Chapter 20

1. Mocker. Heb. les, translated “scorner” in ch. 19:29. This suggests that “wine,” the “mocker,” is here personified and that the statement does not assert that wine mocks men, but that men under the influence of wine and strong drink become scornful of right and religion.

Strong drink. Fermented drinks made from other sources than grapes, such as pomegranates and dates (see on Deut. 14:26).

Deceived. All intoxicating drinks are deceptive. Men think they are becoming stronger, wiser, quicker in action, and more eloquent as the amount they drink increases, whereas objective tests show that they are slowed down, rendered less efficient, and finally rendered incapable of coherent thought or speech. Intoxicating liquors are deceptive in another way. A man considers them quite harmless and believes that he can take them or leave them at will, yet drink gains an almost unshakable grip on its victims (see Prov. 23:29–35; Isa. 28:7; Eph. 5:18; MH 333–346).

2. Sinneth. One who stirs up the wrath of a king or other despotic ruler is taking his life in his hands and is likely to lose it (see chs. 8:36; 19:12).

3. An honour. Some feel that their honor must be defended by a quick resentment of any slur or slight, but this reveals a doubt as to the genuine nature of their position. One who is calmly confident of his position in relation to God and man will quietly ignore provocative remarks (see chs. 17:14; 19:11).

4. The cold. Literally, “autumn.” The statement does not imply that the sluggard fears the cold, but that he dislikes work. While eating what his farm has produced, he has not the pressure of hunger to make him take the trouble to plow and sow for the next harvest. As an inevitable consequence, the next autumn finds him seeking to share the prosperity of the wise and the diligent.

5. Draw it out. Our modern word education means a “drawing out.” Wise teachers since the time of Socrates, and no doubt much earlier than that, have used skillful questioning to bring to the surface the hidden thoughts of the pupil. The student is led to relate to another the various items of information he has acquired and thus to increase in wisdom and understanding.

6. A faithful man. With everyone proclaiming his own goodness, how is it possible to discover men who are really trustworthy? Solomon has enumerated many characteristics of such men (see chs. 9:10; 10:31; 12:10; 13:5; 17:17, 27; 20:7; 21:3; 22:29).

7. Integrity. Consistency is a rare but valuable virtue. However poor, humble, or ignorant a man may be, if he is genuine and consistent, he will be recognized as a just man, and his children will honor him. Inconsistency in parents has a devastating effect upon the growing children.

8. Scattereth. Or, “winnows.” As the wind separates the chaff from the tossed wheat, so the wisdom of a wise judge discerns the truth and blows away the devices intended to obscure it. In like manner the Messiah will exalt truth and reveal error when He comes (Isa. 11:3, 4).

9. Who can say? Compare 1 John 1:8. This question is pertinent in view of the final revelation of truth (Eccl. 12:14).

10. Divers weights. See chs. 11:1; 16:11; 20:23.

11. Even a child. While all men reveal themselves through their works (Matt. 7:16–20), a child, because of his openness and freedom from dissimulation, shows more clearly his inner nature and gives some indication of the man he will become.

12. The hearing ear. God has given to all men the use of their senses, and He trusts that these senses will be employed by them to find their way to Him and to the path of righteousness (see Ex. 4:11). Few men use their talents to the full. Blind to the beauty of earth, sea, and sky, and deaf to the murmurings of the wind and the songs of the birds, many go on their way indifferent to all but material gain and common pleasures. God is looking for ears that are quick to respond to the voice of the Spirit and eyes that see clearly the way of life.

13. Love not sleep. See chs. 6:9–11; 12:11; 19:15; 23:21.

14. It is naught. To decry the value of what we buy and to exaggerate the good qualities of what we sell is human nature, but it is fallen human nature. True honesty demands that we endeavor objectively to discover the precise worth of a commodity, whether we are buying or selling (see 2T; 71; 4T 311, 359). Not only is honesty involved, but love for our fellow men is as essential to righteous living as love for our Creator (Luke 10:27). Observance of the golden rule will make us as considerate of others in selling as we are of ourselves in buying. These are high standards, but the goal before us is perfection (Matt. 5:43–48).

15. Rubies. See on ch. 3:15. Gold is highly valued, costly stones are regarded as rare, but both are common in comparison to instructed lips.

16. Strange woman. The KJV here follows the Masoretic marginal reading, in conformity with the repetition of the verse in ch. 27:13. The reading of the Hebrew text is “strangers.” Solomon repeatedly referred to the folly of being surety for anyone (chs. 6:1; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26). In this verse he enjoins severe treatment of a man who would take such a risk for a foreigner with whom he could not be intimately acquainted. The law forbade the taking of interest on a loan from a brother (Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:35–37), but permitted even an Israelite to be sold into slavery for seven years or until the jubilee (see Ex. 21:2; Lev. 25:39, 42; Deut. 15:9). That this law was at times broken is evident from Ezekiel’s description of a sinner (Eze. 18:10–17), and Nehemiah’s reform among the returned exiles (Neh. 5:1–13). The taking of a pledge was permitted, but if it were a garment, the creditor was required to return it at night (Deut. 24:10–13).

