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DR.    LUTHARDT'S   H/EW   WORK. 

Just  published,  in  demy  Svo,  price  9s., 

ST.  JOHN  THE  AUTHOR  OF  THE 
FOURTH  GOSPEL. 

By  Professor  C.  E.  LUTHARDT, 

AUTHOR  OF    'fundamental  TRUTHS   OF  CHRISTIANITY,'   ETC. 

By  C.  R.  GREGORY,  Leipzig. 


Chap.  I.  Tradition.  II.  St.  John's  Authorship  disputed.  III.  The  Testimony 
of  the  Church.  IV.  Testimony  outside  of  the  Church.  V.  St.  John's 
Residence  at  Ephesus.  VL  The  Passover  Controversy.  VII.  The  Testi- 
mony of  the  Gospel  itself.  VIII.  St.  John's  Gospel  and  the  Second 
Century,  IX.  St.  John's  Gospel  and  the  Synoptlsts.  X.  St.  John's  Gos- 
pel and  the  Revelation.  XI.  St.  John's  Christology  psychologically 
possible.  Appendix. — Literature  of  the  disputed  Origin  of  the  Fourth 
Gospel,  from  1792  to  the  present. 

'  A  work  which  must  be  regarded  as  a  very  able  and  almost  exhaustive  summary  of 
the  arguments  in  favour  of  the  catholic  tradition  on  this  subject — exhaustive,  that  is  to 
say,  in  the  present  state  of  the  question,  and  until  new  evidence  shall  have  been  dis- 
covered. Nothing  can  be  more  lucid  or  effective  than  the  author's  method  of  arranging 
and  presenting  his  arguments.'' — Scotsman. 

'  There  are  few  works  in  the  later  theological  literature  which  contain,  in  such  a  con- 
fined space,  siich  wealth  of  sober  theological  knowledge,  and  such  an  invulnerable 
phalanx  of  objective  apologetical  critieijsm.' — Professor  Guericlce. 

'In  this  work,  from  the  pen  of  one  of  the  greatest  divines  of  Germany,  the  facts  are 
made  to  speak  for  themselves,  and  the  result  is  a  complete  refutation  of  the  Anti- 
Johannine  school  of  criticism,  and  a  correspondingly  complete  establishment  of  the 
ti-uth  on  which  the  unanimous  testimony  of  the  ancient  Church  is  shown  to  rest.  .  .  . 
Such  a  work  as  this  was  much  needed.' — Dickinson's  QuaHerly. 

'  It  is  with  no  ordinary  gratification  that  we  welcome  Dr.  Luthardt's  exhaustive 
treatise.  All  the  more  so,  that  while  he  writes  evidently  with  the  earnestness  of  a  man 
fighting  for  a  treasure,  he  never  descends  to  the  mere  special  pleader..  .  _.  We  cor- 
dially commend  Dr.  Luthardt's  work  as  an  able  and  seasonable  contribution  to  the 
literature  of  this  question.' — Courant. 

'Those  who  consult  Luthardt's  volume  will  find  him  to  be  a  safe  guide.     H"     - 
remarkably  temperate  and  fair.     He  makes  the  liberal  concessions  of  one  who  feels  i 
his  resources  are  substantial,  and  that  he  need  not  fight  for  trifles.  .  .  .  This  is  ! 
far  the  best  handbook  on  the  subject  which  any  inquirer  can  have.     We  hope  that  in     - 
present  form  it  will  find  a  large  circle  of  readers.' — Daily  Rerieiv. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Pudlications. 


Just  Published,  in  Demy  Zvo,  Price  js.  6d., 

THE 

MIRACLES   OF   OUR  LORD 

IN  RELATION  TO  MODERN  CRITICISM. 

BY 

F.   L.    STEINMEYER,   D.D., 

ORDINARY  PROFESSOR  OF  THEOLOGY  IN  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  BERLIN. 

TKANSLATED,  WITH   THE  PEKMISSION   OF  THE  AUTHOR,  FROM 
THE   GERMAN  BY 


L.   A.  WHEAT  LEY. 


Introduction.— 1.  The  Problem.     2.  Method  of  Solving  it.     3.  Value  of  the 

Solution.    Jesus  as  a  Worker  of  Miracles. 
First  Group. — Miracles  considered  as  Signs  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
Second  Group. — Miracles  considered  as  Symbols. 

Third  Group. — Miracles  as  Witnesses  of  the  Power  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
Fourth  Group.— Miracles  as  Prophecies. 

'  In  this  exegesis  Dr.  Steinmeyer  displays  a  very  high  degree  of  critical  acumen  and 
a  rare  subtlety  and  originality  of  thought.' — Scotsman. 

'  We  have  read  this  excellent  translation  of  Professor  Steinmeyer's  famous  work  on 
Miracles  with  great  satisfaction.  It  is  a  careful  and  masterly  reply  to  Strauss — to  his 
attack  on  the  historical  veracity  of  the  Gospels  and  on  the  reality  of  Biblical  Miracles. 
It  is  therefore,  by  anticipation,  a  reply  to  "  Supernatural  Religion."  .  .  .  Wo  most 
cordially  recommend  the  volume  to  young  theological  students.' — Watchman. 

'  This  work  will  be  found  of  great  and  lasting  service  in  the  cause  of  truth  against  the 
sceptical  tendencies  of  the  present  eager  age.  .  .  .  The  whole  argument  is  bold,  masterly, 
and  convincing;  and  the  essay  will  take  its  place  among  the  best  recent  volumes  of 
Christian  evidence.' — Standard. 

'  A  work  of  intrinsic  importance  at  the  present  time,  and  both  as  an  argument  for  the 
miracles  and  an  exposition  of  their  meaning,  deserves  thoughtful  consideration.' — 
English  Independent. 

'  Besides  the  value  of  the  work  apologetically,  there  is  much  of  acute  criticism  and 
suggestive  exegesis,  which  will  be  prized  by  all  who  have  learned  to  value  duly  even  the 
smallest  contribution  to  a  more  fresh,  life-like,  and  correct  conception  of  that  unique 
divine  life  portrayed  in  the  Gospels.' — British  and  Foreign  Evangelical  Review. 


NOTICE   TO   SUBSCRIBERS. 


M 


ESSRS.  CLARK  have  much  pleasure  in  forwarding  to 
their  Subscribers  the  Second  Issue  for  1875  : — 


Delitzsch's  Commentary  on  Proverbs,  Vol.  2, 

Oehler's  Old  Testament  Biblical 

Theology,  Vol.  2, 

completing    both    Works, 

The  First  Issue  for  1876  they  expect  to  be  Dr.  Keil's  Com- 
mentary ON  EzEKiEL,  in  Two  Volumes ;  and  they  have  also 
pleasure  in  intimating  that  Dr.  Luthardt  is  preparing  a  New 
Edition  of  his  Commentary  on  St.  John^s  Gospel,  which,  with 
the  sanction  of  the  Author,  will  appear  in  the  Foreign  Theo- 
logical Library. 

Professor  Godet  is  also  preparing  a  New  Edition  of  his  Com- 
mentary ON  St.  John's  Gospel.  The  method  of  treatment  is  so 
different,  that  they  do  not  think  many  will  object  to  two  Com- 
mentaries on  the  Fourth  Gospel  by  scholars  so  eminent. 

They  beg  anew  to  thank  the  Subscribers  for  their  continued 
support,  and  to  respectfully  request  a  continuance  of  it. 

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38  George  Street,  Edinburgh, 

November  1875. 


CLARK'S 


rOEEIGN 


THEOLOGICAL    LIBRARY 


FOURTH   SERIES. 
VOL.   XLVII. 


J9dit|äd;  on  Ü)t  ^roöcrbö  of  Solomon. 
VOL.  II. 


EDINBURGH: 

T.    &   T.    CLARK,    38    GEORGE    STREET. 

18  75. 


PllINTED  BY  MUßRAY  AND  GIBB 

FOR 

T.    &  T.    CLARK,    EDINBURGH. 

LONDON, HAMILTON,  ADAMS,  AND  CO. 

DUBLIN, JOHN  ROBERTSON  AND  CO. 

NEW  YORK,      ....      SCRIBNER,  WELFORD,  AND  ARMSTRONG. 


BIBLICAL   COMMENTARY 


PROVERBS    OF    SOLOMON. 


BY 

FRANZ    DELITZSCH,    D.D., 

PROFESSOR  OF  THEOLOGY. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  GERMAN  BY 

M.    G.   EASTON,    D.D. 


VOL.    II. 


EDINBURGH: 
T.    &   T.   CLARK,   38   GEORGE   STREET. 

18  75. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


THE  OLDER  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS,  I.-XXIV.  {continued). 

PAGE 

First  Collection  of  Solomonic  Proverbs,  x.-xxii.  16  (continued). 
Chapter  xviii.  Exhortations  to  Fidelity  and  other  Social  Virtues,  1 

Chapter  xix.  Exhortation  to  Humility  and  Gentleness,    .  .         18 

Chapter  xix.  26.  Beginning  of  the  Fourth  Principal  Part  of  the 

Solomonic  Collection,  .  .  .  .  .36 

Chapter  xx.  Exhortations    against   Drunkenness,    Slothfulness, 

Quarrelsomeness,  etc.,  .  .  .  .39 

Chapter  xxi.  Exhortations  to  the  Exercise  of  Justice,  Patience, 

and  Submission  to  God,  .  .  .  .62 

Chapter  xxii.  1-16.  Admonitions  as  to  the  Obtaining  and  Pre- 
serving of  a  Good  Name,  .  .  .  .83 

First  Appendix  to  the  First  Collection  of  Solomonic  Proverbs, 

xxii.  17-xxiv.  22,  .  .  .  .  95-140 

Chapter  xxii.  17-21.  Admonition  to  lay  to   heart  the  "  AN^ords 

of  the  Wise,"    ......         95 

Chapter  xxii.  22-29.  Proverbs  regarding  the  Treatment  of  the 

Poor,    .......         99 

Chapter  xxiii.  Warnings    against  Avarice,    Intemperance,   and 

Licentiousness,  .....       103 

Chapter  xxiv.  1-22.  Warnings    against    Fellowship    with    the 

Wicked  and  Foolish,    .  .  .  .  .125 

Second  Appendix  to  the  First  Solomonic  Collection,  xxiv. 

23-34,  140-148 

Chapter  xxiv.  23-29.  Admonition    to    Right    Conduct    toward 

others,  .......       141 

Chapter  xxiv.  30-34.  Warning  against   Slothfulness — a   Mashal 

Ode, 146 


VI  CONTENTS. 

SECOND  COLLECTION  OF  SOLOMONIC  PROVERBS  (which  the 
Men  of  Hezekiah  collected),  XXY.-XXIX. 

PAGE 

Chapter  xxv.  Admonition  to  Kings  and  their  Subjects  as  to  the 

Fear  of  God  and  the  Practice  of  Righteousness,  .       149 

Chapter  xxvi.  Warnings  against  Folly,  Indolence,  and  Malice,  .  173 
Chapter  xxvii.  1-8.  Warnings  against  unseemly  Boasting  and 

Anger, 198 

Chapter  xxvii.  9.  Proverbs  of  the  Value  of  Friendship,  .  .       204 

Chapter  xxvii.  14.  The  Contentious  Woman,        .  .  .       210 

Chapter  xxvii.  17.  The  Influence  of  Mutual  Intercourse,  .       212 

Chapter  xxvii.  23-27.  Exhortation  to  Rural  Industry — a  Mashal 

Ode, 218 

Chapter  xxviii.    Warnings    against     Unscrupulous,     Unlawful 

Dealings,  ......       221 

Chapter  xxix.    Divers    Ethical     Proverbs :     Warnings    against 

Stubbornness,  Flattery,  Wrath,  etc.,  .  .  .       240 

First    Appendix   to    the    Second    Solomonic    Collection    of 

Proverbs,  xxx.,  .....  260 

Chapter  xxx.  1-6.  The  "  Words  of  Agiir  " — his  Confession  of  a 

Fruitless  Search  for  Wisdom,  ....  260 
Chapter  xxx.  7-9.  A  Mashal  Ode — a  Prayer  for  a  Middle  State 

between  Poverty  and  Riches,  ....  280 

Chapter  xxx.  11-14.  A  Priamel— a  Wicked  Generation,  .  .  284 

Chapter  xxx.  15,  1 6.  Four  Insatiable  Things,       .  .  .  287 

Chapter  xxx.  17.  The  Eye  that  mocketh,  .  .  .  293 

Chapter  xxx.  18-20.  Four  Incomprehensible  Things,       .  .  295 

Chapter  xxx.  21-23.  Four  Intolerable  Things,     .  .  .  299 

Chapter  xxx.  24-28.  Four  Things  that  are  Small  and  yet  Wise,  .  301 

Chapter  xxx.  29-31.  Four  Creatures  that  are  stately  in  going,    .  305 

Second    Appendix    to    the    Second  Solomonic  Collection  of 

Proverbs,  xxxi.  1-9,  .  .  .  .  .314 

Chapter  xxxi.  1-9.  The    "  Words    of    Lemuel"— his    Mother's 

Counsel  for  Kings,        .  .  .  .  .314 

Third    Appendix   to    the    Second    Solomonic    Collection    of 

Proverbs,  xxxi.  10-31,  ....      325 

An   Alphabetical  Poem  ("  A  Golden   A   B    C  for  Women ")  in 

praise  of  a  Virtuous  Matron,    ....       326 

Note.— The  Proverbs  peculiar  to  the  Alexandrine  Translation,         .       342 


ABBREVIATIONS. 

[The  usual  abbreviations  of  words  and  phrases  are  adopted 
throughout  this  work,  and  will  readily  be  understood  by  the 
reader.  The  mark  of  abbreviation  in  Hebrew  words  is  a 
stroke  like  an  acute  accent  after  a  letter,  as  e.g.  'in  for 
nionn,  xxix.  4;  and  in  Hebrew  sentences,  'iJ1  for  i??iJl  et 
complens  =  etc.,  as  e.g.  at  xxx.  4.] 


THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 


FIRST  COLLECTION  OF  SOLOMONIC  PROVERBS.— 
CHAP.  X.-XXII.  16.    (Continued.) 

HAP.  XVIII.  1.  This  series  of  proverbs  now  turns  from 
the  fool  to  the  separatist : 
The  separatist  seeketh  after  his  own  pleasure  ; 
Against  all  that  is  beneficial  he  showeth  his  teeth. 

The  reflexive  T]33  has  here  the  same  meaning  as  the  Rab- 
binical "i^25fn-}p  t^'ns,  to  separate  oneself  from  the  congregation, 
Abothi\.5;  T^S^  denotes  a  man  who  separates  himself,  for  he 
follows  his  own  counsel,  Arab,  mnfrd  {intfrrd)  brät/h,  or  jhys 
ahn/iJil  {seorsum  ah  aliis  secedens).  Instead  of  >^]^})?,  Hitzig, 
after  Jerome,  adopts  the  emendation  "^J^J^p,  "after  an  occa- 
sion "  (a  pretext),  and  by  *nS3  thinks  of  one  pushed  aside,  who, 
thrown  into  opposition,  seeks  to  avenge  himself.  But  his  trans- 
lation of  lb,  "  against  all  that  is  fortunate  he  gnasheth  his 
teeth,"  shows  how  much  the  proverb  is  opposed  to  this  inter- 
pretation. "T^sa  denotes  one  who  willingly  (Judg.  iv.  11),  and, 
indeed,  obstinately  withdraws  himself.  The  construction  of 
C'ijjn'i  with  ^  (also  Job  x.  6)  is  explained  by  this,  that  the  poet, 
giving  prominence  to  the  object,  would  set  it  forward :  a  plea- 
sure (^1^?n,  as  Arab,  haivan,  unstable  and  causeless  direction  of 
the  mind  to  something,  pleasure,  freak,  caprice),  and  nothing 
else,  he  goes  after  who  has  separated  himself  (Fl.) ;  the  effort 
of  the  sepai'atist  goes  out  after  a  pleasure,  i.e.  the  enjoyment 
and  realization  of  such ;  instead  of  seeking  to  conform  himself 
to  the  law  and  ordinance  of  the  community,  he  seeks  to  carry 
out  a  separate  view,  and  to  accomplish  some  darling  plan : 
libidinem   sectatur   sui    cerebri   homo.     With   this  lb   accords. 

VOL.  II.  A 


2  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

n^B'in  (^vid.  at  ii.  7)  Is  concretely  that  which  furthers  and 
profits.  Eegarding  V^^T}^,  vid.  at  xvii.  14.  Thus  putting  his 
subjectivity  in  the  room  of  the  common  weal,  he  shows  his 
teeth,  places  himself  in  fanatical  opposition  against  all  that  is 
useful  and  profitable  in  the  principles  and  aims,  the  praxis  of 
the  community  from  which  he  separates  himself.  The  figure 
is  true  to  nature :  the  polemic  of  the  schismatic  and  the  sectary 
against  the  existing  state  of  things,  is  for  the  most  part  measure- 
less and  hostile. 

Ver.  2  The  fool  hath  no  delight  in  understanding ; 

But  only  that  his  heart  may  reveal  itself  therein. 
The  verb  XPJ}  forms  the  f ut.  J'?'?.'',  as  well  as  Tan;; :  first  the  latter 
from  r?05  ^^^^^  ^^^  primary  meaning,  to  bow,  to  bend  down  ; 
then  both  forms  as  intransitive,  to  bend  oneself  to  something, 
to  be  inclined  to  something,  Arab.  Hf.  (FL).  n:i3n  is  here  the 
intelligence  which  consists  in  the  understanding  of  one's  own 
deficiency,  and  of  that  which  is  necessary  to  meet  it.  The 
inclination  of  the  fool  goes  not  out  after  such  intelligence,  but 
(-nx  "'S  ;  according  to  Ben-Naphtali,  QS-'G)  only  that  his  heart, 
i.e.  the  understanding  which  he  thinks  that  he  already  possesses, 
may  reveal  itself,  show  itself  publicly.  He  thinks  thereby  to 
show  himself  in  his  true  greatness,  and  to  render  a  weighty 
service  to  the  world.  This  loquacity  of  the  fool,  proceeding 
from  self-satisfaction,  without  self-knowledge,  has  already,  xii. 
23,  and  often,  been  reprimanded. 

The  group  beginning  with  ver.  3  terminates  in  two  pro- 
verbs (vers.  6  and  7),  related  to  the  concluding  verse  of  the 
foregoing : 

Ver.  3  If  a  godless  man  cometh,  then  cometh  also  contempt ; 
And  together  with  disgrace,  shame. 
J.  D.  Michaelis,  and  the  most  of  modern  critics,  read  S?K't  ; 
then,  contempt  etc.,  are  to  be  thought  of  as  the  consequences 
that  follow  godlessness  ;  for  that  p?!^  means  (Hitzig)  disgrace- 
fulness,  i.e.  disgraceful  conduct,  is  destitute  of  proof;  \b\>  always 
means  disgrace  as  an  experience.  But  not  only  does  the 
Masoretic  text  punctuate  J?^"!,  but  also  all  the  old  translators, 
the  Greek,  Aramaic,  and  Latin,  have  done  so.  And  is  it  on 
this  account,  because  a  coming  naturally  seems  to  be  spoken  of 
a  person?     The  "pride  cometh,  then  cometh  shame,"  xi.   2, 


CHAP.  XVIII.  4.  ö 

was  in  their  recollection  not  less  firmly,  perhaps,  than  in  ours. 
They  read  V^l,  because  Tia  does  not  fittingly  designate  the 
first  of  that  which  godlessness  effects,  but  perhaps  the  first  of 
that  which  proceeds  from  it.  Therefore  we  adhere  to  the 
opinion,  that  the  proverb  names  the  fiends  which  appear  in  the 
company  of  the  godless  wherever  he  goes,  viz.  first  TH,  con- 
tempt (Ps.  xxxi.  19),  which  places  itself  haughtily  above  all 
due  subordination,  and  reverence,  and  forbearance;  and  then, 
with  the  disgrace  [turjnüido],  }1^p,  which  attaches  itself  to  those 
who  meddle  with  him  (Isa.  xxii.  18),  there  is  united  the  shame, 
nann  (Ps.  xxxix.  9),  which  he  has  to  suffer  from  him  who  has 
only  always  expected  something  better  from  him.  Fleischer 
understands  all  the  three  words  in  the  passive  sense,  and  remarks, 
"  nsin  ]'hp'QV,  a  more  artificial  expression  for  nsnm  ])bp,  in  the 
Turkish  quite  common  for  the  copula  ivcJw,  e.g.  swylh  thrdh, 
earth  and  water,  \ortylh  dr,  the  man  and  the  woman."  But 
then  the  expression  would  be  tautological ;  we  understand 
Tin  and  nsnn  of  that  which  the  godless  does  to  others  by  his 
words,  and  '{hp  of  that  which  he  does  to  them  by  his  conduct. 
By  this  interpretation,  ÜV  is  more  than  the  representative  of 
the  copula. 

Ver.  4  Deep  waters  are  the  words  from  a  man's  mouth, 
A  bubbling  brook,  a  fountain  of  wisdom. 
Earlier,  we  added  to  hominis  the  supplement  sc.  sapientis,  but 
then  an  unnecessary  word  would  be  used,  and  that  which  is 
necessary  omitted.  Eather  it  might  be  said  that  C'"'X  is  meant 
in  an  ideal  sense  ;  but  thus  meant,  ^^H,  like  "132,  denotes  the 
valiant  man,  but  not  man  as  he  ought  to  be,  or  the  man  of 
honour ;  and  besides,  a  man  may  be  a  man  of  honour  without 
there  being  said  of  him  what  this  proverb  expresses.  Ewald 
comes  nearer  the  case  when  he  translates,  "  deep  waters  are  the 
heart-words  of  many."  Heart-words — what  an  unbiblical  ex- 
pression !  The  EXX.,  which  translates  \0709  iu  KapZla^  has 
not  read  :h  nni,  but  nb  nm  (as  XX.  5,  "3^  nvy).  But  that 
"  of  many"  is  certainly  not  a  right  translation,  yet  right  in  so 
far  as  &\^  (as  at  xii.  14)  is  thought  of  as  made  prominent :  the 
proverb  expresses,  in  accordance  with  the  form  of  narrative 
proverbs  which  present  an  example,  what  occurs  in  actual  life, 
and  is  observed.     Three  different  things  are  said  of  the  words 


4  THE   BOOK  OF  PROVEEBS. 

from  a  man's  mouth :  they  are  deep  waters,  for  their  meaning 
does  not  lie  on  the  surface,  but  can  be  perceived  only  by  pene- 
trating into  the  secret  motives  and  aims  of  him  who  speaks ; 
they  are  a  bubbling  brook,  which  freshly  and  powerfully  gushes 
forth  to  him  who  feels  this  flow  of  words,  for  in  this  brook 
there  never  fails  an  always  new  gush  of  living  water ;  it  is  a 
fountain  or  well  of  wisdom,  from  which  wisdom  flows  forth,  and 
whence  wisdom  is  to  be  drawn.  Hitzig  supposes  that  the  distich 
is  antithetic ;  D''i?öy  Ci^^,  or  rather  ^''ipoyQ  "•»,  "  waters  of  the 
deep,"  are  cistern  waters ;  on  the  contrary,  "  a  welling  brook  is  a 
fountain  of  wisdom."  But  y>W  means  deep,  not  deepened,  and 
deep  water  is  the  contrast  of  shallow  water ;  a  cistern  also  may 
be  deep  (cf.  xxii.  14),  but  deep  water  is  such  as  is  deep,  whether 
it  be  in  the  ocean  or  in-  a  ditch.  4.b  also  does  not  suggest  a 
cistern,  for  thereby  it  would  be  indicated  that  the  description, 
tJ'''{<"''3  '^121,  is  not  here  continued;  the  "fountain  of  wisdom" does 
not  form  a  proper  parallel  or  an  antithesis  to  this  subject,  since 
this  much  rather  would  require  the  placing  in  contrast  of  deep 
and  shallow,  of  exhausted  (drained  out)  and  perennial.  And  : 
the  fountain  is  a  brook,  the  well  a  stream — who  would  thus 
express  himself  !  We  have  thus  neither  an  antithetic  nor  a 
synonymous  (LXX.  after  the  phrase  ävaTrrjScüv,  Jerome,  Venet., 
Luth.),  but  an  integral  distich  (yid.  vol.  i.  p.  8)  before  us  ;  and 
this  leads  us  to  consider  what  depths  of  thought,  what  riches  of 
contents,  what  power  of  spiritual  and  moral  advancement,  may 
lie  in  the  words  of  a  man. 

Yer.  5  To  favour  the  person  of  the  godless  is  not  good, 
And  to  oppress  the  righteous  in  judgment. 
As  ver.  4  has  one  subject,  so  ver.  5  has  one  predicate.  The 
form  is  the  same  as  xvii.  26.  \JQ  nxb>  (cf.  xxiv.  23),  irpoaco- 
7r6\7]-\\r[a,  accepiio  personce,  is  this,  that  one  accepts  the  ''JS,  i.e.  the 
personal  appearance  of  any  one  (7rp6aco7ro.v\a/j,ßdvei),  i.e.  regards 
it  as  acceptable,  respectable,  agreeable,  which  is  a  thing  in  itself 
not  wrong ;  but  in  a  judge  who  ought  to  determine  according 
to  the  facts  of  the  case  and  the  law,  it  becomes  sinful  partiality. 
nitsn,  in  a  forensic  sense,  with  the  accus,  of  the  person,  may  be 
regarded  in  a  twofold  way :  either  as  a  turning  aside,  T'^P,  Isa. 
X.  2,  from  following  and  attaining  unto  the  right,  or  as  an 
oppressing,  for  the  phrase  lOSC'O  n;2n  [to  pervert  justice]  (cf. 


CHAP.  XVIII.  6-8.  5 

xvH.  23)  is  transferred  to  the  person  who  experiences  the  op- 
pression =  perversion  of  the  law  ;  and  this  idea  perhaps  always 
underlies  the  expression,  wherever,  as  e.g.  Mai.  iii.  5,  no  addition 
brings  with  it  the  other.  Under  xvii.  15  is  a  fuller  explanation 
of  y[\2-vh. 

Ver.  6  The  lips  of  the  fool  engage  in  strife, 
And  his  mouth  calleth  for  stripes. 

We  may  translate :  the  lips  of  the  fool  cause  strife,  for  3  sn^ 
to  come  with  anything,  e.g.  Ps.  ixvi.  13,  is  equivalent  to  bring 
it  (to  bring  forward),  as  also :  they  engage  in  strife ;  as  one 
says  D''?'"J-?  ^^■^'  to  be  engaged  in  bloodshed,  1  Sam.  xxv.  26. 
We  prefer  this  intrant  {ingerunt  se),  with  Schultens  and 
Fleischer.  ^5<n^  for  '"^J^^^?,  a  Synallage  generis,  to  which,  by 
means  of  a  "self-deception  of  the  language"  (Fl.),  the  ap- 
parent masculine  ending  of  such  duals  may  have  contributed. 
The  stripes  which  the  fool  calleth  for  (p  ^^"^1^,  like  ii.  3)  are  such 
as  he  himself  carries  off,  for  it  comes  a  verbis  ad  verhera.  The 
LXX. :  his  bold  mouth  calleth  for  death  (Nnp^  niD  n?pnn  vs) ; 

nio^nnp  has,  in  codd.  and  old  editions,  the  Mem  raphatum,  as 
also  at  xix.  29 ;  the  sing,  is  thus  Dl^np,  like  ^lyJO  to  V^yjD,  for 
the  Mem  dagessatum  is  to  be  expected  in  the  inflected  ö^niOj  by 
the  passing  over  of  the  ö  into  it. 

Ver.  7  The  mouth  of  the  fool  is  to  him  destruction, 
And  his  lips  are  a  snare  to  his  soul. 
As  ver.  6  corresponds  to  xvii.  27  of  the  foregoing    group,  so 
this  ver.  7  corresponds   to  xvii.  28.     Regarding  iPTirinp^  rid. 
xiii.  3.     Instead  of  ?''PP^  "'S,  is  to  be  written   ?"'D3"''Q,  accord- 
ing to  Toraili  JEmeth,  p.  40,  Cod.  1294,  and  old  editions. 
A  pair  of  proverbs  regarding  the  flatterer  and  the  slothful : 

Ver.  8  The  words  of  the  flatterer  are  as  dainty  morsels, 
And  they  glide  down  into  the  innermost  parts. 
An  "  analogy,  with  an  epexegesis  in  the  second  member  "  (FL), 
which  is  repeated  in  xxvi.  22.  Ewald,  Bertheau,  Plitzig,  and 
others,  are  constrained  to  interpret  Dni  as  introducing  a  con- 
trast, and  in  this  sense  they  give  to  DVpnpno  all  kinds  of  un- 
warrantable meanings.  Ewald  translates  :  as  burning  (Dnb, 
cogn.nn^),  and  offers  next :  as  whispering  (Qn!?,  cogn.  ny^,  DHJ)  ; 
Cli.  B.  Michaelis,  Bertheau,  and  others:  as  sporting  (DH^,  cogn. 
7]?h) ;  Hitzig :  like  soft  airs  (onfj,  cogn.  Arab,  hillanij  flaccus, 


6  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

laxus).  All  these  interpretations  are  without  support.  The 
word  DO?  has  none  of  all  these  significations;  it  means,  as 
the  Arab,  lahima  warrants,  deglutire.  But  Böttcher's  explana- 
tion also  :  "  as  swallowed  down,  because  spoken  with  reserve," 
proceeds,  like  those  others,  from  the  supposed  syntactically  fine 
yet  false  supposition,  that  86  is  an  antithetic  ^^  dennoch^' 
[tame7i].  In  that  case  the  poet  would  have  written  Q''"i"i^  Dni 
(cf.  Nim,  as  the  beginning  of  a  conditional  clause,  iii.  29, 
xxiii.  3).  But  Nini,  Dm,  with  the  finite  following,  introduces 
neither  here  nor  at  Deut.  xxxiii.  3,  Judg.  xx.  34,  Ps.  xcv.  10, 
cf.  Gen.  xliii.  23,  a  conditional  clause.  Thus  8b  continues 
the  clause  8a  by  one  standing  on  the  same  line ;  and  thus 
we  do  not  need  to  invent  a  meaning  for  D''0npn03,  which 
forms  a  contrast  to  the  penetrating  into  the  innermost  parts. 
The  relation  of  the  parts  of  the  proverb  is  rightly  given  by 
Luther : 

The  words  of  the  slanderer  are  stripes, 

And  they  go  through  the  heart  of  one. 

He  interprets  DH?  as  transposed  from  DPn  (Rashi  and  others); 
but  stripes  cannot  be  called  D'^on^no — they  are  called,  66,  mopno. 
This  interpretation  of  the  word  has  always  more  support  than 
that  of  Symmachus  :  &>?  uKepaioi, ;  Jerome  ;  quasi  simplicia  ; 
Aquila,  xxvi.  22  :  <yorirLKoi\  which  last,  as  also  that  of  Capellus, 
Clericus,  and  Schultens :  quasi  numine  quodam  afflata^  seems  to 
support  itself  on  the  Arab,  ahm  iv.  inspirare.  But  in  reality 
ahm  does  not  mean  afflare ;  it  means  deglutire,  and  nothing  else. 
The  Jewish  lexicographers  offer  nothing  worth  considering; 
Kimchi's  D'^pi'n,  according  to  which  the  Venet.  translates  fjuaX- 
VaKL^o/xevoL,  is  fanciful ;  for  the  Talm.  DPh^  striking  =  hitting, 
suitable,  standing  well,  furnishes  no  transition  to  "smooth" 
and  "soft."  Immanuel  compares  a/im  =  j;73;  and  Schultens, 
who  is  followed  by  Gesenius  and  others,  has  already,  with 
perfect  correctness,  explained :  tanquam  qiice  avidissime  in- 
glutiantur.  Thus  also  Fleischer:  things  which  offer  themselves 
to  be  eagerly  gulped  down,  or  which  let  themselves  be  thus 
swallowed.  But  in  this  way  can  one  be  truly  just  to  the 
Hithpa.?  The  Arab,  althm  (stronger  form,  ältkm,  according 
to  which  van  Dyk  translates  jnihl  ukam  hlvjt,  like  sweet 
morsels)  means  to  swallow  into  oneself,  which  is  not  here  appro- 


CHAP.  XVIII.  9.  7 

priate.  The  Hitlipa.  will  thus  have  here  a  passive  signification  : 
things  which  are  greedily  swallowed.  Regarding  }3"13  from  l?"), 
vid.  at  xvi.  28.  Dni  refers  to  the  words  of  the  flatterer,  and  is 
emphatic,  equivalent  to  ceque  ilia,  etiam  ilia,  or  ilia  ipsa.  T]!^  is 
here  connected  with  the  obj.  accus,  (cf.  i.  12)  instead  of  with 
^N,  vii.  27.  '''V.^,  penetralia,  we  had  already  at  vii.  27;  the 
root-word  is  (Arab.)  Ichdr,  to  seclude,  to  conceal,  different  from 
Mr,  demittere,  and  hJchr  (cogn.  nrn),  to  finish,  circumire.  1^| 
is  the  inner  part  of  the  body  with  reference  to  the  organs 
lying  there,  which  mediate  not  only  the  life  of  the  body,  but 
also  that  of  the  mind, — in  general,  the  internal  part  of  the  per- 
sonality. The  LXX.  does  not  translate  this  proverb,  but  has 
in  its  stead  xix.  15,  in  a  different  version,  however,  from  that 
it  gives  there ;  the  Syr.  and  the  Targ.  have  thereby  been  drawn 
away  from  the  Hebr.  text. 

Ver.  9  He  also  who  showeth  himself  slothful  in  his  business, 
Is  a  brother  to  him  who  proceedeth  to  destroy. 
The  Hithpa.  ns^nn  signifies  here,  as  at  xxiv.  10,  to  show  one- 
self slack,  lazy,  negligent,  naspp  is  properly  a  commission  for 
another,  as  a  king  has  a  messenger,  ambassador,  commissioner 
to  execute  it ;  here,  any  business,  whether  an  undertaking  in 
commission  from  another,  or  a  matter  one  engages  in  for  him- 
self. He  wdio  shows  himself  slack  therein,  produces  in  his 
way,  viz.  by  negligence,  destruction,  as  truly  as  the  fr'ntyp  bv'2, 
who  does  it  directly  by  his  conduct.  Thus  one  is  named,  who  is 
called,  or  who  has  his  own  delight  in  it,  to  destroy  or  overthrow. 
Jerome,  incorrectly  limiting :  sua  opera  dissipantis.  Hitzig 
well  compares  Matt.  xii.  30.  In  the  variation,  xxviii.  246,  the 
destroyer  is  called  HTlt^'D  B^''X,  the  connection  of  the  words 
being  adject. ;  on  the  contrary,  the  connection  of  riTi^i'D  7j;n  is 
genit.  (cf.  xxii.  24,  xxiii.  2,  etc.),  for  n"'nK'0  as  frequently  means 
that  which  destroys  =  destruction.  Von  Hofmann  (Schriftbew. 
ii.  2,  403)  understands  'ö  \y''H  of  the  street  robber,  'd  ^yi  of  the 
captain  of  robbers ;  but  the  designation  for  the  latter  must 
be  'ö  "iB^,  though  at  1  Kings  xi.  24  he  is  called  by  the  name  "ib> 
nna.  The  form  of  the  word  in  the  proverb  here  is  more  original 
than  at  xxviii.  24.  There  "isn  [companion]  is  used,  here  nx 
[brother],  a  general  Semitic  name  of  him  who,  or  of  that  which, 
is  in  any  way  related  to  another,  cf.  Job  xxx.  29,   Fleischer  com- 


S  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

pares  tlie  Arab,  proverb :  dlshhlit  dkht  alkhhjdt^  scepticism  is  the 
sister  of  sin. 

Two  proverbs,  of  the  fortress  of  faith,  and  of  the  fortress 
of  presumption: 

Yer,  10  A  strong  tower  is  the  name  of  Jahve : 

The  righteous  runneth  into  it,  and  is  high. 
The  name  of  Jahve  is  the  "Revelation  of  God,  and  the  God 
of  Revelation  Himself,  the  creative  and  historical  Revelation, 
and  who  is  always  continually  revealing  Himself;  His  name 
is  His  nature  representing  itself,  and  therefore  capable  of  being 
described  and  named,  before  all  the  Tetragramm,  as  the  Ä7ia- 
gramm  of  the  overruling  and  inworking  historical  being  of  God, 
as  the  Chiffre  of  His  free  and  all-powerful  government  in  grace 
and  truth,  as  the  self-naming  of  God  the  Saviour.  This  name, 
which  is  afterwards  interwoven  in  the  name  Jesus,  is  t'yv"üiO 
(Ps.  Ixi.  4),  a  strong  high  tower  bidding  defiance  to  every  hostile 
assault.  Into  this  the  righteous  runneth,  to  hide  himself  behind 
its  walls,  and  is  thus  lifted  {perf.  consec.)  high  above  all  danger 
(cf.  ajp,  xxix.  25).  ?«  P"i  means.  Job  xv.  26,  to  run  against 
anything,  pi,  seq.  ace,  to  invest,  blockade  anything,  3  pi^  to 
hasten  within ;  Hitzig's  conjecture,  D11^  [riseth  up  high],  instead 
of  P"i^,  is  a  freak.  |  P">  is  speedily  3  t^n^  the  idea  the  same 
as  Ps.  xxvii.  5,  xxxi.  21. 

Ver.  11  The  possession  of  the  righ_tepus  is  his  strong  fort, 
And  is  Hke  a  high  wall  in  his  imagination. 
Line  first  =  x.  15a.  ri^sb^o  from  nab',  Chald.  X3tp  (whence  after 
Megilla  14a,  n3D^,  she  who  looks),  R.  yy,  cogn.  "JT,  to  pierce,  to 
fix,  means  the  image  as  a  medal,  and  thus  also  intellectually : 
image  (conception,  and  particularly  the  imagination)  of  the 
heart  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  7),  here  the  fancy,  conceit ;  Fleischer  com- 
pares (Arab.)  tswivr,  to  imagine  something  to  oneself,  French 
se  ßgurer.  Translators  from  the  LXX.  to  Luther  incorrectly 
think  on  IDb'  (l^D),  to  entertain  ;  only  the  Venet.  is  correct  in  the 
rendering:  iv  ^avraai'a  avTov;  better  than  Kimchi,  who,  after 
Ezra  viii.  12,  thinks  on  the  chamber  where  the  riches  delighted 
in  are  treasured,  and  where  he  fancies  himself  in  the  midst  of 
his  treasures  as  if  surrounded  by  an  inaccessible  wall. 

We  place  together  vers.  12-19,  in  which  the  figure  of  a  secure 
fortress  returns : 


CHAP.  XVIII.  12-14.  9 

Ver.  12.  This  proverb  is  connected  with  the  preceding  of  the 
rich  man  who  trusts  in  his  mammon. 

Before  destruction  the  heart  of  man  is  haughty ; 
And  humility  goeth  before  honour. 

Line  first  is  a  variation  of  xvi.  18a,  and  line  second  is  simiLir 
to  XV.  odb. 

Ver.  13  If  one  giveth  an  answer  before  he  heareth, 
It  is  to  him  as  folly  and  shame. 
The  part  stands  here  differently  from  what  it  does  at  xlii.  18, 
where  it  is  subj.,  and  at  xvii.  14,  where  it  is  pred.  of  a  simple 
sentence ;  it  is  also  here,  along  with  what  appertains  to  it  in 
accordance  with  the  Semitic  idiom,  subj.  to  Idb  (one  who 
answers  ...  is  one  to  whom  this  .  .  .) ;  but,  in  accordance  with 
our  idiom,  it  becomes  a  hypothetical  antecedent  (cf.  vol.  i.  p.  282). 
For  "  to  answer "  one  also  uses  3^*^n  without  addition ;  but  the 
original  full  expression  is  "inT  n^E'n,  reddere  verhum,  referre  dictum 
(cf.  131  n^y,  Jer.  xliv.  20,  absol.  in  the  cogn.,  xv.  28a) ;  nm 
one  may  not  understand  of  the  word  to  which,  but  of  the  word 
with  which,  the  reply  is  made,  i^  i<^'^  comprehends  the  mean- 
ing: it  avails  to  him  {ducitur  ei),  as  well  as  it  reaches  to  him 
(est  ei).  In  Agricola's  Fünfhundert  Sprüchen  this  proverb  is 
given  thus:  Wer  -antivortet  ehe  er  höret^  der  zaiget  an  sein 
torhait  vnd  toirdt  ze  schänden  [he  wiio  answers  before  he 
hears  shows  his  folly,  and  it  is  to  him  a  shame].  But  that 
would  require  the  word  to  be  C'n^,  pudefiet ;  (^h  X\n)  nab  means 
that  it  becomes  to  him  a  ground  of  merited  disgrace.  "  ne^3, 
properly  wounding,  i.e.  shame  (like  atteinte  a  son  honneur),  from 
D^3  (cogn.  D^n),  to  strike,  hit,  wound"  (Fl.).  Sirach  (xi.  8) 
warns  against  such  rash  talking,  as  well  as  against  the  rudeness 
of  interrupting  others. 

Ver.  14  The  spirit  of  a  man  beareth  his  sickness  ; 
But  a  broken  spirit,  who  can  bear  it? 
The  breath  of  the  Creator  imparting  life  to  man  is  spoken  of 
as  spiritus^  spirans,  nn  (D^^n  nn),  and  as  spiritus  spiratus, 
^'?.5  (pV^  t^'D3) ;  the  spirit  (animus)  is  the  primary,  and  the  soul 
(anhna)  the  secondary  principle  of  life ;  the  double  gender  of 
nn  is  accounted  for  thus:  when  it  is  thought  of  as  the  primary, 
and  thus  in  a  certain  degree  (vid.  Psychol,  p.  103  ff.)  the  manly 
principle,  it  is  mas.  (Gen.  vi.  3;  Ps.  li.  12,  etc.).     Here  the 


10  THE  BOOK  OF  PKO VERBS. 

change  of  gender  is  in  the  highest  degree  characteristic,  and  5^^^? 
also  is  intentionally  used  (cf.  1  Sam.  xxvi.  15)  instead  of  OHii^  16a: 
the  courageous  spirit  of  a  man  which  sustains  or  endures  (/^?^, 
E.  72,  co7iipre/ienderej  prehendere ;  Luther,  "  who  knows  how  to 
contain  himself  in  his  sufferings;"  cf.  Ps.  li.  12,  "may  the  free 
Spirit  hold  me  ")  the  sickness  \_SiechtJniin\  (we  understand  here 
'•'  siecW^  in  the  old  meaning  =  sich)  with  self-control,  is  generis 
masculini ;  while, on  the  contrary,  the  HN^:  nn  (as  xv.  IS.xvii.  22), 
brought  down  from  its  manliness  and  superiority  to  disheartened 
passivity,  is  genere  feminino  (cf.  Ps.  li.  12  wäth  ver.  19). 
Fleischer  compares  the  Arab,  proverb,  thhdt  ahifs  hälglidhä 
Mat  alrivh  halghnd,  the  soul  has  firmness  by  nourishment,  the 
spirit  by  music.-^  The  question  nastj'^  "ip  is  like  Mark  ix.  50 : 
if  the  salt  becomes  .tasteless,  wherewith  shall  one  season  it? 
There  is  no  seasoning  for  the  spice  that  has  become  insipid. 
And  for  the  spirit  which  is  destined  to  bear  the  life  and  fortune 
of  the  person,  if  it  is  cast  down  by  sufferings,  there  is  no  one 
to  lift  it  up  and  sustain  it.  But  is  not  God  the  Most  High 
the  lifter  up  and  the  bearer  of  the  human  spirit  that  has  been 
crushed  and  broken?  The  answer  is,  that  the  manly  spirit, 
14a,  is  represented  as  strong  in  God ;  the  discouraged,  14^»,  as 
not  drawing  from  God  the  strength  and  support  he  ought  to 
do.  But  passages  such  as  Isa.  Ixvi.  2  do  not  bring  it  near 
that  we  think  of  the  nK33  nn  as  alienated  from  God.  The 
spirit  is  t^b'J,  the  bearer  of  the  personal  and  natural  life  with  its 
functions,  activities,  and  experiences.  If  the  spirit  is  borne 
down  to  powerless  and  helpless  passivity,  then  within  the  sphere 
of  the  human  personality  there  is  no  other  sustaining  power 
that  can  supply  its  place. 

Ver.  15  The  heart  of  a  man  of  understanding  gaineth  knowledge, 
And  the  ear  of  the  wise  seeketh  after  knowledge. 

Ji33  may  be  also  interpreted  as  an  adj.,  but  we  translate  it  here  as 
at  xiv.  33,  because  thus  it  corresponds  with  the  parallelism;  cf. 
p'''nv  np,  xv.  28,  and  D3ri  27,  xvi.  23,  where  the  adject,  inter- 
pretation is  excluded.     The  gaining  of  wisdom  is,  after  xvii.  16, 

^  In  the  Arab,  language,  influenced  by  philosophy,  -r- jjj,  the  anima 
vitalis,  and  ju^ij,  the  anima  rationalis,  are  inverted;  vid.  Baudissin's  Trans- 
lationis  antiquse  Arab,  lihri  Johi  quse  supersunt  (1870),  p.  31. 


CHAP.  XVIII.  IC,  17.  11 

referred  to  the  heart :  a  heart  vigorous  in  embracing  and  re- 
ceiving it  is  above  all  necessary,  and  just  such  an  one  possesses 
the  |U3,  which  knows  how  to  value  the  worth  and  usefulness 
of  such  knowledge.  The  wise,  who  are  already  in  posses- 
sion of  such  knowledge,  are  yet  at  the  same  time  constantly 
striving  to  increase  this  knowledge  :  their  ear  seeks  knowledge, 
eagerly  asking  where  it  is  to  be  found,  and  attentively  listening 
when  the  opportunity  is  given  of  Nii'a,  obtaining  it. 

Ver.  16  The  gift  of  a  man  maketh  room  for  him, 
And  bringeth  him  before  the  great. 

That  irio  may  signify  intellectual  endowments.  Hitzig  supposes, 
but  without  any  proof  for  such  an  opinion.  Intellectual  ability 
as  the  means  of  advancement  is  otherwise  designated,  xxii.  29. 
But  Hitzig  is  right  in  this,  that  one  mistakes  the  meaning  of 
the  proverb  if  he  interprets  |nD  in  the  sense  of  inb*  {yid.  at 
xvii.  8)  :  |no  is  an  indifferent  idea,  and  the  proverb  means  that 
a  man  makes  free  space,  a  free  path  for  himself,  by  a  gift,  i.e. 
by  this,  that  he  shows  himself  to  be  agreeable,  pleasing  where  it 
avails,  not  niggardly  but  liberal.     As  a  proverb  expresses  it : 

Mit  dem  Hut  in  der  Hand 
Kommt  man  durclis  ganze  Land 

[with  hat  in  hand  one  goes  through  the  whole  land],  so  it 
is  said  here  that  such  liberality  brings  before  the  great,  i.e. 
not :  furnishes  with  introductions  to  them ;  but  helps  to  a 
place  of  honour  near  the  great,  i.e.  those  in  a  lofty  position 
(cf.  V3^,  xxii.  29;  UV,  Ps.  cxiii.  8).  It  is  an  important  part  of 
practical  wisdom,  that  by  right  liberality,  i.e.  by  liberal  giving 
where  duty  demands  it,  and  prudence  commends  it,  one  does  not 
lose  but  gains,  does  not  descend  but  rises ;  it  helps  a  man  over 
the  difficulties  of  limited,  narrow  circumstances,  gains  for  him 
affection,  and  helps  him  up  from  step  to  step.  The  a  of  t^Jip 
is,  in  a  singular  way  (cf.  njno,  ri^no),  treated  as  unchangeable. 

