matt. 3:10; Matt. 12:36, 37).

32. What is acceptable. The good man consciously avoids words that might hurt or offend, because he realizes something of the suffering that is cause by words spoken carelessly or thoughtlessly as well as by malicious or mischievous words. Through the centuries this consideration has been part of the general fund of common sense. Recent studies in psychiatry reveal that the havoc wrought by the lips may, in many cases, be far greater, and the damage done much deeper, than had been suspected. Those who place themselves under the guardianship of Heaven’s angels will receive strength to avoid offending in word or deed (see COL 341, 342).

Speaketh frowardness. “Speaketh” is a supplied word. We may supply “know,” as in the previous clause, or simply “is.” The bad man speaks evil as unconsciously as the good man speaks good words; for in both cases the utterances of the lips spring from the heart (see Matt. 12:34–37). But both also deliberately plan to speak in ways suited to their regenerate or unregenerate natures. The wicked man takes delight in tantalizing, and is careless of the harm he does. He uses perverse words in carrying out evil plans. How important it is, in view of these considerations, that every man who is striving for the mastery (1 Cor. 9:25) keep a close watch on his lips (1 Peter 3:10)!

Ellen G. White comments

4    CT 278; 4T 410; 5T 178, 180

9     3T 108

19   4T 331; 5T 437

20   AH 440

22   Ed 142; FE 233; MH 448; PK 60

27   ML 149; CH 28