17. Bread of deceit. Or, “bread of lying.” Wickedness is sweet to some (Job 20:12), so that stolen food has an added zest when eaten, because it was gained without the labor of earning it. However, the consequences of deceit soon change the picture. Distrusted by all good men and driven to the company of deceivers like himself, or, perhaps, caught and punished, he finds that the sweetness has departed (see Job 20:14).

18. By counsel. With man’s limited ability and knowledge, it is wise to take counsel with others whom may see a different aspect of the matter or who have had more experience in circumstances similar to the one under consideration. The graver the problem, the more necessary such consultation (see chs. 11:14; 15:22).

19. Him that flattereth. Heb. potheth, from the verb pathath, which means either “to be open” or “to be simple.” Hence, “him that flattereth with his lips” is either “one who is open as to his lips” or “one who is foolish with his lips.”

20. Obscure darkness. Although one who broke the law by cursing his parents might anciently be put to death (Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9), it is probable that the evasion of the fifth commandment of which Christ complained had begun early (Matt. 15:4). The putting out of the lamp, or candle, of such a man might be interpreted as the taking of his life, but it is more probable that Solomon is here referring to the moral degradation that would characterize one who indulged in this mean sin. The “obscure darkness,” literally, “the pupil of darkness” (see on Prov. 7:2, 9), indicates the depths to which disrespect of parents causes a son to sink (see ch. 13:9).

21. Gotten hastily. This proverb is a reminder of the curt, “Easy come, easy go.” The sudden and easy accession of wealth is very different from the slow accumulation of riches by hard work and earnest effort. Without any comprehension of the toil by which the inheritance was gathered, the beneficiary has formed no habits of diligence and caution that would enable him to turn the money into a blessing to himself and others.

22. Recompense. With the example of Christ before them (1 Peter 2:23), Christians cannot fail to realize the necessity of resisting all impulses to take revenge. The Lord claims that vengeance is His (Heb. 10:30). Those who put their trust in Him will be so protected by the Lord that all the attacks of their enemies will turn out to be for their good (Rom. 8:28).

23. Divers weights. See on v. 10.

24. Man’s goings. Man is not able to order his own steps (Jer. 10:23; PK 420, 421). He cannot understand his own way, for he cannot see one step in front of him, and God may intervene at any moment to alter human plans (Prov. 16:25; 19:21; MH 417).

25. Devoureth. From the Heb. laФaФ, “to talk wildly.” The first clause may be translated, “It is a snare to a man that he should rashly cry, Holy!” This thought is similar to that of the LXX, which renders this verse, “It is a snare to a man hastily to consecrate some of his own property,” for in that case repentance comes after vowing. The vower who promises a gift to the Lord without due consideration and then realizes that the vow will cost more than he wishes to sacrifice falls into a trap (see Eccl. 5:2–6; 4T 470, 471).

26. Scattereth. Or, “winnoweth” (see on v. 8).

Wheel. In the East, iron-studded rollers, or planks with rows of sharp stones, were dragged over the wheat on the threshing floor (see Isa. 28:27; Amos 1:3). This verse does not indicate a literal punishment of evil men, but shows how the king “winnows” the good from the evil, and makes investigations that separate the chaff from the wheat (see Matt. 3:12).

27. The candle of the Lord. The Spirit of God speaking within a man searches the whole man, his mind, his heart, his soul, reveals to him his condition and commends or else reproves as need may arise. The wisest animal can work only from memory, expediency, and instinct. Man can sit in judgment upon himself and assess his own acts according to a standard outside himself (Matt. 6:22, 23; 2T 512; SC 20, 27).

28. Mercy and truth. Here is a true philosophy of history. If every ruler had understood and practiced the implied counsel in this proverb, the history of the world would have been very different. Empire after empire has fallen because the rulers became careless of right and justice or became harsh and rigid without regard for mercy; whereas those kings who enthroned mercy in their hearts lived long and useful lives that benefited their subjects (see Prov. 16:12; Dan. 4:27; PK 501, 502).

29. Strength. A young man who has preserved the full vigor of his young manhood by clean living and hard work has a glory about him that no old man can boast, but the man of gray hairs who has been learning lessons from the way of righteousness throughout a long and useful life has a beauty and a glory of his own.

30. The blueness of a wound. Literally, “stripes [or blows] of a wound,” that is, “blows that cut in.” Blows that wound are the remedy for evil, not soothing ointments, and blows that strike deep are the most effective (see ch. 19:29; PP 327–326).

Ellen G. White comments

1    DA 149, 222; MH 330, 333; Te 52, 92, 97

3     Ed 135

11   CG 151; 3T 80

19   Ed 135

22   MB 109

25   4T 471

28   Ed 175; PK 502

29        ML 130; 3T 142