Ver.  17  He  that  is  first  in  his  controversy  is  right ; 

But  there  cometh  another  and  searcheth  him  thoroughly — 

an  exhortation  to  be  cautious  in  a  lawsuit,  and  not  to  justify 
without  more  ado  him  who  first  brings  forward  his  cause,  and 
supports  it  by  reasons,  since,  if  the  second  party  afterwards 
search  into  the  reasons  of  the  first,  they  show  themselves  un- 


12  THE  BOOK  OF  PKO VERBS. 

tenable.  b^*i3  jiK^Nnn  are  to  be  taken  together;  the  words  are 
equivalent  to  njiji'xna  nnn  NT  IC^'N  :  qui  prior  cum  causa  sua 
venit,  i.e.  earn  ad  judicem  defert  (FI.),  p^i'snn  may,  however, 
also  of  itself  alone  be  qui  prior  venit ;  and  ia''"i3  will  be  taken 
with  pnV:  Justus  qui  pi'ior  venit  in  causa  sua  (ess'e  videtur).  The 
accentuation  rightly  leaves,  the  relation  undecided.  Instead  of 
Nn""  (^^!))  the  Keri  has  ^?31,  as  it  elsewhere,  at  one  time,  changes 
the  fut.  into  the  perf.  with  1  {e.g.  xx.  4,  Jer.  vi.  21)  ;  and, 
at  another  time,  the  perf.  with  1  into  the  fut.  (e.g.  Ps,  x.  10, 
Isa.  v.  29).  But  here,  where  the  perf.  consec.  is  not  so  admis- 
sible, as  vi.  11,  XX.  4,  the  fut.  ought  to  remain  unchanged. 
'inyn  is  the  other  part,  synon.  with  "nan  pT  hv^,  Sanhedvin 
lb,  where  the  pTn''^?  mnrx  (admonition  for  the  court  of  justice) 
is  derived  from  Deut.  i.  16,  to  hear  the  accused  at  the  same 
time  with  the  accuser,  that  nothing  of  the  latter  maybe  adopted 
beforehand.  This  proverb  is  just  such  an  audiatur  et  altera 
pars.  The  status  controversice  is  only  brought  fairly  into  the 
light  by  the  hearing  of  the  altera  pars :  then  comes  the  other 
and  examines  him  (the  first)  to  the  very  bottom,  "li^n^  else- 
where with  the  accus,  of  the  thing,  e.g.  ^''"i,  thoroughly  to  search 
into  a  strife.  Job  xxIk.  16,  is  here,  as  at  xxviii.  11,  connected 
with  the  accus,  of  the  person :  to  examine  or  lay  bare  any 
one  thoroughly;  here,  so  that  the  misrepresentations  of  the  state 
of  the  matter  might  come  out  to  view  alons;  with  the  reasons 
assigned  by  the  accuser. 

Ver.  18  The  lot  allayeth  contentions, 

And  separateth  between  tbe  mighty, 
i.e.  erects  a  partition  wall  between  them — those  contending 
(r?*l'^?7,  as  at  2  Kings  ii.  11,  cf.  Arab,  frk  hpi)  ;  D^mvy  are 
not  opponents  Avho  maintain  their  cause  with  weighty  arguments 
(niJD5;yj  Isa.  xli.  21),  qui  argumentis  pollent  {vid.  Raslii),  for 
then  must  the  truth  appear  in  the  pro  et  contra ;  but  mighty 
opponents,  wlio,  if  the  lot  did  not  afford  a  seasonable  means 
of  reconciliation,  would  make  good  their  demands  by  blows  and 
by  the  sword  (FL).  Here  it  is  the  lot  which,  as  the  judg- 
ment of  God,  brings  about  peace,  instead  of  the  ultima  ratio  of 
physical  force.  The  proverb  refers  to  the  lot  what  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews,  vi.  16,  refers  to  the  oath,  vid.  at  xvi.  33. 
Regarding  D"?)"]»  and  its  altered  forms,  vid.  vol.  i.  p.  145. 


CHAP.  XVIir.  19.  13 

Yer.  19  A  brother  toward  whom  it  has  been  acted  perfidiously  resists 
more  than  a  strong  tower ; 
And  contentions  are  like  the  bar  of  a  palace. 
Luther   rightly  regarded   the  word   V^'Si,  according  to  which 
the  LXX.,  Vulg.,  and  Syr.  translated  f rater  qui  adjuvatur  a 
fratre,    as   an    incorrect   reading;    one    would    rather   expect 
ytyio  nx,  "  a  brother  who  stands  by,"  as  Luther  earlier  trans- 
lated ;  and  besides,  V^S^  does  not  properly  mean  adjuvari,  but 
salvari.     His  translation — 

Ein  verletzt  Bruder  helt  herter  denn  eine  feste  Stad, 
Und  Zanck  helt  herter,  denn  rigel  am  Palast 
[a  brother  wounded  resisteth  more  than  a  strong  city,  and 
strife  resisteth  more  than  bolts  in  the  palacej,  is  one  of  his 
most  happy  renderings.  tiJ"ri;!"}i5?p  in  itself  only  means  irrrep 
TToXiv  6-)(vpdv  (Venet.)  ;  the  noun-adjective  (cf.  Isa.  x.  10)  to 
be  supplied  is  to  be  understood  to  Ty :  ^^n  tVor  Xin  T\€'p^  (Kimchi). 
The  Niph.  yc^'QJ  occurs  only  here.  If  one  reads  J?^'??,  then  it 
means  one  who  is  treated  falsely  =  i3  J^'f  Si,  like  the  frequently 
occurring  "'Pi^,  my  rising  up  ones  =  vp  D''?pi5^  those  that  rise 
up  against  me ;  but  Codd.  (also  Baer's  Cod.  jaman.)  and  old 
editions  have  V^^^,  which,  as  we  have  above  translated,  gives  an 
impersonal  attributive  clause ;  the  former :  frater  perfidiose 
tractatus  (FI. :  mala  fide  offensus)  ;  the  latter :  perfide  actu7n 
est,  seil,  in  in  eum  =  in  quern  perfide  actum,  nx  is,  after 
xvii.  17,  a  friend  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word  ;  V^Si  means 
to  break  off,  to  break  free,  with  3  or  pV  of  him  on  whom 
the  action  terminates.  That  the  WB  is  to  be  thought  of  as 
nx  of  the  V'^'B^  nx  is  obvious ;  the  translation,  "  brothers  who 
break  with  one  another  "  (Gesen.),  is  incorrect :  nx  is  not  col- 
lective, and  still  less  is  yti'SJ  a  o^eciprocum.  The  relation  of 
nj^  is  the  same  as  that  of  ^^h>^,  xvi.  28.  The  Targum  (improv- 
ing the  Peshito)  translates  ''ins  )p  \1.Vn'?'!  ^^^i  which  does  not 
mean  :  a  brother  who  renounces  (Hitzig),  but  who  is  treated 
wickedly  on  the  part  of,  his  brother.  That  is  correct ;  on  the 
contrary,  Ewald's  "  a  brother  resists  more  than  .  .  ."  proceeds 
from  a  meaning  of  V^B  which  it  has  not;  and  Bertheau 
gives,  with  Schultens,  an  untenable^  reflexive  meaning  to  the 

1  Among  the  whole  Heb.  synon.  for  sinning,  there  exists  no  reflexive 
Niph. ;  and  also  the  Arab,  fsk  has  no  ethical  signification.  ?3DJ  only,  in 
the  sense  of  fool,  is  found. 


14  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

NipJi.  (winch  as  denom.  might  mean  "  covered  with  crime," 
Venet.  ifk7]ii[jbe\.7]6e[<i),  and,  moreover,  one  that  is  too  weak,  for 
he  translates,  "  a  brother  is  more  obstinate  than  .  .  ."  Hitzig 
corrects  J?t^'S  TiiN,  to  shut  up  sin  =  to  hold  it  fettered ;  but  that 
is  not  correct  Heb.  It  ought  to  be  ivy,  cb3,  or  niTi.  Li  19a 
the  force  of  the  substantival  clause  lies  in  the  iP  (more  than, 
i.e.  harder  =  more  difficult  to  be  gained),  and  in  196  in  the 
3  ;  cf.  Mic.  vii.  4,  where  they  are  interchanged.  The  parallel- 
ism is  synonymous :  strifes  and  lawsuits  between  those  who 
had  been  friends  form  as  insurmountable  a  hindrance  to  their 
reconciliation,  are  as  difficult  to  be  raised,  as  the  great  bars 
at  the  gate  of  a  castle  (Fl.).  The  point  of  comparison  is  not 
only  the  weight  of  the  cross-beam  (from  mn,  crosswise,  across, 
to  go  across  the  fidd),  but  also  the  shutting  up  of  the  access. 
Strife  forms  a  partition  wall  between  such  as  once  stood  near 
each  other,  and  so  much  thicker  the  closer  they  once  stood. 

With  ver.  19,  the  series  of  proverbs  which  began  with  that 
of  the  flatterer  closes.  The  catchword  nx,  which  occurred  at 
its  commencement,  96,  is  repeated  at  its  close,  and  serves  also  as 
a  landmark  of  the  group  following  20-24.  The  proverb  of  the 
breach  of  friendship  and  of  contentions  is  followed  by  one  of 
the  reaction  of  the  use  of  the  tongue  on  the  man  himself. 

Ver.  20  Of  the  fruit  which  a  man's  mouth  briugeth  is  his  heart  satisfied ; 

By  the  revenue  of  his  lips  is  he  filled. 
He  will  taste  in  rich  measure  of  the  consequences  not  merely 
of  the  good  (xii.  14,  cf.  xiii.  2),  but  of  whatever  he  has  spoken. 
This  is  an  oxymoron  like  Matt.  xv.  11,  that  not  that  which  goeth 
into  the  mouth,  but  that  which  cometh  out  of  it,  defileth  a  man. 
As  at  John  iv.  34  the  conduct  of  a  man,  so  here  his  words  are 
called  his  ßpco/ia.  Not  merely  the  conduct  (i.  31,  Isa.  iii.  10), 
but  also  the  words  are  fruit-bringing;  and  not  only  do  others 
taste  of  the  fruit  of  the  w-ords  as  of  the  actions  of  a  man, 
vrhether  they  be  good  or  bad,  but  above  all  he  himself  does 
so,  both  in  this  life  and  in  that  which  is  to  come. 

Ver.  21  Death  and  life  are  in  the  poAver  of  the  tongue ; 

And  whoever  loveth  it  shall  eat  its  fruit. 

The  hand,  1J,  is  so  common  a  metaphor  for  power,  that  as  here  a 

hand  is  attributed  to  the  tongue,  so  e.g.  Isa.  xlvii.  14  to  the  flame, 

and  Ps.  xlix.  16  to  Hades.    Death  and  Hfe  is  the  great  alternative 


CHAP.  XVIII,  22.  15 

which  is  placed,  Deut.  xxx.  15,  before  man.  According  as  lie 
uses  his  ton^ue,  he  falls  under  the  power  of  death  or  attains  to 
life.  All  interpreters  attribute,  21i,  y}^^'?}^]  to  the  tongue:  qui 
earn  (Ungiiam)  amanf.  vescentur  (^^N'',  distrib.  sing.,  as  iii.  18,  35, 
etc.)  fructu  ejus.  But  "  to  love  the  tongue  "  is  a  strange  and 
obscure  expression.  He  loves  the  tongue,  says  Hitzig,  who 
loves  to  babble.  Euchel :  he  who  guards  it  carefully,  or :  he 
who  takes  care  of  it,  i.e.  who  applies  himself  to  right  discourse. 
Combining  both,  Zöckler:  who  uses  it  much,  as  evXoycov  or 
KUKoXoycbv.  The  LXX.  translates,  ol  Se  Kparovvre^  avrrj^,  i.e. 
'T'^^y^'i  but  rnx  means  prehendere  and  teuere.,  not  coliihere,  and  the 
tongue  kept  in  restraint  brings  forth  indeed  no  bad  fruit,  but  it 
brings  no  fruit  at  all.  Why  thus?  Does  the  suffix  of  n''anxi, 
perhaps  like  viii.  17,  Chethtb,  refer  to  wisdom,  which,  it  is  true, 
is  not  named,  but  which  lies  everywhere  before  the  poet's  mind  ? 
At  xiv.  3  we  ventured  to  make  noDn  the  subject  of  ob.  Then  21b 
would  be  as  a  miniature  of  viii.  17-21.  Or  is  rT'nnxi  a  mutila- 
tion of  nin)  2nx"i :  and  he  who  loves  Jahve  (Ps.  xcvii.  10)  enjoys 
its  (the  tongue's)  fruit? 

Ver.  22  Whoso  hath  found  a  wife  hath  found  a  good  thhig, 
And  hath  obtained  favour  from  Jahve. 
As  n-anxi,  21b,  reminds  us  of  viii.  17,  so  here  not  only  22^,  but 
also  22a  harmonizes  with  viii.  35  (cf.  xii.  2).  A  wife  is  such 
as  she  ought  to  be,  as  ver.  14,  tJ'^X,  a  man  is  such  as  he  ought  to 
be ;  the  LXX.,  Syr.,  Targ.,  and  Vulgate  supply  bonam,  but 
"  gnomic  brevity  and  force  disdains  such  enervating  adjectives, 
and  cautious  limitations  of  the  idea"  (FL).  Besides,  naiD  ii'^'X 
in  old  Hebr.  would  mean  a  well-favoured  rather  than  a  good- 
dispositioned  wife,  which  later  idea  is  otherwise  expressed, 
xix.  14,  xxxi.  10.  The  Venet.  rightly  has  lyvvacKa,  and  Luther 
ein  EhefraiUy  for  it  is  a  married  woman  that  is  meant.  The 
first  N^D  is  perf.  Jiypotheticum,  Gesen.  §  126,  Anm.  1.  On 
the  other  hand,  Eccles.  vii.  26,  "  I  found,  ''?fr5  X'^iö,  more  bitter 
than  death  the  woman,"  etc. ;  wherefore,  when  in  Palestine 
one  married  a  wife,  the  question  was  wont  to  be  asked:  NVO 
N!i10  IX,  has  he  married  happily  (after  NVO  of  the  book  of  Pro- 
verbs) or  unhappily  (after  Ni'lD  of  Ecclesiastes)  {Jehamoth  63/^)?^ 

^  Cf.Tendlau's  Spricliwörter  u.  Redensarten  deulscIi-jüdisclierVorzeit  (1860), 
p.  235. 


IG  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

The  LXX.  adds  a  distich  to  ver.  22,  "  He  that  putteth  away  a 
good  wife  putteth  away  happiness;  and  he  that  keepeth  an 
adulteress,  is  foohsh  and  uno;odly."  He  who  constructed  this 
proverb  [added  by  the  LXX.]  has  been  guided  by  NVD  to 
ii'>)i\'0  (Ezra  X.  3) ;  elsewhere  eKßdWeLv  (<yvvalKa),  Gal.  iv.  30, 
Sir.  xxviii.  15,  is  the  translation  of  ^'}}..  The  Syr.  has  adopted 
the  half  of  that  distich,  and  Jerome  the  whole  of  it.  On  the 
other  hand,  vers.  23,  24,  and  xix.  1,  2,  are  wanting  in  the 
LXX. .  The  translation  which  is  found  in  some  Codd.  is  that 
of  Theodotion  (vid.  Lagarde). 

Ver,  23  The  poor  uttereth  suppliant  entreaties ; 
And  the  rich  answereth  rudenesses. 
The  oriental  proverbial  poetry  furnishes  many  parallels  to  this. 
It  delights  in  the  description  of  the  contrast  between  a  suppliant 
poor  man  and  the  proud  and  avaricious  rich  man ;  vid.  e.g. 
Samachschari's  Goldene  Halsbänder,  No.  58.  '^''^^^Qj!},  according 
to  its  meaning,  refers  to  the  Hithpa.  i^nnn^  misericordiam  aliciijus 
pro  se  imploravit ;  cf.  the  old  vulgar  "  barmen"  i.e.  to  seek  to 
move  others  to  Erbarmen  [compassion]  (D'^om).  niiy,  dura,  from 
TJ?  (synon.  >^^'\^),  hard,  fast,  of  bodies,  and  figuratively  of  an  un- 
bending, hard,  haughty  disposition,  and  thence  of  w^ords  of  such 
a  nature  (Fl.).  Both  nouns  are  accus,  of  the  object,  as  Job 
xl.  27,  D'^JI^nn  with  the  parallel  nis"}.  The  proverb  expresses  a 
fact  of  experience  as  a  consolation  to  the  poor  to  whom,  if  a 
rich  man  insults  him,  nothing  unusual  occurs,  and  as  a  warning 
to  the  rich  that  he  may  not  permit  himself  to  be  divested  of 
humanity  by  mammon.  A  hard  wedge  to  a  hard  clod;  but 
whoever,  as  the  Scripture  saith,  grindeth  the  poor  by  hard 
stubborn-hearted  conduct,  and  grindeth  his  bashful  face  (Isa. 
iii.  15),  challenges  unmerciful  judgment  against  himself;  for 
tlie  merciful,  only  they  shall  obtain  mercy,  avrol  iXerjO/j- 
Govrai  (Matt.  v.  7). 

Ver.  24  A  man  of  many  friends  cometh  off  a  loser ; 

But  there  is  a  friend  more  faithful  than  a  brother. 
Jerome  translates  the  commencing  word  by  vir,  but  the  Syr., 
Targ.  by  JT^X,  which  is  adopted  by  Hitzig,  Böttcher,  and  others. 
But  will  a  German  poet  use  in  one  line  "  itzt"  [same  SiS  jetzt  = 
now],  and  in  the  next  "jetzt"?  and  could  the  Hebrew  poet 
prefer  to  ^^,  its  rarer,  and  here  especially  not  altogether  unam- 


CHAP.  XVIII.  24.  17 

biguous  form  ti'^frs  (cf.  to  the  contrary,  Eccles,  vli.  15)?  We 
write  ^''i^,  because  the  Masora  compreliends  this  passage,  witli 
2  Sam.  xiv.  19,  Mic.  vi.  10,  as  the  C.:  |n^2D  'j,  i.e.  as  the 
tliree,  where  one  ought  to  expect  &,  and  is  thus  exposed  to  the 
danger  of  falling  into  error  in  writing  and  reading;  but  errone- 
ously ti'X  is  found  in  all  these  three  places  in  the  Masora  magna 
of  the  Venetian  Bible  of  1526;  elsewhere  the  Masora  has  the 
defectiva  scriptio  with  like  meaning  only  in  those  two  other 
passages.  While  ^^i?  =  ti^l,  or  properly  ^\,  with  equal  possibility 
as  ^'ii}  and  it  makes  no  material  difference  in  the  meaning  of 
24a  whether  we  explain :  there  are  friends  who  serve  to  bring 
one  to  loss :  or  a  man  of  many  friends  comes  to  loss, — the 
inf.  with  f'  is  used  in  substantival  clauses  as  the  expression  of 
the  most  manifold  relations,  Gesen.  §  132,  Anm.  1  (cf.  at  Hab. 
i.  17),  here  in  both  cases  it  denotes  the  end,  as  e.g.  Ps.  xcii.  8, 
to  which  it  hastens  with  many  friends,  or  with  the  man  of  many 
friends.  It  is  true  that  ti'^X  (like  pV"^)  is  almost  always  con- 
nected only  with  genitives  of  things ;  but  as  one  says  D\'i^X  C'^K  : 
a  man  belongs  to  God,  so  may  one  also  say  D''i?"?.  ^'''N :  a  man 
belongs  to  many  friends  ;  the  common  language  of  the  people 
may  thus  have  named  a  man,  to  whom,  because  he  has  no 
definite  and  decided  character,  the  rule  that  one  knows  a  man 
by  his  friends  is  not  applicable,  a  so-called  every-man's-friend, 
or  all-the-world's-friend.  Theodotion  translates  avrjp  eraiptccv 
Tov  kraipevaaaOaL;  and  thus  also  the  Syr.,  Targ.,  and  Jerome 
render  (and  among  the  moderns.  Hitzig)  J^P'inn  as  reflexive  in  the 
sense  of  to  cherish  social  intercourse;  but  this  reflexive  is  •^1';'?'?, 
xxii.  24.  That  ypnnn  is  either  Hithpa.  of  Vr\,  to  exult,  Ps.'  Ix. 
10,  Ixv.  14,  according  to  which  the  Venet.  translates  (contrary 
to  Kimchi)  wo-re  aXaXd^ecv :  such  an  one  can  exult,  but  which 
is  not  true,  since,  according  to  245,  a  true  friend  outweighs  the 
many;  or  it  '\&  Hitlipa.  of  VV"]-,  to  be  wicked,  sinful  (Fl.:  sibi per- 
niciem  paratnrus  est) ;  or,  which  we  prefer,  warranted  by  Isa.  xxiv. 
19,  of  Wl,  to  become  brittle  (Böttcher  and  others) — which  not 
only  gives  a  good  sense,  but  also  a  similar  alliteration  with  D^J''], 
as  iii.  29,  xiii.  20.     In  contradistinction  to  J?"],  which  is  a  general, 

^  One  sees  from  this  interchange  how  softly  the  ''  was  uttered;  cf.  "Well- 
hausen's  Text  der  Bb.  Samuel  (1871)  (Preface).  Kimchi  remarks  that  we 
say  ^'ü\>ii  for  yL2|?^^,  because  we  would  otherwise  confound  it  with  ^bp\ 

VOL.  II.  B 


18  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERDS. 

and,  according  to  tlie  usage  of  the  language  (e.g.  lib),  a  familiar 
idea,  the  true  friend  is  called,  in  the  antithetical  parallel  mem- 
ber, 3nN*  (xxvii.  6);  and  after  xvii.  17,  nx?o  pn'^,  one  who  remains 
true  in  misfortune.  To  have  such  an  one  is  better  than  to  have 
many  of  the  so-called  friends;  and,  as  appears  from  the  contrast, 
to  him  who  ig  so  fortunate  as  to  have  one  such  friend,  there  comes 
a  blessing  and  safety.  Immanuel  has  given  the  right  explana- 
tion :  "  A  man  who  sets  himself  to  gain  many  friends  comes 
finally  to  be  a  loser  (l?5i'np  1S1D),  for  he  squanders  his  means, 
and  is  impoverished  in  favour  of  others."  And  Schultens:  At 
est  amicus  agglutinatus  prce  fratre.  Rarum  et  carum  esse  genns 
insinuatur,  ac  proinde  intimam  illam  amicitiam^  qiice  conglutinet 
compingatque  corda,  non  per  midtos  spargendam,  sed  circumspecte 
et  ferine  cum  uno  tantum  ineundam.  Thus  closes  this  group  of 
proverbs  with  the  praise  of  friendship  deepened  into  spiritual 
brotherhood,  as  the  preceding,  ver.  19,  with  a  warning  against 
the  destruction  of  such  a  relation  by  a  breach  of  trust  not  to  be 
made  good  again. 

Chap.  xix.  The  plur.  D'y"],  xviii.  24,  is  emphatic  and  equiva- 
lent to  ü''?"]  Ci''j;n.  The  group  1-4  closes  with  a  proverb  which 
contains  this  catchword.  The  first  proverb  of  the  group  comes 
by  VJnsb'  into  contact  with  xviii.  20,  the  first  proverb  of  the 
preceding  group. 

Ver.  1  Better  a  poor  man  walking  in  his  innocence, 
Than  one  with  perverse  lips,  and  so  a  fool. 

The  contrast,  xxviii.  6,  is  much  clearer.  But  to  correct  this  pro- 
verb in  conformity  with  that,  as  Hitzig  does,  is  unwarrantable. 
The  Syr.,  indeed,  translates  here  as  there;  but  the  Chald. 
assimilates  this  translation  to  the  Heb.  text,  which  Theodotion, 
and  after  him  the  Syro-IIexapl.,  renders  by  virep  arpeßXöxei-'^op 
ä^pova.  But  does  la  form  a  contrast  to  lb?  Fleischer  re- 
marks :  "  From  the  contrast  it  appears  that  he  who  is  designated 
in  15  must  be  thought  of  as  ~i""J'y  "  [rich]  ;  and  Ewald,  "  Thus 
early  the  ideas  of  a  rich  man  and  of  a  fool,  or  a  despiserof  God, 
are  connected  together."  Saadia  understands  Sdd  [a  fool],  after 
,Tob  xxxi.  24,  of  one  who  makes  riches  his  ?p3  [confidence]. 
Euchel  accordingly  translates:  the  false  man,  although  he  builds 
liimself  greatly  up,  viz.  on  his  riches.  But  yü^  designates  the 
intellectually  slothful,  in  whom  the  flesh  overweighs  the  mind. 


CHAP.  XIX.  2  19 

And  the  representation  of  the  rich,  which,  for  Ih  certainly  arises 
out  of  la,  does  not  amalgamate  with  ?''DD,  but  with  Vnab'  ti'i^iy. 
Aramais  on  the  right  track,  for  he  translates:  the  rich  who  dis- 
torts his  mouth  (cf.  vol.  i.  p.  143),  for  he  gives  to  the  poor  sup- 
pliant a  rude  refusal.  Better  Zöckler:  a  proud  man  of  perverse 
lips  and  haughty  demeanour.  If  one  with  haughty,  scornful 
lips  is  opposed  to  the  poor,  then  it  is  manifestly  one  not  poor 
who  thinks  to  raise  himself  above  the  poor,  and  haughtily  looks 
down  on  him.  And  if  it  is  said  that,  in  spite  of  this  proud 
demeanour,  he  is  a  fool,  then  this  presents  the  figure  of  one 
proud  of  his  wealth,  who,  in  spite  of  his  emptiness  and  nequitia^ 
imagines  that  he  possesses  a  greatness  of  knowledge,  culture, 
and  worth  corresponding  to  the  greatness  of  his  riches.  How 
much  better  is  a  poor  man  than  such  an  one  who  walketh  {yid. 
on  Dh,  vol.  i.  p.  79)  in  his  innocence  and  simplicity,  with  his  pure 
mind  wholly  devoted  to  God  and  to  that  which  is  good  ! — his 
poverty  keeps  him  in  humility  which  is  capable  of  no  malicious 
conduct ;  and  this  pious  blameless  life  is  of  more  worth  than  the 
pride  of  wisdom  of  the  distinguished  fool.  There  is  in  contrast 
to  n^^i'i'py  a  simplicity,  aTrXor???,  of  high  moral  worth;  but,  on  the 
other  side,  there  is  also  a  simplicity  which  is  worthless.  This  is 
the  connecting  thought  which  introduces  the  next  verse. 
Ver.  2  The  not-knowing  of  the  soul  is  also  not  good, 

And  he  who  hasteneth  with  the  legs  after  it  goeth  astray. 
Fleischer  renders  5^'S3  as  the  subj.  and  niü'Ni?  as  neut.  pred. :  in 
and  of  itself  sensual  desire  is  not  good,  but  yet  more  so  if  it 
is  without  foresight  and  reflection.  With  this  explanation  the 
words  must  be  otherwise  accentuated.  Hitzig,  in  conformity 
with  the  accentuation,  before  us :  if  desire  is  without  reflec- 
tion, it  is  also  without  success.  But  where  C'SJ  denotes  de- 
sire or  sensuality,  it  is  always  shown  by  the  connection,  as  e.g. 
xxiii.  2;  here  T\T[,  referring  to  the  soul  as  knowing  (cf.  Ps. 
exxxix.  14),  excludes  this  meaning.  But  C'SJ  is  certainly  gen. 
suhjeeti ;  Luzzatto's  "  self-knowledge "  is  untenable,  for  this 
would  require  it^'SJ  nyi ;  Meiri  rightly  glosses  C'DJ  DVl  by 
b^^.  After  this  Zöckler  puts  Hitzig's  translation  right  in  the 
following  manner :  where  there  is  no  consideration  of  the  soul, 
there  is  no  prosperity.  But  that  also  is  incorrect,  for  it  would 
require  31D"p^^ ;  nit^^kS^  is  always  pred.,  not  a  substantival  clause. 


20  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Thus  the  proverb  states  that  C'33  nyT^^'n  is  not  good,  and  that 
is  equivalent  to  ti'Si  n^Ti^^a  ni'^n  (for  the  subject  to  ^[Q-iS  is 
frequently,  as  e.g.  xvii.  26,  xviii.  5,  an  infinitive);  or  also:  nyTK?^ 
C'D3  is  a  virtual  noun  in  the  sense  of  the  not-knowing  of  the 
soul;  for  to  say  nj?TX^  was  syntactically  inadmissible,  but  the 
expression  is  nyTN^n,  not  nyn  73  (V??),  because  this  is  used 
in  the  sense  unintentionally  or  unexpectedly.  The  Da  which 
begins  the  proverb  is  diflicult.  If  we  lay  the  principal  accent 
in  the  translation  given  above  on  "  not  good,"  then  the  placing 
of  Di  first  is  a  hyperhaton  similar  to  that  in  xvii.  26,  xx.  11;  cf. 
T]X,  xvii.  11;  PI,  xiii.  10,  as  if  the  words  were:  if  the  soul  is  with- 
out knowledge,  then  also  {eo  ipso)  it  is  destitute  of  anything 
good.  But  if  we  lay  the  principal  accent  on  the  "also,"  then 
the  meaning  of  the  poet  is,  that  ignorance  of  the  soul  is,  like 
many  other  things,  not  good ;  or  (which  we  prefer  without  on 
that  account  maintaining^  the  original  connection  of  ver.  1  and 
ver.  2),  that  as  on  the  one  side  the  pride  of  wisdom,  so  on  the 
other  ignorance  is  not  good.  In  this  case  Q3  belongs  more  to 
the  subject  than  to  the  predicate,  but  in  reality  to  the  whole  sen- 
tence at  the  beginning  of  which  it  stands.  To  hasten  with  the 
legs  (J*i<,  as  xxviii.  20)  means  now  in  this  connection  to  set  the 
body  in  violent  agitation,  without  direction  and  guidance  pro- 
ceeding from  the  knowledge  possessed  by  the  soul.  He  who 
thus  hastens  after  it  without  being  intellectually  or  morally 
clear  as  to  the  goal  and  the  way,  makes  a  false  step,  goes  astray, 
fails  (vid.  viii.  36,  where  ''J^^h  is  the  contrast  to  '''^^'b). 
Ver.  3  The  foolishness  of  a  man  overturneth  his  way, 
And  his  heart  is  angry  against  Jahve. 
Regarding  ^bö,  vid.  at  xi.  3 ;  also  the  Arab,  signification 
"to  go  before"  proceeds  from  the  root  conception  pervertere,  for 
first  a  letting  precede,  or  preceding  (e.g.  of  the  paying  before  the 
delivery  of  that  which  is  paid  for :  salof^  a  pre-numbering,  and 
then  also :  advanced  money),  consisting  in  the  reversal  of  the 
^  The  old  interpreters  and  also  the  best  Jewish  interpreters  mar  the 
understanding  and  interpretation  of  the  text,  on  the  one  side,  by  distinguish- 
ing between  a  nearest  and  a  deeper  meaning  of  Scripture  (n7J3  "pi  and 
"inD3  I"!*!)  ;  on  the  other  by  this,  that  they  suppose  an  inward  connection 
of  all  the  proverbs,  and  expend  useless  ingenuity  in  searching  after  the 
connection.  The  former  is  the  method  especially  adopted  by  Immanuel 
and  Meiri,  the  latter  has  most  of  all  been  used  by  Arama. 


CIIAP.  XIX.  4,  5.  21 

natural  order,  is  meant.  The  way  is  here  the  way  of  life,  the 
walking :  the  folly  of  a  man  overturns,  i.e.  destroys,  his  life's- 
course ;  but  although  he  is  himself  the  fabricator  of  his  own 
ruin,  yet  the  ill-humour  (^IVT,  cestuare,  vid.  at  Ps.  xi.  6)  of  his 
lieart  turns  itself  against  God,  and  he  blames  (LXX.  essentially 
correct :  alrMrai)  God  instead  of  himself,  viz.  his  own  madness, 
whereby  he  has  turned  the  grace  of  God  into  lasciviousness, 
cast  to  the  winds  the  instruction  which  lay  in  His  providences, 
and  frustrated  the  will  of  God  desiring  his  good.  A  beautiful 
paraphrase  of  this  parable  is  found  at  Sir.  xv.  11-20;  cf. 
Lam.  iii.  39. 

Ver.  4  "Wealth  bringeth  many  friends  ; 

But  the  reduced — his  friend  separateth  himself. 

The  very  same  contrast,  though  otherwise  expressed,  we  had  at 
xiv.  20.  Kegarding  pn,  vid.  vol.  i.  p.  63.  ?']  is  the  tottering,  or  he 
who  has  fallen  into  a  tottering  condition,  who  has  no  resources, 
possesses  no  means.  The  accentuation  gives  Mugrash  to  the 
word  (according  to  which  the  Targ.  translates),  for  it  is  not  the 
subject  of  "1^3"; :  the  reduced  is  separated  (pass.  Niph.)  by  his 
misfortunes,  or  must  separate  himself  (reflex.  Niph.)  from  his 
friend  ('inj;']^,  as  Eccles.  iv.  4,  prcB  socio  sua);  but  subject  of  the 
virtual  pred.  T^.S^  ^'^V"!^ :  the  reduced — his  friend  (inyio,  as 
ver.  7)  separates  himself,  i.e.  (according  to  the  nature  of  the 
Semitic  substantival  clause)  he  is  such  (of  such  a  fate)  that  his 
friend  sets  himself  free,  whereby  ^üöp  may  be  omitted  as  self- 
obvious  ;  TJ3^  means  one  who  separates  himself,  xviii.  1.  If 
we  make  y]  the  subject  of  the  separatur,  then  the  initiative  of 
the  separation  from  the  friend  is  not  expressed. 

In  vers.  5  and  9  we  have  the  introductory  proverb  of  two 
groups,  the  former  of  which,  in  its  close  as  well  as  its  begin- 
ning, cannot  be  mistaken. 

Ver.  5  A  lying  witness  remaineth  not  unpunished  ; 
And  he  who  breathes  out  Hes  escapeth  not. 

Eegarding  n''?»!;,  vid.  vol.  i.  p.  148:  as  here  we  read  it  of  false 
witness  at  vi.  19,  xiv.  5,  25.  ^^^\  N?  occurs  four  times  before, 
the  last  of  which  is  at  xvii.  5.  The  LXX.  elsewhere  translates 
D''2D  rT'S''  by  eKKaieiv  -ylrevSj],  to  kindle  lies ;  but  here  by  d  Se 
ijKaXüv  aZlK(t)<i^  and  at  ver.  9  by  09  S'  av  iKKavay  KaKiav,  both 


22  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVERDS. 

times  changing  only  because  ■\jr€vS^<;  goes  before,  and  instead  of 
-yfrevhi],  the  choice  of  a  different  rendering  commended  itself. 

Ver.  6  Jlany  stroke  the  cheeks  of  the  noble  ; 

And  the  mass  of  friends  belougeth  to  him  who  gives. 
The  phrase  "?3  V.?  ^^?0  signifies  to  stroke  the  face  of  any  one, 
from  the  fundamental  meaning  of  the  verb  npn^  to  rub,  to 
stroke,  Arab,  khala,  with  which  the  Heb.,  meaning  to  be  sick, 
weak  (viribus  attritum  esse),  and  the  Arabic  :  to  be  sweet  (pro- 
perly Icüvem  et  poUtum,  glahrum  esse,  or  palatum  demulcere, 
leniter  stringere,  contrast  asperum  esse  ad  gustum)jaYe  connected 
(FI.).  The  object  of  such  insinuating,  humble  suing  for  favour 
is  the  S"'']^  (from  2'^3,  instigare),  the  noble,  he  who  is  easily  incited 
to  noble  actions,  particularly  to  noble-mindedness  in  bestowing 
gifts  and  in  doing  good,  or  who  feels  himself  naturally  impelled 
thereto,  and  spontaneously  practises  those  things  ;  cf.  the  Arab. 
krym,  noUlis  and  liheralis  (Fl.),  and  at  Job  xxi.  28;  parall.  ti^'''X 
JJ^O,  a  man  who  gives  willingly,  as  non  &^^  xv.  18,  one  who  is 
easily  kindled  into  anger.  Many  (Q''?l,  as  Job  xi.  19)  stroke 
the  face  of  the  liberal  (Lat.  caput  mulcent  or  demulcent);  and  to 
him  who  gives  willingly  and  richly  belongs  V"}^'^^,  the  mass 
(the  totality)  of  good  friends,  cf.  xv.  17  ;  there  the  art.  of  J^"]^^ 
according  to  the  manner  of  expression  of  the  Arab,  gram- 
marians, stood  for  "  the  exhaustion  of  the  characteristic  pro- 
perties of  the  genus"  :  the  friend  who  corresponds  to  the  nature 
(the  idea)  of  such  an  one;  here  it  stands  for  "  the  comprehen- 
sion of  the  individuals  of  the  genus ;"  all  that  is  only  always 
friend.  It  lies  near  with  Ewald  and  Hitzig  to  read  J?"}.  n>3^^ 
(and  every  one  is  friend  .  .  .)  (n^3=fe,  as  Jer.  viii.  10,  etc.); 
but  why  could  not  V'}J^'^^  be  used  as  well  as  Dixn-pa,  perhaps 
with  the  sarcastic  appearance  which  the  above  translation  seeks 
to  express  ?  The  LXX.  also  had  ynn  731  in  view,  which  it 
incorrectly  translates  Tra?  Se  6  KaK6<i,  whereby  the  Syr.  and  the 
Targ.  are  led  into  error ;  but  ]l^^  is  not  one  and  the  same  with 
inb',  vid.  xviii.  6.  On  the  contrary,  there  certainly  lies  before 
lis  in  ver.  7  a  mutilated  text.  The  tristich  is,  as  we  have 
shown,  vol.  i.  p.  15,  open  to  suspicion;  and  the  violence  which 
its  interpretation  needs  in  order  to  comprehend  it,  as  a  formal 
part  of  lab,  places  it  beyond  a  doubt,  and  the  LXX.  confirms 
it  that  7c  is  the  remainder  of  a  distich,  the  half  of  which  is  lost. 


CHAP.  XIX.  7.  23 

Ver.  7ah.  We  thus  first  confine  our  attention  to  tlicse  two 
lines, — 

All  the  brethren  of  the  poor  hate  him  ; 

How  much  more  do  his  friends  withdraw  themselves  from  him  ? 
Kegarding  '•3  fjX,  quanto  magis,  vid,  at  xi.  31,  xv.  11,  xvii.  7. 
In  a  similar  connection  xiv.  20  spake  of  hatred,  i.e.  the  cooling 
of  love,  and  the  manifesting  of  this  coldness.  The  brethren 
who  thus  show  themselves  here,  unlike  the  friend  who  has 
become  a  brother,  according  to  xvii.  17,  are  brothers-german, 
including  kindred  by  blood  relation.  ?3  has  MercJia,  and  is 
thus  without  the  Makkeph,  as  at  Ps.  xxxv.  10  (vid.  the  Masora 
in  Baer's  Liber  Psalmorum,  1861,  p.  133).  Kimchi  (Michlol 
205a),  Norzi,  and  others  think  that  cäl  (with  nm  Y^P)  is  to  be 
read  as  at  Isa.  xl.  12,  where  ?y\,  is  a  verb.  But  that  is  incor- 
rect. The  case  is  the  same  as  with  riX,  iii.  12 ;  Ps.  xlvii.  5, 
Ix.  2.  As  here  e  with  Merclia  remains,  so  ö  with  Mercha  in 
that  twice  occurring  ^Sl. ;  that  which  is  exceptional  is  this,  that 
the  accentuated  ^3  is  written  thus  twice,  not  as  the  usual  ^b,  but 
as  ?3  with  the  Makkeph.  The  ground  of  the  exception  lies,  as 
with  other  peculiarities,  in  the  special  character  of  metrical 
accentuation  ;  the  AlercJia  represents  the  place  of  the  Makkeph, 
and  —  thus  remains  in  the  unchanged  force  of  a  Kametz- 
Chatuph.  The  plur.  ^pnn  does  not  stamp  ^nyin  as  the  defec- 
tively written  plur. ;  the  suffix  ehu  is  always  sing.,  and  the  sing, 
is  thus,  like  y^n,  6&,  meant  collectively,  or  better  :  generally  (in 
the  sense  of  kind),  Avhich  is  the  linguistic  usage  of  these  two 
words,  1  Sam.  xxx.  26;  Job  xlii.  10.  But  it  is  worthy  of  notice 
that  the  Masoretic  form  here  is  not  ^nyno^  but  ^-"lynp,  with  Sheva. 
The  Masora  adds  to  it  the  remark  D"'?,  and  accordingly  the  word 
is  thus  written  with  Sheva  by  Kimchi  {Michlol  202a  and  Lex. 
under  the  word  nyi),  in  Codd.,  and  older  editions.  The  Venet., 
translating  by  «tto  tov  <^i\ov  avrov,  has  not  noticed  that.  But 
how  %  Does  the  punctuation  inyio  mean  that  the  word  is  here 
to  be  derived  from  T}^i  maleficus  ?  Thus  understood,  it  does  not 
harmonize  with  the  line  of  thought.  From  this  it  is  much  more 
seen  that  the  punctuation  of  the  inflected  V'yo,  amicus,  fluctuates. 
Tliis  word  Vy^  is  a  formation  so  difficult  of  comprehension,  that 
one  might  almost,  with  Olshausen,  §  210;  Böttcher,  §  794; 
and  Lagarde,  regard  the  D  as  the  partitive  p,  like  the  French 


24  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

cles  amis  (cf.  Eurip.  3Ied.  560 :  irivrjTa  ^evyec  7ra<i  tl<;  eKiroBoov 
^tXo9),  or :  something  of  friend,  a  piece  of  friend,  while  Ewald 
and  others  regard  it  as  possible  that  yiD  is  abbreviated  from 
njJ'ip.  The  punctuation,  since  it  treats  the  Tsere  in  inj;-iJD,  4^*^  and 
elsewhere,  as  unchangeable,  and  here  in  inyiD  as  changeable, 
affords  proof  that  in  it  also  the  manner  of  the  formation  of  the 
word  was  incomprehensible. 

Ver.  7c  Seeking  after  words  wliicli  are  vain. 
If  now  this  line  belongs  to  this  proverb,  then  Rl}"]»  must  be  used 
of  the  poor,  and  nsn-NP^  or  '"I?2n"i7  (vid.  regarding  the  15  KeriSy  '"b 
for  vb,  at  Ps.  c.  3),  must  be  the  attributively  nearer  designation  of 
the  D''1DX.  The  meaning  of  the  Keri  would  be :  he  (the  poor 
man)  hunts  after  mere  words,  which — but  no  actions  correspond- 
ing to  them — are  j"or  a  portion  to  him.  This  is  doubtful,  for  the 
principal  matter,  that  which  is  not  a  portion  to  him,  remains 
vmexpressed,  and  the  Hörri?  [to  him  they  belong]  affords  only  the 
service  of  guarding  one  against  understanding  by  the  Dn»X  the 
proper  words  of  the  poor.  This  service  is  not  in  the  same  way 
afforded  by  t^'^'^,  ^  [they  are  not] ;  but  this  expression  charac- 
terizes the  words  as  vain,  so  that  it  is  to  be  interpreted  accord- 
ing to  such  parallels  as  Hos.  xii.  2 :  words  which  are  not,  i.e. 
which  have  nothing  in  reality  corresponding  to  them,  verha 
nihilij  i.e.  the  empty  assurances  and  promises  of  his  brethren 
and  friends  (FL).  The  old  translators  alP  read  üb,  and  the 
Syr.  and  Targ.  translate  not  badly  :  "i''"}^'  N?  ""ipO;  Symmachus, 
py]creaiv  avv7rdpKrot<;.  The  expression  is  not  to  be  rejected :  N? 
HM  sometimes  means  to  come  to  N7,  i.e.  to  nothing,  Job  vi.  21, 
Ezek.  xxi.  32,  cf.  Isa.  xv.  6;  and  Xin  n^,  he  is  not  =  has  no  reality, 
Jer.  V.  12,  nnrrx?  D"'"iOi<,  may  thus  mean  words  which  are  nothing 
(vain).  But  how  can  it  be  said  of  the  poor  whom  everything 
forsakes,  that  one  dismisses  him  with  words  behind  which  there 
is  nothing,  and  now  also  that  he  pursues  such  words?  The 
former  supposes  always  a  sympathy,  though  it  be  a  feigned  one, 

^  In  vol.  i.  p.  266,  we  have  acknowledged  inyiO,  from  yiö,  friend,  only 
for  xix.  7 ;  but  at  xix.  4  we  have  also  found  amicus  ejus  more  probable 
than  ab  amlco  suo  (=injj"l  Jo). 

*  Lagarde  erroneously  calls  Theodotion's  /s^o-s/j  ovx.  cti/ru  a  translation  of 
the  Keri;  oi/x.  is,  however,  üb,  and  instead  of  xürä  the  expression  avruu, 
•which  is  the  translation  of  riDH,  is  also  found. 


CHAP.  XIX.  8.  25 

which  is  excluded  by  ^^^^}^  [they  hate  him]  and  ipHT  [with- 
draw themselves] ;  and  the  latter,  spoken  of  the  poor,  would 
be  unnatural,  for  his  purposed  endeavour  goes  not  out  after 
empty  talk,  but  after  real  assistance.  So  7c ;  pursuing  after 
words  which  (are)  nothing,  although  in  itself  not  falling  under 
critical  suspicion,  yet  only  of  necessity  is  connected  with  this 
proverb  regarding  the  poor.  The  LXX.,  however,  has 
not  merely  one,  but  even  four  lines,  and  thus  two  proverbs 
following  7b.  The  former  of  these  distichs  is  :  "Evvoia  uyaßy 
TOi?  elSoaiu  avrrjv  iyyieij  avrjp  he  (f)povif^o<;  evpyjaei  avTtjv ;  it  is 
translated  from  the  Hebr.  {evvota  äyaöy],  v.  2  =  ni?3i?p),  but  it 
Jias  a  meaning  complete  in  itself,  and  thus  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  fragment  7c.  The  second  distich  is  :  'O  TroWa  kuko- 
TToioov  reXecrcoupyel  KUKiav,  09  Se  ipedl^eo  \o<yov<;  ov  crcoO/jaeTai. 
This  09  Be  ipeOi^ec  Xoyov^  is,  without  doubt,  a  translation  of  ^ITID 
D''"ix:n  (7c)  ;  Xoyov;  is  probably  a  corruption  of  \6yoc9  (thus  the 
Complut.),  not,  he  who  pursueth  words,  but  he  who  incites  by 
words,  as  Homer  (II.  iv.  5f.)  uses  the  expression  ipedtl^efiev 
iirieaaL.  The  concluding  words,  ov  acoOija-erai,  are  a  repetition 
of  the  Heb.  13^0'  i6  (cf.  LXX.  xix.  5  with  xxviii.  26),  perhaps 
only  a  conjectural  emendation  of  the  unintelligible  non  ah. 
Thus  we  have  before  us  in  that  6  iroXka  KaKoiroiwv,  k.t.X.,  the 
line  lost  from  the  Heb.  text ;  but  it  is  difficult  to  restore  it  to 
the  Heb.  We  have  attempted  it,  vol.  i.  p.  15.  Supposing  that 
the  LXX.  had  before  them  nion  ah,  then  the  proverb  is — 

"  He  that  bath  many  friends  is  rewarded  with  evil, 
Hunting  after  words  which  are  nothing;" 

i.e.  since  this  his  courting  the  friendship  of  as  many  as  possible 
is  a  hunting  after  words  which  have  nothing  after  them  and 
come  to  nothing. 

Ver.  8  He  that  getteth  understanding  loveth  his  soul, 

And  he  that  values  reasonableness  will  acquire  good  ; 

or,  more  closely,  since  this  would  be  the  translation  of  ji£2  ^-f -? 
xvi.  20,  xvii.  20 :  so  it  happens,  or  it  comes  to  this,  that  he 
acquires  good  (=ii':im  iTn^ ;  the  inf.  with  7  is  here,  as  at  xviii. 
24,  the  expression  of  a  fut.  periphrasticum,  as  in  the  Lat.  con- 
secutiirus  est.  Eegarding  ^r^^^^j  vid.  xv.  32,  and  HJ^nn  ncb^, 
vol.  i.  p.  119.     That  the  deportment  of  men  is  either  care  for 


26  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

the  soul,  or  the  contrary  of  that,  is  a  thought  which  runs  through 
the  Book  of  Proverbs. 

The  group  of  proverbs  (vers.  9-16)  now  following  begins  and 
closes  in  the  same  way  as  the  preceding. 

Ver.  9  A  lying  witness  doth  not  remain  unpunished, 
And  one  who  breathes  out  lies  perisheth, 
or  goeth  to  ruin,  for  1?5:>i  (R.  ^I3,  to  divide,  separate)  signifies  to 
lose  oneself  in  the  place  of  the  separated,  the  dead  (Arab,  in 
the  infinite).  In  ver.  5,  instead  of  this  äiroXelTai  (LXX.),  the 
neo-ative  ov  awdrjaeTac  is  used,  or  as  the  LXX.  there  more 
accurately  renders  it,  ov  Stacpev^erai,. 

Ver.  10  lAixury  becometh  not  a  fool ; 

How  much  less  a  servant  to  rule  over  princes. 
Thus  also  with-niS3  ^b  (3  p.  Pll.  non  decet,  cf.  the  adj.  xxvi.  1) 
xvii.  7  begins.  "'S  H^  rises  here,  as  at  ver.  7,  a  minori  ad  majus : 
how  much  more  is  it  unbecoming  =  how  much  less  is  it  seemly. 
The  contrast  in  the  last  case  is,  however,  more  rugged,  and  the 
expression  harsher.  "  A  fool  cannot  bear  luxury  :  he  becomes 
by  it  yet  more  foolish ;  one  who  was  previously  a  humble  slave, 
but  who  has  attained  by  good  fortune  a  place  of  prominence  and 
power,  from  being  something  good,  becomes  at  once  something 
bad:  an  insolent  sceleratus"  (Fl.).  Agur,  xxx.  22  f.,  describes 
such  a  homo  novus  as  an  unbearable  calamity ;  and  the  author 
of  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes,  written  in  the  time  of  the  Persian 
domination,  speaks,  x.  7,  of  such.  The  LXX.  translates,  Koi 
iav  ot/cer???  äp^rjrat  fieO'  vßp€(o<i  hvvacneveiv^  rendering  the 
phrase  Q''!^?  by  /xeö'  vßpewi,  but  all  other  translators  had 
D"'nb3  before  them. 

Ver.  11  The  discretion  of  a  man  maketh  him  long-suffering, 

And  it  is  a  glory  for  him  to  be  forbearing  toward  transgression. 
The  Syr.,  Targum,  Aqulla,  and  Theodotlon  translate  IDS  y^^T[ 
by  ixaKpodvfila,  and  thus  read  "i]''15<n  ;  but  Pashi,  KimchI,  and 
others  remark  that  T1?:?f!  is  here  only  another  vocalization  for 
^"'')^'l,  which  is  impossible.  The  Venet.  also  translates :  NoO? 
dvöpcoTTov  ii7)KVvei  TOP  dv/jiov  eavTov ;  the  correct  word  would  be 
avTov  :  the  discretion  (intellectus  or  intelligentia ;  vid.  regarding 
795?',  iii.  4)  of  a  man  extends  his  anger,  i.e.  brings  it  about  that 
it  continues  long  before  it  breaks  out  {vid.  xiv.  29).  One  does 
not  stumble  at  the  perf.  in  view  of  ver.  7,  xvili.  8,  xvi.  26,  and 


CHAP.  XIX.  12,  13.  27 

tlie  like ;  In  tlie  proverbial  style  the  f ut.  or  tlie  particip.  is  more 
common.  In  the  synonymous  parallel  member,  i^li:??^  points 
to  man  as  such  :  it  is  an  honour  to  him  to  pass  by  a  transgression 
(particularly  that  Avhich  affects  himself),  to  let  it  go  aside,  i.e. 
to  forbear  revenge  or  punishment  (cf.  Arab,  tjdwz  \ilij) ;  thus 
also  the  divine  Trapeaiq  (Rom.  iii.  25)  is  designated  by  Mic. 
vii.  18 ;  and  in  Amos  vii.  8,  viii.  2,  ibV  stands  absol.  for  the 
divine  remission  or  passing  by,  i.e.  unavenging  of  sin. 

Ver.  12  A  murmuring  as  of  a  lion  is  the  wrath  of  the  king, 
And  as  dew  on  plants  is  his  favour. 
Line  1  is  a  variation  of  xx.  2a;  line  2a  of  xvi.  lob.  ^yt  is  not 
the  being  irritated  against  another,  but  generally  ill-liumour, 
fretfulness,  bad  humour  ;  the  murmuring  or  growling  in  which 
this  state  of  mind  expresses  itself  is  compared  to  that  of  a 
lion  which,  growling,  prepares  and  sets  itself  to  fall  upon  its 
prey  (vid.  Isa.  v,  29,  cf.  Amos  iii.  4).  Opposed  to  the  f\V1  stands 
the  beneficial  effect  of  the  li^*^,  i.e.  of  the  pleasure,  the  delight, 
the  satisfaction,  tlie  disposition  which  shows  kindness  (LXX.  to 
iXapov  avTov).  In  the  former  case  all  are  afraid  ;  in  the  latter, 
everything  lives,  as  when  the  refreshing  dew  falls  upon  the 
herbs  of  the  field.  The  proverb  presents  a  fact,  but  that  the 
king  may  mirror  himself  in  it. 

Ver.  13  A  foolish  son  is  destruction  for  his  father, 

And  a  continual  dropjiing  are  the  contentions  of  a  wife. 
Regarding  riin,  vid.  at  xvii.  4,  cf.  x.  3.  Line  2a  is  expanded, 
xxvii.  15,  into  a  distich.  The  dropping  is  T]b,  properly  strik- 
ing (cf.  Arab,  tij^ad,  from  tarad  iii.,  hostile  assault)  when  it 
pours  itself  forth,  stroke  (drop)  after  stroke  — constantly,  or 
with  unbroken  continuity.  Lightning-flashes  are  called  (Jer 
Berachoth,  p.  114,  Shitomir's  ed.)  pilD,  opp.  pp'^DSJ^,  when  tiiey 
do  not  follow  in  intervals,  but  constantly  flash ;  and  b.  Bechoroth 
44a;  niynn,  weeping  eyes,  ni3^n,  dropping  eyes,  and  nmiD, 
eyes  always  flowing,  are  distinguished.  An  old  interpreter  (vid. 
R.  Ascher  in  Pesachim  ii.'No.  21)  explains  T?b  ^hl  by:  "which 
drops,  and  drops,  and  always  drops."  An  Arab  proverb  which 
I  once  heard  from  Wetzstein,  says  that  there  are  three  things 
which  make  our  house  intolerable  :  altakk  (=  dldJialf),  the 
trickling  through  of  rain  ;  dlnakk,  the  contention  of  the  wife ; 
and  ulbahh,  buiis. 


28  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVEKBS. 

Vcr.  14  House  and  riches  are  a  paternal  inheritance, 
But  from  Jalive  cometh  a  prudent  wife. 

House  and  riches  (opidentia),  which  in  themselves  do  not  make 
men  happy,  one  may  receive  according  to  the  law  of  inhei-it- 
ance;  but  a  prudent  wife  is  God's  gracious  £jift,  xviii.  22. 
There  is  not  a  more  suitable  word  than  n?3fO  (fem.  of 
7"'3C'»)  to  characterize  a  wife  as  a  divine  gift,  making  her 
husband  happy.  ^yy  (•'^b'n)  is  the  property  which  says :  "  I 
am  named  modesty,  which  wears  the  crown  of  all  virtues."  ^ 

Yer.  15  Slothfulness  sinketh  into  deep  sleep, 
And  an  idle  soul  must  Lunger. 
Regarding  n^^']'!'  and  its  root-word  D"l"i,  viJ.  at  x.  5.  ^'sn,  to 
befall,  to  make  to  get,  is  to  be  understood  after  Gen.  iii.  21  ; 
the  obj.  D1Kn"5i?,  viz.  ^^'J^i],  is  naturally  to  be  supplied.  In  15^ 
the  fut.  denotes  that  wdiich  will  certainly  happen,  the  inevi- 
table. In  both  of  its  members  the  proverb  is  perfectly  clear  ; 
Hitzig,  however,  corrects  15a,  and  brings  out  of  it  the  mean- 
ing, "  slothfulness  gives  tasteless  herbs  to  eat."  The  LXX. 
has  two  translations  of  this  proverb,  here  and  at  xviii.  8.  That 
it  should  translate  n''D-|  by  uv8p6yvvo<;  was  necessary,  as  Lagarde 
remarks,  for  the  exposition  of  the  "  works  of  a  Hebrew  Sotades." 
But  the  Hebrew  literature  never  sunk  to  such  works,  wallowing 
in  the  mire  of  sensuality,  and  ävSp6yuvo<;  is  not  at  all  thus  enig- 
matical; the  Gi*eek  word  was  also  used  of  an  effeminate  man,  a 
man  devoid  of  manliness,  a  weakling,  and  was,  as  the  LXX. 
shows,  more  current  in  the  Alexandrine  Greek  than  elsewhere. 

Ver.  16  He  that  keepeth  the  commandment  keepeth  his  soul ; 
He  that  taketh  no  heed  to  his  ways  dies. 
As  at  vi.  23,  cf.  Eccles.  viii.  5,  nj>'p  is  here  the  commandment 
of  God,  and  thus  obligatory,  which  directs  man  in  every  case 
to  do  that  which  is  right,  and  warns  him  against  that  which  is 
wrong.  And  VDni  nns  (according  to  the  Masora  with  Tsere, 
as  in  Codd.  and  old  editions,  not  nnn)  is  the  antithesis  of 
i3~iT  "iVb,  xvi.  17.  To  despise  one's  own  way  is  equivalent  to,  to 
regard  it  as  worth  no  consideration,  as  no  question  of  conscience 
whether  one  should  enter  upon  this  way  or  that.      Hitzig's 

^  The  LXX.  translates :  -Trctpx.  oi  xvplov  üpfiö^irxi  yvy/j  dvhoi.  Here  as 
often  (^vid.  my  Jesurmi)  the  Arab,  usus  loquendi  makes  itself  felt  in  the 
idiom  of  the  LXX.,  for  slmkl  means  ü.pj/,6^iiu. 


CHAP.  XIX.  17,  18.  29 

reading,  "ij.is,  "lie  that  scatteretli  lils  ways,"  lets  himself  be 
drawn  by  the  manifold  objects  of  sensuality  sometimes  in  one 
direction  and  sometimes  in  another,  is  supported  by  Jer.  iii.  13, 
according  to  wlilch  it  must  be  l^???  ;  the  conj.  is  not  in  the  style 
of  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  and  besides  is  superfluous.  The  LXX., 
which  is  fond  of  a  quidpro  quo — it  makes,  Idb,  a  courtesan  offer- 
ing a  sacrifice  she  had  vowed  of  the  wages  of  sin.  of  the  quarrel- 
some woman — has  here,  as  the  Heb.  text :  6  Karacppovcov  tmv 
iavTou  oScov  aTToXetrai.  Thus  after  the  Ken  riO^^  as  also  the 
Targ.,  Syro-Hexap.,  and  Luther ;  on  the  contrary,  the  Syr,, 
Jerome,  the  Veiiet.  adopt  tlie  ChetMb  nov  :  he  will  become 
dead,  i.e.  dies  no  natural  death.  The  Keri  is  more  in  the  spirit 
and  style  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs  (xv.  10,  xxiii.  13,  x.  21). 

Vers.  17-21.  These  verses  we  take  together.  But  we  have 
no  other  reason  for  making  a  pause  at  ver.  21,  than  that 
ver.  22  is  analogous  to  ver.  17,  and  thus  presents  itself  to  us 
as  an  initial  verse. 

Ver.  17  He  lendeth  to  Jahve  wbo  is  compassionate  to  the  lowly, 
And  his  bounty  He  requites  to  him. 
As  at  xiv.  31,  pin  is  part.  Kal.  The  Masoretically  exact  form 
of  the  word  is  l^.in  (as  Ptisi,  xx.  14)  with  MercJia  on  the  first 
syllable,  on  which  the  tone  is  thrown  back,  and  the  mayn  on 
the  second.  The  Roman  legal  phrase,  miitui  datione  contrahitiir 
obligatio,  serves  to  explain  the  fundamental  conception  of  ni7, 
niiduo  accipere,  and  >^}?^,  nmtiium  dare  (vid.  xxii.  7).  The 
construction,  Ex.  xxii.  24,  "  to  make  any  one  bound  as  a  debtor, 
obligare,''^  lies  at  the  foundation  of  the  genitive  connection  'n  nvö 
(not  m^a).  With  176  cf.  xii.  14,  where  the  subject  of  n^'^ 
{Kerf)  remains  in  the  background,  v^^  (not  1?0J)  is  here  his 
work  done  in  the  sense  of  good  exhibited.  "  Love,"  Hedinger 
once  said,  "  is  an  imperishable  capital,  which  always  bears 
interest."  And  the  Archbishop  Walther  :  nam  Deo  dat  qui  dat 
inopibusj  ipse  Dens  est  in  pauperibus.  Dr.  Jonas,  as  Dächsei 
relates,  once  gave  to  a  poor  man,  and  said,  "  Who  knows  when 
God  restores  it !"  There  Luther  interposed  :  "  As  if  God  had 
not  long  ago  given  it  beforehand !  "  This  answer  of  Luther 
meets  the  abuse  of  this  beautiful  proverb  by  the  covetous. 

Ver.  18.  This  proverb  brings  to  view  once  more  the  peda- 
gogic character  of  this  Older  Book  of  Proverbs : 


oü  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Correct  thy  son,  for  yet  there  is  hope; 
But  go  not  too  far  to  kill  him. 

That  "'S  is  meant  relatively,  as  at  xi.  15,  is  seen  from  Job  xi,  18, 
xiv.  7 ;  Jer.  xxxi.  16  f. ;  ''ijipj'ji  ^T''^  is  the  usual  expression  for 
etenim  spes  est.  Though  a  son  show  obstinacy,  and  manifest  a 
bad  disposition,  yet  there  is  hope  in  the  training  of  the  youth  of 
being  able  to  break  his  self-will,  and  to  wean  him  from  his  bad 
disposition  ;  therefore  his  education  should  be  carried  forward 
with  rigorous  exactness,  but  in  such  a  way  that  wisdom  and  love 
regulate  the  measure  and  limits  of  correction  :  ad  eum  interficien- 
dum  animam  ne  tollas  (animum  ne  inducas).  ^??'??  is  not  the 
subject,  for  in  that  case  the  word  would  have  been  ^^^i^'^il  (2 
Kings  xiv.  10).  It  is  the  object:  To  raise  the  soul  to  something 
is  equivalent  to,  to  direct  his  desire  to  it,  to  take  delight  in  it. 
The  teacher  should  not  seek  correction  as  the  object,  but  only 
as  the  means ;  he  who  has  a  desire  after  it,  to  put  the  child  to 
death  in  the  case  of  his  guilt,  changes  correction  into  revenge, 
permits  himself  to  be  driven  by  passion  from  the  proper  end  of 
correction,  and  to  be  pushed  beyond  its  limits.  The  LXX. 
translates  freely  eU  he  vßpiv,  for  vßpt<i  is  unrestrained  abuse, 
"•inx  "iDIQ  as  Immanuel  glosses.  Besides,  all  the  ancients  and 
also  the  Venet.  translate  IJT'On  as  the  inf.  of  JT'On.  But  Oetin- 
ger  (for  he  translates  :  lift  not  thy  soul  to  his  cry,  for  which 
Euchel :  let  not  his  complaining  move  thy  compassion)  follows 
the  derivation  from  HDrt  suggested  by  Kimchi,  Meiri,  and  Im- 
manuel, and  preferred  by  Ealbag,  so  that  invpn  after  the  form 
fT'azi  is  equivalent  to  ^^\^^.  But  leaving  out  of  view  that  Hon 
means  5i!r^j;grö,  not  lamentari,  and  that  1C'S3  Nb'3  means  attention, 
not  desire,  xxiii.  13  points  out  to  us  a  better  interpretation. 
Ver.  19.  Another  proverb  with  t^b*:  : 

A  man  of  excessive  wrath  must  suffer  punishment ; 

For  if  thou  layest  hold  of  it,  hindering  it,  thou  makest  it  only  worse. 

The  LXX.,  Syr.,  and  Targ.  translate  as  if  the  words  were 
nan  naa  (as  non  bv^,  xxix.  22).  Theodotion,  the  Venet,  and 
Luther  render  the  Keri  "?"13 ;  Jerome's  impatiens  is  colourless. 
The  ChetJiib  7~\i  gives  no  appropriate  meaning.  The  Arab. 
jaril  means  lajjidosus  (vdience  ?"]i2,  cf.  Aram.  ^<E3  =  •\^?}<^09),  and 
Schultens  translates  accordingly  aspere  scruposiLS  iracundice, 
which  is  altogether  after  the  manner  of  his  own  heavy  style. 


CHAP.  XIX.  20.  31 

Ewald  translates  ?"]3  as  derived  from  tlie  Arab  jazyl,  largus^ 
grandis ;  but  the  possibility  of  the  passing  over  of  ~\  into  T,  as 
maintained  by  Ewald  and  also  by  Hitzig,  or  the  reverse,  is 
physiologically  undemonstrable,  and  is  confirmed  by  no  example 
worthy  of  mention.  Rather  it  may  be  possible  that  the  Heb. 
had  an  adj.  ?^a  or  b'}l  in  the  sense  of  stony,  gravel-like,  hard  as 
gravel,  but  tow  rather  than  gravel  would  be  appropi'iate  to  '^'^'^,. 
Hitzig  corrects  non  ?'di^  ''who  acts  in  anger;"  but  he  says 
n?on  D^*^,  to  recompense  anger,  Isa.  lix.  18;  non  büJ  is  without 
support.  This  correction,  however,  is  incomparably  more 
feasible  than  Böttcher's,  "moderate  inheritance  bears  expiation;" 
nnn  =  nson  must  mean  not  only  thick  [curdled]  milk,  but  also 
moderation,  and  Böttcher  finds  this  "  sound."  From  all  these 
instances  one  sees  that  ?"ij  is  an  error  in  transcription;  the  Keri 
nnri'pna  rightly  improves  it,  a  man  is  thus  designated  whose 
peculiarity  it  is  to  fall  into  a  high  degree  of  passionate  anger 
(py\'^^  HDn,  Dan.  xi.  44) :  such  an  one  has  to  bear  tioy^  a  fine, 
i.e.  to  compensate,  for  he  has  to  pay  compensation  or  smart- 
money  for  the  injury  suffered,  as  e.g.  he  who  in  strife  with 
another  pushes  against  a  woman  with  child,  so  that  injury  be- 
falls her,  Ex.  xxi.  22.  If  we  compare  this  passage  with  2  Sam. 
xiv.  6,  there  appears  for  ?''V^  the  meaning  of  taking  away  of 
the  object  (whether  a  person  or  a  thing)  against  which  the 
passionate  hothead  directs  himself.  Therewith  the  meanino-  of 
Plpin  nij;"!  accords.  The  meaning  is  not  that,  y^^,  once  is  not 
enough,  but  much  rather  must  be  repeated,  and  yet  is  without 
effect;  but  that  one  only  increases  and  heightens  the  non  thereby. 
It  is  in  vain  to  seek  to  spare  such  a  violent  person  the  punish- 
ment into  which  he  obstinately  runs  ;  much  more  advisable  is  it 
to  let  him  rage  till  he  ceases ;  violent  opposition  only  makes  the 
evil  the  greater.  With  Dt<  ''3,  "  denn  wenn  "  [for  then],  cf.  ii.  3, 
"ja  wenn"  [yea  if],  and  with  lij)"!  in  the  conclusion,  Job  xiv.  7  (a 
parallelism  syntactically  more  appropriate  than  Ps.  cxxxix.  lb). 
Ver.  20  Hearken  to  counsel,  and  receive  instruction, 
That  thou  mayest  become  wise  afterwards. 
The  rule  of  morals,  xii.  15b,  receives  here  the  parssnetic  tone 
which  is  the  keynote  of  the  introduction  i.-ix.  Löwenstein 
translates  :  that  thou  mayest  finally  become  wise.  But  ^Jl'^'inxs 
corresponds  rather  to  our  "  hinfort "  \_posthac^  than  to  "  end- 


32  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVERBS. 

Zi'c/t"  [finally].  He  to  whom  the  warning  is  directed  must 
break  with  the  self-willed,  undisciplined  JT'tJ'wS"!  [beginning]  of 
his  life,  and  for  the  future  (rov  eiriXoiirov  iv  aapKt  '^(povov,  1 
Pet.  iv.  2)  become  wise.  The  relative  contrast  between  the 
two  periods  of  life  is  the  same  as  at  Job  viii.  7. 

Yer.  21  Many  are  the  thoughts  in  a  man's  heart ; 
But  Jahve's  counsel,  that  stands. 
In  C^pn  lies,  as  at  Isa.  xl.  8,  both :  that  the  counsel  of  God 
(His  plan  of  the  w^orld  and  of  salvation)  is  accomplished  and 
comes  into  actual  fact,  and  that  it  continues.  This  counsel  is 
the  true  reality  elevated  above  the  checkered  manifoldness  of 
human  purposes,  aims,  and  subjectivities,  which  penetrates  and 
works  itself  out  in  history.  The  thoughts  of  a  man  thus  gain 
unity,  substance,  endurance,  only  in  so  far  as  he  subjects  him- 
self to  this  counsel,  and  makes  his  thoughts  and  actions  con- 
formable and  subordinate  to  this  counsel. 

Ver.  22.  The  series  makes  a  new  departure  with  a  proverb 
regarding  the  poor  (cf.  ver.  17)  : 

A  man's  delight  is  his  beneficence  ; 

And  better  is  a  poor  man  than  a  liar. 
The  right  interpretation  will  be  that  which  presses  upon  Ti'^n 
no  strange  meaning,  and  which  places  the  two  parts  of  the  verse 
in  an  inner  mutual  relation  ethically  right.  In  any  case  it  lies 
nearer  to  interpret  nixn,  in  relation  to  man,  actively  than  pas- 
sively :  that  which  makes  man  worthy  of  desire  (Rashi),  adorns 
and  distinguishes  him  (Kimchi,  Aben-Ezra);  or,  that  which  is 
desired  by  man,  is  above  all  things  sought  for  (Luzzatto);  and, 
in  like  manner,  the  Heb.  meaning  for  npn  lies  nearer  than  the 
Aram.  {vid.  xiv.  34):  the  pleasure  of  a  man  is  his  disgrace  (Ral- 
bag).  Thus  Bertheau's  translation  :  the  desire  of  a  man  is  his 
charitas,  must  mean:  that  which  brings  to  a  man  true  joy  is  to  act 
amiably.  But  is  that,  thus  generally  expressed,  true  *?  And  if  this 
were  the  thought,  how  much  more  correctly  and  distinctly  would 
it  be  expressed  by  ^pn  nm_  Dls^  nniDC^  (cf.  xxi.  15)  !  Hitzig  is 
rightly  reminded  by  non  of  the  Pharisee  who  thanks  God  that 
he  is  not  as  other  men ;  the  word  ought  to  have  been  Hon  to 
remove  every  trace  of  self-satisfaction.  Hitzig  therefore  pro- 
poses from  the  LXX.  and  the  Vulgate  the  text-correction 
nxuriOj  and  translates,  "  from  the  revenue  of  a  man  is  his  kind 


en  AP.  XIX.  23.  33 

gift;"  and  Ewald,  who  is  satisfied  with  nx^nn,  "the  gain  of 
a  man  is  his  pious  love."  The  latter  is  more  judicious :  ion 
(love)  distributed  is  in  reality  gain  (according  to  ver.  17) ;  but 
22b  corresponds  rather  with  the  former :  "  better  is  he  who 
from  want  does  not  give  nxinn,  than  he  who  could  give  and 
says  he  has  nothing."  But  was  there  then  need  for  that  Kapiro^ 
of  the  LXX.  ?  If  a  poor  man  is  better  than  a  lord  given  to 
lying, — for  tr''N  with  ^1  is  a  man  of  means  and  position, — i.e.  a 
poor  man  who  would  give  willingly,  but  has  nothing,  than  that 
man  w^ho  will  not  give,  and  therefore  lies,  saying  that  he  has 
nothing;  then  22a  means  that  the  will  of  a  man  (cf.  mxn,  xi. 
23)  is  his  doing  good  (viel,  regarding  "ipn,  at  iii.  3),  i.e.  is  its 
soul  and  very  essence.  Euchel,  who  accordingly  translates :  the 
philanthropy  of  a  man  consists  properly  in  his  goodwill,  rightly 
compares  the  Rabbinical  proverb,  '^2b2^  ü^yDön  nnxi  nm»n  nns 
lll^lT-jy,  i.e.  one  may  give  more  or  less,  it  all  depends  on  the 
intention,  the  disposition. 

Ver.  23  The  fear  of  Jahve  tendeth  to  life ; 

Satisfied,  one  spendeth  the  night,  not  visited  by  evil. 

The  first  line  is  a  variation  of  xiv.  27a.  How  the  fear  of  God 
thus  reacheth  to  life,  i.e.  helps  to  a  life  that  is  enduring,  free 
from  care  and  happy,  235  says :  the  promises  are  fulfilled  to 
the  God-fearing,  Deut.  xi.  15  and  Lev.  xxvi.  6;  he  does  not  go 
hungry  to  bed,  and  needs  fear  no  awakening  in  terror  out  of 
his  soft  slumber  (iii.  24).  With  1  explic,  23a  is  explained. 
j;nlv  17  means  to  spend  the  night  (the  long  night)  hungry, 
as  Cl"iy  lY,  Job  xxiv.  7,  to  pass  the  night  in  nakedness  (cold). 
ni^23j  of  visitation  of  punishment,  we  read  also  at  Isa.  xxix.  (3, 
and  instead  of  yjs,  as  it  might  be  according  to  this  passage,  we 
have  here  the  accus,  of  the  manner  placing  the  meaning  of  the 
Niph.  beyond  a  doubt  (cf.  xi.  15,  J^l,  in  an  evil  manner).  All 
is  in  harmony  with  the  matter,  and  is  good  Heb. ;  on  the  con- 
trary, Hitzig's  ingenuity  introduces,  instead  of  J??'^*'!,  an  unheard 
of  word,  Vi^^  "  and  he  stretches  himself."  One  of  the  Greeks 
excellently  translates :  koX  ifi7rXr]a06l<i  avXcaO/jcrerat,  avev  iirccr- 
«■07r/}<?  irovripä'i.  The  LXX.,  which  instead  of  y"),  jv(üo-t<if 
translates  thus,  V"^,,  discredits  itself.  The  Midrash — Lagarde 
says  of  its  translation — varies  in  colour  like  an  opal.  Li  other 
VOL.  II.  C 


34  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

words,  it  handles  the  text  like  wax,  and  forms  it  accordinrr  to  Its 
own  taste,  like  the  Midrash  with  its  ''  read  not  so,  but  so." 

Ver.  24  The  slothful  hath  thrust  his  hand  into  the  dish  ; 
He  bringeth  it  not  again  to  his  mouth. 
This  proverb  is  repeated  in  a  different  form,  xxvi.  15.  The 
figure  appears,  thus  understood,  an  hyperbole,  on  which  account 
the  LXX.  understand  by  nn^V  the  bosom  or  lap,  koXttov  ;  Aquila 
and  Symmachus  understand  by  it  the  arm-pit,  fiaaxaXrjv  or 
fxaXriv,  and  the  Jewish  interpreters  gloss  it  by  pTi  (Kimchi)  or 
pibnn  J?np,  the  slit  (Ital.  fenditura)  of  the  shirt.  But  the  domestic 
figure,  2  Kings  xxi.  13,  places  before  us  a  dish  which,  when  it 
is  empty,  is  wiped  and  turned  upside  down;^  and  that  the  slothful 
when  he  eats  appears  too  slothful  to  bring  his  hand,  e.g.  with 
the  rice  or  the  piece  of  bread  he  has  taken  out  of  the  dish,  again 
to  his  mouth,  is  true  to  nature :  we  say  of  such  a  man  that  he 
almost  sleeps  when  he  eats.  The  fut.  after  the  perf.  here  denotes 
that  which  is  not  done  after  the  former  thing,  i.e.  that  which  is 
scarcely  and  only  with  difficulty  done ;  i!?  .  .  .  Ca  may  have  the 
meaning  of  "  yet  not,"  as  at  Ps.  cxxix.  2 ;  but  the  sense  of  ''  not 
once  "  =  we  .  .  .  quidem,  lies  here  nearer  Deut.  xxiii.  3. 

Ver.  25  The  scorner  thou  smitest,  and  the  simple  is  prudent ; 

And  if  one  reprove  the  man  of  understanding,  he  gaineth  knowledge 
Hitzig  translates  in  a  way  that  is  syntactically  inexact :  smite 
the  scorner,  so  the  simple  becomes  prudent ;  that  would  have 
required  at  least  the  word  Diy;|l :  fut.  and  fut.  connected 
by  1  is  one  of  many  modes  of  expression  for  the  simultaneous, 
discussed  by  me  at  Hab.  iii.  10.  The  meaning  of  the  proverb 
has  a  complete  commentary  at  xxi.  11,  where  its  two  parts  are 
otherwise  expressed  with  perfect  identity  of  thought.  In 
regard  to  the  Y^,  with  whom  denunciation  and  threatening  bear 
no  fruit  (xiii.  1,  xv.  12),  and  perhaps  even  produce  the  con- 
trary effect  to  that  intended  (ix.  7),   there  remains  nothing 

^  "While  nnSV,  -^ahfat,  in  the  sense  of  dish,  is  etymologically  clear,  for 
nnH%  neither  salah  (to  be  good  for),  nor  salakli  (to  be  deaf,  mangy),  offers 
an  appropriate  verbal  meaning.  The  Arab,  zululi  (large  dishes)  stands 
under  zalali  (to  taste,  of  the  tasting  of  food),  but  is  scarcely  a  derivative 
from  it.  Only  n^X,  which  in  the  meaning  of  good  for,  proceeding  from 
the  idea  of  penetrating  through,  has  retained  the  root-meaning  of  cleft, 
furnishes  for  nn^V  and  HTliW  a  root-word  in  some  measure  useful. 


CHAP.  XIX.  24.  35 

else  than  to  vindicate  the  injured  trutlis  by  means  of  the 
private  justice  of  corporal  punishment.  Such  words,  if  spoken 
to  the  right  man,  in  the  right  spirit,  at  the  right  time,  may 
affect  him  with  wholesome  terrors ;  but  even  though  he  is  not 
made  better  thereby,  yet  the  simple,  who  listens  to  the  mockeries 
of  such  not  without  injury,  will  thereby  become  prudent  (gain 
^^IV'l  =  '^?"^V>  prudence,  as  at  xv.  5),  i.e.  either  arrive  at  the 
knowledge  that  the  mockery  of  religion  is  wicked,  or  guard 
himself  against  incurring  the  same  repressive  measures.  In 
256  n^im  is  neither  inf.  (Umbreit),  which  after  xxi.  116  must 
be  n?in2i,  nor  impr.  (Targ.,  Ewald),  which  according  to  rule  is 
n^iHj  but  the  hypothetic  perf.  (Syr.)  with  the  most  general 
subject  (Merc,  Hitzig)  :  if  one  impart  instruction  to  the  (dat. 
obj.  as  ix.  7,  xv.  2)  man  of  understanding  (yid.  xvi.  21),  then 
he  acquires  knowledge,  i.e.  gains  an  insight  into  the  nature 
and  value  of  that  which  one  wishes  to  bring  him  to  the  know- 
ledge of  (nv"n  \''2r]^  as  xxix.  7  ;  cf.  viii.  5).  That  which  the 
deterring  lesson  of  exemplary  punishment  approximately  effects 
with  the  wavering,  is,  in  the  case  of  the  man  of  understanding, 
perfectly  attained  by  an  instructive  word. 

"We  have  now  reached  the  close  of  the  third  chief  section  of 
the  older  Book  of  Proverbs.  All  the  three  sections  beo-in  with 
D^n  13,  X.  1,  xiii.  1,  XV.  20.  The  Introduction,  i.-ix.,  dedicates 
this  collection  of  Solomonic  proverbs  to  youth,  and  the  three 
beginnings  accordingly  relate  to  the  relative  duties  of  a  son  to 
his  father  and  mother.  We  are  now  no  longer  far  from  the 
end,  for  xxii.  17  resumes  the  tone  of  the  Introduction.  The 
third  principal  part  would  be  disproportionately  large  if  it 
extended  from  xv.  1  to  xxii.  15.  But  there  does  not  again 
occur  a  proverb  beginning  with  the  words  "  son  of  man."  We 
can  therefore  scarcely  go  wrong  if  we  take  xix.  26  as  the  com- 
mencement of  a  fourth  principal  part.  The  Masora  divides  the 
whole  Mishle  into  eight  sedarim,  which  exhibit  so  little  know- 
ledge of  the  true  division,  that  the  paras/ias  (sections)  x.  1, 
xxii.  17  do  not  at  all  find  their  right  place.^     The  MSS.,  how- 

^  The  915  verses  of  the  BfisMe,  according  to  the  Jfasora,  fall  into  eight 
sedarim,  beginning  as  follows :  i.  1,  v.  18,  ix.  12,  xiv.  4,  xviii.  10,  xxii.  22, 
XXV.  13.  xxyiii.  16. 


36  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

ever,  contain  evidences  that  this  Hagiograph  was  also  anciently 
divided  into  parashas,  which  were  designated  partly  by  spaces 
between  the  lines  (sethumoth)  and  partly  by  breaks  in  the  lines 
(phethucoth).  In  Baer's  Cod.  Jamanensis^  after  vi.  19,  there 
is  the  letter  3  written  on  the  margin  as  the  mark  of  such  a 
break.  With  vi.  20  {vid.  I.e.)  there  indeed  commences  a  new 
part  of  the  introductory  Mashal  discourses.  But,  besides,  we 
only  seldom  meet  with^  coincidences  with  the  division  and 
grouping  which  have  commended  themselves  to  us.  In  the  MS. 
of  the  Grcecus  Venetus,  xix.  11,  16,  and  19  have  their  initial 
letters  coloured  red  ;  but  why  only  these  verses,  is  not  manifest. 
A  comparison  of  the  series  of  proverbs  distinguished  by  such 
initials  with  the  Cod.  Jaman.  and  Cod.  ii.  of  the  Leipzig  City 
Library,  makes  it  more  than  probable  that  it  gives  a  traditional 
division  of  the  MisJde,  which  may  perhaps  yet  be  discovered  by 
a  comparison  of  MSS.^  But  this  much  is  clear,  that  a  historico- 
literary  reconstruction  of  the  Mislile,  and  of  its  several  parts, 
can  derive  no  help  from  this  comparison. 

With  xix.  26  there  thus  begins  the  fourth  principal  part  of 
the  Solomonic  collection  of  proverbs  introduced  by  i.-ix. 

He  that  doeth  violence  to  his  father  and  chaseth  his  mother, 
Is  a  son  that  bringeth  shame  and  disgrace. 
The  right  name  is  given  in  the  second  line  to  him  who  acts  as 
is  described  in  the  first.  TH^  means  properly  to  barricade 
[ohstruere].,  and  then  in  general  to  do  violence  to,  here:  to  ruin 
one  both  as  to  life  and  property.  The  part.,  which  has  the  force 
of  an  attributive  clause,  is  continued  in  the  finite  :  qui  matreiii 
fugat ;  this  is  the  rule  of  the  Heb.  style,  which  is  not  (^ikajjie- 
Toxo<i,  Gesen.  §  134,  Anm.  2.  Regarding  5r''30,  vid.  at  x.  5 ; 
regarding  the  placing  together  of  "T'Sn^l.  ^'^\},  vid.  xiii.  5,  where 
for  ^''^\}j  to  make  shame,  to  be  scandalous,  the  word  t^"''??'?? 
which  is  radically  different,  meaning  to  bring  into  bad  odour,  is 
used.      The  putting  to  shame  is  in  C'ia  (kindred  with  Arab. 

^  Vid.  the  Prefatio  to  the  Masoretico-Critical  Edition  of  Isaiah  by  Baer 
and  myself ;   Leipzig,  1872. 

2  There  are  spaces  within  the  lines  after  i.  7,  9,  83,  ii.  22,  iii.  18,  35, 
V.  17,  23,  vi.  4,  11,  15,  19  (here  a  a),  35,  viii.  21,  31,  35,  ix.  18,  xvii. 
25,  xviii.  9,  xxii.  19,  27,  xxiii.  14,  xxiv.  22,  33,  xxvi.  21,  xxviii.  10, 
16,  xxix.  17,  27,  XXX.  6,  9,  14,  17,  20,  23,  28,  33,  xsxi.  9. 

»  Vid.  Gebhardt's  Prolegomena  to  his  new  edition  of  the  Versio  Veneta. 


CHAP  XIX.  27,  28.  37 

hath)  thought  of  as  disturhatio  (cf.  crvyxvcrc^)  (cf.  at  Ps.  vi.  11), 
in  "i2n  (khfr)  as  opertio  (cf.  Cicero's  Cluenf.  20 :  infamia  et 
dedecore  opertus),  not,  as  I  formerly  thought,  with  Fürst,  as 
reddening,  blushing  {yid.  Ps.  xxxiv.  6).  Putting  to  shame 
■would  in  this  connection  be  too  weak  a  meaning  for  "'''Sno. 
The  pedagogic  stamp  which  ver.  26  impresses  on  this  fourth 
principal  part  is  made  yet  further  distinct  in  the  verse  that 
now  follows. 

Ver.  27  Cease,  my  son,  to  hear  instruction, 

To  depart  from  the  words  of  knowledge. 
Oetinger  coiTectly :  cease  from  hearing  instruction  if  thou  wilt 
make  no  other  use  of  it  than  to  depart,  etc.,  i.e.  cease  to  learn 
wisdom  and  afterwards  to  misuse  it.  The  proverb  is,  as  Ewald 
says,  as  "  bloody  irony  ;"  but  it  is  a  dissuasive  from  hypocrisy, 
a  warning  against  the  self-deception  of  which  Jas.  i.  22-24 
speaks,  against  heightening  one's  own  condemnation,  which  is 
the  case  of  that  servant  who  knows  his  lord's  will  and  does  it 
not,  Luke  xii.  47.  P^n,  in  the  meaning  to  leave  off  doing  some- 
thing further,  is  more  frequently  construed  with  h  seq.  infin. 
than  with  p  (cf.  e.g.  Gen.  xi.  8  with  1  Kings  xv.  21)  ;  but  if 
we  mean  the  omission  of  a  thing  which  has  not  yet  been  begun, 
then  the  construction  is  with  ?,  Num.  ix.  13.  Instead  of 
riiac^p,  there  might  have  been  also  used  nia'Li'pp  (omit  rather  .  .  . 
than  .  .  .),  and  niJ^  \V'ob  would  be  more  distinct ;  but  as  the  pro- 
verb is  expressed,  niiü'i'  is  not  to  be  mistaken  as  the  subord. 
infin.  of  purpose.  The  LXX.,  Syr.,  Targ.,  and  Jerome  do 
violence  to  the  proverb.  Luther,  after  the  example  of  older 
interpreters  :  instruction,  that  which  leads  away  from  prudent 
learning ;  but  musar  always  means  either  discipline  weaning 
from  evil,  or  education  leading  to  good. 

Ver.  28  A  worthless  witness  scoffeth  at  right ; 

And  the  mouth  of  the  godless  swalloweth  up  mischief. 
The  Mosaic  law  does  not  know  the  oath  of  witnesses  ;  but  the 
adjuring  of  witnesses  to  speak  the  truth.  Lev.  iv.  1,  places  a 
false  statement  almost  in  the  rank  of  perjury.  The  '^QK'b, 
wdiich  legally  and  morally  binds  witnesses,  is  just  their  duty  to 
state  the  matter  in  accordance  with  truth,  and  without  deceit- 
ful and  malicious  reservation  ;  but  a  worthless  witness  {vid. 
regarding  H'*??,  vi.  12)  despiseth  what  is  right  (P?)  with  accus.- 


38  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

obj.  like  xiv.  9),  i.e.  scornfully  disregards  this  duty.  Under  2S& 
Hitzig  remarks  that  y?^  only  in  Kal  means  to  devour,  but  in 
Fiel,  on  the  contrary,  to  absorb  =  annihilate ;  therefore  he  reads 
with  the  LXX.  and  Syr.  H  [justice]  instead  of  ])^  [mischief]: 
the  mouth  of  the  wicked  murders  that  which  is  right,  properly, 
swallows  down  his  feeling  of  right.  But  V??  interchanges  with 
J?^3  in  the  sense  of  swallowing  only,  without  the  connected  idea 
of  annihilation ;  cf.  Vp^S  for  the  continuance  [duration]  of  a 
gulp  =  for  a  moment,  Num.  iv.  20  with  Job  vii.  29  ;  and  one 
can  thus  understand  28b  without  any  alteration  of  the  text  after 
Job  XV.  16  ;  cf.  XX.  12-15,  as  well  as  with  the  text  altered 
after  Isa.  iii.  12,  by  no  means  so  that  one  makes  px  the  sub- 
ject :  mischief  swallows  up,  i.e.  destroys,  the  mouth  of  the 
wicked  (Rashi);  for  when  "mouth"  and  "to  swallow"  stand 
connected,  the  mouth  is  naturally  that  which  swallows,  not  that 
which  is  swallowed  (cf.  Eccles.  x.  12  :  the  mouth  of  the  fool 
swallows,  i.e.  destroys,  him).  Thus  285  means  that  wickedness, 
i.e.  that  which  is  morally  perverse,  is  a  delicious  morsel  for  the 
mouth  of  the  godless,  which  he  eagerly  devours  ;  to  practise  evil 
is  for  him,  as  we  say,  "  ein  loahrer  Gemiss  "  [a  true  enjoyment]. 
Ver.  29  Judgments  are  prepared  for  scorners, 
And  stripes  for  the  backs  of  fools. 
D"'jpDB'  never  means  punishment  which  a  court  of  justice  inflicts, 
but  is  always  used  of  the  judgments  of  God,  even  although  they 
are  inflicted  by  human  instrumentality  {vid.  2  Chron.  xxiv.  24) ; 
the  sinc^ular,  which  nowhere  occurs,  is  the  segolate  n.  act.  tiSü' 
=  DiDt^,  2  Chron.  xx.  9,  plur.  D''£p'i3'^'.  Hitzig's  remark :  "  the 
judgment  may,  after  ver.  25,  consist  in  stripes,"  is  misleading  ; 
the  stroke,  ni3n,  there  is  such  as  when,  e.g.,  a  stroke  on  the  ear 
is  applied  to  one  who  despises  that  which  is  holy,  which,  under 
the  circumstances,  may  be  salutary ;  but  it  does  not  fall  under 
the  category  of  shepliuthirn,  nor  properly  under  that  of  niopna. 
The- former  are  providential  chastisements  with  which  history 
itself,  or  God  in  history,  visits  the  despiser  of  religion  ;  the  latter 
are  strokes  which  are  laid  on  the  backs  of  fooiß  by  one  who  is 
instructing  them,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  bring  them  to  thought 
and  understanding.  P^,  here  inflected  as  Niph.,  is  used,  as 
Job  XV.  23,  as  meaning  to  be  placed  in  readiness,  and  thus  to  be 
surely  imminent.     Regarding  mahalumoth,  vid.  at  xviii.  6. 


CHAP.  XX.  1,  2.  39 

Chap.  XX.   1.  This  proverb  warns  against  the  debauchery 
with  which  free-thinking  is  intimately  associated. 

Wine  is  a  mocker,  mead  boisterous ; 

And  no  one  who  is  overtaken  thereby  is  wise. 
The  article  stands  with  V\  Ewald  maintains  that  in  x.-xxii.  6 
the  article  occurs  only  here  and  at  xxi.  31,  and  that  it  is  here, 
as  the  LXX.  shows,  not  original.  Both  statements  are  incor- 
rect. The  article  is  found,  e.g.,  at  xix.  6,  xviii.  18, 17,  and  here 
the  personification  of  "  wine  "  requires  it;  but  that  it  is  wanting 
to  l^B'  shows  how  little  poetry  delights  in  it ;  it  stands  once  for 
twice.  The  effects  of  wine  and  mead  ("I3tl'  from  "i?*^,  to  stop, 
obstruct,  become  stupid)  are  attributed  to  these  liquors  themselves 
as  their  property.  Wine  is  a  mocker,  because  he  who  is  intoxi- 
cated with  it  readily  scoffs  at  that  which  is  holy ;  mead  is 
boisterous  (cf.  '"'*pi'"',  vii.  11),  because  he  who  is  inebriated  in 
his  dissolute  madness  breaks  through  the  limits  of  morality 
and  propriety.  He  is  unwise  who,  through  wine  and  the  like, 
i.e.  overpowered  by  it  (cf.  2  Sam.  xiii.  28),  staggers,  i.e.  he  gives 
himself  up  to  wine  to  such  a  degree  that  he  is  no  longer  master 
of  himself.  At  v.  19  we  read,  2  nr^^  of  the  intoxication  of  love ; 
here,  as  at  Isa.  xxvili.  7,  of  the  intoxication  of  wine,  i.e.  of 
the  passionate  slavish  desire  of  wine  or  for  wine.  The  word 
"  Erpicht "  \avidissimus\.,  i.e.  being  indissolubly  bound  to 
a  thing,  corresponds  at  least  in  some  degree  to  the  idea. 
Fleischer  compares  the  French  :  etrefou  de  quelque  chose.  Isa. 
xxviii.  7,  however,  shows  that  one  has  to  think  on  actual  stag- 
gering, being  overtaken  in  wine. 

Ver.  2  A  roaring  as  of  a  lion  is  the  terror  of  the  king ; 
And  he  that  provoketh  him  forfeiteth  his  life. 
Line  first  is  a  variation  of  xix.  12.  The  terror  which  a  king 
spreads  around  (^^^,  gen.  suhjecti.,  as,  e.g.,  at  Job  ix.  34  and 
generally)  is  like  the  growling  of  a  lion  which  threatens  danger. 
The  thought  here  suggested  is  that  it  is  dangerous  to  arouse  a 
lion.  Thus  iis^rip  does  not  mean :  he  who  is  angry  at  him 
(  Ve7iet. :  ')(pkoviJ,evo<i  avTu>),  but  he  who  provokes  him  (LXX., 
Syr.,  Targ.,  Jerome,  Luther).  "iSV^n  signifies,  as  we  saw  at 
xiv.  16,  to  be  in  a  state  of  excessive  displeasure,  extreme  anger. 
Here  the  meaning  must  be :  he  who  puts  him  into  a  state  of 
anger  (LXX.,  6  irapo^vvcov  avrov,  in  other  versions  with  the 


40  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

addition  of  koX  eTrijuiyvv/xevo';,  who  conducts  himself  famllLarly 
towards  him  =  n'iyntD).  But  can  mitharvo  have  this  meaning? 
That  the  Hithpa.  of  transitive  steins,  e.g.  l.^nnn  (1  Kings  viii. 
59)  and  ""2rlt^'^  (Mic.  vi.  16),  is  construed  with  the  accus,  of 
that  which  any  one  performs  for  himself  (cf.  Ewald's  Gramm. 
Arab.  §  180),  is  not  unusual ;  but  can  the  Hithpa.  of  the 
intrans.  "iny,  which  signifies  to  fall  into  a  passion,  "  express  with 
the  accusative  the  passion  of  another  excited  thereby  "  (Ewald, 
§  282a)?  There  is  no  evidence  for  this;  and  Hitzig's  conjecture, 
inaV"»  (Tiphel  of  the  Targ.  "i^^rn  =  nnsy),  is  thus  not  without 
occasion.  But  one  might  suppose  that  "i^ynn^  as  the  reflexive 
of  a  Piel  or  Hipldl  which  meant  to  be  put  into  a  state  of 
anger,  may  mean  to  draw  forth  the  anger  of  any  one,  as  in 
Arab.,  the  viTrth  form  (Hithpa.)  of  hadr^  to  be  present,  with  the 
accus,  as  reflexive  of  the  ivth  form,  may  mean :  sihi  aliquid 
prcesens  sistere.  Not  so  difficult  is  i<90  ^^*^  ^^^  accus,  of  that 
which  is  missing,  vid.  viii.  36  and  Hab.  ii.  10. 

Yer.  3  It  is  an  honour  to  a  man  to  remain  far  from  strife  ; 
But  every  fool  slioweth  his  teeth. 
Or  better :  whoever  is  a  fool  qnisquis  amens,  for  the  emphasis 
does  not  lie  on  this,  that  every  fool,  i.e.  every  single  one  of 
this  sort,  contends  to  the  uttermost ;  but  that  whoever  is  only 
always  a  fool  finds  pleasure  in  such  strife.  Regarding  Vp3nn^ 
vid.  xvii.  14,  xviii.  1.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  an  honour  to  a 
man  to  be  peaceable,  or,  as  it  is  here  expressed,  to  remain  far 
from  strife.  The  phrase  may  be  translated :  to  desist  from 
strife ;  but  in  this  case  the  word  would  be  pointed  ^'^^,  which 
Hitzig  prefers;  for  riT^  from  T\2f  means,  2  Sam.  xxiii.  7, 
annihilation  (the  termination  of  existence) ;  also  Ex.  xxi. 
19,  W2^  does  not  mean  to  be  keeping  holy  day ;  but  to  be 
sitting,  viz.  at  home,  in  a  state  of  incapability  for  work.  Rightly 
Fleischer:  "I^  ^'^'l,  like  Arab,  k'ad  saii,  to  remain  sitting 
quiet,  and  thus  to  hold  oneself  removed  from  any  kind  of 
activity."  He  who  is  prudent,  and  cares  for  his  honour,  not 
only  breaks  off  strife  when  it  threatens  to  become  passionate,  but 
does  not  at  all  enter  into  it,  keeps  himself  far  removed  from  it. 
Ver.  4  At  the  beginning  of  the  harvest  the  sluggard  plougheth  not ; 
And  so  when  he  cometh  to  the  reaping-time  there  is  nothing. 
Many  translators   (Symmachus,  Jerome,  Luther)    and  inter- 


CHAP.  XX.  4  41 

preters  {e.g.  Raslii,  Zöckler)  explain:  propter  frigus  ;  but  ^"^h 
is,  according  to  its  verbal  import,  not  a  synon.  of  "ip  and  nsy^ 
but  means  gathering  =  the  time  of  gathering  (synon.  ^''?^),  from 
^■^n,  carpere^  as  harvest,  the  time  of  tlie  Kapirl^ecv,  the  plucking 
off  of  the  fruit ;  but  the  harvest  is  the  beginning  of  the  old 
Eastern  agricultural  year,  for  in  Palestine  and  Syria  the  time  of 
ploughing  and  sowing  with  the  harvest  or  early  rains  (TIC  —  '^"'•^^ 
Neh.  vii.  24;  Ezra  ii.  18)  followed  the  fruit  harvest  from  October 
to  December.  The  }p  is  thus  not  that  of  cause  but  of  time. 
Thus  rendered,  it  may  mean  the  beginning  of  an  event  and 
onwards  (e.g.  1  Sam.  xxx.  25),  as  well  as  its  termination  and 
onwards  (Lev.  xxvii.  17)  :  here  of  the  harvest  and  its  ingather- 
ing and  onwards.  In  4b,  the  Chetlah  and  Keri  vary  as  at 
xviii.  17.  The/t«/!.  ''i^P'1  would  denote  what  stands  before  the 
sluggard ;  the  perf.  ?xn  places  him  in  the  midst  of  this,  and 
besides  has  this  in  its  favour,  that,  interpreted  as  perf.  hypo- 
thedcum,  it  makes  the  absence  of  an  object  to  bü^  more  tenable. 
The  Chellnb,  ^^f],  is  not  to  be  read  after  Ps.  cix.  10  :  he  will 
beg  in  harvest — in  vain  (Jerome,  Luther),  to  which  Hitzig 
well  remarks :  Why  in  vain  ?  Amid  the  joy  of  harvest  people 
dispense  most  liberally ;  and  the  right  time  for  begging  comes 
later.     Hitzig  conjecturally  arrives  at  the  translation  : 

"  A  pannier  the  sluggard  provideth  not ; 
Seeketh  to  borrow  in  harvest,  and  nothing  cometh  of  it." 

But  leaving  out  of  view  the  "  pannier,"  the  meaning  "  to  obtain 
something  as  a  loan,"  which  7X5^"  from  the  connection  may  bear, 
is  here  altogether  imaginary.  Let  one  imagine  to  himself  an 
indolent  owner  of  land,  who  does  not  trouble  himself  about  the 
tilling  and  sowing  of  his  fields  at  the  right  time  and  with 
diligence,  but  leaves  this  to  his  people,  who  do  only  as  much  as 
is  commanded  them :  such  an  one  asks,  when  now  the  harvest- 
time  has  come,  about  the  ingathering;  but  he  receives  the 
answer,  that  the  land  has  lain  unploughed,  because  he  had  not 
commanded  it  to  be  ploughed.  When  he  asks,  there  is  nothing, 
he  asks  in  vain  (HNI,  as  at  xiv.  6,  xiii.  4).  Meiri  rightly  ex- 
plains «i™  by  ntrnnn  ;or  n^nno,  and  Ab  by:  "so  then,  when 
he  asks  at  harvest  time,  he  will  find  nothing;"  on  the  other 
^  Vid.  Fleischer  in  Levy's  CJiald.  Wörterbuch,  i.  426. 


42  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVEEBS, 

hand,  the  LXX.  and  Aram,  think  on  «inn,  carpere  convicUs,  as 
also  in  Codd.  here  and  there  is  found  the  meaningless  ^"^nip. 

Ver.  5  The  purpose  ia  the  heart  of  a  man  is  deep  water  ; 
But  a  man  of  understanding  draweth  it  out. 
"  Still  waters  are  deep."  Like  such  deep  waters  (xviii.  4)  is 
that  which  a  man  hath  secretly  (Isa.  xxix.  15)  planned  in  his 
heart.  He  keeps  it  secret,  conceals  it  carefully,  craftily  mis- 
leads those  who  seek  to  draw  it  out ;  but  the  man  of  ^^'^^^,  i.e. 
one  who  possesses  the  right  criteria  for  distinguishing  between 
good  and  bad,  true  and  false,  and  at  the  same  time  has  the 
capacity  to  look  through  men  and  things,  draws  out  (the  Venet. 
well,  dveX^et)  the  secret  nvy,  for  he  penetrates  to  the  bottom  of 
the  deep  water.  Such  an  one  does  not  deceive  himself  with 
men,  he  knows  how  to  estimate  their  conduct  according  to  its 
last  underlying  motive  and  aim  ;  and  if  the  purpose  is  one  that 
is  pernicious  to  him,  he  meets  it  in  the  process  of  realization. 
What  is  here  said  is  applicable  not  only  to  the  subtle  statesman 
and  the  general,  but  also  to  the  pragmatical  historian  and  the 
expositor,  as,  e.g..,  of  a  poem  such  as  the  book  of  Job,  the  idea 
of  which  lies  like  a  pearl  at  the  bottom  of  deep  water. 

Ver.  6  Almost  every  one  meeteth  a  man  who  is  gracious  to  him ; 

But  a  man  who  standeth  the  test,  who  findeth  such  an  one  ? 
As  D''31DS  T'y,  xiii.  17,  signifies  a  messenger  in  whom  there  is 
confidence,  and  n'':iDK  ny,  xiv.  5,  a  witness  who  is  altogether 
truthful,  so  ^^^^^i\  5J'"'{<  is  a  man  who  remains  true  to  himself, 
and  maintains  fidelity  toward  others.  Such  an  one  it  is  not 
easy  to  find  ;  but  patrons  who  make  promises  and  awaken  ex- 
pectations, finally  to  leave  in  the  lurch  him  who  depends  on 
them — of  such  there  are  many.  This  contrast  would  proceed 
from  Ga  also,  if  we  took  ^"1(5  in  the  sense  of  to  call,  to  call  or 
cry  out  with  ostentation :  multi  homines  sunt  quorum  suam 
quisque  humanitatem  jjrQclamat  (Schelling,  Fleischer,  Ewald, 
Zöckler,  and  also,  e.g.,  Meiri).  But  i'^on  c'^N  is  certainly  to  be 
interpreted  after  xi.  17,  Isa.  Ivii.  1.  Recognising  this,  Hitzig 
translates :  many  a  man  one  names  his  dear  friend ;  but  in 
point  of  style  this  would  be  as  unsuitable  as  possible.  Must 
iX^\>\  then  mean  vocat  f  A  more  appropriate  parallel  word  to 
N^'ö  is  Nnj?  =  n"ji5,  according  to  which,  with  Oetinger,  Heiden- 
heim, Euchel,  and  Löwenstein,  we  explain  :  the  greater  part  of 


CHAP.  XX.  7.  4a 

men  meet  one  who  shows  liimself  to  them  (to  this  or  that  man) 
as  ion  ^"^iij  a  man  well-affectioned  and  benevolent ;  but  it  is 
.rare  to  find  one  who  in  his  affection  and  its  fruits  proves  him- 
self to  be  true,  and  actually  performs  that  which  was  hoped  for 
from  him.  Luther  translates,  with  the  Syr.  and  Targ.  after 
Jerome :  Viel  Menschen  werden  From  gerhihnht  [many  men  are 
reputed  pious] ;  but  if  ^']\>\  were  equivalent  to  X^I?';,  then 
ion  c"X  ought  to  have  been  used  instead  of  inon  ti'^X.  The 
LXX.  read  ion  tr"'S  "ip''  mx  nn,  man  is  something  great,  and 
a  compassionate  man  is  something  precious ;  but  it  costs  trouble 
to  find  out  a  true  man.  The  fundamental  thought  remains 
almost  the  same  in  all  these  interpretations  and  readi-ngs  :  love 
is  plentiful ;  fidelity,  rare ;  therefore  IDD,  of  the  right  kind,  after 
the  image  of  God,  is  joined  to  nöN. 

Ver.  7  He  who  in  his  innocence  walketh  as  one  upright, 
Blessed  are  his  children  after  him ! 
"VYe  may  not  take  the  first  line  as  a  separate  clause  with  P''^V,  as 
subject  (Van  Dyk,  Elster)  or  predicate  (Targ.)  ;  for,  thus 
rendered,  it  does  not  appropriately  fall  in  as  parallel  to  the 
second  line,  because  containing  nothing  of  promise,  and  the 
second  line  would  then  strike  in  at  least  not  so  unconnectedly 
(cf.  on  the  contrary,  x.  9,  xiv.  25).  We  have  before  us  a  sub- 
stantival clause,  of  which  the  first  line  is  the  complex  subject. 
But  Jerome,  the  Venet.,  and  Luther  erroneously :  the  just  man 
walking  in  his  innocence ;  this  placing  first  of  the  adj.  is  in 
opposition  to  the  Hebr.  syntax.  We  must,  if  the  whole  is  to  be 
interpreted  as  nom.,  regard  pn^  as  permutative :  one  walking 
in  his  innocence,  a  righteous  one.  But,  without  doubt,  tsedek  is 
the  accus,  of  the  manner ;  in  the  manner  of  one  righteous,  or 
in  apposition:  as  one  righteous;  cf.  Job  xxxi.  26  with  Mic. 
ii.  7.  Thus  Hitzig  rightly  also  refers  to  these  two  passages, 
and  Ewald  also  refers  to  xxii.  11,  xxiv.  15.  To  walk  in  his 
innocence  as  a  righteous  man,  is  equivalent  to  always  to  do  that 
which  is  right,  without  laying  claim  to  any  distinction  or  making 
any  boast  on  that  account ;  for  thereby  one  only  follows  the 
impulse  and  the  direction  of  his  heart,  which  shows  itself  and 
can  show  itself  not  otherwise  than  in  unreserved  devotion  to 
God  and  to  that  which  is  good.  The  children  after  him  are 
not  the  children  after  his  death  (Gen.  xxiv.  67)  ;  but,  according 


44  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

to  Dent.  iv.  40,  cf.  Job  xxi.  21,  those  who  follow  his  example, 
and  thus  those  who  come  after  him  ;  for  already  in  the  life- 
time of  such  an  one,  the  benediction  begins  to  have  its  fulfil- 
ment in  his  children. 

The  following  group  begins  with  a  royal  proverb,  which 
expresses  what  a  king  does  with  his  eyes.  Two  proverbs,  of  the 
seeing  eye  and  the  necessary  opening  of  the  eyes,  close  it. 

Ver.  8  A  king  sitting  on  the  seat  of  justice, 

Scattereth  asunder  all  evil  with  his  eyes. 
Excellently  the  Venet.  i-jrl  6p6vov  SZ/ct^?,  for  H'^??  is  the  name 
of  the  seat  of  rectitude  (the  tribunal),  as  the  "  throne  of  grace," 
Heb.  iv.  17,  is  the  name  of  the  capporeth  as  the  seat  of  mercy ; 
the  seat  of  the  judge  is  merely  called  &?DD  ;  on  the  other  hand, 
;n-ND3  is  the  -contrast  of  ni^n  ND3,  Ps.  xciv.  20  :  the  seat  from 
which  the  decision  that  is  in  conformity  with  what  is  right  (cf., 
e.g.,  Jer.  v.  28)  goes  forth,  and  where  it  is  sought.  As  little 
here  as  at  ver.  26  is  there  need  for  a  characterizing  adj.  to 
melek ;  but  the  LXX.  hits  the  meaning  for  it,  understands  such 
to  pi:  orav  ßaaiX€v<}  SlKaio<;  KaOlcrrj  irrl  6p6vov.  By  the 
"  eyes  "  are  we  then  to  understand  those  of  the  mind :  he  sifts, 
dignoscif,  with  the  eyes  of  the  mind  all  that  is  evil,  i.e.  distin- 
guishes it  subjectively  from  that  which  is  not  evil?  Thus 
Hitzig  by  a  comparison  of  Ps.  xi.  4,  cxxxix.  3  (where  Jerome 
has  eventilasti,  the  Vulg.  investigasti).  Scarcely  correctly,  for 
it  lies  nearer  to  think  on  the  eyes  in  the  king's  head  {vid.  xvi.  15) ; 
in  that  case  :  to  winnow  (to  sift)  means  to  separate  the  good 
and  the  bad,  but  first  mediately:  to  exclude  the  bad;  finally, 
ver.  26  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  niTD  is  to  be  understood,  not 
of  a  subjective,  but  of  an  actual  scattering,  or  separating,  or 
driving  away.  Thus  the  penetrating,  fear-inspiring  eyes  of  the 
king  are  meant,  as  Immanuel  explains  :  VJDö  Dnnnn  vry  rT'^i^nn 
nx''D  ^533  anix  nrsiDI.  But  in  this  explanation  the  personal  ren- 
dering of  V'l'p'^  is  incorrect ;  for  mezareh,  meant  of  the  driving 
asunder  of  persons,  requires  as  its  object  a  plur.  (cf.  26a).  Col-ra 
is  understood  as  neut.  like  v.  14.  Before  the  look  of  a  king  to 
whom  it  belongs  to  execute  righteousness  and  justice  (Isa.  xvi. 
5),  nothing  evil  stands  ;  criminal  acts  and  devices  seen  through, 
and  so  also  judged  by  these  eyes,  are  broken  up  and  scattered  to 
all  the  winds,  along  with  the  danger  that  thereby  threatened 


CHAP.  XX.  9,  10.  45 

tlie  communitv.  It  is  the  command :  "  put  away  the  evil" 
(Deut.  xiii.  6  [5]),  which  the  king  carries  into  effect  by  the 
powerful  influence  of  his  look.  With  col-ra  there  is  connected 
the  thought  that  in  the  presence  of  the  heavenly  King  no  one 
is  wholly  free  from  sin. 

Ver.  9  Who  can  say  I  have  made  my  heart  clean, 
I  am  pure  from  my  sins  ? 
It  it  the  same  thought  that  Solomon  expresses  in  his  prayer  at 
the  consecration  of  the  temple,  1  Kings  viii.  46 :  there  is  no 
man  who  sinneth  not.  To  cleanse  his  heart  (as  Ps.  Ixxiii.  13), 
is  equivalent  to  to  empty  it,  by  self-examination  and  earnest 
effort  after  holiness,  of  all  impure  motives  and  inclinations  ;  vid. 
regarding  n^T,  to  be  piercing,  shining  brightly,  cloudlessly  pure, 
Fleischer  in  Levy's  Chald.  Wörterbuch,  i.  424.  The  conse- 
quence of  rii3T  is,  becoming  pure ;  and  the  consequence  of 
ni?  ni2Tj  i.e.  of  the  purifying  of  the  heart,  the  being  pure  from 
sinful  conduct :  I  have  become  pure  from  my  sins,  i.e.  from 
such  as  I  might  fall  into  by  not  resisting  temptations ;  the 
sufHx  is  not  understood  as  actual,  but  as  potential,  like  Ps. 
xviii.  24.  No  one  can  boast  of  this,  for  man's  knowledge  of 
himself  and  of  his  sins  remains  always  limited  (Jer.  xvii.  9  f. ; 
Ps.  xix.  13)  ;  and  sin  is  so  deeply  rooted  in  iiis  nature  (Job 
xiv.  4,  XV.  14-16),  that  the  remains  of  a  sinful  tendency  always 
still  conceal  themselves  in  the  folds  of  his  heart,  sinful  thoughts 
still  cross  his  soul,  sinful  inclinations  still  sometimes  by  their 
natural  force  overcome  the  moral  resistance  that  opposes  them, 
and  stains  of  all  kinds  still  defile  even  his  best  actions. 

Ver.    10.    This  proverb   passes   sentence   of    condemnation 
against  gross  sins  in  action  and  life. 

Diverse  stones,  diverse  measures — 
An  abomination  to  Jahve  are  they  both. 
The  stones  are,  as  at  xi.  1,  xvi.  11,  those  used  as  weights.  Stone 
and  stone,  ephah  and  ephah,  means  that  they  are  of  diverse 
kinds,  one  large  and  one  small  (the  LXX.,  in  which  the 
sequence  of  the  proverbs  from  ver.  10  is  different,  has  ^e<ya  koI 
fXLKpov),  so  that  one  may  be  able  deceitfully  to  substitute  the 
one  for  the  other.  HD'^x  (from  nax,  to  bake)  may  originally 
have  been  used  to  designate  such  a  quantity  of  meal  as  supplied 
a  family  of  moderate  wants ;  it  corresponds  to  the  hath  (Ezek. 


46  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERDS. 

xlv.  11)  as  a  measure  for  fluids,  and  stands  here  synecdochi- 
cally  instead  of  all  the  measures,  including,  e.g.,  the  cor^  of  which 
the  ephah  was  a  tenth  part,  and  the  seali^  which  was  a  third 
part  of  it.  106  =  xvii.  5,  an  echo  of  Lev.  xix.  36  ;  Dent.  xxv. 
13-16.  Just  and  equal  measure  is  the  demand  of  a  holy  God ; 
the  contrary  is  to  Him  an  abhorrence. 

Ver.  11  Even  a  child  maketh  himself  known  by  his  conduct, 

Whether  his  disposition  be  pure  and  whether  it  be  right. 
If  ^iVJ^  rnay  be  here  understood  after  the  use  of  ^?iy,  to  play, 
to  pass  the  time  with  anything,  then  D3  refers  thereto :  even 
by  his  play  (Ewald).  But  granting  that  ^T^VO  [children], 
synon.  with  ly:,  had  occasioned  the  choice  of  the  word 
bhvo  (vid.  Fleischer  on  Tsa.  iii.  4),  yet  this  word  never  means 
anything  else  than  work,  an  undertaking  of  something,  and 
accomplishing  it ;  wherefore  Böttcher  proposes  Iv^^'J!^,  for 
bvV'O  may  have  meant  play,  in  contradistinction  to  ^^^J^.  This 
is  possible,  but  conjectural.  Thus  gam  is  not  taken  along  with 
Vamalalav.  That  the  child  also  makes  himself  known  by  his 
actions,  is  an  awkward  thought ;  for  if  in  anything  else,  in  these 
he  must  show  what  one  has  to  expect  from  him.  Thus  gam  is 
after  the  syntactical  method  spoken  of  at  xvii.  26,  xix.  2,  to  be 
referred  to  "lyj  (also  the  child,  even  the  child),  although  in  this 
order  it  is  referred  to  the  whole  clause.  The  verb  133  is,  from 
its  fundamental  thought,  to  perceive,  observe  from  an  ivavno- 
(TTj/jLov :  to  know,  and  to  know  as  strange,  to  disown  {vid. 
under  Isa.  iii.  9) ;  the  HitJipa.  elsewhere  signifies,  like  (Arab.) 
tankkar,  to  make  oneself  unknowable,  but  here  to  make  one- 
self knowable  ;  Symmachus,  ein'yvwpiaOrjo-erai,  Venet.  'yvwaOrj- 
o-eraL.  Or  does  the  proverb  mean  :  even  the  child  dissembles 
in  his  actions  (Oetinger)  ?  Certainly  not,  for  that  would  be  a 
statement  which,  thus  generally  made,  is  not  justified  by 
experience.  We  must  then  interpret  116  as  a  direct  question, 
though  it  has  the  form  of  an  indirect  one :  he  gives  himself  to 
be  known,  viz.  whether  his  disposition  be  pure  and  right.  That 
one  may  recognise  his  actions  in  the  conduct  of  any  one,  is  a 
platitude;  also  that  one  may  recognise  his  conduct  in  these,  is  not 
much  better.  ^Vß  is  therefore  referred  by  Hitzig  to  God  as  the 
Creator,  and  he  interprets  it  in  the  sense  of  the  Arab,  klndk, 
being  created  =  «a^wm.     We  also  in  this  way  explain  ^^'yf,,  Ps, 


CHAP.  XX.  12.  47 

clii.  14,  as  referable  to  God  the  i>'' ;  and  that  poal  occurs,  e.g. 
Isa.  i.  31,  not  merely  in  the  sense  of  action,  but  also  in  that  of 
performance  or  structure,  is  favourable  to  this  interpretation. 
But  one  would  think  that  poal,  if  thus  used  in  the  sense  of 
the  nature  of  man,  would  have  more  frequently  occurred. 
It  everywhere  else  means  action  or  work.  And  thus  it  is 
perhaps  also  here  used  to  denote  action,  but  regarded  as 
habitual  conduct,  and  according  to  the  root-meaning,  moral 
disposition.  The  N.  T.  word  €p<yov  approaches  this  idea  in 
such  passages  as  Gal.  vi.  4.  It  is  less  probable  that  116  is 
understood  with  reference  to  the  future  (Luther  and  others)  ; 
for  in  that  case  one  does  not  see  why  the  poet  did  not  make  use 
of  the  more  intelligible  phrase  l^ys  ^"^jy^,  tK'''1  IT  D^.  It  is  like 
our  (Germ.)  proverb  :  Was  ein  Haken  werden  will  krümmt  sich 
bald  [what  means  to  become  a  hook  bends  itself  early]  ;  or : 
Was  ein  Dörnchen  werden  will  spitzt  sich  bei  Zeiten^  [what 
means  to  become  a  thorn  sharpens  itself  early],  and  to  the 
Aram,  yn''  n'-SDpö  p^'in  p^k*in  =  that  which  will  become  a  gourd 
shows  itself  in  the  bud,  Berachoth  48a. 

Ver.  12  The  hearing  ear  and  the  seeing  eye — 
Jahve  hath  created  them  both. 
Löwenstein,  like  the  LXX. :  the  ear  hears  and  the  eye  sees — 
it  is  enough  to  refer  to  the  contrary  to  ver.  10  and  xvii.  15. 
In  itself  the  proverb  affirms  a  fact,  and  that  is  its  sensus 
simplex ;  but  besides,  this  fact  may  be  seen  from  many  points  of 
view,  and  it  has  many  consequences,  none  of  which  is  to  be 
rejected  as  contrary  to  the  meaning:  (1.)  It  lies  nearest  to 
draw  the  conclusion,  via  eminentio;^  which  is  drawn  in  Ps.  xciv. 
9.  God  is  thus  the  All-hearing  and  the  All-seeing,  from 
which,  on  the  one  side,  the  consolation  arises  that  everything 
that  is  seen  stands  under  His  protection  and  government,  xv. 
3;  and  on  the  other  side,  the  warning,  Aboth  ii.  1:  "Know 
what  is  above  thee ;  a  Seeing  eye  and  a  Hearing  ear,  and  all 
thy  conduct  is  marked  in  His  book."  (2.)  With  this  also  is 
connected  the  sense  arising  out  of  the  combination  in  Ps.  xl.  7  : 
man  ought  then  to  use  the  ear  and  the  eye  in  conformity  with 
the  design  which  they  are  intended  to  subserve,  according  to 

1  A  similar  comparison   from   Bereschith   PmIIü,   vid.  Duke's  liahhiu. 
Blumenlese,  p.  126. 


48  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

the  purpose  of  the  Creator  (Hitzig  compares  xvi.  4) ;  it  is  not 
first  applicable  to  man  with  reference  to  the  natural,  but  to  the 
moral  life :  he  shall  not  make  himself  deaf  and  blind  to  that 
which  it  is  his  duty  to  hear  and  to  see ;  but  he  ought  also  not 
to  hear  and  to  see  with  pleasure  that  from  which  he  should 
turn  away  (Isa.  xxxiii.  15), — in  all  his  hearing  and  seeing  he  is 
responsible  to  the  Creator  of  the  ear  and  the  eye.  (3.)  One 
may  thus  interpx'et  'Miearing"  and  "seeing"  as  commendable 
properties,  as  Fleischer  suggests  from  comparison  of  xvi.  11 :  an 
ear  that  truly  hears  (the  word  of  God  and  the  lessons  of 
AVisdom)  and  an  eye  that  truly  sees  (the  works  of  God)  are  a 
gift  of  the  Creator,  and  are  (Arab.)  Ullhi,  are  to  be  held  as 
high  and  precious.  Thus  the  proverb,  like  a  polished  gem, 
may  be  turned  now  in  one  direction  and  now  in  another ;  it 
is  to  be  regarded  as  a  many-sided  fact. 

Ver.  13  Love  not  sleep,  lest  thou  become  poor ; 
Open  thine  eyes,  and  have  enough  to  eat. 

What  is  comprehended  in  the  first  line  here  is  presented  in 
detail  in  vi.  9-11.  T\\q  fat.  Niph.  of  c'n,  to  become  poor  (cf. 
X.  4),  is  formed  metaplastically  from  K'T^  xxiii.  21,  xxx.  9,  as  at 
1  Sam.  ii.  7 ;  Hitzig  compares  (Arab.)  ryth,  which,  however, 
means  to  loiter  or  delay,  not  to  come  back  or  down.  The  E..  ^~\ 
signifies  either  to  be  slack  without  support  (cf.  ^1),  or  to  desire 
(cf.  |V2^^,  Arab,  fhyr,  properly  hiscens,  E.  pD,  as  in  npa,  to 
open  widely,  which  here  follows).  Regarding  the  second 
imper.  Idb,  vid.  iii.  4 :  it  has  the  force  of  a  consequence.  Las 
deine  aiigen  loacker  sein,  So  loirstu  brots  gnug  haben  (Luth.)  [Let 
thine  eyes  be  open,  so  shalt  thou  have  bread  enough].  With 
these  two  proverbs  of  the  eyes,  the  group  beginning  with  ver. 
8  rounds  itself  off. 

The  following  group  has  its  natural  limit  at  the  new  point  of 
departure  at  ver.  20,  and  is  internally  connected  in  a  diversity 
of  ways. 

Ver.  14  "  Bad,  bad !"  saith  the  buyer  ; 

And  gsing  his  way,  he  boasteth  then. 

Luther  otherwise  : 

"  Bad,  bad !"  saith  one  if  he  hath  it ; 

But  when  it  is  gone,  then  he  boasteth  of  it. 


CHAP.  XX.  15.  49 

This  rendering  has  many  supporters.     Geler  cites  the  words 
of  the  Latin  poet : 

"  Omne  honum  prxscns  minus  est,  sperafa  videntur  Magna." 
Schultens  quotes  the  proverbs  to  irapov  ßapu  and  Prcesentia 
laudato,  for  with  Luther  he  refers  1^  hl^^  to  the  present  posses- 
sion (^TX,  as  1  Sam.  ix.  7  =  (Arab.)  zdl,  to  cease,  to  be  lost),  and 
translates :  at  dilapsum  sibi,  turn  demwii  pro  splendido  celebrat. 
But  by  this  the  Hithpa.  does  not  receive  its  full  meaning ;  and 
to  extract  from  ^})v^^  the  idea  to  which  'h  ^TSI  refers,  if  not 
unnecessary,  is  certainly  worthless.  Hakkoneh  may  also  cer- 
tainly mean  the  possessor,  but  the  possessor  by  acquisition 
(LXX.  and  the  Venet.  6  Kr<oju,evo<i) ;  for  the  most  part  it 
signifies  the  possessor  by  purchase,  the  buyer  (Jerome,  emptor), 
as  correlate  of  "I3b,  Isa.  xxiv.  2  ;  Ezek.  iv.  12.  It  is  customary 
for  the  buyer  to  undervalue  that  which  he  seeks  to  purchase,  so 
as  to  obtain  it  as  cheaply  as  possible ;  afterwards  he  boasts  that 
he  has  bought  that  which  is  good,  and  yet  so  cheap.  That  is 
an  every-day  experience ;  but  the  proverb  indirectly  warns 
against  conventional  lying,  and  shows  that  one  should  not  be 
startled  and  deceived  thereby.  The  subject  to  1^  ^TXI  is  thus 
the  buyer ;  7TN  with  17  denotes,  more  definitely  even  than  1^  "l^Ti, 
going  from  thence,  sen  aller.  Syntactically,  the  punctuation 
i?  ?TN1  [and  he  takes  himself  off]  {perf.  hypoth.,  Ewald,  357a) 
would  have  been  near  (Jerome:  et  cum  recesserit) ;  but  yet  it  is 
not  necessary,  with  Hitzig,  thus  to  correct  it.  The  poet  means 
to  say  :  making  himself  off,  he  then  boasts.  We  cannot  in 
German  place  the  "  alsdann  "  [then]  as  the  T5<  here,  and  as 
also,  e.g.  at  1  Sam.  xx.  12 ;  but  Theodotion,  in  good  Greek : 
Kal  7ropev6el<i  rore  Kav^/]creTaL.  We  may  write  i?  ^TXI  with 
Merclia  on  the  antepenult,  on  which  the  accent  is  thrown  back, 
cf.  I  Jin,  xix.  17,  but  not  i^  ;  for  the  rule  for  Dagesh  does  not  here, 
with  the  retrogression  of  the  tone,  come  into  application,  as,  e.g., 
in  '^rp_  fjsix,  Ps.  xli.  10.  Singularly  the  Syr.  and  Targ.  do 
not  read  VI  V[,  but  )rh  V"},,  and  couple  ver.  15  with  14.  In  the 
LXX.,  vers.  14-19  are  wanting. 

Ver.  15  There  is  indeed  gold,  and  many  pearls  ; 

But  a  precious  treasure  are  lips  full  of  knowledge. 
In  order  to  find  a  connection   between  this  proverb  and  that 
which  precedes,  we  need  only  be  reminded  of  the  parable  of 

VOL.    II.  D 


ÜO  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

the  merchantman  who  sought  goodly  pearls,  Matt.  xiii.  45  f. 
The  proverb  rises  to  a  climax :  there  is  gold,  and  there  are 
pearls  in  abundance,  the  one  of  which  has  always  a  higher 
value  than  the  other ;  but  intelligent  lips  are  above  all  such 
jewels — they  are  a  precious  treasure,  which  gold  and  all  pearls 
cannot  equal.  In  a  similar  manner  the  N".  T.  places  the  one 
pearl  above  the  many  goodly  pearls.  So  might  nyn  {cliokma) 
be  called  the  pearl  above  all  pearls  (iii.  15,  viii.  11)  ;  but  the 
lips  as  the  organ  of  knowledge  are  fittingly  compared  with  a 
precious  vessel,  a  vessel  of  more  precious  substance  than  gold 
and  pearls  are. 

Ver.  16  Take  from  him  the  garment,  for  he  hath  become  surety  for 
another ; 
And  for  strangers  take  him  as  a  pledge. 

The  same  proverb  xxvii.  13,  where  nj^^  with  the  usual  aphseresis, 
here  interchanges  with  it  the  fuller  form  ^Pj,  which  is  also 
found  at  Ezek.  xxxvii.  16.  To  this  imperative  'I'^^^n  is  parallel : 
take  him  as  a  pledge  (Theodotion,  Jerome,  the  Venet.  and 
Luther) ;  it  is  not  a  substantive  :  his  pledge  (Targ.),  which 
would  require  the  word  iripbn  (vbn) ;  nor  is  it  to  be  read  with 
the  Syr.  'i'^??^.,  one  pledges  him ;  but  it  is  imperative,  not 
however  of  the  P'tel,  which  would  be  ^"^P^n,  and  would  mean 
"destroy  him;"  but,  as  Aben  Ezra  rightly,  the  imperative  of 
/faZof  P^Hj  to  take  as  a  pledge,  Ex.  xxii.  25,  for  li^?3n  without 
any  example  indeed  except  ■'^p^n^  Ps.  ix.  14;  cf.  Ixxx.  16.  The 
first  line  is  clear  :  take  his  garment,  for  he  has  become  good  for 
another  (cf.  xi.  15),  who  has  left  him  in  the  lurch,  so  that  he 
must  now  become  wise  by  experience.  The  second  line  also  is 
intelligible  if  we  read,  according  to  the  Chethtb,  D'''}33  (Jerome, 
the  Venet),  not  D'l^Jj  as  Schultens  incorrectly  points  it,  and  if 
we  interpret  this  plur.  like  D'33,  Gen.  xxi.  7,  with  Hitzig  follow- 
ing Luther,  as  plur.  of  the  category  :  take  him  as  a  pledge,  hold 
fast  by  his  person,  so  as  not  to  suffer  injury  from  strange  people 
for  whom  he  has  become  surety.  But  the  Keri  requires  "^'l^J 
(according  to  which  Theodotion  and  the  Syr.,  and,  more  dis- 
tinctly still  than  these,  the  Targ.  translates),  and  thus,  indeed, 
it  stands  written,  xxvii.  13,  without  the  Ken,  thus  Bathra  Hob 
reads  and  writes  also  here.  Either  nn33  is  a  strange  woman, 
a  prostitute,  a  maitresse  for  whom  the  unwise  has  made  himself 


CHAP.  XX.  17,  18.  51 

surety,  or  it  Is  neut.  for  aliena  res  (LXX.  xxvH.  13,  rk 
aXKorpia)^  a.  matter  not  properly  belonging  to  this  unwise 
person.  We  regard  D^"i33  in  this  passage  as  original.  1V2  coin- 
cides with  vi.  26  :  it  does  not  mean  avrl,  but  virep  ;  "  for  strange 
people"  is  here  equivalent  to  for  the  sake  of,  on  account  of  strange 
people  (%a/3ti/  Tcou  äWorplcov,  as  the  Venet.  translates  it). 

Ver.  17  Sweet  to  a  man  is  the  bread  of  deceit ; 
Yet  at  last  his  mouth  is  full  of  gravel. 
"  Bread  of  deceit "  is  not  deceit  itself,  as  that  after  which  the 
desire  of  a  man  goes  forth,  and  that  for  which  he  has  a  relish 
(thus,  e.g.,  Immanuel  and  Hitzig)  ;  but  that  which  is  not  gained 
by  labour,   and   is  not  merited.     Possession   (vid.  iv.   17)   or 
enjoyment  (ix.  17)  obtained  by  deceit  is  thus  called,  as  D''3T3  Qrh^ 
xxiii.  3,  denotes  bread  ;  but  for  him  who  has  a  relish  for  it,  it 
is  connected  with  deceit.     Such  bread  of  lies  is  sweet  to  a  man, 
because  it  has  come  to  him  without  effort,  but  in  the  end  not 
only  will  he  have  nothing  to  eat,  but  his  tongue,  teeth,  and 
mouth  will  be  injured  by  small  stones ;  i.e.  in  the  end  he  will 
have  nothing,  and  there  will  remain  to  him  only  evil  (Fleischer). 
Or:  it  changes  itself  (Job  xx.  14)  at  last  into  gravel,  of  which 
his  mouth  is  filled  full,  as  we  might  say,  "  it  lies  at  last  in  his 
stomach  like  lead."     ^^'H  is  the  Arab,  hatny,  gravel  (Hitzig,  grien 
=  gries,  coarse  sand,  grit),  R.  J^n,  scindere.     Similarly  in  Arab.    /> /;  t^ 
hajar,  a  stone,  is  used  as  the  image  of  disappointed  expectations,    / 
e.g.  the  adulterer  finds  a  stone,  i.e.  experiences  disappointment. 

Ver.  18  Plans  are  established  by  counsel, 

And  with  prudent  government  make  war. 
From  the  conception  of  a  thought,  practically  influencing  the 
formation  of  our  own  life  and  the  life  of  the  community,  to  its 
accomplishment  there  is  always  a  long  way  which  does  not  lead 
to  the  end  unless  one  goes  forward  with  counsel  and  strength 
combined,  and  considers  all  means  and  eventualities.  The 
Nijoh.  of  113  means,  in  a  passive  sense :  to  be  accomplished  or 
realized  (Ps.  cxli.  2).  The  clause  18a  is  true  for  times  of 
war  as  well  as  for  times  of  peace ;  war  is  disastrous,  unless  it 
is  directed  with  strategic  skill  (vid.  regarding  ni7|innj  i.  5). 
Grotius  compares  the  proverb,  Tvcaixac  7r\eov  Kparovaiv  r)  cr6evo<; 
'Xetpwv.  In  xxiv.  6,  the  necessity  of  counsel  is  also  referred 
to  the  case  of  war.      Ewald  would  read   [the  infin.]  nb'y,  or 


52  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

nb»^:  with  maoagement  it  is  that  one  carries  on  war.  But 
why  ?  Because  to  him  the  challenge  to  carry  on  war  appears 
to  be  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  proverbial  poetry.  But  the 
author  of  the  proverb  does  certainly  mean :  if  thou  hast  to 
carry  on  war,  carry  it  on  with  the  skill  of  a  general ;  and  the 
imper.  is  protected  by  xxiv.  6  against  that  iufin.,  which  is, 
besides,  stylistically  incongruous. 

Ver.  19  He  that  goeth  out  gossiping  revealeth  a  secret; 
And  with  the  babbler  have  nothing  to  do. 

Luther  otherwise  (like  Hitzig) — 

Be  not  complicated  with  him  who  revealeth  a  secret, 

And  with- the  slanderer,  and  with  the  false  (better :  loquacious)  mouth, 

so  that  ?  and  the  warning  apply  to  the  threefold  description, 
a  rendering  which  Kimchi  also,  and  Immanuel,  and  others  at 
least  suggest.  But  in  connection  with  xi.  13,  the  first  line 
has  the  force  of  a  judicium,  which  includes  the  warning  to 
entrust  nothing  to  a  babbler  which  ought  to  be  kept  silent. 
Write  "liB  npia,  as  found  in  Codd.  and  old  Edd.,  with  Munach  on 
the  penultima,  on  which  the  tone  is  thrown  back,  and  Dagesh 
to  D,  after  the  rule  of  the  p'-m  (Gesen.  §  20,  2«),  altogether 
like  3^  njip,  XV.  32.  19Z>  the  Venet.  translates  after  the  first 
meaning  of  the  word  by  Kimchi,  tw  äiraraLwvL  Tot<;  '^elXeat, 
to  him  who  slanders  and  befools,  for  it  thus  improves  Theodo- 
tion's  Tft)  aTrarcbvTi,  ra  %6tX,7;  avrov.  But  nna  means,  Job  v.  2, 
— cf.  Hos.  vii.  11, — not  him  who  befools  another,  but  him  who  is 
befooled,  is  slandered,  by  another  (Aben  Ezra :  Dnns  "inins^t^), 
with  which  ''''JnSJti'  here  does  not  agree.  But  now  he  wlio  is 
easily  befooled  is  called  nnbj  as  being  open  to  influence  (sus- 
ceptible),parens  ;  and  if  this  particip.  is  used,  as  here,  transitively, 
and,  on  account  of  the  object  VDDb'  standing  near  cannot  pos- 
sibly be  equivalent  to  nriDO,  the  usage  of  the  language  also  just 
noticed  is  against  it,  then  it  means  patefaciens  or  dilatans 
(cf.  r\T\^r}^  Gen.  ix.  27,  Targ.  ^riQS  =  l^n]n),  and  places  itself 
as  synon.  to  pti^S,  xiii.  3 ;  thus  one  is  called  who  does  not 
close  his  mouth,  who  cannot  hold  his  mouth,  who  always  idly 
babbles,  and  is  therefore,  because  he  can  keep  nothing  to  him- 
self, a  dangerous  companion.  The  Complut.  rightly  translates  : 
jxera  irXuTWOvTO';  to.  iavrov  fxr]  /jiL-^6r]TC  X^^^V' 


CHAP.  XX.  20.  53 

The  following  group  begins,  for  once  more  the  aim  of  this 
older  Book  of  Proverbs  becomes  prominent,  with  an  inculcation 
of  the  fourth^  commandment. 

Ver.  20  He  that  curseth  his  father  and  his  mother, 

His  light  is  extinguished  in  midnight  darkness. 

The  divine  law,  Ex.  xxi.  17,  Lev.  xx.  9,  condemns  such  an  one 
to  death.  But  the  proverb  does  not  mean  this  sentence  against 
the  criminal,  which  may  only  seldom  be  carried  into  execution, 
but  the  fearful  end  which,  because  of  the  righteousness  of  God 
ruling  in  history,  terminates  the  life  of  such  an  unnatural  son 
(xxx.  17).  Of  the  godless,  it  has  already  been  said  that  their 
light  is  extinguished,  xiii.  9,  there  is  suddenly  an  end  to  all  that 
brightened,  i.e.  made  happy  and  embellished  their  life ;  but  he 
who  acts  wickedly  (''?!?,  R.  7p,  levem  esse,  synon.  '^^P'?,  Deut.  xxvii. 
16),  even  to  the  cursing  of  his  father  and  mother,  will  see  him- 
self surrounded  by  midnight  darkness  (Symmachus,  aKOToixrjvrjy 
moonless  night),  not :  he  will  see  himself  in  the  greatest  need, 
forsaken  by  divine  protection  (Fleischer),  for  Jansen  rightly  : 
Lux  et  lucerna  in  scripturis  et  vitce  claritatem  et  posteritatem  et 
prosperitatem  signißcat.  The  apple  of  the  eye,  |iEi^''5<,  of  dark- 
ness (yid.  vii.  9),  is  that  w-liich  forms  the  centre  or  centralization 
of  darkness.  The  Syr.  renders  it  correctly  by  hobtho,  pupil  [of 
the  eye],  but  the  Targ.  retains  the  |^Ci')<  of  the  Keri,  and  renders 
it  in  Aram,  by  |inx,  which  Rashi  regards  as  an  infin,,  Parchon 
as  a  particip.  after  the  form  '^^'^J^;  but  it  may  be  also  an  infin. 
substantive  after  the  form  TlTV,  and  is  certainly  nothing  else  than 
the  abbreviated  and  vocally  obscured  \\^''^,  For  the  Talm. 
I^i^,  to  be  hard,  furnishes  no  suitable  idea ;  and  the  same  holds 
true  of  *'}y^%  times,  Lev.  xv.  25  of  the  Jerusalem  Targ. ; 
while  the  same  abbreviation  and  the  same  passing  over  of  o  into 
u  represents  this  as  the  inflected  li5J^''^?  (=rij;).  There  is  also 
no  evidence  for  a  verb  T^X,  to  be  black,  dark ;  the  author  of 
Aruch  interprets  ^?31t^'x,  Bereschith  Rabba,  c.  33,  with  reference 
to  the  passage  before  us,  of  a  dark  bathing  apartment,  but  only 
tentatively,  and  \\^^ii  is  there  quoted  as  the  Targ.  of  ^V^  Gen. 
xix.  8,  which  the  text  lying  before  us  does  not  ratify.  Ishon 
means  the  little  man  (in  the  eye),  and  neither  the  blackness 

'■  i.e.  The  ß/th  according  to  the  arrangement  of  the  "Westminster  Con- 
fession.] 


54  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

(Buxtorf  and  others)  nor  the  point  of  strength,  the  central 
point  (Levy)  of  the  eye.-^ 

Ver.  21  An  inheritance  which  in  the  beginning  is  obtained  in  haste, 
Its  end  wUl  not  be  blessed. 
The  partlc.  ^{}'^''P  may,  after  Zech.  xi.  8,  cf.  Syr.  IL.^.».^, 
nauseans,  mean  "  detested,"  but  that  affords  here  no  sense  ; 
rather  it  might  be  interpreted  after  the  Arab,  bajila,  to  be  IraJi^ 
avaricious,  "  gotten  by  avarice,  niggardliness,"  vv^ith  which, 
however,  neither  '"i^™,  inheritance,  nor,  since  avarice  is  a 
chronic  disease,  njitJ'K")^  agrees.  On  the  contrary,  the  Keri 
ripribo  [hastened]  perfectly  agrees,  both  linguistically  {vid. 
xxviii.  22  ;  cf.  xiii.  11)  and  actually ;  for,  as  Hitzig  remarks, 
the  words  following  ver.  20  fully  harmonize  with  the  idea  of  an 
inheritance,  into  the  possession  of  which  one  is  put  before  it  is 
rightly  due  to  him  ;  for  a  son  such  as  that,  the  parents  may  live 
too  long,  and  so  he  violently  deprives  them  of  the  possession 
(cf.  xix.  26)  ;  but  on  such  a  possession  there  rests  no  blessing. 
Since  the  Piel  may  mean  to  hasten,  Esth.  ii.  9,  so  '''^^'f  may 
mean  hastened  =  speedy,  Esth.  viii.  14,  as  well  as  made  in 
haste.  All  the  old  interpreters  adopt  the  Keri;  the  Aram, 
render  it  well  by  t^nnnoOj  from  ^ü"??^,  overturned  ;  and  Luther, 
like  Jerome,  hcereditas  ad  quam  festinatur. 

Ver.  22  Say  not :  I  will  avenge  the  evil ; 

Hope  in  Jahve,  so  will  He  help  thee. 
Men  ought  always  to  act  toward  their  neighbours  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  love,  and  not  according  to  the  jus  talionis, 
xxiv.  29  ;  they  ought  not  only,  by  requiting  good  with  evil 
(xvi.  13 ;  Ps.  vii.  5a,  xxxv.  12),  not  to  transgress  this  law  of 
requital,  but  they  ought  to  surpass  it,  by  also  recompensing 
not  evil  with  evil  (vid.  regarding  Dpw',  and  synon.  to  xvii. 
13) ;  and  that  is  what  the  proverb  means,  for  22b  supposes 
injustice  suffered,  which  might  stir  up  a  spirit  of  revenge. 
It  does  not,  however,  say  that  men  ought  to  commit  the 
taking  of  vengeance  to  God;  but,  in  the  sense  of  Rom.  xii. 
17-19,  1  Pet.  iii.  9,  that,  renouncing  all  dependence  on  self, 
they  ought  to  commit  their  deliverance  out  of  the  distress  into 
which  they  have  fallen,  and  their  vindication,  into  the  hands  of 
God  ;  for  the  promise  is  not  that  He  will  avenge  them,  but  that 
'   Vid.  Fleischer  in  Levy's  Chald.  Wörterluch,  i.  419. 


CHAP.  XX.  23,  21  55 

He  will  help  them.  The  jussive  V^'")  (write  yJi']"),  according  to 
Metheg-setziing,  §  42,  with  Gaja  as  m):iVT\j  with  the  V  to  secure 
distinct  utterance  to  the  final  guttural)  states  as  a  consequence, 
like,  e.g.,  2  Kings  v.  10,  what  will  then  happen  (Jerome,  Luther, 
Hitzig)  if  one  lets  God  rule  (Gesen.  §  128,  2c)  ;  equally  pos- 
sible, syntactically,  is  the  rendering  :  that  He  may  help  thee 
(LXX.,  Ewald)  ;  but,  regarded  as  a  promise,  the  words  are 
more  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  proverb,  and  they 
round  it  off  more  expressively. 

Ver.  23  An  abomination  to  Jahve  are  two  kinds  of  weights  ; 
And  deceitful  balances  are  not  good. 
A  variant  to  ver.  10,  xi.  1.     The  pred.  y^U'^h  (xvii.  26,  xviii. 
5,  xix.  3)  is  conceived  of  as  neut. ;  they  are  not  good,  much 
rather  bad  and  pernicious,  for  the  deceiver  succeeds  only  in 
appearance  ;  in  reality  he  fails. 

Ver.  24  The  steps  of  a  man  depend  on  Jahve ; 

And  a  man — how  can  he  understand  his  way  ? 
Line  first  is  from  Ps.  xxxvii.  23,  but  there,  where  the  clause  has 
the  verbal  predicate  =i33i3,  the  meaning  is  that  it  is  the  gracious 
assistance  of  God,  by  virtue  of  which  a  man  takes  certain  steps 
with  his  feet,  while  here  we  have  before  us  a  variation  of  the 
proverb  "  der  Mensch  denkt,  Gott  lenkt "  [=  man  proposes,  God 
disposes],  xvi.  9,  Jer.  x.  23;  for  IP,  as  at  2  Sam.  iii.  37,  Ps.  cxviii. 
23,  denotes  God  in  general  as  conditioning,  as  the  ultimate 
cause.  Man  is  indeed  free  to  turn  himself  hither  or  thither,  to 
decide  on  this  course  of  conduct  or  on  that,  and  is  therefore 
responsible  for  it ;  but  the  relations  co-operating  in  all  his  steps 
as  the  possible  and  defining  conditions  are  God's  contrivance 
and  guidance,  and  the  consequences  which  are  connected  with 
his  steps  and  flow  therefrom,  lie  beyond  the  power  of  man, — 
every  one  of  his  steps  is  a  link  of  a  chain,  neither  the  beginning 
nor  the  end  of  which  he  can  see;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
God's  knowledge  comprehends  the  beginning,  middle,  and  end, 
and  the  wisdom  of  God  ruling  in  the  sphere  of  history,  makes 
all  human  activity,  the  free  action  of  man,  subservient  to  his 
world-plan.  The  question,  which  has  a  negative  answer,  is 
applicable  to  man :  what,  i.e.  how  shall  he  understand  his  way? 
n»  is  like,  e.g.,  Ex.  x.  26,  Job  ix.  2,  xix.  28,  accus.,  and  fluctu- 
ates between  the  functions  of  a  governed  accusative :  What 


56  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

does  he  understand  .  .  .  (Job  xl.  8)  and  an  adv.:  how,  i.e.  how  so 
little,  how  even  not,  for  it  is  the  no  of  the  negative  question  which 
has  become  in  (Arab.)  7nä  a  word  of  negation.  The  way  of  a  man 
is  his  life's-course.  This  he  understands  in  the  present  life  only 
relatively,  the  true  unravelling  of  it  remains  for  the  future. 

Ver,  25  It  is  a  snare  to  a  man  to  cry  out  hastily  "  holy ;  " 
And  first  after  vows  to  investigate. 
Two  other  interpretations  of  the  first  line  have  been  proposed. 
The  snare  of  a  man  devours,  i.e.  destroys  the  holy ;  but  then 
nnx  K'piO  must  be  an  expression  of  an  action,  instead  of  an 
expression  of  an  endurance,  which  is  impossible.  The  same  is 
true  against  the  explanation  :  the  snare  of  a  man  devours, 
i.e.  consumes,  eats  up  the  holy,  which  as  such  is  withdrawn 
from  common  use.  Jerome  with  his  devotare  sanctos,  and 
Luther  with  his  das  Heilige  lestern  [to  calumniate  the  holy], 
give  to  yv  =  ypn  a  meaning  which  loses  itself  in  the  arbitrary. 
Accordingly,  nothing  is  to  be  done  with  the  meaning  Kara- 
TTierat  (Aquila,  the  Venet.).  But  V})  will  be  the  abbreviated 
fut.  of  vh  (from  V^^l)^  or  yy^  (y^'),  Job  vi.  3  =  (Arab.)  laghd 
temere  loqui  (proloqui) ;  and  ^"j?  (after  Hitzig :  consecration, 
which  is  contrary  to  usage)  is  like  Kopßäv,  Mark  vii.  11,  the 
exclamation  to  which  one  suddenly  gives  utterance,  thereby 
meaning  that  this  or  that  among  his  possessions  henceforth  no 
longer  belongs  to  him,  but  is  consecrated  to  God,  and  thus 
ought  to  be  delivered  up  to  the  temple.  Such  a  sudden  vow 
and  halting  deference  to  the  oath  that  has  been  uttered  is  a 
snare  to  a  man,  for  he  comes  to  know  that  he  has  injured 
himself  by  the  alienation  of  his  property,  which  he  has  vowed 
beyond  that  which  was  due  from  him,  or  that  the  fulfilling  of 
his  vow  is  connected  with  difficulties,  and  perhaps  also  to  others, 
with  regard  to  whom  its  disposal  was  not  permitted  to  him,  is  of 
evil  consequences,  or  it  may  be  he  is  overcome  by  repentance 
and  is  constrained  to  break  his  oath.  The  LXX.  hits  the 
true  meaning  of  the  proverb  with  rare  success :  IlayU  ävhpl 
raj^x)  TL  rwv  ISloov  dyidcrat,  [xera  he  to  erj^aaOac  fxeravoelv 
ryiverai.  D''")n3  is  plur.  of  the  category  (cf.  16^»  Chetldb),  and 
li?.?,  as  2  Kings  xvi.  15,  Arab,  hakr,  examinare,  inquirere^ 
means  to  subject  to  investigation,  viz.  whether  he  ought  to 
observe,  and  might  observe,  a  vow  such  as  this,  or  whether  he 


CHAP.  XX.  26,  27.  57 

might  not  and  ought  not  rather  to  renounce  it  (Fleischer). 
Viewed  syntactically,  25a  is  so  difficult,  that  Bertheau,  with 
Hitzig,  punctuates  y?''. ;  but  this  substantive  must  be  formed 
from  a  verb  V^]  (cf.  Hab.  iii.  13),  and  this  would  mean,  after 
(Arab.)  ivala,  "  to  long  eagerly  for,"  which  is  not  suitable 
here.  The  punctuation  shows  y^''  as  the  3d.  fut.  What  inter- 
preters here  say  of  the  doubled  accent  of  the  word  arises  from 
ignorance:  the  correct  punctuation  is  y?'^,  with  Gaja  to  J?,  to  give 
the  final  guttural  more  force  in  utterance.  The  poet  appears  to 
place  in  the  foreground:  "  a  snare  for  a  man,"  as  a  rubrum;  and 
then  continuing  the  description,  he  cries  out  suddenly  "  holy  !  " 
and  after  the  vow,  he  proceeds  to  deliberate  upon  it.  Fleischer 
rightly  :  post  vota  inquisiturus  est  (in  ea)  =  ^ij^^p  n''n> ;  vid.  at 
Hab.  i.  17,  which  passage  Hitzig  also  compares  as  syntactically 
very  closely  related. 

Ver.  26  A  wise  king  -winnoweth  tlie  godless, 
Aud  bringeth  over  them  the  wheel. 
A  variant  to  xx.  8,  but  here  with  the  following  out  of  the  figure 
of  the  winnowing.  For  |Sii<  with  niTö  is,  without  doubt,  the 
wheel  of  the  threshing-cart, npjy,  Isa.  xxviii.  27  f.;  and  thus  with 
niTD,  the  winnowing  fork,  n~iTrp  is  to  be  thought  of ;  vid.  a  de- 
scription of  them  along  with  that  of  the  winnowing  shovel,  nni, 
in  Wetzstein's  Excursus  to  Isa.,  p,  707  ff.  "VYe  are  not  to  think 
of  the  punishment  of  the  wheel,  which  occurs  only  as  a  terrible 
custom  of  war  (e.g.  Amos  i.  3).  It  is  only  meant  that  a  wise  king, 
by  sharp  and  vigorous  procedure,  separates  the  godless,  and 
immediately  visits  them  with  merited  punishment,  as  he  who 
works  with  the  winnowing  shovel  gives  the  chaff  to  the  wind. 
Most  ancient  interpreters  think  on  jSIN  (from  \pi^,  vertere)  in 
its  metaphorical  meaning  :  rpoiro'i  (thus  also  Löwenstein,  he 
deals  with  them  according  to  merit),  or  the  wheel  of  fortune, 
with  reference  to  the  constellations;  thus,  misfortune  (Im- 
manuel, Meiri).  Arama,  Oetinger,  and  others  are,  however, 
on  the  right  track. 

With  a  proverb  of  a  light  that  was  extinguished,  ver.  20 
began  the  group  ;  the  proverb  of  God's  light,  which  here  follows, 
we  take  as  the  beginning  of  a  new  group. 

Ver.  27  A  candle  of  Jahve  is  the  soul  of  man, 

Searching  through  all  the  chambers  of  the  heart. 


58  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

If  the  O.  T.  language  has  a  separate  word  to  denote  the  self- 
conscious  personal    human    spirit   in   contradistinction   to  the 
spirit  of   a  beast,   this  word,   according  to   the  usage  of  tlie 
language,  as  Reuchlin,  in  an  appendix  to  Aben  Ezra,  remarks, 
is  no^b ;  it  is  so  called  as  the  principle  of  life  breathed  im- 
mediately by  God  into  the  body  {vid.  at  Gen.  ii.  7,  vii.  22). 
Indeed,  that  which  is  here  said  of  the  human  spirit  would  not 
be  said  of  the  spirit  of  a  beast :  it  is  "  the  mystery  of  self-con- 
sciousness which    is   here   figuratively  represented "  (Elster). 
The  proverb  intentionally  does  not  use  the  word  ^'^},,  for  this  is 
not  the  power  of  self-consciousness  in  man,  but  the  medium  of 
bodily  life ;  it  is  related  secondarily  to  HDt^'j  (nn),  while  r\D^2 
W'Ti  (nn)  .is  used,  W^Ti  K'D3  is  an  expression  unheard  of.    Hitzig 
is  in  error  when  he  understands  by  nctJ>J  here  the  soul  in  con- 
tradistinction to  the  spirit,  and  in  support  of  this  appeals  to  an 
expression  in  the  Cosmography  of  Kazwmi :  "  the  soul  (Arab. 
dl-nefs)  is  like  the  lamp  which  moves  about  in  the  chambers 
of  the  house ;"  here  also  en-nefs  is  the  self-conscious  spirit,  for 
the  Arab,  and  post-bibl.  Heb.  terminology  influenced  by  philo- 
sophy reverses  the  biblical  usage,  and  calls  the  rational  soul  C'S:, 
and,  on  the  contrary,  the  animal  soul  noti'3,  nil  {Psychologie,  p. 
154).     '^^h  is  the  particip.  of  ti'sn,  Zeph.  i.  12,  without  dis- 
tinguishing the  Kal  and   Piel.      Regarding  It^n-nin,  LXX. 
ra/xLela  Koi\ia^,  vid.  at  xviii.  8 :  i^?  denotes  the  inner  part  of 
the  body  (R.  02,  to  be  deepened),  and  generally  of  the  per- 
sonality ;  cf.  Arab,  batn  ulrwh,  the  interior  of  the  spirit,  and 
xxii.  18,  according  to  which  Fleischer  explains :  "  A  candle  of 
Jahve,  i.e.  a  means  bestowed  on  man  by  God  Himself  to  search 
out  the  secrets  deeply  hid  in  the  spirit  of  another."      But  the 
candle  which  God  has  kindled  in  man  has  as  the  nearest  sphere 
of  illumination,  which  goes  forth  from  it,  the  condition  of  the 
man  himself — the  spirit  comprehends  all  that  belongs  to  the 
nature  of  man  in  the  unity  of  self-consciousness,  but  yet  more : 
it  makes  it  the  object  of  reflection  ;  it  peneti'ates,  searching  it 
through,  and  seeks  to  take  it  up  into  its  knowledge,  and  recog- 
nises the  problem  proposed  to  it,  to  rule  it  by  its  power.     The 
proverb  is  thus  to  be  ethically  understood :  the  spirit  is  that 
which  penetrates  that  which  is  within,  even  into  its  many  secret 
corners  and  folds,  with  its  self-testing  and  self-knowing  light 


CHAP.  XX'.  28,  29.  59 

— it  is,  after  Matt.  vl.  22,  the  inner  light,  the  inner  eye.  Man 
becomes  known  to  himself  according  to  his  moral  as  well  as 
his  natural  condition  in  the  light  of  the  spirit ;  "  for  what  man 
knoweth  the  things  of  a  man,  save  the  spirit  of  man  which 
is  in  him?"  says  Paul,  1  Cor.  ii.  11.  With  reference  to  this 
Solomonic  proverb,  the  seven  -  branched  candlestick  is  an 
ancient  symbol  of  the  soul,  e.g.  on  the  Jewish  sepulchral  monu- 
ments of  the  Eoman  via  Portuensis.  Our  texts  present  the 
phrase  nin^  "13;  but  the  Talm.  Pesachim  7b,  8a,  the  Pesikta  in 
part  8,  the  Midx'ash  Othijoth  de-Ralbi  Akiba,  under  the  letter  3, 
Alphasi  (fl''"i)  in  Pesachim,  and  others,  read  Ö''^l^^?  1J ;  and  after 
this  phrase  the  Targum  translates,  while  the  Syr.  and  the 
other  old  versions  render  by  the  word  "Lord  "  (Venet.  6vtcüt7]<;), 
and  thus  had  nin^  before  them. 

Ver.  28  Love  and  truth  guard  the  king ; 

And  he  supports  his  throne  by  love. 
We  have  not  in  the  German  [nor  in  the  Eng.]  language  a 
couple  of  words  that  completely  cover  ncNI  non ;  when  they 
are  used  of  God,  we  translate  them  by  grace  and  truth  \_Gnade 
u.  Wahrheit],  Ps.  xl.  12  (^?^^5:^.) ;  when  of  men,  by  love  and 
truth  [lAehe  u,  Treue~\,  xvi.  6  ;  and  when  of  the  two-sided  divine 
forces,  by  kindness  and  truth,  iii.  3.  Love  and  truth  are  the 
two  good  spirits  that  guard  the  king.  If  it  is  elsewhere 
said  that  the  king's  throne  is  supported  "  with  judgment  and 
with  justice,"  Isa.  ix.  6  [7]  ;  here,  on  the  other  side,  we  see  that 
the  exercise  of  government  must  have  love  as  its  centre  ;  he 
has  not  only  to  act  on  the  line  of  right,  H^  n^Vk^ ;  but,  as  the 
later  proverb  says,  in  such  a  way,  that  within  this  circle  his 
conduct  is  determined  by  the  central  motive  of  love.  In  this 
sense  we  give  the  king  not  only  the  title  of  Grossmächtigster 
[most  high  and  mighty],  but  also  that  of  ^^  AUergnädigster'^ 
[most  gracious],  for  the  king  can  and  ought  to  exercise  grace 
before  other  men;  the  virtue  of  condescension  establishes  his 
throne  more  than  the  might  of  greatness. 

Ver.  29  The  ornament  of  young  men  is  their  strength ; 
And  the  honour  of  the  old  is  grey  hairs. 
Youth  has  the  name  'I'lna  (different  from  "i^^a,  chosen),  of  the 
maturity   (it.  "inn,  cogn.  ")33,  133,  whence  Mishn.  H^J?,  man- 
hood, in  contradistinction  to  ri^""!^:)  into  which  he  enters  from 


60  THE   BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

the  bloom  of  boyhood ;  and  the  old  man  is  called  lü^T  (Arab. 
dhikn,  as  Schaltens  says,  a  mento  pendulo,  from  the  hanging 
chin  li^T,  (Arab.)  dhahan,  chin,  beard  on  the  chin).  To  stand  in 
the  fulness  of  fresh  unwasted  strength  is  to  youth,  as  such,  an 
ornament  (JTiSSn,  cf.  IIIN'S,  blooming  colour  of  the  countenance); 
on  the  contrary,  to  the  old  man  who  has  spent  his  strength  in 
the  duties  of  his  office,  or  as  it  is  said  at  xvi.  31,  "  in  the  way 
of  righteousness,"  grey  hairs  (n3''t;^,  f rom  3^^,  AYSih.shdh^canescere) 
give  an  honourable  appearance  i^y},  from  ^^'^^  turgidum^  amplum 
esse,  vid.  at  Isa.  Ixiii.  1). 

Ver.  30  Cuttiug  wounds  cleanse  away  evil, 

And  reach  the  inner  parts  of  the  body. 
The  two  words  for  wounds  in  line  first  stand  in  the  st.  consir. ; 
rrp.n  (from  "i3n,  to  be  bound  around  with  stripes,  to  be  striped) 
is  properly  the  streak,  the  stripe;  but  is  here  heightened  by 
W?  (from  J'V?,  to  cleave,  split,  tear  open),  beyond  the  idea  of 
the  stripe- wound  :  tearing  open  the  flesh,  cuts  tearing  into  the 
flesh.  The  pred.  is  after  the  Keri  pnori ;  but  this  substantive, 
found  in  the  Book  of  Esther,  v/here  it  signifies  the  purification 
of  the  Avomen  for  the  harem  (according  to  which,  e.g.,  Ahron 
B.  Joseph  explains  tirh  ns^  Kint^  D^C^J^  pnnn  1D3),  is  syntactically 
hard,  and  scarcely  original.  For  if  we  explain  with  Kimchi: 
wounds  of  deep  incision  find  their  cleansing  (cure)  by  evil,  i.e. 
by  means  which  bring  suffering  (according  to  which,  probably 
the  Venet.  ixu>\w7re<i  rpav/naro';  Xd/x^lrovatv  iv  KaKO)),  then 
li^non,  with  the  pronoun  pointing  back,  one  would  have  expected. 
But  the  interpretation  of  y^B,  of  severe  means  of  cure,  is  con- 
strained ;  that  which  lies  nearest,  however,  is  to  understand 
J?1  of  evil.  But  if,  MMth  this  understanding  of  the  word,  we 
translate :  Vihices  plagarum  sunt  lustratio  qua;  adJdbetiir  malo 
(Fleischer),  one  does  not  see  why  yili^  and  not  rather  gen.  j;"i, 
is  used.  But  if  we  read  after  the  Chetliib  P"''}'?^!!,  then  all  is 
syntactically  correct;  for  (1.)  that  the  word  lp''"70!,  or  njpncri,  is 
not  used,  is  in  accordance  with  a  well-known  rule,  Gesen.  § 
146,  3 ;  and  (2.)  that  p'lon  is  connected,  not  directly  with  an 
accus,  obj.,  but  with  3,  has  its  analogy  in  3  ^VT\r}^  Jer.  xlii.  2, 
3  K^'Tf'7,  Job  xxxi.  12,  and  the  like,  and  iaesides  has  its  spe- 
cial ground  in  the  metaphorical  character  of  the  cleansing. 
Thus,  e.g.,  one  uses  Syr.  ]v.4|  of  external  misleading;  but  with 


CHAP.  XXI.  SO.  61 

a  of  moral  misleailing  (Ewald,  §  217,  2) ;  and  Arab.  jl^\  of 
erecting  a  building ;  but  with  4_;  of  the  intellectual  erection 
of  a  memorial  (monument).     It  is  the  so-called  Bä-dlmojäz; 
viel  de  Sacy's   Chrest.  Arab.  i.  397.     The  verb  P^9  means  in 
Talm.  also,  "  to  take  away"  (a  metaph.  of  ahstergere;  cf.  Arab. 
maralc^  to  wipe  off  ^) ;  and  that  meaning  is  adopted,  Schahbath 
3oa,  for  the  interpretations  of  this  proverb  :  stripes  and  wounds 
a  preparedness  for  evil  carries  away,  and  sorrow  in  the  innermost 
part  of  the  body,  which  is  explained  by  jpm  (a  disease  appear- 
ing in  diverse  forms ;  cf .  "  DrachenscJmss,''  as  the  name  of  an 
animal  disease)  ;  but  granting  that  the  biblical  p'\D  may  bear 
this  meaning,  the  1  remains  unaccountable ;  for  we  say  pio 
•T'?y^  IJ^vy,  for  to  prepare  oneself  for  a  transgression  (sin  of 
excess),  and  not  "7?!^^.     We  have  thus  to  abide  by  the  primary 
meaning,  and  to  compare  the  proverb,  Berachoth  ba  :  "  afflictive 
providences  wash  away  all  the  transgressions  of  a  man."     But 
the  proverb  before  us  means,  first  at  least,  not  the  wounds  which 
God  inflicts,  but  those  which  human  educational  energy  in- 
flicts: deep-cutting  wounds,  i.e.  stern  discipline,  leads  to  the  rub- 
bing off  of  evil,  i.e.  rubs  it,  washes  it,  cleanses  it  away.     It  may 
now  be  possible  that  in  30&  the  subject  idea  is  permutatively  con- 
tinued :  etverbera  penetralium  corporis  (thus  the  Venet.:  TrXiryal 
Twv  raiJLielwv  rod  jaarpo^),  i.e.  quorum  vis  ad  intimos  corporis 
et  animi  recessus  penelrat  (Fleischer).     But  that  is  encumbered, 
and  il??"^']in  (cf.  ver.  27,  xviii.  8),  as  referring  to  the  depths 
to  which  stern  corporal  discipline  penetrates,  has  not  its  full 
force,    riiap^  is  either  a  particip. :  and  that  as  touching  (ferientes) 
the  inner  chambers  of  the  body,  or  pn-mn  is  with  the  2,  or 
immediately,  the   second  object  of  pnon  to  be  supplied :  and 
strokes  (rub  off,  cleanse,  make  pure)  the  innermost  part.  Jerome 
and  the  Targ.  also  supply  2,  but  erroneously,  as  designating 
place :  in  secretioribus  ventris,  relatively  better  the  LXX.  and 
Syr.:  ek  rafxieta  KoiXm.     Luther  hits  the  sense  at  least,  for 
he  translates : 

One  must  restrain  evil  with  severe  punishment, 

And  with  hard  strokes  which  one  feels. 


Vid.  Dozy's  Leltre  a  M.  Fleischer  (1871),  p.  198. 


62  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Chap.  xxl.  1.  The  group,  like  the  preceding  one,  now  closes 
with  a  proverb  of  the  king. 

A  king's  heart  in  Jahve's  hand  is  like  brooks  of  water ; 
He  turneth  it  whithersoever  He  will. 

Bronk  and  canal  (the  Quinta  :  vSpaycoyol)  are  both  called  J?3, 
or  3^3,  Job  XX,  17,  Arab,  falaj  (from  J.^S,  to  divide,  according 
to  vi^hich  Aquila,  Symmachus,  and  Theodotion,  Siapeaei'^;  Venet. 
Scavo/xai;  Jerome,  divisiones)  ;  Jdkut  has  the  explanation  of 
the  word  :  "falaj  is  the  name  given  to  flowing  water,  particu- 
larly the  brook  from  a  spring,  and  every  canal  which  is  led 
from  a  spring  out  over  flat  ground."  Such  brooks  of  water  are 
the  heart  of  a  king,  i.e.  it  is  compared  to  such,  in  Jahve's  hand. 
The  second  line  contains  the  point  of  comparison  :  He  inclines  it, 
gives  to  it  "the  direction  {^^\},  causat.  of  nD3,  Num.  xxi.  15) 
toward  whatever  He  will  {Y^^  denotes  willing,  as  a  bending  and 
inclining,  viz.  of  the  will;  vid.  at  xviii.  2).  Rightly  Hitzig  finds 
it  not  accidental  that  just  the  expression  "  brooks  of  water"  is 
chosen  as  the  figure  for  tractableness  and  subjection  to  govern- 
ment. In  Isa.  xxxii.  2,  the  princes  of  Judah  are  compared  to 
"rivers  of  water  in  a  dry  place  "  with  reference  to  the  exhaus- 
tion of  the  land  during  the  oppression  of  the  Assyrian  invasion  ; 
the  proverb  has  specially  in  view  evidences  of  kindness  pro- 
ceeding from  the  heart,  as  at  xvi.  15  the  favour  of  the  king  is 
compared  to  clouds  of  latter  rain  emptying  themselves  in  bene- 
ficent showers,  and  at  xix.  12  to  the  dew  refreshing  the  plants. 
But  the  speciality  of  the  comparison  here  is,  that  the  heart 
of  the  king,  however  highly  exalted  above  his  subjects,  and 
so  removed  from  their  knowledge  he  may  be,  has  yet  One 
above  it  by  whom  it  is  moved  by  hidden  influences,  e.g.  the 
prayer  of  the  oppressed ;  for  man  is  indeed  free,  yet  he  acts 
under  the  influence  of  divinely-directed  circumstances  and 
divine  operations  ;  and  though  he  reject  the  guidance  of  God, 
yet  from  his  conduct  nothing  results  which  the  Omniscient, 
who  is  surprised  by  nothing,  does  not  make  subservient  to  His 
will  in  the  world-plan  of  redemption.  Rightly  the  Midrash  : 
God  gives  to  the  world  good  or  bad  kings,  according  as  He 
seeks  to  bless  it  or  to  visit  it  with  punishment ;  all  decisions 
that  go  forth  from  the  king's  mouth  come  n^nn37,  i.e.  in  their 


CHAP.  XXI.  2-4.  63 

first  commencement  and  their  last  reason  they  come, from  the 
Holy  One. 

The  next  group  extends  from  ver.  2  to  ver.  8,  where  it  closes 
as  it  began. 

Ver,  2  Every  way  of  a  man  is  right  in  his  own  eyes ; 
But  a  weigher  of  hearts  is  Jahve. 
A  proverb  similar  to  xvi.  2  (where  '^y[  for  V/}^,  m  for  "iK^'j, 
nimi  for  nia^).  God  is  also,  xvii.  3,  called  a  trier,  jna,  of 
hearts,  as  He  is  here  called  a  weigher,  l?ri.  The  proverb 
indirectly  admonishes  us  of  the  duty  of  constant  self-examina- 
tion, according  to  the  objective  norm  of  the  revealed  will  of 
God,  and  warns  us  against  the  self-complacency  of  the  fool,  of 
whom  xii.  15  says  (as  Trimberg  in  ^' Eenner")  :  "  all  fools  live 
in  the  pleasant  feeling  that  their  life  is  the  best,"  and  against 
the  self-deception  which  walks  in  the  way  of  death  and  dreams 
of  walking  in  the  way  of  life,  xiv.  12  (xvi.  25). 

Ver.  3  To  practise  justice  and  right 

Hath  with  Jahve  the  pre-eminence  above  sacrifice. 
We  have  already  (vol.  i.  p.  42)  shown  how  greatly  this  de- 
preciation of  the  works  of  the  ceremonial  cultus,  as  compared 
with  the  duties  of  moral  obedience,  is  in  the  spirit  of  the 
Chokma  ;  cf.  also  at  xv.  8.  Prophecy  also  gives  its  testimony, 
e.g.  Hos.  vi.  7,  according  to  which  also  here  (cf.  xx.  86  with 
Isa.  ix.  8)  the  practising  of  tOS^Jpi  nj^n^f  (sequence  of  words 
as  at  Gen.  xviii.  19,  Ps.  xxxiii.  5,  elsewhere  OSti'DI  pnv,  and  yet 
more  commonly  npn^l  tost^b)  does  not  denote  legal  rigour,  but 
the  practising  of  the  justum  et  cequum,  or  much  rather  the 
(vquum  et  honum^  thus  in  its  foundation  conduct  proceeding 
from  the  principle  of  love.  The  inf.  nc'J?  (like  njp,  xvi.  16) 
occurs  three  times  (here  and  at  Gen.  1.  20;  Ps.  ci.  3);  once  Iti'J?  is 
written  (Gen.  xxxi.  18),  as  also  in  the  infin.  ahsol.i\\Q  form  nby 
and  Vi^V  interchange  {vid.  Norzi  at  Jer.  xxii.  4)  ;  once  ^nb^j?  for 
inib'y  (Ex.  xviii.  18)  occurs  in  the  status  conjunctus. 
Ver.  4  Loftiness  of  eyes  and  swelling  of  heart — 
The  husbandry  of  the  godless  is  sin. 
If  "13,  in  the  sense  of  light,  gives  a  satisfactory  meaning,  then 
one  might  appeal  to  1  Kings  xi.  36  (cf.  2  Sam.  xxi.  17), where  T'J 
appears  to  signify  lamp,  in  which  meaning  it  is  once  (2  Sam. 
xxii.  29)  written  Tp  (like  PV);  or  since  "''3  =  13  (ground-form, 


64  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 


naioir, 


lightening)  is  as  yet  certainly  established  neither  in  the 
Heb.  nor  Syr.,  one  might  punctuate  i?.  instead  of  *1J,  according 
to  which  the  Greeks,  Aram.,  and  Luther,  with  Jerome,  translate. 
But  of  the  lamp  of  the  godless  we  read  at  xiii.  9  and  elsewhere, 
that  it  goeth  out.  We  must  here  understand  by  1J  the  brilliant 
prosperity  (Bertheau  and  others)  of  the  wicked,  or  their  "  proud 
spirit  flaming  and  flaring  like  a  bright  light"  (Zöckler),  which 
is  contrary  to  the  use  of  the  metaphor  as  found  elsewhere, 
which  does  not  extend  to  a  prosperous  condition.  We  must 
then  try  another  meaning  for  1J ;  but  not  that  of  yoke,  for  this 
is  not  Heb.,  but  Aram.-Arab.,  and  the  interpretation  thence 
derived  by  Lagarde :  "  Haughtiness  and  pride  ;  but  the  godless 
for  all  that  bear  their  yoke,  viz.  sin,"  seeks  in  vain  to  hide 
behind  the  "  for  all  that "  the  breaking  asunder  of  the  two  lines 
of  the  verse."  In  Heb.  "i?.  means  that  which  lightens  (burning) 
=  lamp,  "1^3,  the  shining  (that  which  burns)  =  fire,  and  1''^,  xiii. 
23,  from  i^J,  to  plough  up  (Targ.  1  Sam.  viii.  12,  iJOx  = 
^"^ik)  the  fresh  land,  i.e.  the  breaking  up  of  the  fallow  land ; 
according  to  which  the  Venet.  as  Kimchi :  vico/ia  äaeßcov 
a fiapTLU,  winch  as  Ewald  and  Elster  explain:  "  where  a  disposi- 
tion of  wicked  haughtiness,  of  unbridled  pride,  prevails,  there 
will  also  sin  be  the  first-fruit  on  the  field  of  action ;  "IJ,  novale, 
the  .field  turned  up  for  the  first  time,  denotes  here  the  first- 
fruits  of  sin."  But  why  just  the  first-fruits,  and  not  the  fruit 
in  general  ?  We  are  better  to  abide  by  the  field  itself,  which 
is  here  styled  ">?,  not  nnb>  (or  as  once  in  Jer.  xxxix.  10,  2^);  be- 
cause with  this  word,  more  even  than  with  nitf,  is  connected  the 
idea  of  agricultural  work,  of  arable  land  gained  by  the  digging 
up  or  the  breaking  up  of  one  or  more  years'  fallow  ground  (cf. 
Pea  ii.  1,  "i^j  Arab.  siMk,  opp.  "lis,  Arab,  hur,  Menachoth  85a, 
niiJiJp  nnb*,  a  fresh  broken-up  field,  Erachin  296,  IJ,  opp.  "i"'2ri, 
to  let  lie  fallow),  so  that  DW^  13  may  mean  the  cultivation  of 
the  fields,  and  generally  the  husbandry,  i.e.  the  whole  conduct 
and  life  of  the  godless.  1^  is  here  ethically  metaph.,  but  not 
like  Hos.  x.  12,  Jer.  iv.  3,  where  it  means  a  new  moral  com- 
mencement of  life  ;  but  like  ti'in,  arare,  Job  iv.  8,  Hos.  x.  13  ; 
cf.  Prov.  iii.  29.  ini  is  not  adj.  like  xxviii.  25,  Ps.  ci.  5,  but 
infin.  like  ipn,  x.  21 ;  and  accordingly  also  Dn  is  not  adj.  like 
D^n,  or  past  like  JiD,  but  infin.  like  Isa.  x.  12.     And  riXDn  is  the 


CHAP.  XXI.  5,  G.  G5 

pred.  of  tlie  complex  subject,  which  consists  of  ^)TV  Di"i,  a 
haughty  looking  down  with  the  eyes,  3^"3n"i,  breadth  of  heart, 
i.e.  excess  of  self-consciousness,  and  WV'^")  13  taken  as  an  asyn- 
deton summativiim:  pride  of  look,  and  making  oneself  large  of 
heart,  in  short,  the  whole  husbandry  of  the  godless,  or  the  whole 
of  the  field  cultivated  by  them,  with  all  that  grows  thereon,  is 
sin. 

Ver.  5  The  striving  of  the  diligent  is  only  to  advantage. 
And  hastening  all  [excessive  haste]  only  to  loss ; 
or  in  other  words,  and  agreeably  to  the  Heb.  construction : 

The  thoughts  of  the  industrious  are  (reach)  only  to  gain, 
And  every  one  who  hastens — it  (this  his  hastening)  is  only  to  loss. 
Vid.  at  xvii.  21.  At  x.  4,  Luther  translates  "  the  hand  of  the 
diligent,"  here  "  the  plans  of  an  expert  [endelicheii],''  i.e.  of  one 
actively  striving  (xxii.  29,  endelich  =^''^1^)  to  the  end.  The 
X^,  hastening  overmuch,  is  contrasted  with  the  diligent ;  Luther 
well :  but  he  who  is  altogether  too  precipitant.  Everywhere 
else  in  the  Proverbs  )*N  has  a  closer  definition  with  it,  wherefore 
Hitzig  reads  *i>\^,  which  must  mean  :  he  who  collects  together ; 
but  Y^  along  with  pnn  is  perfectly  distinct.  Tlie  thought  is 
the  same  as  our  "  Eile  mit  Weile  "  \=festina  lente'jj  and  Goethe's 

Wie  das  Gestirn  ohne  Hast, 
Aber  oTine  Rast 
Drehe  sich  jeder 
Um  die  eigne  Last. 

"  Like  the  stars,  without  haste  but  without  rest,  let  every  one 
carry  about  his  own  burden,"  viz.  of  his  calling  that  lies  upon 
him.  The  fundamental  meaning  of  J'lX  is  to  throng,  to  urge 
(Ex.  V.  13),  here  of  impatient  and  inconsiderate  rashness. 
While  on  the  side  of  the  diligent  there  is  nothing  but  gain,  such 
haste  brings  only  loss  ;  over-exertion  does  injury,  and  the  work 
will  want  care,  circumspection,  and  thoroughness.  In  the  Book 
of  Proverbs,  the  contrasts  "gain  "  and  "loss"  frequently  occur, 
xi.  24,  xiv.  23,  xxii.  16  :  profit  (the  increase  of  capital  by 
interest),  opp.  loss  (of  capital,  or  of  part  thereof),  as  commercial 
terms. 

Ver.  6  The  gaining  of  treasures  by  a  lying  tongue 
Is  a  fleeting  breath  of  such  as  seek  death. 
One  may,  at  any  rate,  after  the  free  manner  of  gnomic  resem- 
VOL.  II.  ii 


GQ  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

blances  and  comparisons,  regard  "  fleeting  breath  "  and  "  such 
as  seek  death  "  as  two  separated  predicates  :  such  gain  is  fleeting 
breath,  so  those  who  gain  are  seeking  death  (Caspari's  Beiträge 
zu  Jes.  p.  53).  But  it  is  also  syntactical!}-  admissible  to  inter- 
pret the  words  rendered  "seekers  of  death"  as  gen.;  for  such 
interruptions  of  the  st.  constr.,  as  here  by  ^"=13  [fleeting],  fre- 
quently occur,  e.g.  Isa.  xxviii.  1,  xxxii.  13 ;  1  Chron.  ix.  13  ; 
and  that  an  idea,  in  spite  of  such  interruption,  may  be  thought 
of  as  gen.,  is  seen  from  the  Arab.^  But  the  text  is  unsettled. 
Symmachus,  Syr.,  Targ.,  the  Venet.,  and  Luther  render  the 
phrase  '^^pl'O  [seekers]  ;  but  the  LXX.  and  Jerome  read  ''tr'ipio 
[snares]  (cf.  1  Tim.  vi.  9) ;  this  word  Rashi  also  had  before 
him  (vid.  Norzi),  and  Kennicott  found  it  in  several  Codd. 
Bertheau  prefers  it,  for  he  translates :  ...  is  fleeting  breath, 
snares  of  death ;  Ewald  and  Hitzig  go  further,  for,  after  the 
LXX.,  they  change  the  whole  proverb  into :  ""K'ipiD-px  Pil'i  ?2r\ 
mo  (^tf'ipinif),  with  hvb  in  the  first  line.  But  BLcoKet  of  the 
LXX.  is  an  incorrect  rendering  of  f\li,  which  the  smuggling  in 
of  the  iirl  (irayiBa^  Oavdrov)  drew  after  it,  without  our  con- 
cluding therefrom  that  "•tJ'pIO"!'«,  or  "'t^'p'iD?  (Lagarde),  lay  before 
the  translators ;  on  the  contrary,  the  word  which  (Cappellus) 
lay  before  them,  "K'P'iD,  certainly  deserves  to  be  preferred  to 
''t;^•pnn:  the  possession  is  first,  in  view  of  him  who  has  gotten  it, 
compared  to  a  fleeting  (^1'^?,  as  Isa.  xlii.  2)  breath  (cf.  e.g. 
smoke,  Ps.  Ixviii.  3),  and  then,  in  view  of  the  inheritance  itself 
and  its  consequences,  is  compared  to  the  snares  of  death  (xiii. 
14,  xiv.  27) ;  for  in  W^  (here  equivalent  to  nibl^,  acquisition  Gen. 
xxxi.  1;  Deut.  viii.  17)  lie  together  the  ideas  of  him  who  pro- 
cures and  of  the  thing  that  is  procured  or  effected  (vid.  at 
XX.  11). 

Ver.  7  The  violence  of  the  godless  teareth  them  away, 
For  they  have  refused  to  do  -what  is  right. 
The   destruction   which   they   prepare    for   others   teareth   or 
draggeth  them  away  to  destruction,  by  which  wicked  conduct 
brings    punishment   on   itself;  their   own  conduct  is  its   own 
executioner  (cf.  i.  19) ;  for  refusing  to  practise  what  is  right, 

^  Via.  Friedr.  Philippi's  Status  constructns,  p.  17,  Anm.  3  ;  and  cf.  there- 
with such  constructions  as  (Arab.)  muii'u  fadlah  almahtaji,  i.e.  a  refuser 
of  the  needy,  his  beneficence  =  one  who  denies  to  the  needy  his  beneficence. 


CHAP.  XXI.  8.  67 

they  have  pronounced  judgment  against  themselves,  and  fallen 
under  condemnation.  Kightly  Jerome,  detrahent,  with  Aquila, 
KaTaa7rdaei,=fgurrem  (as  Hab.  i.  15),  from  ")"]3 ;  on  the  con- 
trary, the  LXX.  incorrectly,  eTTL^evcüOrjaerai^  from  1^3,  to 
dwell,  to  live  as  a  guest ;  and  the  Venet.,  as  Luther,  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  usus  loq. :  SeSi^erai,  (fut.  of  SeScaaeaOai,  to  terrify), 
from  113,  to  dread,  fear,  which  also  remains  intrans.,  with  the 
accus,  following,  Deut.  xxxii.  27.  The  Syr.  and  the  Targ. 
freely:  robbery  (Targ.  ^'JIS"),  perhaps  in  the  sense  of  usury) 
will  seize  them,  viz.  in  the  way  of  punishment.  In  Arab. 
jarr  (jarii/ratn)  means  directly  to  commit  a  crime ;  not,  as 
Schultens  explains,  admittere  a^imen  poenam  traJiens,  but  attra- 
here  (arripere),  like  (Arab.)  jaiiy  {jinayatn),  contrahere  crimen  ; 
for  there  the  crime  is  thought  of  as  violent  usurpation,  here  as 
wicked  accumulation. 

Ver.  8  Winding  is  the  way  of  a  man  laden  witli  guilt ; 
But  the  pure — his  conduct  is  right. 
Rightly  the  accentuation  places  together  "  the  way  of  a  man  " 
as  subject,  and  "winding"  as  predicate:  if  the  poet  had  wished 
to  say  (Schultens,  Bertheau)  "  one  crooked  in  his  way"  (quoad 
viam)j  he  would  have  contented  himself  with  the  phrase  ^snj 
'^')'ij.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  accentuation  is  scarcely  correct 
(the  second  Munach  is  a  transformed  Ilugrasli),  for  it  interprets 
IT)  as  a  second  pred. ;  but  "iH  is  adj." to  ti'''^5.  As  '^Q^cn  (synon. 
pripriQ,  bjppV)  is  a  hapax  leg.,  so  also  va;:ar,  which  is  equivalent 
to  (Arab.)  maivzior,  crimine  omistus,  from  wazira,  crimen  com- 
mittere,  properly  to  charge  oneself  with  a  crime.  The  ancient 
interpreters  have,  indeed,  no  apprehension  of  this  meaning  before 
them  ;  the  LXX.  obtain  from  the  proverb  a  thought  reminding 
us  of  Ps.  xviii.  27,  in  which  vazar  does  not  at  all  appear;  the 
Syr.  and  Targ.  translate  as  if  the  vav  of  vazar  introduces  the 
conclusion  :  he  is  a  barbarian  (nuchrojo)  ;  Luther:  he  is  crooked ; 
Jerome  also  sets  aside  the  syntax :  perversa  via  viri  aliena  est ; 
but,  syntactically  admissible,  the  Venet.  and  Kimchi,  as  the 
Jewish  interpreters  generally,  ScaarpocficoTdTT]  0S09  dvSpo<;  koI 
dXkoKOTO'i.  Fleischer  here  even  renounces  the  help  of  the 
Arab.,  for  he  translates  :  Tortuosa  est  via  viri  criminihus  onusti, 
qui  aiitem  sancte  vivit,  is  recte  facit ;  but  he  adds  thereto  the 
remark  that  "  vazar  thus  explained,  with  Cappellus,  Schultens, 


68  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

and  Gesenlus,  would,  it  is  true,  corresponding  to  the  Arab. 
wazar,  have  first  the  abstract  meaning  of  a  verbal  noun  from 
wazira;^  the  old  explanation  is  therefore  perhaps  better:  tor- 
tuosa  est  via  viri  et  deßectens  (seil,  a  recta  linea,  thus  devia  est), 
when  the  ^viri'  is  to  be  taken  in  the  general  sense  of  'many, 
this  and  that  one;'  the  closer  definition  is  reflected  from  the 
"ill  of  the  second  clause."  But  (1)  "iT  as  an  adj.  signifies 
peregrimts ;  one  ought  thus  rather  to  expect  ID,  degenerated, 
corrupt,  although  that  also  does  not  rightly  accord  ;  (2)  the 
verbal  noun  also,  e.g.  'all,  passes  over  into  a  subst.  and  adj. 
signification  (the  latter  without  distinction  of  number  and 
gender)  ;  (3)  ij),  after  its  adj.  signification,  is  related  to  (Arab.) 
loazyr,  as  D2n  is  to  hahym,  2n"i  to  rahyh  ;  it  is  of  the  same  form 
as  "Ijy,  with. which  it  has  in  common  its  derivation  from  a  root 
of  similar  meaning,  and  its  ethical  signification.  In  86,  '^IP.  is 
rightly  accented  as  subj.  of  the  complex  pred.  "ij!  is  the  pure  in 
heart  and  of  a  good  conscience.  The  laden  with  guilt  (guilty) 
strikes  out  all  kinds  of  crooked  ways;  but  the  pure  needs  no 
stealthy  ways,  he  does  not  stand  under  the  pressure  of  the 
bondage  of  sin,  the  ban  of  the  guilt  of  sin ;  his  conduct  is 
straightforward,  directed  by  the  will  of  God,  and  not  by 
cunning  policy.  Schultens  :  Integer  vitoi  scelerisque  purus  non 
habet  cur  vacillet,  cur  tituhet,  cur  sese  coiitorqueat.  The  choice 
of  the  designation  "jn  [and  the  pure]  may  be  occasioned  by  "ill 
(Hitzig)  ;  the  expression  8b  reminds  us  of  xx.  11. 

The  group  now  following  extends  to  ver.  18,  where  a  new 
one  begins  with  a  variation  of  its  initial  verse. 

Ver,  9  Better  to  sit  oh  the  pinnacle  of  a  house -roof, 

Than  a  contentious  wife  and  a  house  in  common. 
We  have  neither  to  supplement  the  second  line :  than  with 
a  contentious  wife  .  .  .  (Symmachus,  Theodotion,  Jerome, 
Luther),  nor :  than  that  one  have  a  contentious  .  .  .  ;  but  tlie 
meaning  is,  that  sitting  on  the  roof-top  better  befits  one,  does 
better  than  a  quarrelsome  wife  and  a  common  house  (rightly 
the  Targ.  and  Venet.),  i.e.  in  a  common  house ;  for  the  con- 
necting together  of  the  wife  and  the  house  by  vav  is  a  Semitic 

1  The  n.  act  formed  from  toaznra  is  ivazr,  wizr,  wizat.  These  three 
forms  would  correspond  to  the  Heb.  vezer,  vezer,  and  zereth  (z'rüh,  cf. 
rcdeth,  r'dah,  Gen.  xlvi.  3). 


CHAP.  XXI.  10.  69 

hendiadys,  a  juxtaposition  of  two  ideas  wliicli  our  languao-e 
would  place  in  a  relation  of  subordination  (Fleischer).  This 
hendiadys  would,  indeed,  be  scarcely  possible  if  the  idea  of  the 
married  wife  were  attached  to  nti'lSl;  for  that  such  an  one  has 
with  her  husband  a  "  house  of  companionship,  i.e.  a  common 
house,"  is  self-evident.  But  may  it  not  with  equal  right  be 
understood  of  the  imperious  positive  mother-in-law  of  a  widower, 
a  splenetic  shrewish  aunt,  a  sickly  female  neighbour  disputing 
with  all  the  world,  and  the  like?  A  man  must  live  together 
with  his  wife  in  so  far  as  he  does  not  divorce  her ;  he  must  then 
escape  from  her ;  but  a  man  may  also  be  constrained  by  circum- 
stances to  live  in  a  house  with  a  quarrelsome  mother-in-law,  and 
such  an  one  may,  even  during  the  life  of  his  wife,  and  in  spite 
of  her  affection,  make  his  life  so  bitter  that  he  would  rather,  in 
order  that  he  might  have  rest,  sit  on  the  pinnacle  or  ridge  of  a 
house-roof,  nsa  is  the  battlement  (Zeph.  i.  16)  of  the  roof,  the 
edge  of  the  roof,  or  its  summit ;  he  who  sits  there  does  so  not 
without  danger,  and  is  exposed  to  the  storm,  but  that  in  con- 
trast with  the  alternative  is  even  to  be  preferred ;  he  sits  alone. 
Eegarding  the  Chethih  D'?n»,  Keri  ^'T?p,  vid.  at  vi.  14 ;  and 
cf.  the  figures  of  the  "continual  dropping"  for  the  continual 
scolding  of  such  a  wife,  embittering  the  life  of  her  husband, 
xix.  13. 

Ver.  10  The  soul  of  the  godless  hath  its  desire  after  evil ; 
His  neighbour  findeth  no  mercy  in  his  eyes. 
The  interchange  of  perf.  and  fut.  cannot  be  without  intention. 
Löwenstein  renders  the  former  as  perf.  Iiypotheticum  :  if  the 
soul  of  the  wicked  desires  anything  evil  .  .  . ;  but  the  V^"]  wishes 
evil  not  merely  now  and  then,  but  that  is  in  general  his  nature 
and  tendency.  The  perf.  expresses  that  which  is  actually  the 
case  :  the  soul  of  the  wicked  has  its  desire  directed  (write  nniN 
with  Mimach,  after  Codd.  and  old  Ed.,  not  with  Mahhepli)  toward 
evil,  and  the  fut.  expresses  that  which  proceeds  from  this  :  he 
who  stands  near  him  is  not  spared.  iO^  is,  as  at  Isa.  xxvi. 
10,  Hoph.  of  i^n,  to  incline,  viz.  oneself,  compassionately  toward 
any  one,  or  to  bend  to  him.  But  in  what  sense  is  V^ya  added? 
It  dees  not  mean,  as  frequently,  e.g.  ver.  2,  according  to  his 
judgment,  nor,  as  at  xx.  8,  vi.  13  :  with  his  eyes,  but  is  to  be 
understood  after  the  phrase  "'.^''3/3  |n  NVO:  his  neighbour  finds  no 


70  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVEP.BS. 

mercy  in  his  eyes,  so  that  in  these  words  the  sympatliy  ruling 
within  him  expresses  itself :  "  his  eyes  will  not  spare  his  friends," 
vid.  Isa.  xiii.  18. 

Ver.  11  When  the  scorner  is  punished,  the  simple  is  made  wise  ; 
And  when  insight  is  imparted  to  a  wise  man,  he  receives 
knowledge. 

The  thought  is  the  same  as  at  xix.  25.  The  mocker  at  religion 
and  virtue  is  incorrigible,  punishment  avails  him  nothing,  but 
yet  it  is  not  lost ;  for  as  a  warning  example  it  teaches  the  simple, 
who  might  otherwise  be  easily  drawn  into  the  same  frivolity. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  wise  man  needs  no  punishment,  but 
only  strengthening  and  furtherance :  if  "  instruction  "  is  im- 
parted to  him,  he  embraces  it,  makes  it  his  own  nj;^;  for,  being 
accessible  tobetter  insight,  he  gains  more  and  more  knowledge. 
De  Dieu,  Bertheau,  and  Zöckler  make  "  the  simple  "  the  sub- 
ject also  in  115  :  and  if  a  wise  man  prospers,  he  (the  simple) 
gains  knowledge.  But  f  ^'''2'^>},  used  thus  impersonally,  is  un- 
heard of ;  wherefore  Hitzig  erases  the  ?  before  D3n  :  if  a  wise 
man  has  prosperity.  But  b'^^lyn  does  not  properly  mean  to  have 
prosperity,  but  only  mediately  :  to  act  with  insight,  and  on  that 
account  with  success.  The  thought  that  the  simple,  on  the  one 
side,  by  the  merited  punishment  of  the  mocker ;  on  the  other, 
by  the  intelligent  prosperous  conduct  of  the  wise,  comes  to 
reflection,  to  reason,  may  indeed  be  entertained,  but  the  tradi- 
tional form  of  the  proverb  does  not  need  any  correction.  ^''Sti'n 
may  be  used  not  only  transitively  :  to  gain  insight,  Gen.  iii.  G, 
Ps.  ii.  10,  and  elsewhere,  but  also  causatively  :  to  make  intelli- 
gent, with  the  accus,  following,  xvi.  23,  Ps.  xxxii.  8,  or :  to 
offer,  present  insight,  as  here  with  the  dat.-obj.  following  (cf. 
xvii.  26).  Instead  of  "^^^3,  the  Kamctz  of  which  is  false,  Codd. 
and  good  Edd.  have,  rightly,  "tJ'jyii.  Hitzig,  making  "  the  wise  " 
the  subject  to  7''3brQ  (and  accordingly  "the  scorner"  would 
be  the  subject  in  11a),  as  a  correct  consequence  reads  ^pV?  = 
t^'.^y[i3.  For  us,  with  that  first  correction,  this  second  one  also 
fails.  "  Both  infinitivi  consir."  Fleischer  remarks,  "  are  to  be 
taken  passively;  for  the  Semitic  infin.,  even  of  transitive  form, 
as  it  has  no  designation  of  gender,  time,  and  person,  is  an  in- 
determinate modusj  even  in  regard  to  the  generis  verbi  (Act.  and 


CHAP.  XXI.   12.  71 

Pass.)  "  ^  To  this  proverb  with  u-lehasUl  there  is  connected 
the  one  that  follows,  beginning  with  maskll. 

Ver.  12  A  righteous  One  marketh  the  house  of  the  godless ; 
He  hurleth  the  godless  to  destruction. 

If  we  understand  by  the  word  p''"nV  a  righteous  man,  then  12a 
would  introduce  the  warning  which  he  gives,  and  the  unex- 
pressed subject  of  12b  must  be  God  (Umbreit).  But  after 
such  an  introitus,  mn''  ought  not  to  be  wanting.  If  in  12a  "  the 
righteous  man  "  is  the  subject,  then  it  presents  itself  as  such 
also  for  the  second  parallel  part.  But  the  thought  that  the 
righteous,  when  he  takes  notice  of  the  house  of  the  godless, 
shows  attention  which  of  itself  hurls  the  godless  into  destruction 
(Löwenstein),  would  require  the  sing.  V'^-\  in  the  conclusion  ; 
also,  instead  of  ^?Dö  the  f ut.  ^p,^\  would  have  been  found ;  and 
besides,  the  judicial  ^1^0  (yid.  regarding  this  word  at  xi.  3,  xix. 
3)  would  not  be  a  suitable  word  for  this  confirmation  iu  evil. 
Thus  by  pn:»'  the  proverb  means  God,  and  pj^do  has,  as  at  xxii. 
12,  Job  xii.  19,  this  word  as  its  subject.  "  A  righteous  One" 
refers  to  the  All-righteous,  who  is  called.  Job  xxxi v.  1 7, "  the  All- 
just  One,"  and  by  Rashi,  under  the  passage  before  us,  ~T\^  ip'''lV 
D?iy.  Only  do  not  translate  with  Bertheau  and  Zöckler  :  The 
Righteous  One  (All-righteous),  for  (1)  this  would  require  P""^^''"?, 
and  (2)  pni'H  is  never  by  itself  used  as  an  attributive  designa- 
tion of  God.  Rightly,  Fleischer  and  Ewald  :  a  Righteous  One, 
viz.  God.  It  is  the  indetermination  which  seeks  to  present 
the  idea  of  the  great  and  dreadful :  a  Righteous  One,  and 
such  a  Righteous  One  !^  ^^sbri  with  bv,  xvi.  20,  or  ^X,  Ps. 
xli.  2,  Neh.  viii.  13,  here  with  ?,  signifies  to  give  attention  to 
anything,  to  look  attentively  on  it.  The  two  participles  stand 
in  the  same  line  :  animum  advertit  .  .  .  evevtit.  Hitzig  changes 

^  The  Arab.  National  Grammarians,  it  is  true,  view  the  matter  otherwise. 
When  katlu  zydn,  the  putting  to  death  of  Zeid,  is  used  in  the  sense  of 
Zeid's  becoming  dead,  according  to  their  view  the  /a'Z  (the  gen.  siibjecfi)  is 
omitted;  the  full  expression  would  be  katlu  ^amrnzaydnu.  Since  now 'a??!?-?i 
is  omitted,  zaydn  has  in  the  gen.  form  taken  the  place  of  the/a'Z,  but  this 
gen.  is  the  representative  of  the  ace.  ohjecti.  "Without  thus  going  round 
about,  we  say  :  it  is  the  gen.  ohjecll. 

2  The  Arabs  call  this  indetermination  Cdnkvt  lalCzym  icallllnnjl.  Vid. 
under  Ps.  ii.  12. 


72  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Vfl  r\''2binto  Sn''^^,  and  makes  V'^"}.  the  subject  of  12 J;  but  the 
proverb  as  it  lies  before  us  is  far  more  intelligible. 

Ver.  13  He  that  stoppeth  bis  ear  at  the  cry  of  the  poor — 
He  also  calls  and  is  not  heard. 
Only  the  merciful  find  mercy,  Matt.  v.  7  ;  the  unmerciful  rich 
man,  who  has  no  ear  for  the  cry  of  the  ?^,  i.e.  of  him  who  is 
without  support  and  means  of  subsistence,  thus  of  one  who  is 
needing  support,  will  also  remain  unheard  when  he  himself,  in 
the  time  of  need,  calls  upon  God  for  help.  Cf.  the  parable  of 
the  unmerciful  servant  of  the  merciful  king,  Matt,  xviii.  23  ff. 
IP  in  npyw,  as  Isa.  xxiii.  15,  Gen.  iv.  13,  xxvii.  1 ;  no  preposi- 
tion of  our  [German]  language  [nor  English]  expresses,  as 
Fleischer  here  remarks,  such  a  fulness  of  meaning  as  this  I» 
does,  to  which,  after  a  verb  of  shutting  up  such  as  DüX  (cf.  xvii. 
28),  the  Arab,  ^s  would  correspond,  e.g.  amy  'n  ältryk :  blind, 
so  that  he  does  not  see  the  way. 

Ver.  14  A  gift  in  secret  turneth  away  anger  ; 

And  a  bribe  into  the  bosom  violent  wrath. 
Hitzig  reads  with  Symmachus,  the  Targ.,  and  Jerome,  n33',  and 
translates:  "extinguishes  anger;"  but  it  does  not  follow  that 
they  did  read  naa"" ;  for  the  Talm.  Heb.  n33  signifies  to  cover  by 
turning  over,  e.g.  of  a  vessel,  Sanhedrin  IIa,  which,  when  it  is 
done  to  a  candle  or  a  fire,  may  mean  its  extinction.  But  nSD  of 
the  post-bibl.  Heb.  also  means  to  bend,  and  thence  to  force 
out  (Aram.  t?53,  ''S3),  according  to  which  Kimchi  hesitates 
whether  to  explain  :  overturns  =  smothers,  or :  bends  =  forces 
down  anger.  The  Venet.  follows  the  latter  signification : 
Kd/M-\lr6i  (for  Villoison's  KaXv-yjrei  rests  on  a  false  reading  of  the 
MS.).  But  there  is  yet  possible  another  derivation  from  the 
primary  signification,  curvare,  flectere,  vertere,  according  to 
which  the  LXX.  translates  avarpeirei.,  for  which  aTrorpeirei 
would  be  yet  better :  nas,  to  bend  away,  to  turn  off,  apKeiv, 
arcere,  altogether  like  the  Arab,  (compared  by  Schultens)  hfd, 
and  hfy.^  apKelv,  to  prevent,  whence,  e.g.,  ikfini  hada:  hold  that 
away  from  me,  or :  spare  me  that  (Fleischer) ;  with  the  words 
liafiica  sharran  (Lat.  defendaris  semper  a  malo)  princes  were 
anciently  saluted ;  hfy  signifies  "  to  suffice,"  because  enough  is 
there,  where  there  is  a  keeping  off  of  want.  Accordingly  we 
translate  :  Donum  clam  acceptum  avertit  iram,  which  also  the 


cnAP.  XXI.  15,  16.  73 

A. 

Syr.  meant  by  mephadka  (P^^o).  This  verb  is  naturally  to  be 
supplied  to  14&,  which  the  LXX.  has  recognised  (it  translates  : 
but  he  who  spares  gifts,  excites  violent  anger).  RegardincT 
nnb'j  vid.  at  xvii.  8  ;  and  regarding  pna,  at  xvii.  23.  Also  here 
PC  (P''Ü  =  P10),  like  Avah.  jayb,  \ibb,  2n,  denotes  the  bosom  of 
the  garment ;  on  the  contrary,  (Arab.)  Ayr,  Iddn,  l^n,  is  more 
used  of  that  of  the  body,  or  that  formed  by  the  drawing  together 
of  the  body  {e.g.  of  the  arm  in  carrying  a  child).  A  present 
is  meant  which  one  brings  with  him  concealed  in  his  bosom  ; 
perhaps  13^  called  to  mind  the  judge  that  took  gifts,  Ex. 
xxiii.  8  (Hitzig). 

Ver.  15  It  is  a  joy  to  the  just  to  do  justice, 

And  a  terror  for  them  that  work  iuiquity. 
To  act  according  to  the  law  of  rectitude  is  to  these  as  unto 
death  ;  injustice  has  become  to  them  a  second  nature,  so  that 
their  heart  strives  against  rectitude  of  conduct ;  it  also  enters  so 
little  into  their  plan  of  life,  and  their  economy,  that  they  are 
afraid  of  ruining  themselves  thereby.  So  we  believe,  with 
Hitzig,  Elster,  Zöckler,  and  Luther,  this  must  be  explained  in 
accordance  with  our  interpretation  of  x.  29.  Fleischer  and 
others  supplement  the  second  parallel  member  from  the  first : 
px  'hv'ih  nnno  J^jji  ^j?3^ ;  others  render  155  as  an  independent 
sentence :  ruin  falls  on  those  who  act  wickedly.  But  that 
ellipsis  is  hard  and  scarcely  possible  ;  but  in  general  nnn»,  as 
contrasted  correlate  to  nriD'^,  can  scarcely  have  the  pure  objec- 
tive sense  of  ruin  or  destruction.  It  must  mean  a  revolution 
in  the  heart.  Right-doing  is  to  the  righteous  a  pleasure  (cf.  x. 
23)  ;  and  for  those  who  have  1).^,  and  are  devoid  of  moral  worth, 
and  thus  simply  immoral  as  to  the  aim  and  sphere  of  their 
conduct,  right-doing  is  something  which  alarms  them  :  wdien 
they  act  in  conformity  with  what  is  right,  they  do  so  after  an  ex- 
ternal impulse  only  against  their  will,  as  if  it  were  death  to  them. 

Vor.  16  A  man  who  wanders  from  the  way  of  understanding, 
Shall  dwell  in  the  assembly  of  the  dead. 
Regarding  «b^n,  vid.  i.  3  ;  and  regarding  Q'^S"),  ii.  18.  The 
verb  n^J  means  to  repose,  to  take  rest,  Job  iii.  13,  and  to  dwell 
anywhere,  xiv.  33  ;  but  originally  like  (Arab.)  ndkh  and  hadd, 
to  lay  oneself  down  anywhere,  and  there  to  come  to  rest ;  and 
that  is  the  idea  which  is  here  connected  with  ni:^,  for  the  figura- 


74  TEE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

live  description  of  *73N'' or  HlO^  is  formed  after  the  designation 
of  the  subject,  16a  ;  he  who,  forsaking  the  way  of  understand- 
ing, walks  in  the  way  of  error,  at  length  comes  to  the  assembly 
of  the  dead ;  for  every  motion  has  an  end,  and  every  journey 
a  goal,  whether  it  be  one  that  is  self-appointed  or  which  is 
appointed  for  him.  Here  also  it  is  intimated  that  the  way  of 
the  soul  which  loves  wisdom  and  follows  her  goes  in  another 
direction  than  earthwards  down  into  hades ;  hades  and  death, 
its  background  appear  here  as  punishments,  and  it  is  true  that 
as  such  one  may  escape  them. 

Ver.  17  He  wlio  loveth  pleasure  becometh  a  man  of  want ; 
He  who  loveth.  wine  and  oil  doth  nob  become  rich. 
In  Arab,  sainh  denotes  the  joyful  action  of  the  "  cheerful 
giver,"  2  Cor.  ix.  7  ;  in  Heb.  the  joyful  affection  ;  here,  like 
farah,  pleasure,  delight,  festival  of  joy.  Jerome :  qui  diligit 
epulas.  For  feasting  is  specially  thought  of,  where  wine  was 
drunk,  and  oil  and  other  fragrant  essences  were  poured  (cf. 
xxvii.  9 ;  Amos  vi.  6)  on  the  head  and  the  clothes.  He  who 
loves  such  festivals,  and  is  commonly  found  there,  becomes  a 
man  of  want,  or  suffers  want  (cf.  Judg.  xii.  2,  ^''l.  t^'''^s,  a  man  of 
strife);  such  an  one  does  not  become  rich  p''^y|l,  like  x.  4,= 
"i^'y  nbj^,  Jer.  xvii.  11);  he  does  not  advance,  and  thus  goes 
backwards. 

Ver.  18  The  godless  becometh  a  ransom  for  the  righteous  ; 

And  the  faithless  cometh  into  the  place  of  the  upright. 
The  thought  is  the  same  as  at  xi.  8.  An  example  of  this  is, 
that  the  same  world  -  commotion  which  brought  the  nations 
round  Babylon  for  its  destruction,  put  an  end  to  Israel's  exile  : 
Cyrus,  the  instrument  in  God's  hands  for  inflicting  punishment 
on  many  heathen  nations,  was  Israel's  liberator,  Isa.  xliii.  3. 
Another  example  is  in  the  exchange  of  places  by  Haman  and 
INIordecai,  to  which  Rashi  refers.  123  is  equivalent  to  XvTpov, 
ransom;  but  it  properly  signifies  price  of  atonement,  and  gene- 
rally, means  of  reconciliation,  which  covers  or  atones  for  the 
guilt  of  any  one;  the  poll-tax  and  "oblations"  also,  Ex.  xxx. 
15  f.,  Num.  xxxi.  50,  are  placed  under  this  point  of  view,  as 
blotting  out  guilt :  if  the  righteousness  of  God  obtains  satis- 
faction, it  makes  its  demand  against  the  godless,  and  lets  the 
righteous  go  free;  or,  as  the  substantival  clause  186  expresses, 


CHAP.  XXI.  19,  20.  _  75 

tlie  faithless  steps  into  the  place  of  the  upright,  for  the  wrath 
passes  by  the  latter  and  falls  upon  the  former.  Regarding  'TJn, 
vid.  ii.  22.  Thus,  in  contrast  to  the  iti'^,  he  is  designated,  who 
keeps  faith  neither  with  God  nor  man,  and  with  evil  intention 
enters  on  deceitful  ways, — the  faithless,  the  malicious,  the 
assassin. 

Ver.  19.  With  this  verse,  a  doublet  to  ver.  9  (xxv.  24),  the 
collector  makes  a  new  addition  ;  in  ver.  29  he  reaches  a  proverb 
which  resembles  the  closing  proverb  of  the  preceding  group,  in 
its  placing  in  contrast  the  yiT")  and  "iC^^ ; — 

It  is  better  to  dwell  in  a  waste  land, 
Than  a  contentions  wife  and  vexation. 
The  corner  of  the  roof,  Hitzig  remarks,  has  been  made  use  of, 
and  the  author  must  look  further  out  for  a  lonely  seat.  But 
this  is  as  piquant  as  it  is  devoid  of  thought ;  for  have  both  pro- 
verbs the  same  author,  and  if  so,  were  they  coined  at  the  same 
time  ?  Here  also  it  is  unnecessary  to  regard  fl'^^ö  as  an  ab- 
breviation for  ^:^'«  DJ;  natpp.  Hitzig  supplies  tb*^',  by  which 
n^'N,  as  the  accus.-obj.,  is  governed  ;  but  it  is  not  to  be  supplied, 
for  the  proverb  places  as  opposite  to  one  another  dwelling  in  a 
waste  land  (read  i^l^'Pl!??  nn^i'jwith  Codd.  and  correct  Ed.)  and 
a  contentious  wife  (Chetfnb,  Q'^Jiip ;  Kei-i,  C'^^IP)  and  vexation, 
and  says  the  former  is  better  than  the  latter.  For  oyril  [and 
vexation]  is  not,  as  translated  by  the  ancients,  and  generally 
received,  a  second  governed  genitive  to  TWyn,  but  dependent  on 
p,  follows  "  contentious  woman  "  (cf.  2b) :  better  that  than  a 
quarrelsome  wife,  and  at  the  same  time  vexation. 

Ver.  20  Precious  treasure  and  oil  are  in  the  dwelling  of  the  wise  ; 
And  a  fool  of  a  man  squanders  it. 
The  wise  spares,  the  fool  squanders;  and  if  the  latter  enters  on 
the  inheritance  which  the  former  with  trouble  and  care  collected, 
it  is  soon  devoured.  The  combination  i^tf'l  löm  "i^'ix  [desirable 
treasure  and  oil]  has  something  inconciunate,  wherefore  the  ac- 
centuation places  1^'iX  by  itself  by  Meliuppach  Legarmeh;  but  it 
is  not  to  be  translated  "  a  treasure  of  that  which  is  precious,  and 
oil,"  since  it  is  punctuated  "ii>ii<,  and  not  "i^^^;  and  besides,  in  that 
case  ^''■^DriD  would  have  been  used  instead  of  ''9'?v"  Thus  by  "i^fix 
Hönj,  a  desirable  and  splendid  capital  in  gold  and  things  of 
value  (Isa.  xxiii.  18  ;  Ps.  xix.  11) ;  and  by  p^,  meniioued  by 


7ö  TUE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

way  of  example,  stores  in  kitchen  and  cellar  are  to  be  thought 
of,  which  serve  him  who  lives  luxuriously,  and  afford  noble 
hospitality, — a  fool  of  a  man  (D"]^  ?'?3,  as  at  xv.  20),  who  finds 
this,  devours  it,  i.e.  quickly  goes  through  it,  makes,  in  short,  a 
tabula  rasa  of  it;  cf.  vh"^,  Isa.  xxviii.  4,  with  ^£»3,  2  Sam.  xx. 
26,  and  Prov.  xix.  28.  '  The  suffix  of  ^3JJ^?^  refers  back  to 
"i^lX  as  the  main  idea,  or  distributively  also  both  to  the  treasure 
and  the  oil.  The  LXX.  {Oiqaavpoq  iTTcdv/jirjro';)  avairavaeTat 
eVt  trToyu.aT09  aojiov,  i.e.  D3n  nsn  \y\3\  according  to  which  Plitzig 
corrects  ;  but  the  fool,  he  who  swallows  down  "  the  precious 
treasure  with  a  wise  mouth,"  is  a  being  w'e  can  scarcely  conceive 
of.  His  taste  is  not  at  all  bad ;  why  then  a  fool  ?  Is  it  per- 
haps because  he  takes  more  in  than  he  can  at  one  time  digest? 
The  reading  of  the  LXX.  is  corrected  by  203. 

Yer.  21  He  that  followeth  after  righteousness  and  kindness 
Will  obtain  life,  righteousness,  and  honour. 
IIow  we  are  to  render  ^?ni^  ni^n^*  is  seen  from  the  connection  of 
xxi.  3  and  Hos.  vi.  7 :  tsedakah  is  conduct  proceeding  from  the 
principle  of  self-denying  compassionate  love,  which  is  the 
essence  of  the  law,  Mic.  vi.  8  ;  and  hesed  is  conduct  proceeding 
from  sympathy,  which,  placing  itself  in  the  room  of  another, 
perceives  what  will  benefit  him,  and  sets  about  doing  it  (cf. 
e.g.  Job  vi.  14  :  to  him  who  is  inwardly  melted  [disheartened] 
ipn  is  due  from  his  neighbour).  The  reward  which  one 
who  strives  thus  to  act  obtains,  is  designated  216  by  0''^^  and 
^i^^.  Honour  and  life  stand  together,  xxii.  4,  when  "it^'y  pre- 
cedes, and  here  n;?'!^*  stands  between,  which,  viii.  18,  Ps.  xxiv.  5, 
is  thought  of  as  that  which  is  distributed  as  a  gift  of  heaven, 
Isa.  xlv.  8,  which  has  glory  in  its  train,  Isa.  Iviii.  8 ;  as  Paul 
also  says,  "  Whom  He  justified,  them  He  also  glorified."  The 
LXX.  has  omitted  tsedakah,  because  it  can  easily  appear  as 
erroneously  repeated  from  21a.  But  in  reality  there  are  three 
good  things  which  are  promised  to  those  who  are  zealous  in  the 
works  of  love :  a  prosperous  life,  enduring  righteousness,  true 
honour.  Life  as  it  proceeds  from  God,  the  Living  One,  right- 
eousness as  it  avails  the  righteous  and  those  doing  righteously 
before  God,  honour  or  glory  (Ps.  xxix.  3)  as  it  is  given  (Ps. 
Ixxxiv.  12)  by  the  God  of  glory.  Cf.  with  npIV  D^^n,  x.  2,  and 
with  T\py^.  especially  Jas.  ii.  13,  KaraKav^aTai  eXeos  Kpiaeo}'^. 


CHAP.  XXI.  22-24.  77 

Ver.  22  A  wise  man  scaleth  a  city  of  the  mightj'  ; 

And  casteth  down  the  fortress  in  which  they  trusted. 

Eccles.  ix.  14  f.  is  a  side-piece  to  this,  according  to  which  a 
single  wise  man,  although  poor,  may  become  the  deliverer  of  a 
city  besieged  by  a  great  army,  and  destitute  of  the  means  of 
defence.  n?y^  seq.  ace,  means  to  climb  up,  Joel  ii.  7  ;  here,  of 
the  scaling  of  a  fortified  town,  viz.  its  fortress.  TV  is  that  which 
makes  it  ty  1''^,  Isa.  xxvi.  1 :  its  armour  of  protection,  which  is 
designated  by  the  genit.  nntono,  as  the  object  and  ground  of 
their  confidence.  The  vocalization  nntoap^  for  mihtachcJia  (cf. 
Jer.  xlviii.  13  with  Job  xviii.  14),  follows  the  rule  Gesen.  §  27, 

Anm.  21).      The  suff.,  as  in  '"^^^nxp,  Isa.  xxiii.  17,  is  lightened, 

because  of  its  mappik,  Miclilol  305 ;  vid.  regarding  the  various 
grounds  of  these /o7'?ncB  raphatce p)'>"0  mappicatis,  Böttcher,  §  418. 
If -a  city  is  defended  by  ever  so  many  valiant  men,  the  Mise 
man  knows  the  point  where  it  may  be  overcome,  and  knows 
liow  to  organize  the  assault  so  as  to  destroy  the  proud  fortress. 
With  ^:i.%"he  brings  to  ruin,  cf.  nrin-j  IJ?,  Deut.  xx.  20. 
Ver.  23  lie  that  guardeth  his  mouth  and  his  tongue, 
Keepeth  his  soul  from  troubles. 

xiii.  3  resembles  this.  He  guardeth  his  mouth  who  does  not 
speak  when  he  does  better  to  be  silent ;  and  he  guardeth  his 
tongue  who  says  no  more  than  is  right  and  fitting.  The 
troubles  comprehend  both  external  and  internal  evils,  hurtful 
incidents  and  (K'D:)  32?  nil^*,  Ps.  xxv.  17,  xxxi.  8,  i.e.  distress  of 
conscience,  self-accusation,  sorrow  on  account  of  the  irreparable 
evil  which  one  occasions. 

Ver.  24  A  proud  and  arrogant  man  is  called  mocker  (free-spirit)  ; 
One  who  acteth  in  superfluity  of  haughtiness. 
We  have  thus  translated  (vol.  i.  p.  39)  :  the  proverb  defines 
almost  in  a  formal  way  an  idea  current  from  the  time  of  Solomon  : 
Y2  (properly,  the  distorter,  vid.  i.  7)  is  an  old  word;  but  as 
with  us  in  the  west  since  the  last  century,  the  names  of  free- 
tJiinJcers  and  esprits  forts  (cf.  Isa.  xlvi.  12)  have  become  current 
for  such  as  subject  the  faith  of  the  Church  to  destructive 
criticism,  so  then  they  were  called  Ü''>7,  who  mockingly,  as  men 
of  full  age,  set  themselves  above  revealed  religion  and  prophecy 
(Isa.  xxviii.  9) ;  and  the  above  proverb  gives  the  meaning  of 


78  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

this  name,  for  it  describes  in  liis  moral  character  such  a  man. 
Thus  we  call  one  'IT,  haughty,  and  "fn^^  IT,  i.e.  destroying  him- 
self, and  thus  thoughtlessly  haughty,  who  )nT  ri"]3j;n  acts  in 
superfluity  or  arrogance  (vid.  at  xi.  23)  of  haughtiness ;  for  not 
only  does  he  inwardly  raise  himself  above  all  that  is  worthy  of 
recognition  as  true,  of  faith  as  certain,  of  respect  as  holy;  but 
acting  as  well  as  judging  frivolously,  he  shows  reverence  for 
nothing,  scornfully  passing  sentence  against  everything.  Abul- 
walid  (yid.  Gesen.  Thes.)  takes  ")\T'  in  the  sense  of  obstinate ; 
for  he  compares  the  Arab.  jaAr  (jahar),  which  is  equivalent  to 
lijdj,  constancy,  stubbornness.  But  in  the  Targ.  and  Talm. 
(vid.  at  Hab.  ii.  5,  Levy's  Chald.  Wörterh.  under  "i''^^)  "liT'  in 
all  its  offshoots  and  derivations  has  the  sense  of  pride ;  we  have 
then  rather  to  compare  the  A.vdih.istaiJiara,io  be  insane  (  =  dhcilib 
'aklh,  mens  'ejus  alienata  est),  perhaps  also  to  hajjir^  mutahawivir, 
being  overthrown,  prceceps,  so  that  Tn"»  denotes  one  who  by  his 
vTrep^poveiv  is  carried  beyond  all  acocfipovelu  (yid.  Rom.  xii.  3), 
one  who  is  altogether  mad  from  ])ride.  The  Syr.  madocJio 
(Targ.  Nn'^'io),  by  which  "iTT'  (Targ.  '^''n^)  is  rendex'ed  here  and 
at  Hab.  ii.  5,  is  its  synonym ;  this  word  also  combines  in  itself 
the  ideas  foolhardy,  and  of  one  acting  in  a  presumptuous,  mad 
way ;  in  a  word,  of  one  who  is  arrogant.  Schultens  is  in  the 
right  way ;  but  when  he  translates  by  tumidus  mole  cava  omens, 
he  puts,  as  it  is  his  custom  to  do,  too  much  into  the  word ; 
tumidus,  puffed  up,  presents  an  idea  which,  etymologically  at 
least,  does  not  lie  in  it.  The  Venet. :  aKpaTr]<;  6pacrv<i  /Sw/xoA.oi^o«? 
Tovvofid  ol,  which  may  be  translated :  an  untractable  reckless 
person  we  call  a  fool  \1wmo  ineptus\  is  not  bad. 
Ver.  25  The  desire  of  the  slothful  killeth  him  ; 
For  his  hands  refuse  to  be  active. 
The  desire  of  the  ?)>V,  Hitzig  remarks,  goes  out  first  after  meat 
and  drink;  and  when  it  takes  this  direction,  as  hunger,  it  kills 
him  indeed.  But  in  this  case  it  is  not  the  desire  that  kills 
him,  but  the  impossibility  of  satisfying  it.  The  meaning  is 
simply:  the  inordinate  desire  after  rest  and  pleasure  kills  the 
slothful ;  for  this  always  seeking  only  enjoj^ment  and  idleness 
brings  him  at  last  to  ruin.  ni«n  means  here,  as  in  Kihroth 
lia-tava.  Num.  xi.  34,  inordinate  longing  after  enjoyments. 
The  proverb  is  connected  by  almost  all  interpreters  (also  Ewald, 


CHAP.  XXI,  26,  27.  79 

Bertheau,  Hitzig,  Elster,  Zöckler)  as  a  tetrastich  with  ver.  25 : 
lie  (the  slothful)  always  eagerly  desires,  but  the  righteous  giveth 
and  spareth  not.  But  (1)  although  P'^'^V,  since  it  designates  one 
who  is  faithful  to  duty,  might  be  used  particularly  of  the  in- 
dustrious (cf.  XV.  19),  yet  would  there  be  wanting  in  26a  T,^), 
xiii.  4,  cf .  XX,  4,  necessary  for  the  formation  of  the  contrast ; 
(2)  this  older  Book  of  Proverbs  consists  of  pure  distichs ;  the 
only  tristich,  xix.  7,  appears  as  the  consequence  of  a  mutilation 
from  the  LXX.  Thus  the  pretended  tetrastich  before  us  is 
only  apparently  such. 

Ver.  26  One  always  desireth  eagerly  ; 

But  the  righteous  giveth  and  holdeth  not  back. 
Otherwise  Fleischer:  per  totmn  diem  avet  avidiis,  i.e.  avarus ; 
but  that  in  nii<n  msrin  the  verb  is  connected  with  its  inner 
obj.  is  manifest  from  Num.  xi.  4;  it  is  the  mode  of  expression 
which  is  called  in  the  Greek  syntax  schema  eti/mologicum,  and 
which  is  also  possible  without  an  adj.  joined  to  the  obj.,  as  in 
the  vßpiv  O'vßpi^et^  (Eurip.  Here.  fur.  706),  the  Arab,  mardhti 
mirycdn:  he  had  a  strife  with  him.  Euchel  impossibly:  necessities 
will  continually  be  appeased,  which  would  have  required  n;!5<nn 
or  njxno.  The  explanation  also  cannot  be :  each  day  presents 
its  special  demand,  for  Di'n-pzi  does  not  mean  each  day,  but  the 
whole  day,  i.e.  continually.  Thus  we  render  mxnn  with  the 
most  general  subject  (in  which  case  the  national  grammarians 
supply  n'ixriön) :  continually  one  longs  longing,  i.e.  there  are 
demands,  solicitations,  wishes,  importunate  petitions;  but  still 
the  righteous  is  not  embarrassed  in  his  generosity,  he  gives  as 
unceasingly  (cf.  Isa.  xiv.  6,  Iviii.  1)  as  one  asks.  Thus  the 
pref.  is  explained,  which  is  related  hypothetically  to  the  fut. 
following :  though  one,  etc. 

Ver.  27  The  sacrifice  of  the  godless  is  an  abomination ; 
How  much  more  if  it  is  brought  for  evil ! 
Line  first  =  xv.  8«.  Regarding  the  syllogistic  "'S  ^N,  vid.  xii. 
31,  XV.  11  ;  regarding  net,  crime,  particularly  the  sin  of  lewd- 
ness (from  DOT,  to  press  together,  to  collect  the  thoughts  upon 
something,  to  contrive,  cf.  ra-ßnement  de  la  volupte),  at  x.  23. 
nsD  is  too  vaguely  rendered  in  the  LXX.  by  irapovofiw'^, 
falsely  by  Jerome,  ex  scelere  (cf.  e'^  dSUov,  Sir.  xxxi.  18,  with 
Mul.  i.  13).     The  2  is  not  meant,  as  at  Ezek.  xxii.  11,  of  the 


80  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

way  and  manner ;  for  that  the  condition  of  life  of  the  V^i  is  not 
a  pure  one,  is  not  to  be  supposed.  It  is  as  Hitzig,  rightly,  that 
of  price :  for  a  transgression,  i.e.  to  atone  for  it ;  one  is  hereby 
reminded,  that  he  who  had  intercourse  with  a  betrothed  bond- 
maid had  to  present  an  ascham  [trespass-offering],  Lev.  xix. 
20-22.  But  frequently  enough  would  it  occur  that  rich 
sensualists  brought  trespass-offerings,  and  other  offerings,  in 
order  thereby  to  recompense  for  their  transgressions,  and  to 
purchase  fur  themselves  the  connivance  of  God  for  their  dis- 
solute life.  Such  offerings  of  the  godless,  the  proverb  means, 
are  to  God  a  twofold  and  a  threefold  abomination  ;  for  in  this 
case  not  only  does  the  godless  fail  in  respect  of  repentance  and 
a  desire  after  salvation,  which  are  the  conditions  of  all  sacrifices 
acceptable  to  God,  but  he  makes  God  directly  a  minister  of 
sin. 

Ver.  28  A  false  witness  shall  perish ; 

But  he  who  heareth  shall  always  speak  truth. 

The  LXX.  translate  28&  by  ävi-jp  he  (^vKaacroixevo'i  XaXijaet,. 
Cappellus  supposes  that  they  read  IVJ^  for  m:b,  which,  how- 
ever, cannot  mean  "  taking  care."  Hitzig  further  imagines 
noB>  for  yöE^,  and  brings  out  the  meaning:  "the  man  that 
rejoiceth  to  deliver  shall  speak."  But  where  in  all  the  world 
does  "ilfJ  mean  "to  deliver"?  It  means,  "to  guard,  preserve;" 
and  to  reach  the  meaning  of  "to  deliver,"  a  clause  must  be 
added  with  p,  as  V^^.  When  one  who  speaks  lies  ('3''3T3  IV), 
and  a  man  who  hears  (VOiB'  tJ^\^,  plene,  and  with  the  orthophonic 
Dagesh),  are  contrasted,  the  former  is  one  who  fancifully  or 
malevolently  falsifies  the  fact,  and  the  latter  is  one  who  before 
he  speaks  hears  in  order  that  he  may  say  nothing  that  he  has 
not  surely  heard.  As  ypb^  nb,  1  Kings  iii.  9,  means  an  obedient 
heart,  so  here  V'Ci)U  ^''^  means  a  man  who  attentively  hears, 
carefully  proves.  Such  an  one  will  speak  nVDPj  i.e.  not :  accord- 
ing to  the  truth,  and  not :  for  victory  (Aquila,  Symmachus, 
Theodotion,  ek  viko^),  i.e.  so  that  accomplishes  it  (Oetinger)  ; 
for  the  Heb.  nv;  lias  neither  that  Arab,  nor  this  Aram,  signi- 
fication ;  but,  with  the  transference  of  the  root  meaning  of 
radiating  or  streaming  over,  to  time,  continuous  existence  {vid. 
Orelli,  Synonyma  der  Zeit  und  Etüighit,  pp.  95-97),  thus:  he 
will  speak  for  continuance,  i.e.  either :  without  ever  requiring 


CHAP.  XXI.  29.  81 

to  be  silent,  or,  winch  we  prefer:  so  that  what  he  says  stands; 
on  the'  contrary,  he  who  testifies  mere  fictions,  i.e.  avers  that 
they  are  truth,  is  destroyed  (28a  =  xix.  9&,  cf.  5)  :  he  himself 
comes  to  nothing,  since  his  testimonies  are  referred  to  their 
^groundlessness  and  falsity;  for  D^f'Jl  )b  ]^Ü  "ip"J',  the  lie  has 
no  feet  on  which  it  can  stand,  it  comes  to  nothing  sooner  or 
later. 

Ver.  29.  Another  proverb  with  C'\S  : — 

A  godless  man  showeth  boldness  in  his  mien ; 

But  one  that  is  upright — he  proveth  his  way. 
The  Chethib  has  T?' ;  but  that  the  upright  directeth,  dirigit,  his 
way,  i.e.  gives  to  it  the  right  direction  (cf.  2  Chron.  xxvii.  6), 
is  not  a  good  contrast  to  the  boldness  of  the  godless ;  the  Kej-t, 
'^^y}  T^[^,  deserves  the  preference.  Aquila,  Symmachus,  the 
Syr.,  Targ.,  and  Venet.  adhere  to  the  C/iet/nb,  which  would  be 
suitable  if  it  could  be  translated,  with  Jerome,  by  corrigit ; 
Luther  also  reads  the  verb  with  3,  but  as  if  it  were  112''  (who- 
ever is  pious,  his  way  will  stand) — only  the  LXX.  render  the 
Keri  (avvLel)  ;  as  for  the  rest,  the  ancients  waver  between  the 
Cheilitb  V3"ii.  and  the  Keri  i3"i"n :  the  former  refers  to  manner 
of  life  in  general ;  the  latter  (as  at  iii.  31  and  elsewhere)  to 
the  conduct  in  separate  cases;  thus  the  one  is  just  as  appro- 
priate as  the  other.  In  the  circumstantial  designation  t^'^^ 
J^'^'")  (cf.  xi.  7)  we  have  the  stamp  of  the  distinction  of  different 
classes  of  men  peculiar  to  the  Book  of  Pi'overbs.  ti^n  (to  make 
firm,  defiant)  had,  vii.  13,  D'^JS  as  accus.;  the  3  here  is  not  that 
used  in  metaphoristic  expressions  instead  of  the  accus,  obj., 
which  we  have  spoken  of  at  xv.  4,  xx.  30,  but  that  of  the 
means ;  for  the  face  is  thought  of,  not  as  the  object  of  the  action, 
but,  after  Gesen.  §  138. 1,  as  the  means  of  its  accomplishment: 
the  godless  makes  (shows)  firmness,  i.e.  defiance,  accessibility  to 
no  admonition,  with  his  countenance ;  but  the  upright  considers, 
i.e.  proves  (xiv.  8),  his  way.  ps  (P^H)  means  a  perceiving  of 
the  object  in  its  specific  peculiarity,  an  understanding  of  its 
constituent  parts  and  essential  marks ;  it  denotes  knowing  an 
event  analytically,  as  •'''S'^'Oj  as  well  as  synthetically  (cf.  Arab. 
sliald),  and  is  thus  used  as  the  expression  of  a  perception,  which 
apprehends  the  object  not  merely  immediately,  but  closely 
examines  into  its  circumstances. 

VOL.  II.  F 


82  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVERBS. 

If  we  further  seek  for  the  boundaries,  the  proverbs  regard- 
ing the  rich  and  the  poor,  xxii.  2,  7,  16,  present  themselves  as 
such,  and  this  the  more  surely  as  xxii.  16  is  without  contra- 
diction the  terminus.  Thus  we  take  first  together  xxi.  30- 
xxii.  2. 

Ver.  30  No  wisdom  and  no  understanding, 

And  no  counsel  is  there  against  Jahve. 
The  expression  might  also  be  'n  ''^27;  but  the  predominating  sense 
would  then  be,  that  no  wisdom  appears  to  God  as  such,  that  He 
values  none  as  such.  With  TJ.^P  the  proverb  is  more  objective : 
there  is  no  wisdom  which,  compared  with  His,  can  be  regarded 
as  such  (of.  1  Cor.  iii.  19),  none  which  can  boast  itself  against 
Him,  or  can  at  all  avail  against  Him  (iJjf',  as  Dan.  x.  12  ;  Neh. 
iii.  37)  ;  whence  it  follows  (as  Job  xxviii.  28)  that  the  wisdom 
of  man  consists  in  the  fear  of  God  the  Alone-wise,  or,  which  is 
the  same  thing,  the  All-wise.  Immanuel  interprets  "^^^n  of 
theology,  njun  of  worldly  science,  nvy  of  politics ;  but  noan  is 
used  of  the  knowledge  of  truth,  i.e.  of  that  which  truly  is  and 
continues ;  njnn  of  criticism,  and  n^:y  of  system  and  method ; 
vid.  at  i.  2,  viii.  14,  from  which  latter  passage  the  LXX.  has 
substituted  here  mnj  instead  of  HJnn.  Instead  of  'n  li:h  it 
translates  Trpo?  top  äaeßr),  i.e.  for  that  which  is  'n  njj  against 
Jahve. 

Ver.  31  The  horse  is  harnessed  for  the  day  of  battle  ; 
But  with  Jahve  is  the  victory, 
i.e.  it  remains  with  Him  to  give  the  victory  or  not,  for  the 
liorse  is  a  vain  means  of  victory,  Isa.  xxxiii.  17  ;  the  battle  is 
the  Lord's,  1  Sam.  xvii.  47,  i.e.  it  depends  on  Him  how  the 
battle  shall  issue  ;  and  king  and  people  who  have  taken  up  arms 
in  defence  of  their  rights  have  thus  to  trust  nothing  in  the 
multitude  of  their  war-horses  (D-,D,  horses,  including  their  riders), 
and  generally  in  their  preparations  for  the  battle,  but  in  the 
Lord  (cf.  Ps.  XX.  8,  and,  on  the  contrary,  Isa.  xxxi.  1).  The 
LXX.  translates  nyic^nn  by  r}  ßoijdeia,  as  if  the  Arab,  name  of 
victory,  nasr,  proceeding  from  this  fundamental  meaning,  stood 
in  the  text ;  nyiCT  (from  V^\  Arab.  iüs\  to  be  wide,  to  have  free 
space  for  motion)  signifies  properly  prosperity,  as  the  contrast 
of  distress,  oppression,  slavery,  and  victory  (cf.  e.g.  Ps.  cxliv. 
10,  and  r\m'\,  1  Sam.  xiv.  45).     The  post-bibl.  Heb.  uses  n^3 


CHAP.  XXII.  1,  2.  83 

(iini*i)  for  victory ;  but  the  O.  T.  Heb.  has  no  word  more  fully 
covering  this  idea  than  nyi^'D  (nyv^:''').^ 

Chap.  xxii.  1  A  good  name  has  the  preference  above  great  riches  ; 
For  more  than  silver  and  gold  is  grace. 
The  proverb  is  constructed  chiastically;  the  commencing  word 
nnia  (cf.  xxi.  3),  and  the  concluding  word  31D,  are  the  parallel  , 

predicates;  rightly,  none  of  the  old  translators  have  been  mis-  ^)^'-  f^/^' 
led  to  take  together  3iD  in,  after  the  analogy  of  niLD  bb»,  iii.  14,      '  ■     • 

xiii.  15.  Dy?'  also  does  not  need  nitJ  for  nearer  determination; 
the  more  modern  idiom  uses  31Ü  UÜ,^  the  more  ancient  uses 
DK^  alone  {e.g.  Eccles.  vii.  1),  in  the  sense  of  ovoyia  koXov  (thus 
here  LXX.) ;  for  being  well  known  (renowned)  is  equivalent 
to  a  name,  and  the  contrary  to  being  nameless  (Job  xxx.  8) ; 
to  make  oneself  a  name,  is  equivalent  to  build  a  monument  in 
honour  of  oneself;  possibly  the  derivation  of  the  word  from 
nn^,  to  be  high,  prominent,  known,  may  have  contributed  to 
this  meaning  of  the  word  sensu  eximio,  for  Q^  has  the  same 
root  word  as  n]ipf.  Luther  translates  D*^  by  Das  Gerücht 
[rumour,  fame],  in  the  same  pregnant  sense  ;  even  to  the  present 
day,  renom.,  renommee,  riputazione,  and  the  like,  are  thus  used. 
The  parallel  in  signifies  grace  and  favour  (being  beloved) ; 
grace,  which  brings  favour  (xi.  16) ;  and  favour,  which  is 
the  consequence  of  a  graceful  appearance,  courtesy,  and 
demeanour  {e.g.  Esth.  ii.  15). 

Yer.  2  The  rich  and  the  poor  meet  together ; 
The  creator  of  them  all  is  Jahve. 
From  this,  that  God  made  them  all,  i.e.  rich  and  poor  in  the 
totality  of  their  individuals,  it  follows  that  the  meeting  together 
is  His  will  and  His  ordinance  ;  they  shall  in  life  push  one  against 
another,  and  for  what  other  purpose  than  that  this  relation- 

1  In  the  old  High  German,  the  word  for  war  is  urlag  (urlac),  fate,  because 
the  issue  is  the  divine  determination,  and  not  (as  in  "  der  Nibelunge  Not''), 
as  binding,  confining,  restraint ;  this  vot  is  the  correlate  to  nyiC'n,  victory  ; 
n?on^O  corresponds  most  to  the  French  guerre,  which  is  not  of  Romanic, 
but  of  German  origin :  the  Werre,  i.e.  the  Gewirre  [complication,  con- 
fusion], for  nrhl  signifies  to  press  against  one  another,  to  be  engaged  in 
close  conflict ;  cf.  the  Homeric  K-kövog  of  the  turmoil  of  battle. 

2  e.g.  Aboth  iv.  17  :  there  are  three  crowns :  the  crown  of  the  Tora,  the 
crown  of  the  priesthood,  and  the  crown  of  royalty ;  but  niD  Ü^  "IHD,  the 
crown  of  a  good  name,  excels  them  all. 


84  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

ship  of  mutual  intercourse  should  be  a  school  of  virtue:  the  poor 
shall  not  envy  the  rich  (lii.  31),  and  the  rich  shall  not  despise 
the  poor,  who  has  the  same  God  and  Father  as  himself  (xiv.  31, 
xvii.  5  ;  Job  xxxi.  15)  ;  they  shall  remain  conscious  of  this,  that 
the  intermingling  of  the  diversities  of  station  is  for  this  end, 
that  the  lowly  should  serve  the  exalted,  and  the  exalted  should 
serve  the  lowly,  xxix.  13  is  a  variation  ;  there  also  for  both, 
but  particularly  for  the  rich,  lies  in  the  proverb  a  solemn 
warning. 

The  group  of  proverbs  beginning  here  terminates  at  ver.  7, 
wdiere,  like  the  preceding,  it  closes  with  a  proverb  of  the  rich 
and  the  poor. 

Ver.  3  The  prudent  seeth  the  evil,  and  hideth  himself ; 
But  the  simple  go  forward,  and  suffer  injury. 

This  proverb  repeats  itself  with  insignificant  variations,  xxvii. 
12.  The  Keri  "iJ^??"!  makes  it  more  conformable  to  the  words 
there  used.  The  Chetlnb  is  not  to  be  read  l^ip^l,  for  this  Kal  is 
inusit.,  but  "•^3*'),  or  much  rather  "^nB'!,  since  it  is  intended  to  be 
said  what  immediate  consequence  on  the  part  of  a  prudent  man 
arises  from  his  perceiving  an  evil  standing  before  him ;  he  sees, 
e.g.,  the  approaching  overtlirow  of  a  decaying  house,  or  in  a 
sudden  storm  the  fearful  flood,  and  betimes  betakes  himself  to 
a  place  of  safety ;  the  simple,  on  the  contrary,  go  blindly  for- 
ward into  the  threatening  danger,  and  must  bear  the  punish- 
ment of  their  carelessness.  The  fut.  consec.  3a  denotes  the 
hiding  of  oneself  as  that  which  immediately  follows  from  the 
being  observant;  the  two  perf.  db,  on  the  other  hand,  with  or 
without  I,  denote  the  going  forward  and  meeting  with  punish- 
ment as  occurring  contemporaneously  (cf.  Ps.  xlviii.  6,  and 
regarding  these  diverse  forms  of  construction,  at  Hab.  iii.  10). 
"  The  interchange  of  the  sing,  and  plur.  gives  us  to  understand 
that  several  or  many  simiple  ones  are  found  for  one  prudent 
man"  (Hitzig).  The  NipJi.  of  ^^V  signifies  properly  to  be 
punished  by  pecuniary  fine  (Ex.  xxi.  22)  (cf.  the  post-bibl.  Dip, 
D^p,  to  threaten  punishment,  which  appears  to  have  arisen  from 
censere,  to  estimate,  to  lay  on  taxes)  ;  here  it  has  the  general 
meaning  of  being  punished,  viz.  of  the  self-punishment  of  want 
of  foresight. 


CHAP.  XXII.  4.  85 

Ver.  4  The  reward  of  humility  is  the  fear  of  Jahve, 
Is  riches,  and  honour,  and  life. 

As  P'i^*"n;i3y^  Ps.  xlv.  5,  is  understood  of  the  two  virtues,  meek- 
ness and  righteousness,  so  here  the  three  Göttingen  divines 
(Ewald,  Bertheaii,  and  Elster),  as  also  Dunasch,  see  in'n  nx"]^  ni:y 
an  asyndeton;  the  poet  would  then  have  omitted  iJau,  because 
instead  of  the  copulative  connection  he  preferred  the  apposi- 
tional  (Schultens  :  prcemium  mansuetudinis  quce  est  reverentia 
Jehovcv)  or  the  permutative  (the  reward  of  humility  ;  more 
accurately  expressed  :  the  fear  of  God).  It  is  in  favour  of  this 
interpretation  that  the  verse  following  (ver.  5)  also  shows  an 
asyndeton.  Luther  otherwise:  wdiereone  abides  in  the  fear  of 
the  Lord  ;  and  Oetinger  :  the  reward  of  humility,  endurance, 
calmness  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  is  .  .  .;  Fleischer  also  interprets 
'n  nxi""  as  xxi.  4,  nXDn  Qucema  imjnorum  vitiosa),  as  the  accus,  of 
the  nearer  definition.  But  then  is  the  nearest-lying  construc- 
tion :  the  reward  of  humility  is  the  fear  of  God,  as  all  old 
interpreters  understand  4a  (e.g.  Symmachus,  varepov  irpavrr^To^ 
(poßo'i  Kvpiov),  a  thought  so  incomprehensible,  that  one  must 
adopt  one  or  other  of  these  expedients  ?  On  the  one  side,  we 
may  indeed  say  that  the  fear  of  God  brings  humility  with  it; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  just  as  comformable  to  experience 
that  the  fear  of  God  is  a  consequence  of  humility  ;  for  actually 
to  subordinate  oneself  to  God,  and  to  give  honour  to  Him  alone, 
one  must  have  broken  his  self-will,  and  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  himself  in  his  dependence,  nothingness,  and  sin  ;  and  one 
consequence  by  which  humility  is  rewarded,  may  be  called  the 
fear  of  God,  because  it  is  the  root  of  all  wisdom,  or  as  is  here 
said  (cf.  iii.  16,  viii.  18),  because  riches,  and  honour,  and  life 
are  in  its  train.  Thus  4a  is  a  concluded  sentence,  which  in 
46  is  so  continued,  that  from  4a  the  predicate  is  to  be  con- 
tinued :  the  reward  of  humility  is  the  fear  of  God  ;  it  is  at  the 
same  time  riches  .  .  .  Hitzig  con  jectures 'n  rns"i,  the  beholding 
Jahve  ;  but  the  visio  Dei  {beatifica)  is  not  a  dogmatic  idea  thus 
expressed  in  the  O.  T.  2\>V  denotes  what  follows  a  thing,  from 
3p.y,  to  tread  on  the  heels  (Fleischer) ;  for  ^\>V  (Arab,  ^akib)  is 
the  heels,  as  the  incurvation  of  the  foot ;  and  3py,  the  conse- 
quence (cf.  Arab,  'aZ:6,  \ihh,  posteritas),  is  mediated  through  the 
V.  denom.  3i?y,  to  tread  on  the  heels,  to  follow  on  the  heels  (cf. 


86  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

denominatives,  such  as  Arab,  hatn^  zahr,  'an,  pV,  to  strike  the 
bodj,  the  back,  the  eye). 

Ver.  5  Thorns,  snares,  are  on  the  way  of  the  crooked ; 

He  that  guardeth  his  soul,  let  him  keep  far  from  them. 
Rightly  the  Venet.  aKavOat  nrayiSef;  iv  oSw  arpeßXov.  The 
meaning  of  ^''^V  (plur.  of  ?>*,  or  na^^  the  same  as  ^^TT^)  and 
D'^HQ  (from  no,  Arab,  fah),  stands  fast,  though  it  be  not  etymo- 
logically  verified ;  the  placing  together  of  these  two  words  (the 
LXX. obliterating  the  asyndeton:  rpi'/SoXo?  koI  7ray[he<;)  follows 
the  scheme  m""  rätJ>,  Hab.  iii.  11.  Tiie  ^r^ipV  (perverse  of 
heart,  crooked,  xvii.  20,  xi.  20)  drives  his  crooked  winding  way, 
corresponding  to  his  habit  of  mind,  which  is  the  contrast  and 
the  perversion  of  that  wiiich  is  just,  a  way  in  which  there 
are  thorns  which  entangle  and  wound  those  who  enter  there- 
on, snares  which  unexpectedly  bring  them  down  and  hold 
them  fast  as  prisoners;  the  hedge  of  thorns,  xv.  19,  was  a 
figure  of  the  hindrances  in  the  way  of  the  wicked  themselves. 
Tiie  thorn  and  snares  here  are  a  figure  of  the  hindrances  and 
dangers  which  go  forth  from  the  deceitful  and  the  false  in  the 
way  of  others,  of  those  who  keep  their  souls,  i.e.  who  outwardly 
and  morally  take  heed  to  their  life  (xvi.  17,  xiii.  3,  pred.  here 
subj.),  who  will  keep,  or  are  disposed  to  keep,  themselves  from 
these  thorns,  these  snares  into  which  the  deceitful  and  per- 
verse-hearted seek  to  entice  them. 

Ver.  6  Give  to  the  child  instruction  conformably  to  His  way  ; 
So  he  will  not,  when  he  becomes  old,  depart  from  it. 
The  first  instruction  is  meant  which,  communicated  to  the 
child,  should  be  "'S"?)?,  after  the  measure  (Gen.  xliii.  7=:post- 
bibl.  ""op  and  ''Ö3)  of  his  way,  i.e.  not :  of  his  calling,  which  he 
must  by  and  by  enter  upon  (Bertheau,  Zockler),  which  i^"l'^  of 
itself  cannot  mean  ;  also  not :  of  the  way  which  he  must  keep 
in  during  life  {Kidduscldn  30a)  ;  nor  :  of  his  individual  nature 
(Elster) ;  but :  of  the  nature  of  the  child  as  such,  for  T}/), 
"W  is  the  child's  way,  as  e.g.  derek  col-haarets,  Gen.  xix.  31, 
the  general  custom  of  the  land;  derek  Mitsrdijim,  Isa.  x.  24, 
the  way  (the  manner  of  acting)  of  the  Egyptians.  The  instruc- 
tion of  youth,  the  education  of  youth,  ought  to  be  conformed  to 
the  nature  of  youth ;  the  matter  of  instruction,  the  manner  of 
instruction,  ouffht  to  regulate  itself  according  to  the  stage  of 


CHAP.  XXII.  7.  87 

life,  and  its  peculiarities ;  the  method  ought  to  be  arranged 
according  to  the  degree  of  development  which  the  mental  and 
bodily  life  of  the  youth  has  arrived  at.  The  verb  "n?n  is  a  de- 
nominative like  3i^y,  ver.  4 ;  it  signifies  to  affect  the  taste,  Tin 
(==  "il^f]),  in  the  Arab,  to  put  date  syrup  into  the  mouth  of  the 
suckling ;  so  that  we  may  compare  with  it  the  saying  of  Horace, 
[Ep.  i.  2,  69]  :  Quo  semel  est  imbuta  recens  servahit  odorem 
Testa  diu.  In  the  post-bibl.  Heb.  Tjisn  denotes  that  which  in 
the  language  of  the  Church  is  called  catech'izaiio ;  (iVJP)  120 
"lljn  is  the  usual  title  of  the  catechisms.  It  is  the  fundamental 
and  first  requisite  of  all  educational  instruction  which  the  pro- 
verb formulates,  a  suitable  motto  for  the  lesson-books  of  peda- 
gogues and  catechists.  n3?30  [from  it]  refers  to  that  training  of 
youth,  in  conformity  with  his  nature,  which  becomes  a  second 
nature,  that  which  is  imprinted,  inbred,  becomes  accustomed. 
Ver.  6  is  wanting  in  the  LXX. ;  where  it  exists  in  MSS.  of 
the  LXX.,  it  is  supplied  from  Theodotion  ;  the  Complut.  trans- 
lates independently  from  the  Heb.  text. 

Ver.  7  A  rich  man  will  rule  over  the  poor, 

And  the  borrower  is  subject  to  the  man  who  lends. 
"  This  is  the  course  of  the  world.  As  regards  the  sing,  and  plur. 
in  7a,  there  are  many  poor  for  one  rich  ;  and  in  the  Orient  the 
rule  is  generally  in  the  hands  of  one "  (Hitzig).  The  fut. 
denotes  how  it  will  and  must  happen,  and  the  substantival 
clause  Ihj  which  as  such  is  an  expression  of  continuance  (Arab. 
thahdt,  i.e.  of  the  remaining  and  continuing),  denotes  that  con- 
tracting of  debt  brings  naturally  with  it  a  slavish  relation  of 
dependence,  np,  properly  he  who  binds  himself  to  one  se  ei 
obligat,  and  Hto,  as  xix.  17  (yid.  I.e.),  qui  alterum  (midui  datione) 
obligat,  from  n^7,  Arab,  hoy,  to  wind,  turn,  twist  round  {cog.  root 
laff),  whence  with  Fleischer  is  also  to  be  derived  the  Aram.  ^1?, 
"into  connection;"  so  ?X,  properly  "pushing  against,"  refers 
to  the  radically  related  n?X  (=  rOS),  contiguum  esse.  "^^/O  ^^^  is 
one  who  puts  himself  in  the  way  of  lending,  although  not 
directly  in  a  professional  manner.  The  pred.  precedes  its  sub- 
ject according  to  rule.  Luther  rightly  translates  :  and  he  who 
borrows  is  the  lender's  servant,  whence  the  pun  on  the  proper 
names :  "  Borghart  [=  the  borrower]  is  Lehnhart's  [=  lender's] 
servant." 


88  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

The  group  now  following  extends  to  the  end  of  this  first 
collection  of  Solomon's  proverbs ;  it  closes  also  with  a  proverb 
of  the  poor  and  the  rich. 

Ver.  8  He  tliat  soweth  iniquity  shall  reap  calamity ; 
And  the  rod  of  his  fury  shall  vanish  away. 
''Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap"  (Gal.  vi. 
7) ;  he  that  soweth  good  reapeth  good,  xi.  18 ;  he  that  soweth 
evil  reapeth  evil,  Job  iv.  8  ;  cf.  Hos.  x.  12  f.  nbiy  is  the  direct 
contrast  of  >^P'J^  or  lü''^  (e.g.  Ps.  cxxv.  3,  cvii.  42),  proceeding 
from  the  idea  that  the  good  is  right,  i.e.  straight,  rectum;  the 
evil,  that  which  departs  from  the  straight  line,  and  is  crooked. 
Regarding  )).^,  which  means  both  perversity  of  mind  and  conduct, 
as  well  as  destiny,  calamity,  viel.  xii.  21.  That  which  the  poet 
particularly  means  by  npij?  is  shown  in  8b,  viz.  unsympathizing 
tyranny,  cruel  misconduct  toward  a  neighbour.  ^^TJ^^  ^-^"^  is 
the  rod  which  he  who  soweth  iniquity  makes  another  to  feel  in 
his  anger.  The  saying,  that  an  end  will  be  to  this  rod  of  his 
fury,  agrees  with  that  which  is  said  of  the  despot's  sceptre,  Isa. 
xiv.  5  f.;  Ps.  cxxv.  3.  Eightly  Fleischer:  baculus  insolentice 
ejus  consumetur  h.  e.  facultas  qua  pollet  alios  insolenter  tractandi 
evanescet.  Hitzig's  objection,  that  a  rod  does  not  vanish  away, 
but  is  broken,  is  answered  by  this,  that  the  rod  is  thought  of  as 
brandished ;  besides,  one  uses  n^3  of  anything  which  has  an  end, 
e.g.  Isa.  xvi.  4.  Other  interpreters  understand  "  the  rod  of  his 
fury"  of  the  rod  of  God's  anger,  which  will  strike  the  p^V  and 
np^^j  as  at  Ezek.  v.  13  ;  Dan.  xii.  7  :  "  and  the  rod  of  His  punish- 
ment will  surely  come "  (Ewald,  and  similarly  Schultens, 
Euchel,  Umbreit).  This  thought  also  hovers  before  the  LXX.: 
Tr\7]'^i')V  he  epycov  avrov  (imiy)  awreKeaeL  ('^^?'!).  But  if  the  rod 
of  punishment  which  is  appointed  for  the  unrighteous  be  meant, 
then  we  would  have  expected  n73"i.  Taken  in  the  future,  the  rii?3 
of  the  D3'^  is  not  its  confectio  in  the  sense  of  completion,  but  its 
termination  or  annihilation  ;  and  besides,  it  lies  nearer  after  8a 
to  take  the  suffix  of  imny  subjectively  (Isa.  xiv.  6,  xvi.  6) 
than  objectively.     The  LXX.  has,  after  ver.  8,  a  distich : — 

fcuTy^iOTYirei  Sg  'ipyuv  uvrou  avuTi'hiaii. 

The  first  line  (2  Cor.  ix.  7)  is  a  variant  translation  of  9a  (cf. 
xxi.  17),  the  second  (imnj?  XIC*"!)  is  a  similar  rendering  of  8^. 


CHAP.  XXII.  9,  10.  89 

Vcr.  9  He  wlio  is  friendly  is  blessed  ; 

Because  he  giveth  of  his  bread  to  the  poor. 

The  thought  is  the  same  as  at  xi.  25.  rJ{  3iü  (thus  to  be 
written  without  3IaJchph,  with  Munach  of  the  first  word,  with 
correct  Codd.,  also  1294  and  Jaman),  the  contrast  of  rv  V"], 
xxiii.  6,  xxii.  22,  i.e.  the  envious,  evil-eyed,  ungracious  (post- 
bibl.  also  TV  "iV),  is  one  who  looks  kindly,  is  good-hearted,  and  as 
iXapo^  S6t7](;,  shoAvs  himself  benevolent.  Such  gentleness  and 
kindness  is  called  in  the  Mishna  n^iD  );y  (Aboth  ii.  13),  or 
i^?^  ry.  Such  a  friend  is  blessed,  for  he  has  also  himself  scattered 
blessings  (cf.  N^iTDJ^  xi.  25,  xxi.  13);  he  has,  as  is  said,  lookincp 
back  from  the  blessing  that  has  happened  to  him,  given  of  his 
bread  (Luther,  as  the  LXX.,  with  partitive  genitive:  seines  bigots 
[==  of  his  bread])  to  the  poor;  cf.  the  unfolding  of  this  blessing 
of  self-denying  love,  Isa.  viii.  The  LXX.  has  also  here  another 
distich : 

'^IKYIV  Kxl    TZ/H'/IV  TreplTTOlSlTCil  0   Qiipcc  oovg, 

The  first  line  appears  a  variant  translation  of  xix.  6b,  and  the 
second  of  i.  19,&,  according  to  which  selfishness,  in  contrast  to 
liberality,  is  the  subject  to  be  thought  of.  Ewald  translates  the 
second  line : 

And.  he  (who  distributes  gifts)  conquers  the  soul  of  the  recipients. 
But   K€KT7jfxivo<;  =  ^V^   (^''^i!^)  signifies    the    possessor,  not  the 
recipient  of  anything  as  a  gift,  who  cannot  also  be  here  meant 
because  of  the  /jbevroi, 

Ver.  10  Chase  away  the  scorner,  and  contention  goeth  out, 
And  strife  and  reproach  rest. 
If  in  a  company,  a  circle  of  friends,  a  society  (LXX.  sKßaXe 
€K  avveSplov),  a  wicked  man  is  found  who  (vid.  the  definition 
of  r^,  xxi.  24)  treats  religious  questions  without  respect,  moral 
questions  in  a  frivolous  way,  serious  things  jestingly,  and  in 
his  scornful  spirit,  his  passion  for  witticism,  his  love  of  anecdote, 
places  himself  above  the  duty  of  showing  reverence,  veneration, 
and  respect,  there  will  arise  ceaseless  contentions  and  conflicts. 
Such  a  man  one  ought  to  chase  away;  tlien  there  will  imme- 
diately go  forth  along  with  him  dispeace  (P"'?),  there  will  then 
be  rest  from  strife  and  disgrace,  viz.  of  the  strife  which  such 

a  one   draws  forth,  and  the   disgrace  which  it  brings  en  the   «/'  /-><>< 

—  I     aoyV- 


90  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

society,  and  continually  prepares  for  it.  ]\?p  is  commonly 
understood  of  the  injury,  abuse,  which  others  have  to  suffer 
from  the  scoffer,  or  also  (thus  Fleischer,  Hitzig)  of  the  opprohria 
of  the  contentious  against  one  another.  But  jpp  is  not  so  used  ; 
it  means  always  disgrace,  as  something  that  happens,  an  experi- 
ence, vid.  at  xviii.  3.  The  praise  of  one  who  is  the  direct  con- 
trast of  a  yh  is  celebrated  in  the  next  verse. 
Ver.  11  He  that  loveth  heart-purity, 

Whose  is  grace  of  lips,  the  king  is  his  friend. 
Thus  with  Hitzig,  it  is  to  be  translated  not :  he  who  loveth 
with  a  pure  heart, — we  may  interpret  2?""iinD  syntactically  in 
the  sense  of  puritate  cordis  or  punts  corde  (Ralbag,  Ewald, 
after  xx.  7),  for  that  which  follows  inx  and  is  its  supple- 
ment has  to  stand  where  possible  as  the  accus,  of  the  object ; 
thus  not :  qui  amat  puritatem  cordis,  graiiosa  erunt  labia  ejus 
(de  Dieu,  Geier,  Schultens,  C.  B.  Michaelis,  Fleischer),  for 
between  heart-purity  and  graciousness  of  speech  there  exists  a 
moral  relation,  but  yet  no  necessary  connection  of  sequence  ; 
also  not :  he  who  loves  purity  of  heart,  and  grace  on  his  lips 
(Aben  Ezra,  Schelling,  Bertheau),  for  "  to  love  the  grace  of 
one's  own  lips"  is  an  awkward  expression,  which  sounds  more 
like  reprehensible  self-complacency  than  a  praiseworthy  en- 
deavour after  gracious  speech.     Excellently  Luther  : 

"  He  who  has  a  true  heart  and  amiable  speech, 
The  king  is  his  friend." 
3S5~iinD  is  not  adjectival,  but  substantival ;  "iriD  is  thus  not  the 
constr.  of  the  mas.  linD,  as  Job  xvii.  10,  but  of  the  segolate 
"inb,  or  (since  the  ground-form  of  ^2i^  1  Sam.  xvi.  7,  may  be 
nba  as  well  as  nnb)  of  the  neut.  linto,  "like  C^'lf?,  Ps.  xlvi.  5,  Ixv. 
5 :  that  wdiich  is  pure,  the  being  pure  =  purity  (Schultens). 
''*C??'  '"  (gracefulness  of  his  lips)  is  the  second  subject  with  the 
force  of  a  relative  clause,  although  not  exactly  thus  thought  of, 
but :  one  loving  heart-purity,  gracefulness  on  his  lips — the 
king  is  his  friend.  Ewald  otherwise :  "  he  will  be  the  king's 
friend,"  after  the  scheme  xiii.  4 ;  but  here  unnecessarily  refined. 
A  counsellor  and  associate  who  is  governed  by  a  pure  intention, 
and  connects  therewith  a  gentle  and  amiable  manner  of  speech 
and  conversation,  attaches  the  king  to  himself;  the  king  is  the 
•^J^"]  Ql'?),  the  friend  of  such  an  one,  and  he  also  is  "  the  fi'ieud 


CHAP.  XXII.  12.  91 

of  the  king,"  1  Kings  iv.  5.  It  is  a  Solomonic  proverb,  the 
same  in  idea  as  xvi.  13.  The  LXX.,  Syr.,  and  Targ.  introduce 
after  3ns  the  name  of  God;  but  lib  does  not  sj-ntacticallj 
admit  of  this  addition.  But  it  is  worth  while  to  take  notice  of 
an  interpretation  which  is  proposed  by  Jewish  interpreters ; 
the  friend  of  such  an  one  is  a  king,  i.e.  he  can  royally  rejoice 
in  him  and  boast  of  him.  The  thought  is  beautiful;  but,  as  the 
comparison  of  other  proverbs  speaking  of  the  king  shows,  is 
not  intended. 

Ver.  12  The  eyes  of  Jahve  preserve  knowledge ; 
So  He  frustrateth  the  words  of  the  false. 
The  phrase  "  to  preserve  knowledge  "  is  found  at  v.  2 ;  there,  in 
the  sense  of  to  keep,  retain  ;  here,  of  protecting,  guarding ;  for 
it  cannot  possibly  be  said  that  the  eyes  of  God  keep  themselves 
by  the  rule  of  knowledge,  and  thus  preserve  knowledge ;  this 
predicate  is  not  in  accord  with  the  eyes,  and  is,  as  used  of  God, 
even  inappropriate.  On  the  other  hand,  after  "  to  preserve," 
in  the  sense  of  watching,  guarding  a  concrete  object  is  to  be 
expected,  cf.  Isa.  xxvi.  3.  We  need  not  thus  with  Ewald  supply 
V'}S'' ;  the  ancients  are  right  that  riyn^  knowledge,  stands  meto- 
nymically  for  ^''H  (Meiri),  or  ''\:}:ni  (Aben  Ezra),  or  nyi  '»ynv 
(Arama);  Schultens  rightly:  Cognitio  veritatis  ac  virtutis practica 
fertur  ad  homines  earn  colentes  ac  prcestantes.  Where  know- 
ledge of  the  true  and  the  good  exists,  there  does  it  stand  under 
the  protection  of  God.  12&  shows  how  that  is  meant,  for  there 
the  perf.  is  continued  in  the  second  consec.  modus  {fut.  consec.)  : 
there  is  thus  protection  against  the  assaults  of  enemies  wlio  oppose 
the  knowledge  which  they  hate,  and  seek  to  triumph  over  it, 
and  to  suppress  it  by  their  crooked  policy.  But  God  stands 
on  the  side  of  knowledge  and  protects  it,  and  consequently 
makes  vain  the  words  (the  outspoken  resolutions)  of  the  deceit- 
ful. Regarding  ^l^'D  0.<9)j  vid.  xi.  3  and  xix.  3.  The  meaning  of 
^'?.?"n  ^?.?  is  here  essentially  different  from  that  in  Ex.  xxiii.  8, 
Deut.  xvi.  19  :  he  perverteth  their  words,  for  he  giveth  them  a 
bearing  that  is  false,  i.e.  not  leading  to  the  end.  Hitzig  reads 
nij?"i  [wickedness]  for  nyn,  which  Zöckler  is  inclined  to  favour  : 
God  keeps  the  evil  which  is  done  in  His  eyes,  and  hinders  its 
success ;  but  "  to  observe  wickedness  "  is  an  ambiguous,  unten- 
able expression ;  the  only  passage  that  can  be  quoted  in  favour 


92'  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

of  this  ''  to  observe  "  is  Job  vii.  20.  The  word  DV'f,  handed 
down  without  variation,  is  much  rather  justified. 

Ver.  13  The  sluggard  saith,  "  A  lion  is  without, 

I  shall  be  slain  in  the  midst  of  the  streets." 

Otherwise  rendered,  xxvi.  13.  There,  as  here,  the  perf.  "I0^?  has 
the  meaning  of  an  abstract  present,  Gesen.  §  126.  3.  The 
activity  of  the  industrious  has  its  nearest  sphere  at  home ;  but 
here  a  work  is  supposed  which  requires  him  to  go  forth  (Pi'. 
civ.  3)  into  tlie  field  (Prov.  xxiv.  27).  Therefore  pn  stands 
first,  a  word  of  wide  signification,  which  here  denotes  the  open 
country  outside  the  city,  where  the  sluggard  fears  to  meet  a 
lion,  as  in  the  streets,  i.e.  the  rows  of  houses  forming  them,  to 
meet  a  Hi*"-)  (nno),  i.e.  a  murder  from  motives  of  robbery  or 
revenge.  This  strong  word,  properly  to  destroy,  crush,  Arab. 
racjkh,  is  intentionally  chosen :  there  is  designed  to  be  set  forth 
the  ridiculous  hyperbolical  pretence  which  the  sluggard  seeks 
for  his  slothfulness  (Fleischer).  Luther  right  well :  "I  might 
be  murdered  on  the  streets."  But  there  is  intentionally  the 
absence  of  v^X  [perhaps]  and  of  |Si  [lest].  Meiri  here  quotes 
.a  passage  of  the  moralists:  nt^ujn  isvyn  TiSiroD  (prophesying) 
belongs  to  the  evidences  of  the  sluggard;  and  Euchel,  the  pro- 
verb n^X33no  D''!?^'ün  (the  sluggarcVs  prophecy),  i.e.  the  sluggard 
acts  like  a  prophet,  that  he  may  palliate  his  slothfulness. 

Ver.  li  A  deep  jDit  is  the  mouth  of  a  strange  woman  ; 
He  that  is  cursed  of  God  falleth  therein. 

The  first  line  appears  in  a  different  form  as  a  synonymous 
distich,  xxiii.  27.  The  LXX.  translate  crro^a  irapavofiov  with- 
out certainly  indicating  which  word  they  here  read,  whether  V~l 
(iv.  14),  or  y^h  (xxix.  12),  or  ni'J  (iii.  32).  xxiii.  27  is  adduced 
in  support  of  ninr  (^vid.  ii.  16)  ;  niJf  (harlots)  are  meant,  and  it 
is  not  necessary  thus  to  read  with  Ewald.  The  mouth  of 
this  strange  woman  or  depraved  Israelitess  is  a  deep  ditch 
(Hi^Oi;  nnv^j  otherwise  Hf^pj?,  as  xxiii.  27a,  where  also  occurs 
'"•i^^^J?  ^),  namely,  a  snare-pit  into  which  he  is  enticed  by  her 
wanton  words  ;  the  man  who  stands  in  fellowship  with  God  is 

^  The  text  to  Immanuers  Cumment.  (Naples  1487)  has  in  both  instances 

npiDy. 


CHAP.  XXII.  15,  IC.  93 

armed  against  this  syren  voice ;  but  the  'n  ^^V],  i.e.  he  who  is  an 
object  of  the  divine  Dyr  ( Venet.  Key^oXwfxho^^  tm  ovTcorfj),  in- 
dignation, punishing  evil  with  evil,  falls  into  the  pit,  yielding  to 
the  seduction  and  the  ruin.  Schultens  explains  'n  Diyr  by,  is 
in  quern  despumat  indignahundus ;  but  the  meaning  despumai  is 
not  substantiated  ;  Dyr,  cf.  Arab,  zaghn,  is  probably  a  word 
which  by  its  sound  denoted  anger  as  a  hollow  roaring,  and  like 
pealing  thunder.  The  LXX.  has,  after  ver.  14,  three  tedious 
moralizing  lines. 

Ver.  15  Folly  is  bound  to  the  heart  of  a  child ; 
The  rod  of  correction  driveth  it  forth. 

Folly,  i.e.  pleasure  in,  stupid  tricks,  silly  sport,  and  foolish 
behaviour,  is  the  portion  of  children  as  such;  their  heart  is  as 
yet  childish,  and  folly  is  bound  up  in  it.  Education  first 
driveth  forth  this  childish,  foolish  nature  (for,  as  Menander 
says : 

and  it  effects  this  when  it  is  unindulgently  severe  :  the  "iD^^  '^?^' 
{yid.  xxiii.  13)  removeth  Tb)^  from  the  heart,  for  it  imparts 
intelligence  and  makes  wise  (xxix.  15).  The  LXX.  is  right  in 
rendering  16a:  civoia  i^i^irraL  (from  i^dirretv)  Kaphla^i  veov ;  i^- 
but  the  Syr.  has  "  here  mangled  the  LXX.,  and  in  haste  has 
read  avoia  l^lirraTai :  folly  makes  the  understanding  of  the 
child  fly  away"  (Lagarde). 

Ver.  16  Whosoever  oppresseth  the  lowly,  it  is  gain  to  him  ; 
Whosoever  giveth  to  the  rich,  it  is  only  loss. 

It  is  before  all  clear  that  nisnn^  and  "lisn»^,  as  at  xxi.  5,  ^rmh 
and  ■nDno!',  are  contrasted  words,  and  form  the  conclusions  to 
the  participles  used,  with  the  force  of  hypothetical  antecedents. 
Jerome  recognises  this :  qui  calumniatur  paitperem,  lit  augeat 
divitias  suas,  dahit  ipse  ditiori  et  egehit.  So  Rashi,  who  by 
T'^i'V  thinks  on  heathen  potentates.  Proportionally  better 
Euchel,  referring  p^V  and  IHJ,  not  to  one  person,  but  to  two 
classes  of  men :  he  who  oppresses  the  poor  to  enrich  himself, 
and  is  liberal  toward  the  rich,  falls  under  want.  The  antithetic 
cTistich  thus  becomes  an  integral  one, — the  antithesis  manifestly 
intended  is  not  brought  out.  This  may  be  said  also  against 
Bertheau,  who  too  ingeniously  explains  :  He  who  oppresses  the 
poor  to  enrich  himself  gives  to  a  rich  man,  i.e.  to  himself,  the 


94  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

enriched,  only  to  want,  i.e.  only  to  lose  again  that  which  he 
gained  unrighteously.  Ralbag  is  on  the  right  track,  for  he 
suggests  the  explanation  :  he  who  oppresses  the  poor,  does  it 
to  his  gain,  for  he  thereby  impels  him  to  a  more  energetic 
exercise  of  his  strength ;  he  who  gives  to  the  rich  man  does  it 
to  his  own  loss,  because  the  rich  man  does  not  thank  him  for  it, 
and  still  continues  to  look  down  on  him.  But  if  one  refers  )b  to 
the  poor,  then  it  lies  nearer  to  interpret  niDHO?  *]X  of  the  rich  : 
he  who  gives  presents  to  the  rich  only  thereby  promotes  his 
sleepy  indolence,  and  so  much  the  more  robs  him  of  activity 
(Elster)  ;  for  that  which  one  gives  to  him  is  only  swallowed  up 
in  the  whirlpool  of  his  extravagance  (Zöckler).  Thus  Hitzig 
also  explains,  who  remarks,  under  17«:  "Oppression  produces 
reaction,  awakens  energy,  and  thus  God  on  the  whole  over- 
rules events"  (Ex.  i.  12).  Similarly  also  Ewald,  who  thinks 
on  a  mercenary,  unrighteous  rich  man :  God  finally  lifts  up 
the  oppressed  poor  man ;  the  rich  man  always  becoming 
richer,  on  the  contrary,  is  "  punished  for  all  his  wickedness 
only  more  and  more."  But  with  all  these  explanations  there 
is  too  much  read  between  the  lines.  Since  lIDnoip  1«  (xi.  24, 
xxi.  5)  refers  back  to  the  subject :  himself  to  mere  loss,  so  also 
will  it  be  here ;  and  the  LXX.,  Symmachus,  Jerome  (cf.  also 
the  Syr.  aicget  malum  suum)  are  right  when  they  also  refer  if', 
not  to  the  poor  man,  but  to  the  oppressor  of  the  poor.  We  ex- 
plain :  he  who  extorts  from  the  poor  enriches  himself  there- 
by ;  but  he  who  gives  to  the  rich  has  nothing,  and  less  than 
nothing,  thereby — he  robs  himself,  has  no  thanks,  only  brings 
himself  by  many  gifts  lower  and  lower  down.  In  the  first  case 
at  least,  17a,  the  result  corresponds  to  the  intention;  but  in 
this  latter  case,  17b,  one  gains  only  bitter  disappointment. 


CHAP.  XXII    17-21.  95 


FIRST  APPENDIX  TO  THE  FIRST  COLLECTION  OF  SOLOMONIC 
PROVERBS.— XXII.  17-XXIV.  22. 

The  last  group  of  distiches,  beginning  with  x.  1,  closed  at 
xxii.  16  with  a  proverb  of  the  poor  and  the  rich,  as  that  before 
the  last,  vid.  at  xxii.  7.  In  xxii.  17  £f.,  the  law  of  the  distich 
form  is  interrupted,  and  the  tone  of  the  introductory  Mashals 
is  ao-ain  perceptible.  Here  begins  an  appendix  to  the  older 
Book  of  Proverbs,  introduced  by  these  Mashals.  Vid.  regarding 
the  style  and  proverbial  form  of  this  introduction,  at  pages  4 
and  16  of  vol.  i. 

xxii.  17-21,  forming  the  introduction  to  this  appendix,  are 
these  Words  of  the  Wise  : 

Ver.  17  Incline  thine  ear  and  hear  the  words  of  the  wise, 
And  direct  thine  heart  to  my  knowledge ! 

18  For  it  is  pleasant  if  thou  keep  them  in  thine  heart ; 
Let  them  abide  together  on  thy  lips. 

19  That  thy  trust  may  be  placed  in  Jahve, 
I  have  taught  thee  to-day,  even  thee ! 

20  Have  not  I  written  unto  thee  choice  proverbs. 
Containing  counsels  and  knowledge, 

21  To  make  thee  to  know  the  rule  of  the  words  of  truth, 

That  thou  mightest  bring  back  words  which  are  truth  to  them 
that  send  thee  ? 
From  X.  1  to  xxii.  16  are  the  "Proverbs  of  Solomon,"  and 
not  "  The  Words  of  the  Wise;"  thus  the  above  irapaivecTL^  is 
not  an  epilogue,  but  a  prologue  to  the  following  proverbs. 
The  perfects  ^''Piynin  and  ''^ii^na  refer,  not  to  the  Solomonic  pro- 
verbial discourses,  but  to  the  appendix  following  them;  the 
preface  commends  the  worth  and  intention  of  this  appendix, 
and  uses  perfects  because  it  was  written  after  the  forming  of  the 
collection.  The  author  of  this  preface  {vid.  pp.  23,  36,  vol.  i.) 
is  no  other  than  the  author  of  i.-ix.  The  ton  (with  Melinppacli, 
after  Thorath  Emeth,  p.  27)  reminds  us  of  iv.  20,  v.  1.  The 
phrase  3^?  n^,  animim  adveriere,  occurs  again  in  the  second 
appendixj  xxiv.  32.  D^y^  is  repeated  at  xxiii.  8,  xxiv.  4 ;  but  DV3 
with  DP  is  common  in  the  preface,  i.-ix.  D^Vr'?  contains,  as  at 
Ps.  cxxxv.  3,  cxlvii.  1,  its  subject  in  itself.  ^:^^^^''^  is  not  this 
subject :  this  that  thou  preservest  them,  which  would  have  re- 
quired rather  the  infin.  D-^0"f  (Ps.  cxxxiii.  1)  or  DWp;  but  it 


96  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

suj^poses  the  case  in  which  appears  that  which  is  amiable  and 
praiseworthy :  if  thou  preservest  them  in  thy  heart,  i.e.  makest 
them  thoughtfully  become  thy  mental  possession.  The  suffix 
D—  refers  to  the  Words  of  the  Wise,  and  mediately  also  to 
''^^1?,  for  the  author  designates  his  practical  wisdom  "inj?1,  which 
is  laid  down  in  the  following  proverbs,  which,  although  not 
composed  by  him,  are  yet  penetrated  by  his  subjectivity.  Ee- 
garding  |12n,  which,  from  meaning  the  inner  parts  of  the  body, 
is  transferred  to  the  inner  parts  of  the  mind,  vid.  under  xx.  27. 
The  clause  ISb,  if  not  dependent  on  ^3,  would  begin  with 
^^bp.  The  absence  of  the  copula  and  the  antecedence  of  the 
verb  bring  the  optative  rendering  nearer.  Different  is  the 
syntactical  relation  of  v.  2,  where  the  infin.  is  continued  in  the 
fin.  The  fut.  N'iph.  ^^'^],  which,  iv.  27,  meant  to  be  rightly 
placed,  rightly  directed,  here  means :  to  stand  erect,  to  have 
continuance,  stabilem  esse.  In  ver.  19,  the  fact  of  instruction 
precedes  the  statement  of  its  object,  which  is,  that  the  disciple 
may  place  his  confidence  in  Jahve,  for  he  does  that  which  is 
according  to  His  will,  and  is  subject  to  His  rule.  '^n^^Pj  in 
Codd.  and  correct  editions  witli  Fathach  (yid.  Miclilol  l^ih)  ; 
the  n  is  as  virtually  doubled ;  vid.  under  xxi.  22.     In  196  the 

accentuation  DVn  T'nyTin  is  contrary  to  the  syntax ;  Codd.  and 

old  editions  have  rightly  DVn  ^'fiynin^  for  nriS"flX  is,  after  Gesen. 
§  121.  3, -an  emphatic  repetition  of  the  "thee;"  ^i?,  like  D3, 
xxiii.  15  ;  1  Kings  xxi.  19.  Hitzig  knows  of  no  contrast  which 
justifies  the  emphasis.  But  the  prominence  thus  effected  is  not 
always  of  the  nature  of  contrast  (cf.  Zech.  vii.  5,  have  ye  truly 
fasted  to  me,  i.e.  to  serve  me  thereby),  here  it  is  strong  in- 
dividualizing ;  the  te  etiam  te  is  equivalent  to,  thee  as  others,  and 
thee  in  particular.  Also  that,  as  Hitzig  remarks,  there  does 
not  appear  any  reason  for  the  emphasizing  of  "  to-day,"  is  in- 
correct: Di'n  is  of  the  same  signification  as  at  Ps.  xcv.  7  ;  the 
reader  of  the  following  proverbs  shall  remember  later,  not 
merely  in  general,  that  he  once  on  a  time  read  them,  but  that 
he  to-day,  that  he  on  this  definite  day,  received  the  lessons  of 
wisdom  contained  therein,  and  then,  from  that  time  forth, 
became  responsible  for  his  obedience  or  his  disobedience. 

In  2üa  the  Chefhib  DltJ'^li»  denotes  no  definite  date ;  besides, 


CHAP.  XXII.  17-21. 


this  word  occurs  only  always  along  with  ^)m  (Pionx).    Umbreit, 
Ewald,  Bertheau,  however,  accept  this  "  formerly  (lately),"  and 
suppose  that  the  author  here  refers  to  a  "  Book  for  Youths  " 
composed  at  an  earlier  period,  without  one  seeing  what  this  re- 
ference, winch  had  a  meaning  only  for  his  contemporaries,  here 
denotes.     Tlie  LXX.  reads  nnnn,  and  finds  in  20a,  contrary 
to  the  syntax  and  the  usus  log.,  the  exhortation  that  he  who  is 
addressed  ought  to  write  these  good  doctrines  thrice  (rpiaam) 
on  the  tablet  of   his  heart;  the  Syr.  and  Targ.  suppose  the 
author  to  say  that  he  wrote  them  three  times;  Jerome,  that  he 
wrote  them  threefold— both  without  any  visible  meaning,  since 
threefold   cannot   be    equivalent   to    manch feltiglich   (Luther) 
[-  several  times,  in  various  ways].    Also  the  Keri  U^^h^^  which 
without  doubt  is  the  authentic  word,  is  interpreted  in"  niany  un- 
acceptable ways ;  Kashi  and  Elia  Wilna,  following  a  Midrash 
explanation,  think  on  the  lessons  of  the  Law,  the  Prophets 
and  the  Hagiographa;  Arama,  on  those  which  are  referable  to 
three  classes  of  youth ;  Malbim  (as  if  here  the  author  of  the 
vyhole  Book  of  Proverbs,  from  i.  to  xxxi.,  spake),  on  the  supposed 
three  chief  parts  of  the  Mishle;  Dächsei  better,  on  i.-ix.,  as 
the  product  of  the  same  author  as  this  appendix.     Schultens 
compares    Eccles.    iv.    12,    and    translates    triplici    filo   nexa. 
Ivmichi,  Mein,  and  others,  are  right,  who  gloss  n>&h^^  by  nnm 
Dn233,  and  compare  DH^J:,  viii.  (3 ;  accordingly  the  Veneta,  with 
the  happy  quid  pro  quo,  by  rptaiier^tara.    The  LXX.  translates 
the  military  ^'^)^  by  rpicxTciTri,-  but  this  Greek  word  is  itself 
obscure,  and  is  explained  by  Hesychius  (as  well  as  by  Suidas,  and 
in  the  Etymologicum)  by  Regii  satellites  qui  ternas  hastas  manu 
tenehant,  which  is  certainly  false.     Another  Greek,  whom  An-  " 
gelhus  quotes,  says,  under  Ex.  xv.  4,  that  rpiardTrj,  was  the 
name  given  to  the  warriors  who  fought  from  a  chariot,  every 
three  of  whom  had  one  war-chariot  among  them;  and  this  ap- 
pears,  according  to  Ex.  xiv.  7,  xv.  4,  to  be  really  the  primary 
meaning.      Li  the  period  of  David  we  meet  with  the  word 
D^K'^iJEf'  as  the  name  of  the  heroes  (the   Gihboiim)  who  stood 
nearest  the  king.     The  shalish-men  form  the  elite  troops  that 
stood  highest  in  rank,  at  whose  head  stood  two  triads  of  heroes 
— Jashobeam  at  the  head  of  the  first  trias,  and  thus  of  the 
shahsh-meii  generally;  Abishai  at  the  head  of  the  second  trias, 
VOL.  II.  ^  ' 


98  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

who  held  an  honourable  place  among  the  shalish-men,  but  yet 
reached  not  to  that  first  trias,  2  Sam.  xxiii.  8  ff .  (  =  1  Chron.  xi. 
11  ff.).  The  name  n'p'hfr^  (Apoc.  2  Sam.  xxiii.  8,  V^ür}^  and 
ver.  13,  1  Chron.  xxvii.  6,  incorrectly  D"'^?^n)  occurs  here  with 
reference  to  the  threefold  division  of  this  principal  host ;  and 
in  regard  to  the  use  of  the  word  in  the  time  of  Pharaoh,  as 
well  as  in  the  time  of  the  kings,  it  may  be  granted  that  shalish 
denoted  the  Three-man  (frhnnvir),  and  then  generally  a  high 
military  officer ;  so  that  CtJ'pK'  here  has  the  same  relation  to 
D"'T'J3,  viii.  6,  as  ducalia  to  principalia.  The  name  of  the  chief 
men  (members  of  the  chief  troop)  is  transferred  to  the  chief 
proverbs,  as,  Jas.  ii.  8,  that  law  which  stands  as  a  king  at  the 
head  of  all  the  others  is  called  the  "  royal  law ; "  or,  as  Plato 
names  the. chief  powers  of  the  soul,  fxeprj  '^ye/xove';.  As  in  this 
Platonic  word-form,  so  shalishim  here,  like  negidim  there,  is 
understood  neut.,  cf.  under  viii.  6,  and  Q''!?"'!,  xii.  11 ;  D''")^'!,  xvi. 
13.  The  a  of  nivyba  (occurring  at  i.  31  also)  Fleischer  rightly 
explains  as  the  3  of  uniting  or  accompanying :  chief  proverbs 
which  contain  good  counsels  and  solid  knowledge. 

In  the  statement  of  the  object  in  ver.  21,  we  interpret  that 
which  follows  ^yninp  not  permutat. :  ut  te  docerem  recta,  verba 
vera  (Fleischer)  ;  but  t^fp  (ground-form  to  t2^'p,  Ps.  Ix.  6)  is  the 
bearer  of  the  threefold  idea :  rectitudinem,  or,  better,  regulam 
verborum  veritatis.  The  (Arab.)  verb  kasita  means  to  be  straight, 
stiff,  inflexible  (synon.  pTH,  to  be  hard,  tight,  proportionately 
direct)  ;  and  the  name  kist  denotes  not  only  the  right  conduct, 
the  right  measure  (quantitas  justa),  but  also  the  balance,  and 
thus  the  rule  or  the  norm.  In  216,  HDN  D'^'iöN  (as  e.g.  Zech.  i. 
13 ;  vid.  Philippi,  Status  Constr.  p.  86  f .)  is  equivalent  to  ''^ÖK 
nON ;  the  author  has  this  second  time  intentionally  chosen  the 
appositional  relation  of  connection  :  words  which  are  truth ;  the 
idea  of  truth  presents  itself  in  this  form  of  expression  more 
prominently.  Impossible,  because  contrary  to  the  usus  loq.,  is 
the  translation :  ut  respondeas  verba  vera  lis  qui  ad  te  mittimt 
(Schultens,  Fleischer),  because  npci',  with  the  accus,  following, 
never  means  "  to  send  any  one."  Without  doubt  y^i^  and 
n^K'  stand  in  correlation  to  each  other :  he  who  lets  himself  be 
instructed  must  be  supposed  to  be  in  circumstances  to  bring 
home,  to  those  that  sent  him  out  to  learn,  doctrines  which  are 


CHAP.  XXII    22,  23.  99 

truth,  and  thus  to  approve  himself.  The  subject  spoken  of 
here  is  not  a  right  answer  or  a  true  report  brought  back  to  one 
giving  a  commission ;  and  it  hes  beyond  the  purpose  and  power 
of  the  following  proverbs  to  afford  a  universal  means  whereby 
persons  sent  out  are  made  skilful.  The  ^''npb'  [senders]  are  here 
the  parents  or  guardians  who  send  him  who  is  to  be  instructed  to 
the  school  of  the  teacher  of  wisdom  (Hitzig).  Yet  it  appears 
strange  that  he  who  is  the  learner  is  just  here  not  addressed  as 
"  my  son,"  which  would  go  to  the  support  of  the  expression, 
"  to  send  to  school,"  which  is  elsewhere  unused  in  Old  Hebrew, 
and  the  "'Opb'  of  another  are  elsewhere  called  those  who  make 
him  their  mandatar,  x.  26,  xxv.  13 ;  2  Sam.  xxiv.  13.  The  re- 
ference to  the  parents  would  also  be  excluded  if,  with  Norzi 
and  other  editors,  ^[y'^^  were  to  be  read  instead  of  ^"'n-'Ii'!'  (the 
Venet.  1521,  and  most  editions).  Therefore  the  phrase  ^vi^b'p, 
which  is  preferred  by  Ewald,  recommends  itself,  according  to 
which  the  LXX.  translates,  toU  7rpoßaX\.ofj,€voL<;  aoi,  which 
the  Syro-Hexap.  renders^  by  Nmnix  "]!?  pnnsT  jijn^,  i.e.  to  those 
who  lay  problems  before  thee  (yid.  Lagarde).  The  teacher  of 
wisdom  seeks  to  qualify  him  who  reads  the  following  proverbs, 
and  permits  himself  to  be  influenced  by  them,  to  give  the 
right  answer  to  those  who  question  him  and  go  to  him  for 
counsel,  and  thus  to  become  himself  a  teacher  of  wisdom. 

After  these  ten  lines  of  preliminary  exhortation,  there  now 
begins  the  collection  of  the  "  Words  of  the  Wise  "  thus  intro- 
duced. A  tetrastich  which,  in  its  contents,  connects  itself  with 
the  last  proverb  of  the  Solomonic  collection,  xxii.  16,  forms  the 
commencement  of  this  collection  : 

Ver.  22  Rob  not  the  lowly  because  he  is  lowly  ; 
And  oppress  not  the  humble  in  the  gate. 
23  For  Jahve  will  conduct  their  cause, 
And  rob  their  spoilers  of  life. 
Though  it  may  bring  gain,  as  said  xxii.  16a,  to  oppress  the  131, 
the  lowly  or  humble,  yet  at  last  the  oppressor  comes  to  ruin. 
The  poet  here  warns  against  robbing  the  lowly  because  he 
^  The  Syr.  n.  fern.  awcMa  (^<'^mx,  Ps.  xlix.  5,  Targ.)  is  equivalent, to 
Heb.  riTTt,  from  (Syr.)  acM,  nnx  =  mx,  Neh.  vii.  3,  to  shut  up,  properly, 
to  lay  hold  on  and  retain  ;  the  Arab.  akJulhat  means  magic,  incantation  ; 
as  seizing  and  making  fast. 


100  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

is  lowly,  and  thus  without  power  of  defence,  and  not  to  be 
feared ;  and  against  doing  injustice  to  the  "'Jy,  the  bowed  down, 
and  therefore  incapable  of  resisting  in  the  gate,  i.e.  in  the  court 
of  justice.  These  poor  men  have  not  indeed  high  human 
patrons,  but  One  in  heaven  to  undertake  their  cause :  Jahve 
will  conduct  their  cause  (D^""")  an^,  as  at  xxiii.  10),  i.e.  will 
undertake  their  vindication,  and  be  their  avenger.  N3"n  ('^1'"^), 
Aram,  and  Arab,  dakk  (cf.  Pi?^,  (Arab.)  dakk),  signifies  to  crush 
anything  so  that  it  becomes  broad  and  flat,  figuratively  ta 
oppress,  synon.  P^*V  (Fleischer).  The  verb  J?3p  has,  in  Chald. 
and  Syr.,  the  signification  to  stick,  to  fix  (according  to  which 
Aquila  here  translates  KaOrfkovv^  to  nail ;  Jerome,  configere) ; 
and  as  root-word  to  riJ?3Pj  the  signification  to  be  arched,  like 
(Arab.)  hah\  to  be  humpbacked;  both  significations  are  here 
unsuitable.  The  connection  here  requires  the  meaning  to  rob  ; 
and  for  Mai.  iii.  8  also,  this  same  meaning  is  to  be  adopted, 
robbery  and  taking  from  one  by  force  (Parchon,  Kimchi),  not : 
to  deceive  (Köhler,  Keil),  although  it  might  have  the  sense  of 
robbing  by  withholding  or  refraining  from  doing  that  which  is 
due,  thus  of  a  sacrilege  committed  by  omission  or  deception. 
The  Talm.  does  not  know  the  verb  ynp  in  this  meaning ;  but  it 
is  variously  found  as  a  dialectic  word  for  7T1^  Schultens'  ety- 
mological explanation,  capitium  injicere  (after  (Arab.)  kab"',  to 
draw  back  and  conceal  the  head),  is  not  satisfactory.  The  con- 
struction, with  the  double  accus.,  follows  the  analogy  of  inan 
K''23  and  the  like,  Gesen.  §  139.  2.  Regarding  the  sing.  &'DJ, 
even  where  several  are  spoken  of,  vid.  under  i.  19. 
Another  tetrastich  follows : 

'  Thus  Rosch  lia-scliana  2G&  :  Levi  came  once  to  N.N.  There  a  man  came 
to  meet  him,  and  cried  out  {^''J^S  jy^p.  Levi  knew  not  what  he  would  say, 
and  went  into  the  Madrash-liouse  to  ask.  One  answered  him :  He  is  a 
robber  (j^TJ)  said  that  one  to  thee  ;  for  it  is  said  in  the  Scriptures  (Mai.  iii. 
8),  "Will  a  man  rob  God?"  etc.  (yid.  Wissenschaft  Kunst  Judenthum,-p. 
243).  In  the  Midrash,  niü  ini'LJ',  to  Ps.  Ivii.,  R.  Levi  says  that  )}yp  nn« 
"»p  is  used  in  the  sense  of  ">?  7tiJ  nnX-  And  in  the  Midrash  Tanchiima,  P. 
rtölin,  R-  Levi  answers  the  question,  "  What  is  the  meaning  of  J?3p, 
Mai.  iii.  8  ?" — It  is  an  Arabic  expression.  An  Arabian,  when  he  wishes  to 
say  to  another  "»J^TIJ  nnx  no,  says  instead  of  it,  •<:]3y\p  nns  nO-  Perhaps 
ynp  is  cogn.  to  Y2p\  the  R.  3p  coincides  in  several  groups  of  languages 
(also  the  Turkish  kb)  with  the  Lat.  capere. 


CHAP.  XXII.  24,  25,  101 

Ver.  24  Have  no  intercourse  witb  an  angry  man, 
And  with  a  furious  man  go  thou  not; 
25  Lest  thou  adopt  his  ways. 

And  bring  destruction  upon  thy  soul. 

The  Fiel  ny"»,  Judg.  xlv.  20,  signifies  to  make  or  choose  any  one 
as  a  friend  or  companion  (pV"},,  T})  ;  the  Hlthpa.  Hytrin  (^cf.  at 
xviii.  24),  to  take  to  oneself  (for  oneself)  any  one  as  a  friend, 
or  to  converse  with  one ;  i'^"!^"''^  sounds  like  y^ll^'■n■7^*J  Isa.  xli. 
10,  with  Pat  hack  of  the  closed  syllable  from  the  apocope.  The 
angry  man  is  called  «l^?  -'^3,  as  the  covetous  man  C'M  ^yn^  xxiii. 
2,  and  the  mischievous  man  niiSTD  pyn,  xxiv.  8 ;  vid.  regarding 
^y3  at  i.  19  and  xviii.  9.  nion  ^'ii  is  related  superlat.  to  K^'i? 
n^n,  XV.  18  (cf.  xxix.  22),  and  signifies  a  hot-head  of  the 
highest  degree,  ^^un  is*?  is  meant  as  warning  (cf.  xvi.  10b). 
ns  ^513,  or  Dy  '^"'^j  Ps.  xxvi.  4,  to  come  along  with  one,  is  equi- 
valent to  go  into  fellowship  or  companionship  with  one,  which 
is  expressed  by  HS  Vn^  xiii.  20,  as  3  sn  means,  Josh,  xxiii.  7, 
12,  to  enter  into  communion  with  one,  venire  in  consuetudinem. 
This  ns  XU  is  not  a  trace  of  a  more  recent  period  of  the 
language.  Also  ^_^T^,  discas,  cannot  be  an  equivalent  for  it : 
Heb.  poetry  has  at  all  times  made  use  of  Aramaisms  as 
elegancies.  ^?^,  Aram,  n?^,,  ^r.,  Arab,  dlifa,  signifies  to  be  en- 
trusted with  anything  =  to  learn  {Fiel  np.^,  to  teach,  Job  xv.  15, 
and  in  Elihu's  speeches),  or  also  to  become  confidential  with 
one  (whence  ^i?i?,  companion,  confidant,  ii.  17)  ;  this  ^^^  is 
never  a  Heb.  prose  word ;  the  bibl.  '^'^^i^  is  only  used  at  a  later 
period  in  the  sense  of  teacher.  J^i^^^?  are  the  ways,  the  conduct 
(ii.  20,  etc.),  or  manner  of  life  (i.  19)  which  any  one  enters 
upon  and  follows  out,  thus  manners  as  well  as  lot,  condition. 
In  the  phrase  "  to  bring  destruction,"  npb  is  used  as  in  our 
phrase  Schaden  nehmen  [to  suffer  injury]  ;  the  ancient  language 
also  represented  the  forced  entrance  of  one  into  a  state  as  a 
being  laid  hold  on,  e.g.  Job  xviii.  20,  cf.  Isa.  xiii.  8  ;  here  Üp^ü 
is  not  merely  equivalent  to  danger  (Ewald,  falsely  :  that  thou 
takest  not  danger  for  thy  soul),  but  is  equivalent  to  destruption, 
sin  itself  is  a  snare  (xxix.  6) ;  to  bring  a  snare  for  oneself  is 
equivalent  to  suffer  from  being  ensnared.  Whosoever  comes 
into  a  near  relation  with  a  passionate,  furious  man,  easily  ac- 
commodates himself  to  his  manners,  and,  hurried  forward  by 


102  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

him  and  like  him  to  outbreaks  of  anger,  which  does  that  which 
is  not  right  before  God,  falls  into  ruinous  complications. 
A  third  distich  follows  : 

Ver.  26  Be  not  among  those  who  strike  hands, 

Among  those  who  become  surety  for  loans. 
27  If  thou  hast  nothing  to  pay, 

Why  shall  he  take  away  thy  bed  from  under  thee  ? 

To  strike  hands  is  equivalent  to,  to  be  responsible  to  anyone  for 
another,  to  stake  one's  goods  and  honour  for  him,  vi.  1,  xi.  15, 
xvii.  18, — in  a  word,  my,  seq.  ace,  to  pledge  oneself  for  him 
(Gen.  xhii.  9),  or  for  the  loan  received  by  him,  nxrä,  Deut, 
xxiv.  10  (from  ^^i}^  with  3,  of  the  person  and  accus,  of  the 
thing:  to  lend  something  to  one  on  interest).  The  proverb 
warns  against  being  one  of  such  sureties  (write  DUnyn  with 
Cod.  1294,  and  old  impressions  such  as  the  Venice,  1521), 
against  acting  as  they  do ;  for  why  wouklest  thou  come  to  this, 
that  when  thou  canst  not  pay  (Q?^,  to  render  a  full  equivalent 
reckoning,  and,  generally,  to  pay,  vi.  31),^  he  (the  creditor) 
take  away  thy  bed  from  under  thee? — for,  as  xx.  16  says,  thus 
improvident  suretyships  are  wont  to  be  punished. 

A  fourth  proverb — a  distich — beginning  with  the  warning 

Ver.  28  Remove  not  the  perpetual  landmark 
Which  thy  ancestors  have  set  up. 

28a  =  xxiii.  10a.  Regarding  the  inviolability  of  boundaries 
established  by  the  law,  vid.  at  xv.  25.  D^ii?  ^33  denotes  "  the 
boundary  mark  set  up  from  ancient  times,  the  removal  of 
which  were  a  double  transgression,  because  it  is  rendered  sacred 
by  its  antiquity  "  (Orelli,  p.  76).  3D3  =  J^D  signifies  to  remove 
back,  Iliph.  to  shove  back,  to  move  away.  "iti'X  has  the  mean- 
ing of  (optov)  0,  Ti,  quippe  quod.  Instead  of  D7iy,  the  Mishna 
reads,  Pea  v.  6,  uh^V,  which  in  the  Jerusalem  Gemara  one  Rabbi 
understands  of  those  brought  up  out  of  Egypt,  another  of  the 

'  After  Bcn-Asher,  the  pointing  is  ^'fJ^'pS'Di^ ;  wliile,  on  the  contrary, 
Bcn-Naphtali  prefers  ^T]^  pX"DX;  vid.  my  Genesis  (1869),  pp.  74  (under  i. 
3)  and  81,  So,  without  any  bearing  on  tlie  sense,  Ben-Asher  points  nrsf' 
with  Tarda,  Ben-Naphtali  with  Mercha. 


CHAP.  XXII.  29-XXIlI.  1-3.  103 

poor;  for  "to  rise  "  (in  the  world)  is  a  euphemism  (1133  \\'dh)  for 
"  to  come  down  "  (be  reduced  in  circumstances).^ 

After  these  four  proverbs  beginning  with  ha,  a   new  series 
begins  with  the  following  tristich  : 

Ver.  29  Seest  thou  a  man  who  is  expert  in  his  calling — 

Before  kings  may  he  stand  ; 

Not  stand  before  obscure  men ; 
i.e.,  he  can  enter  into  the  service  of  kings,  and  needs  not  to 
enter  into  the  service  of  mean  men  =  he  is  entitled  to  claim  the 
highest  official  post.  ri^O?  ^^  xsvi.  12  =  xxix.  20,  interchanging 
with  ri''sn,  is  pei^f.  hypotheticum  (cf.  xxiv.  10,  xxv.  16) :  si 
videris  ;  the  conclusion  which  might  begin  with  ''2  yi  ex- 
presses further  what  he  who  sees  will  have  occasion  to  observe. 
Eightly  Luther:  Sihestu  einen  Man  endelich  (yid.  at  xxi.  5) 
in  seinem  gescheht,  u.s.w.  [  =  seest  thou  a  man  expert  in  his 
business,  etc.].  ^''n?  denotes  in  all  the  three  chief  dialects  one 
who  is  skilful  in  a  matter  not  merely  by  virtue  of  external 
artistic  ability,  but  also  by  means  of  intellectual  mastery  of  it. 
"psp  32k'|;rin,  to  enter  on  the  situation  of  a  servant  before  any  one  ; 
cf.  Job  i.  6,  ii.  1.  'i^  lOV,  1  Sam.  xvi.  21,  1  Kings  x.  8. 
Along  with  the  pausal  form  ^^'T}],  there  is  also  found  in  Codd. 
the  form  ^^^"J)''.  (the  ground-form  to  ^Jf^ri'*,  whence  that  pausal 
form  is  lengthened),  which  Ben-Bileam  defends,  for  he  reckons 
this  word  among  "  the  pathachized  pausal  forms."  C'SK'n^  in 
contrast  to  2"'370,  are  the  obscuri  =  ignohiles.  The  Targ.  trans- 
late the  Heb.  S  and  1V3N  by  ^''t^'n  and  ^it^'n.  Kimchi  compares 
Jer.  xxxix.  10,  where  D7"!]n  ^VC  ^^  translated  by  K*?''y'n  (cf. 
2  Kings  xxiv.  14,  xxv.  12). '  ^r\^hn  (nsbn)  is  the  old  Heb. 
synonym  in  Ps.  x.  The  poet  seems  here  to  transfer  the  Aram. 
usus  log.  into  the  Heb. 

Ver.  29,  which  speaks  of  a  high  position  near  the  king,  is 
appropriately  followed  by  a  hexastich  referring  to  the  slipperi- 
ness  of  the  smooth  ground  of  the  king's  court, 
xxiii.  1  When  thou  sittest  to  eat  with  a  ruler, 

Consider  well  whom  thou  hast  before  thee. 

2  And  put  thy  knife  to  thy  throat 

If  thou  art  a  man  of  good  appetite. 

3  Be  not  lustful  after  his  dainties, 
Because  it  is  deceitful  food. 

^  As  an  analogical  example,  iin3  ""ilD,  seeing  clearly  =  blind. 


104  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

The  h  of  Qinpp  is  that  of  end  :  ad  cibum  capiendinn^  thus  as  one 
invited  by  him  to  his  table;  in  prose  the  expression  would  be 
C^'^!' ^3>?^. ;  ürb,  to  eat,  is  poet.,  iv.  17,  ix.  5.  The  fut.  pnn 
clothes  the  admonition  in  the  form  of  a  wish  or  counsel ;  the 
wßii.  intens.  T?  makes  it  urgent:  consider  well  him  whom  thou 
hast  before  thee,  viz.  that  he  is  not  thine  equal,  but  one  higher, 
who  can  destroy  thee  as  well  as  be  useful  to  thee.  With  J^öy"! 
the  jussive  construction  begun  by  pan  is  continued.  Zöckler 
and  Dächsei,  after  Ewald  and  Hitzig,  translate  incorrectly:  thou 
puttest  .  .  .,  the  per/,  consec.  after  an  imperf.,  or,  which  is  the 
same  thing,  a  fut.  meant  optatively  (e.g.  Lev.  xix.  18  with  i6, 
and  also  ver.  34  without  i6)  continues  the  exhortation ;  to  be 
thus  understood,  the  author  ought  to  have  used  the  expression 
riü'^  T3^  and  not  T^'^  nnbl.  Rightly  Luther:  "  and  put  a  knife 
to  thy  throat,"  but  continuing :  "  wilt  thou  preserve  thy  life," 
herein  caught  in  the  same  mistake  of  the  idea  with  Jerome, 
the  Syr.,  and  Targ.,  to  which  C'DJ  here  separates  itself.  P?"^ 
(P2p)  (Arab,  with  the  assimilated  a  szHz^j,  plur.  sekdkin,  whence 
sekakini,  cutler)  designates  a  knife  (R.  "JB'  "JD,  to  stick,  vid.  at 
Isa.  ix.  10).  i'v,  from  Vi?,  to  devour,  is  the  throat ;  the  word 
in  Aram,  signifies  only  the  cheek,  while  Lagarde  seeks  to  inter- 
pret ^^"^3  infinitively  in  the  sense  of  (Arab.)  ^hioho'ak,  if  thou 
longest  for  (from  ivFa)  ;  but  that  would  make  2h  a  tautology. 
The  verb  Vv  (cf.  Arab.  VaV,  to  pant  for)  shows  for  the  sub- 
stantive the  same  primary  meaning  as  glutus  from  ghitire,  which 
was  then  transferred  from  the  inner  organ  of  swallowing 
(Kimchi,  njj^^nn  n''3,  Parchon  :  ^Y^^,  oesophagus)  to  the  ex- 
ternal. "  Put  a  knife  to  thy  throat,  is  a  proverbial  expression, 
like  our  :  the  knife  stands  at  his  throat;  the  poet  means  to  say : 
restrain  thy  too  eager  desire  by  means  of  the  strongest  threaten- 
ing of  danger — threaten  as  it  were  death  to  it"  (Fleischer). 
In  C'SJ  7^3,  ti'DD  means,  as  at  xiii.  2,  desire,  and  that  desire  of 
eating,  as  at  vi.  30.  Rightly  Rashi :  if  thou  art  greedy  with 
hunger,  if  thou  art  a  glutton :  cf.  Sir.  xxxiv.  (xxxi.)  12,  "  If 
thou  sittest  at  a  great  table,  then  open  not  widely  thy  throat 
((pdpvyya),  and  say  not :  There  is  certainly  much  on  it ! "  The 
knife  thus  denotes  the  restraining  and  moderating  of  too  good 
an  appetite. 

In   ca  the   punctuation  fluctuates    between   l^nn   (Michlol 


CHAP.  XXIII.  4,  5.  105 

131a)  and  ISHD  ;  the  latter  is  found  in  Cod.  1294,  the  Erfurt 
2  and  3,  the  Cod.  Jaman.^  and  thus  it  is  also  to  be  written  at 
ver.  6  and  xxiv.  1 ;  1^5^''1J  1  Chron.  xi.  17  and  Ps.  xlv.  12,  Codd. 
and  older  Edd.  {e.g.  Complut.  1517,  Ven.  1515,  1521)  write 
with  Pathach.  Jlisj/tpo,  from  0^9,  signifies  savoury  dishes, 
dainties,  like  (Arab.)  d/nvakt,  from  dhdk  (to  taste,  to  relish)  ;  cf. 
sapores,  from  sapere,  in  the  proverb:  the  tit-bits  of  the  king  burn 
the  lips  (viJ.  Fleischer,  Alis  Hundred  Proverbs,  etc.,  pp.  71, 
104).  With  X^ni  begins,  as  at  iii.  29,  a  conditioning  clause:  since 
it  is,  indeed,  the  bread  of  deceit  (the  connection  like  D''aT3"nj;,  xxi. 
28),  food  which,  as  it  were,  deceives  him  who  eats  it,  i.e.  ap- 
pears to  secure  for  him  the  lasting  favour  of  princes,  and  often 
enough  herein  deceives  him  ;  cf.  the  proverb  by  Burckhardt 
and  Meidani :  whoever  eats  of  the  sultan's  soup  burns  his  lips, 
even  though  it  may  be  after  a  length  of  time  (Fleischer).  One 
must  come  near  to  a  king,  says  Calovius,  hitting  the  meaning 
of  the  proverb,  as  to  a  fire  :  not  too  near,  lest  he  be  burned ; 
nor  too  remote,  so  that  he  may  be  warmed  therewith. 

All  the  forms  of  proverbs  run  through  these  appended  pro- 
verbs.    There  now  follows  a  pentastich  : 

Ver.  4  Do  not  trouble  thyself  to  become  rich  ; 
Cease  from  such  thine  own  wisdom. 
5  Wilt  thou  let  thine  eyes  fly  after  it,  and  it  is  gone? 
For  it  maketh  itself,  assuredly  it  maketh  itself  wings, 
Like  an  eagle  which  fleeth  toward  the  heavens. 

The  middle  state,  according  to  xxx.  8,  is  the  best :  he  who 
troubleth  himself  (cf.  xxviii.  20,  hasteth)  to  become  rich,  placeth 
before  himself  a  false,  deceitful  aim.  yr  is  essentially  one  with 
(Arab.)  icojia,  to  experience  sorrow,  dolere,  and  then  signifies, 
like  TToveiv  and  Kcifiveiv,  to  become  or  to  be  wearied,  to  weary  or 
trouble  oneself,  to  toil  and  moil  (Fleischer).  The  nj"'ii  (cf.  iii. 
5)  is  just  wisdom,  prudence  directed  towards  becoming  rich; 
for  striving  of  itself  alone  does  not  accomplish  it,  unless  wisdom 
is  connected  with  it,  which  is  not  very  particular  in  finding  out 
means  in  their  moral  relations  ;  but  is  so  much  the  more  crafty, 
and,  as  we  say,  speculative.  Rightly  Aquila,  the  Venet.,  Jerome, 
and  Luther:  take  not  pains  to  become  rich.  On  the  contrary, 
the  LXX.  reads  iT'yn^  yrn  ^S,  stretch  not  thyself  (if  thou  art 
poor)  after  a  rich  man  ;  and  the  Syr.  and  Targ.  '»Ti'n?  "^l^  ''^, 


106  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

draw  not  near  to  the  rich  man  ;  but,  apart  from  the  uncertainty 
of  the  expression  and  the  construction  in  both  cases,  poetry,  and 
proverbial  poetry  too,  does  not  prefer  the  article ;  it  never  uses 
it  without  emphasis,  especially  as  here  must  be  the  case  with  it 
not  elided.  These  translators  thought  that  'lJ1  )2,  ver.  5,  presup- 
posed a  subject  expressed  in  ver.  4  ;  but  the  subject  is  not  "T'S^'iT', 
but  the  iK'y  [riches]  contained  in  l''^T['p.  The  self-intelligible 
it  [in  "  it  maketh  wings,"  etc.]  is  that  about  which  trouble  has 
been  taken,  about  which  there  has  been  speculation.  That  is  a 
deceitful  possession  ;  for  what  has  been  gained  by  many  years 
of  labour  and  search,  often  passes  away  suddenly,  is  lost  in  a 
moment.  To  let  the  eyes  fly  after  anything,  is  equivalent  to, 
to  direct  a  (flying)  look  toward  it :  wilt  thou  let  thine  eyes  rove 
toward  the  same,  and  it  is  gone  ?  i.e.,  wilt  thou  expose  thyself  to 
the  fate  o"f  seeing  that  which  was  gained  with  trouble  and  craft 
torn  suddenly  away  from  thee?  Otherwise  Luther,  after 
Jerome  :  Let  not  thine  eyes  fly  after  that  which  thou  canst 
not  have  ;  but  apart  from  the  circumstance  that  ^^J?''^')  in  cannot 
possibly  be  understood  in  the  sense  of  ad  opes  quas  non  poles 
habere  (that  would  have  required  IJVN  IC'Sn),  in  this  sense  after 
the  analogy  of  (?)  ^X  K'Da  Nb'J,  the  end  aimed  at  would  have  been 
denoted  by  "i^  and  not  by  U.  Better  Immanuel,  after  Eashi :  if 
thou  doublest,  i.e.  shuttest  (by  means  of  the  two  eyelids)  thine 
eyes  upon  it,  it  is  gone,  i.e.  has  vanished  during  the  night;  but 
fl"iy,  du'plicare,  is  Aram,  and  not  Heb.  Rather  the  explanation  is 
with  Chajiig,  after  Isa.  viii.  22 f.:  if  thou  veilest  (darkenest) 
thine  eyes,  i.e.  yieldest  thyself  over  to  carelessness ;  but  the 
noun  HDi'Dy  shows  tliat  P|iy,  spoken  of  the  eyes,  is  intended  to 
signify  to  fly  (to  rove,  flutter).  Hitzig  too  artificially  (altering 
the  expression  to  "^TVO?)  :  if  thou  faintest,  art  weary  with  the 
eyes  toward  him  (the  rich  patron),  he  is  gone, — which  cannot 
be  adopted,  because  the  form  of  a  question  does  not  accord 
with  it.  Nor  would  it  accord  if  l^rsi  were  thought  of  as  a 
conclusion  :  "  dost  thou  let  thy  look  fly  toward  it  ?  It  is  gone  ;" 
for  what  can  this  question  imply  ?  The  1  of  "13:"'X1  shows  that 
this  word  is  a  component  part  of  the  question ;  it  is  a  question 
IIa  nakar,  i.e.  in  rejection  of  the  subject  of  the  question  :  wilt 
thou  cast  thy  look  upon  it,  and  it  is  gone  ?  i.e.,  wilt  thou  experi- 
ence instant  loss  of  that  which  is  gained  by  labour  and  acquired 


CHAP.  XXIII.  4,  5.  107 

by  artifice  ?  On  n,  cf.  Job  vii.  8.  '121  ^\ry,  « thou  directest 
thine  eyes  to  me  :  I  am  no  more."  We  had  in  xii.  19  another 
mode  of  designating  [viz.  till  I  wink  again]  an  instant.  The 
Chethib  'iJI  ^^yrin  is  syntactically  correct  (cf.  xv.  22,  sx.  30), 
and  might  remain.  The  Keri  is  mostly  falsely  accentuated 
^^y^n,  doubly  incorrectly  ;  for  (1)  the  tone  never  retreats  from  a 
shut  syllable  terminating  in  ?,  e.g.  P^v'r',  Isa.  xl.  20 ;  P^l'?, 
1  Chron.  i.  4  ;  P^X,  Job  xxiii.  8  ;  and  (2)  there  is,  moreover, 
wanting  here  any  legitimate  occasion  for  the  retrogression  of 

the  tone  ;  thus  much  rather  the  form  ^''yri'7  (with  Mehuppacli 

of  the  last,  and  Zinnorith  of  the  preceding  open  syllable)  is  to 
be  adopted,  as  it  is  given  by  Opitz,  Jablonsky,  Michaelis,  and 
Reineccius. 

The  subject  of  bl>  is,  as  of  ba,  riches.  That  riches  take 
wings  and  flee  away,  is  a  more  natural  expression  than  that  the 
rich  patron  flees  away, — a  quaint  figure,  appropriate  however 
at  Nah.  iii.  16,  where  the  multitude  of  craftsmen  flee  out  of 
Nineveh  like  a  swarm  of  locusts,  nb'y  has  frequently  the  sense 
of  acquirere^  Gen.  xii.  5,  with  1^,  sihi  acquirere,  1  Sam. 
XV.  1 ;  1  Kings  i.  15 ;  Hitzig  compares  Silius  Ilal.  xvi.  351:  sed 
turn  sibi  fecerat  alas.  The  inf.  intensivus  strengthens  the  asser- 
tion :  it  will  certainly  thus  happen. 

In  5c  all  unnecessary  discussion  regarding  the  Chethib  f\''V)  is 
to  be  avoided,  for  this  Chethib  does  not  exist ;  the  Masora  here 
knows  only  of  a  simple  Chethib  and  Keri,  viz.  ^IVJ  (read  I^J'J), 
not  of  a  double  one  (^'VJ),  and  the  word  is  not  among  those 
wdiich  have  in  the  middle  a  "i,  which  is  to  be  read  like  i.  The 
manuscripts  {e.g.  also  the  Bragadin.  1615)  have  WJ,  and  the 
Kei'i  ^»'ir  ;  it  is  one  of  the  ten  words  registered  in  the  Masora^  at 
the  beginning  of  which  a  ^  is  to  be  read  instead  of  the  written  1. 
IMost  of  the  ancients  translate  with  the  amalgamation  of  the 
Keri  and  the  Chethib  :  and  he  (the  rich  man,  or  better :  the 
riches)  flees  heavenwards  (Syr.,  Aquila,  Symmachus,  Theo- 
dotion,  Jerome,  and  Luther).  After  the  Keri  the  Venet. 
renders :  ct}<;  aero^  irri^a-eraL  tol-j  ovpavoh  (viz.  6  ttXoOto?). 
Eightly  the  Targ. :  like  an  eagle  which  flies  to  heaven  (accord- 
ing to  which  also  it  is  accentuated),  only  it  is  not  to  be  trans- 
lated "  am  Himmel "  [to  heaven],  but  "  gen  Himmel "  [towards 


108  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

heaven]:  C\)tpür]  Is  the  accusative  of  direction — the  eagle  flies 
heavenward.  Bochart,  in  the  Hierozoicon,  has  collected  many- 
parallels  to  this  comparison,  among  which  is  the  figure  in 
Lucian's  Timon^  where  Pluto,  the  god  of  wealth,  comes  to  one 
limping  and  with  difficulty  ;  hut  going  away,  outstrips  in  speed 
the  flight  of  all  birds.  The  LXX.  translates  coairep  aerov  koI 
v7ro(jTpe(pet  et?  tov  olkov  tov  irpoecnriKOTo^  avTov.  Hitzig 
accordingly  reads  133^0  JT'n?  3C'1,  and  he  (the  rich  patron) 
withdraws  from  thee  to  his  own  steep  residence.  But  ought 
not  o'Iko<;  tov  irpoeaTrjKoro'i  avrov  to  be  heaven,  as  the  residence 
of  Him  who  administers  wealth,  i.e.  who  gives  and  again  takes 
it  away  according  to  His  free-will  ? 

There  now  follows  a  proverb  with  unequally  measured  lines, 
perhaps  a  heptastich  : 

Ver.  6  Eat  not  the  bread  of  the  jealous, 

And  let  not  thyself  lust  after  his  dainties  ; 

7  For  as  one  who  calculates  with  himself,  so  is  he  : 
"  Eat  and  drink,"  saith  he  to  thee  ; 

But  his  heart  is  not  with  thee. 

8  Thy  morsel  which  thou  hast  enjoyed  wilt  thou  cast  up, 
And  hast  lost  thy  pleasant  words. 

As  TV  3iD,  xxii.  9,  benignus  oculo,  denotes  the  pleasantness  and 
joy  of  social  friendship;  so  here  (cf.  Deut.  xv.  9;  Matt.  xv.  15) 
rV  J'l,  malignus  oculo,  the  envy  and  selfishness  of  egoism  seek- 
ing to  have  and  retain  all  for  itself.  The  LXX.  dvSpl 
ßacTKavo),  for  the  look  of  the  evil  eye,  JJI  py,  KL*'''n  ^5^y  (cattivo 
occhio),  refers  to  enchantment ;  cf.  ßaaKalvecv,  fascinare^  to 
bewitch,  to  enchant,  in  modern  Greek,  to  envy,  Arab.  \m,  to 
eye,  as  it  were,  whence  majun,  main,  hit  by  the  piercing  look 
of  the  envious  eye,  invidice,  as  Apuleius  says,  letali  plaga  percus- 
sus  (Fleischer).  Kegarding  isnn  with  Pathach,  vid.  the  parallel 
line  3a.  la  is  difficult.  The  LXX.  and  Syr.  read  Y^  [hair]. 
The  Targ.  renders  ^^1  ^Vl^j  ^^^'i  t^^^^s  reads  "li?t^'  [fool],  and 
thus  brings  together  the  soul  of  the  envious  person  and  a  high 
portal,  which  promises  much,  but  conceals  only  deception  behind 
(Ralbag).  Joseph  ha-Nakdan  reads ^  "^W  with  sin;  and  Raslii, 
retaining  the  scldn,  compares  the  "  sour  figs,"  Jer.  xxix.  17. 

J  la  an  appendix  to  OcMa  We-OcMa,  in  the  University  Library  at  Halle, 
lie  reads  ^yb^  but  with  xr^D  [doubtful]  added. 


CHAP.  XXIII.  6-8.  109 

According  to  this,  Luther  translates  :  like  a  ghost  (a  monster  of 
lovelessness)  is  lie  inwardly;  for,  as  it  appears  in  ly*^,  the  goat- 
like spectre  iTf  hovered  before  him.  Schaltens  better,  because 
more  in  conformity  with  the  text :  quemadmodum  siiam  ipsiiis 
animam  ahlwrret  {i.e.  as  he  does  nothing  to  the  benefit  of  his 
own  appetite)  sic  ille  (erga  alios  multo  magis).  The  thought  is 
appropriate,  but  forced.  Hitzig  for  once  here  follows  Ewald  ; 
he  does  not,  however,  translate :  "  like  as  if  his  soul  were 
divided,  so  is  it ;"  but:  "  as  one  who  is  divided  in  his  soul,  so  is 
he  ;"  but  the  verb  IJ/'^,  to  divide,  is  inferred  from  ipc',  gate  = 
division,  and  is  as  foreign  to  the  extra-bibl.  usus  loq.  as  it  is  to 
the  bibl.  The  verb  "i^'^  signifies  to  weigh  or  consider,  to  value, 
to  estimate.  These  meanings  Hitzig  unites  together  :  in  simili- 
indinem  arioU  et  conjectoris  cestimat  quod  ignorat^  perhaps 
meaning  thereby  that  he  conjecturally  supposes  that  as  it  is 
with  him,  so  it  is  with  others  :  he  dissembles,  and  thinks  that 
others  dissemble  also.  Thus  also  Jansen  explains.  The 
thought  is  far-fetched,  and  does  not  cover  itself  by  the  text. 
The  translation  of  the  Venet.  also :  &)?  <yap  i/jberpTjcrev  ev  '^v'^fj 
01  ovT(i)<i  iarlv  (perhaps :  he  measures  to  others  as  penuriously 
as  to  himself),  does  not  elucidate  the  text,  but  obscures  it. 
Most  moderns  (Bertheau,  Zockler,  Dächsei,  etc.)  :  as  he  reckons 
in  his  soul,  so  is  he  (not  as  he  seeks  to  appear  for  a  moment 
before  thee).  Thus  also  Fleischer  :  quemadmodum  reputat  ajmd 
se,  ita  est  {sc.  non  ut  loquitw'),  with  the  remark  that  ly^  (whence 
ly??',  measure,  market  value,  Arab,  sir),  to  measure,  to  tax  so 
as  to  determine  the  price,  to  reckon  ;    and  then  like  3rn,   in  ,,^,, 

general,  to  think,  and  thus  also  Meiri  with  the  neut.  rendering 
of  ita  est.  But  why  this  circumlocution  in  the  expression  ? 
The  poet  ought  in  that  case  just  to  have  written  131.  1^3  vb  ''3 
t<in  p  vnDb2j  for  he  is  not  as  he  speaks  with  his  mouth.  If  one 
read  "^Vy^  (Symmachus,  elfcd^cov),  then  we  have  the  thought 
adapted  to  the  portrait  that  is  drawn ;  for  like  one  calculat- 
ing by  himself,  so  is  he,  i.e.  he  is  like  one  who  estimates 
with  himself  the  value  of  an  object;  for  which  we  use  the  ex 
pression  :  he  reckons  the  value  of  every  piece  in  thy  mouth. 
However,  with  this  understanding  the  punctuation  also  of  '\W 
as  finite  may  be  retained  and  explained  after  Isa.  xxvi.  18 :  for 
as  if  he  reckoned  in  his  soul,  so  is  he ;  but  in  this  the  perf.  is 


110  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

inappropriate;  by  tlie  particip.  one  reaches  the  same  end ^  by 
a  smoother  way.  True,  he  says  to  thee:  eat  and  drink  (Song 
V.  Ih),  he  invites  thee  with  courtly  words ;  but  his  heart  is  not 
with  thee  (?3,  like  xxiv.  23)  :  he  only  puts  on  the  appearance 
of  joy  if  thou  partakest  abundantly,  but  there  lurks  behind  the 
mask  of  liberal  hospitality  the  grudging  niggardly  calculator, 
who  poisons  thy  every  bite,  every  draugiit,  by  his  calculating, 
grudging  look.  Such  a  feast  cannot  possibly  do  good  to  the 
guest:  thy  meal  (HS,  from  rinS;  cf.  kXuv  top  aprov,  Aram. 
^9  -  ^"'^j  ^o  divide  and  distribute  bread,  whence  Dp.")?,  to  receive 
aliment,  is  derived)  which  thou  hast  eaten  thou  wilt  spue  out, 
i.e.  wilt  vomit  from  disgust  that  thou  hast  eaten  such  food,  so 
that  that  which  has  been  partaken  of  does  thee  no  good.  ^P13 
is  also  derived  from  nris  :^  has  he  deceived  thee  (with  his 
courtly  words),  but  with  this  ^{^^,  which,  as  the  Makkeph  rightly 
denotes,  stands  in  an  attributive  relation  to  *]ns,  does  not  agree. 
nss^n  is  Hiph.  of  Nip,  as  transitive  :  to  make  vomiting ;  in 
Arab,  the  fut.  Kal  of  ka  terminates  in  i.  The  fair  words 
which  the  guest,  as  the  perf.  consec.  expresses,  has  lavished,  are 
the  words  of  praise  and  thanks  in  which  he  recognises  the 
liberality  of  the  host  appearing  so  hospitable.  Regarding  the 
penult,  accenting  of  the  perf.  consec.  by  Miigrasck,  as  xxx.  9, 
vid.  under  Ps.  xxvii.  1.  Pinsker  (Babyl.-Bebr.  Punktations- 
sr/stenij  p.  134)  conjectures  that  the  line  Sb  originally  formed 
the  concluding  line  of  the  following  proverb.  But  at  the  time 
of  the  LXX.  (which  erroneously  expresses  Jin^l)  it  certainly 
stood  as  in  our  text. 

Ver.  9.  Another  case  in  which  good  words  are  lost : 

Speak  not  to  the  ears  of  a  fool, 

For  he  will  despise  the  wisdom  of  thy  words. 

^  We  may  write  N^in  "={3  :  the  Mehuppach  (Jethih)  sign  of  the  Oleivejored 
standing  between  the  two  words  represents  also  the  place  of  the  Makkeph  ; 
vid.  Thorath  Emeth,  p.  20. 

2  Immanuel  makes  so  much  of  having  recognised  the  verb  in  this  Tins 
(and  has  he  persuaded  thee),  that  in  the  concluding  part  of  his  Divan 
(entitled  Machberoth  Immanuel),  which  is  an  imitation  of  Dante's  Div'ma 
Commedia,  he  praises  himself  on  this  account  in  the  paradise  of  King 
Solomon,  who  is  enraptured  by  this  explanation,  and  swears  that  he  never 
meant  that  word  otherwise. 


^«^ 


CHAP.  XXIII.  10-12.  Ill 

To  speak  In  tlie  ears  of  any  one,  does  not  mean  to  whisper  to 
him,  but  so  to  speak  that  it  is  distinctly  perceived.  ?^D3,  as  we 
have  now  often  explained,  is  the  intellectually  heavy  and  dull, 
like  pinguis  and  tardus;  Arab,  halycl,  clumsy,  intellectually 
immoveable  (cf.  hid,  the  place  where  one  places  himself  firmly 
down,  which  one  makes  his  point  of  gravity).  The  heart  of 
such  an  one  is  covered  over  (Ps.  cxix.  70),  as  with  grease, 
against  all  impressions  of  better  knowledge ;  he  has  for  the 
knowledge  which  the  words  spoken  design  to  impart  to  him,  no 
susceptibility,  no  mind,  but  only  contempt.  The  construction 
?  fl3  has  been  frequently  met  with  from  vi.  30. 

The  following  proverb  forms  a  new  whole  from  component 
parts  of  xxii.  28  and  xxii.  22  f. : 

Ver.  10  Remove  not  ancient  landmarks  ; 

And  into  the  fields  of  orphans  enter  thou  not. 
11  For  their  Saviour  is  a  mighty  one  ; 

He  will  conduct  their  cause  against  thee. 

3  Nia  separates  itself  here  to  the  meaning  of  injuste  invadere  et 
occupare;  French,  empieter  sur  sonvoisin,  advance  not  into  the 
ground  belonging  to  thy  neighbour  (Fleischer).  If  orphans 
have  also  no  goel  among  their  kindred  (Aquila,  Symmachus, 
Theodotion,  «7;^io-Tei;9)  to  redeem  by  purchase  (Lev.  xxv.  25) 
their  inheritance  that  has  passed  over  into  the  possession  of 
another,  they  have  another,  and  that  a  mighty  Saviour,  Re- 
demptor,  who  will  restore  to  them  that  which  they  have  lost, — 
viz.  God  (Jer.  1.  34), — who  will  adopt  their  cause  against  any 
one  who  has  unjustly  taken  from  them. 

The  following  proverb  warrants  us  to  pause  here,  for  it 
opens  up,  as  a  compendious  echo  of  xxii.  17-21,  a  new  series 
of  proverbs  of  wisdom  : 

Ver.  12  Apply  thine  heart  to  instruction, 

And  thine  ear  to  the  utterances  of  knowledge. 

We  may,  according  as  we  accent  in  "ic^ö?  the  divine  origin  or 
the  human  medium,  translate,  oßer  disciplince  (Schultens),  or 
adhibe  ad  disciplinam  cor  tmim  (Fleischer).  This  general  ad- 
monition is  directed  to  old  and  young,  to  those  who  are  to  be 
educated  as  well  as  to  those  who  are  educated.  First  to  the 
educator : 


112  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVEEBS. 

Ver.  13  Withhold  not  correction  from  the  child  ; 

For  thou  will  beat  him  with  the  rod,  and  he  will  not  die. 
14  Thou  beatest  him  with  the  rod, 

And  with  it  deliverest  his  soul  from  hell. 

The  exhortation,  13a,  presupposes  that  education  by  word  and 
deed  is  a  duty  devolving  on  the  father  and  the  teacher  with 
regard  to  the  child.  In  136,  "'S  is  in  any  case  the  relative  con- 
junction. The  conclusion  does  not  mean  :  so  will  he  not  fall 
under  death  (destruction),  as  Luther  also  would  Jiave  it,  after 
Deut.  xix.  21,  for  tliis  thought  certainly  follows  ver.  14 ;  nor 
after  xix.  18  :  so  may  the  stroke  not  be  one  whereof  he  dies, 
for  then  the  author  ought  to  have  written  wri''Ori"PX ;  but :  he 
will  not  die  of  it,  i.e.  only  strike  if  he  has  deserved  it,  thou 
needest  not  fear ;  the  bitter  medicine  will  be  beneficial  to  him, 
not  deadly".  The  nns;  standing  before  the  double  clause,  ver. 
14,  means  that  he  who  administers  corporal  chastisement  to  the 
child,  saves  him  spiritually ;  for  i'lXC'  does  not  refer  to  death  in 
general,  but  to  death  falling  upon  a  man  before  his  time,  and 
in  his  sins,  viel.  xv.  24,  cf.  viii.  26. 

The  following  proverb  passes  from  the  educator  to  the 
pupil : 

Ver.  15  My  son,  if  thine  heart  becometh  wise, 
!My  heart  also  in  return  will  rejoice ; 
16  And  my  reins  will  exult 

If  thy  lips  speak  right  things. 

Wisdom  is  inborn  in  no  one.  A  true  Arab,  proverb  says,  "  The 
vi^ise  knows  how  the  fool  feels,  for  he  himself  was  also  once 
a  fool;"^  and  folly  is  bound  up  in  the  heart  of  a  child,  accord- 
ing to  xxii.  15,  which  must  be  driven  out  by  severe  discipline. 
15b,  as  many  others,  cf.  xxii.  196,  shows  that  these  "  words  of 
the  wise  "  are  penetrated  by  the  subjectivity  of  an  author ;  the 
author  means :  if  thy  heart  becomes  wise,  so  will  mine  in 
return,  i.e.  corresponding  to  it  (cf.  D3,  Gen.  xx.  6),  rejoice. 
The  thought  of  the  heart  in  ver.  15  repeats  itself  in  ver.  16,  with 
reference  to  the  utterance  of  the  mouth.     Regarding  0''"!^'''^, 

1  The  second  part  of  the  saying  is,  "  But  a  fool  knows  not  how  a  wise 
man  feels,  for  he  has  never  been  a  wise  man."  I  heard  this  many  years 
ago,  from  the  mouth  of  the  American  missionary  Schaufler,  in  Con- 
stantinople. 


CHAP.  XXIII.  17,  18.  113 

viel.  \.  5.  Regarding  the  "  reins,"  riV73  (perhaps  from  np3j  to 
languish,  Job  xix.  21),  with  which  the  tender  and  inmost 
affections  are  connected,  viel.  Psychologie,  p.  268  f. 

The  poet  now  shows  how  one  attains  unto  wisdom — the 
beginning  of  wisdom  is  the  fear  of  God : 

Ver.  17  Let  not  thine  heart  strive  after  sinners, 
But  after  the  fear  of  Jahve  all  the  day. 
18  Truly  there  is  a  future, 

And  thy  hope  shall  not  come  to  naught. 

The  LXX.,  Jerome,  the  Venet.,  and  Luther,  and  the  Arab,  in- 
terpreters, render  lib  as  an  independent  clause  :  "but  be  daily 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  That  is  not  a  substantival  clause  (cf. 
xxii.  7),  nor  can  it  be  an  interjectional  clause,  but  it  may  be 
an  elliptical  clause  (Fleischer :  from  the  prohibitive  N3pn"^x  is 
to  be  taken  for  the  second  parallel  member  the  v.  subst.  lying 
at  the  foundation  of  all  verbs)  ;  but  why  had  the  author  omitted 
n^T  ?  Besides,  one  uses  the  expressions,  to  act  {i^t'V)^  and  to 
walk  (l^n)  in  the  fear  of  God,  but  not  the  expression  to  be 
(n\n)  in  the  fear  of  God.     Thus  riSTn,  hke  D'Xi3ri3j  is  depen- 


-t«x, 


ur 


dent  on  N3pn";x ;  and  Jerome,  who  translates :  Non  cemulet 
cor  tuum  peciatores,  sed  in  timore  Domini  esto  tola  die,  ought  to 
have  continued  :  sed  timorem  Domini  tola  die ;  for,  as  one  may 
say  in  Latin  :  cemidari  virtutes^  as  well  as  ccmulari  aliquem,  so 
also  in  Heb.  3  t??.P,  of  the  envying  of  those  persons  Avhose 
fortune  excites  to  dissatisfaction,  because  one  has  not  the  same, 
and  might  yet  have  it,  iii.  31,  xxiv.  1,  19,  as  well  as  of  emula- 
tion for  a  thing  in  which  one  might  not  stand  behind  others : 
envy  not  sinners,  envy  much  rather  the  fear  of  God,  i.e.  let 
thyself  be  moved  with  eager  desire  after  it  when  its  appearance 
is  presented  to  thee.  There  is  no  O.  T.  parallel  for  this,  but 
the  Syr.  tan  and  the  Greek  ^rfkorv-Kovv  are  used  in  this  double 
sense.  Thus  Hitzig  rightly,  and,  among  the  moderns,  Malbim; 
with  Aben  Ezra,  it  is  necessary  to  take  nsi"'a  for  nNT»  tJ'''X3,  this 
proverb  itself  declares  the  fear  of  God  to  be  of  all  things  the 
most  worthy  of  being  coveted. 

In  ver.  18,  Umbreit,  Elster,  Zockler,  and  others  interpret  the  ''3 
as  assigning  a  reason,  and  the  üi<  as  conditioning :  for  when  the 
end  (the  hour  of  the  righteous  judgment)  has  come ;  Bertheau 
better,  because  more  suitable  to  the  ^l  and  the  n^"inN ;  when  an 

VOL.   II.  •  H 


114  THE  BOOK  OF  TROVEKES. 

end  (an  end  adjusting  the  contradictions  of  the  present  time) 
comes,  as  no  doubt  it  will  come,  then  thy  hope  will  not  be  de- 
stroyed ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  succession  of  words  in  the 
conclusion  (viel,  at  iii.  34)  opposes  this ;  also  one  does  not  see 
why  the  author  does  not  say  directly  n''"inx  ti'"'  ""a,  but  expresses 
himself  thus  conditionally.^  If  DX  is  meant  hypothetically,  then, 
with  the  LXX.  iav  yap  TTjpT^crrj';  avra  ea-rai  aoi  cKjova,  we 
should  supply  after  it  niinjpK'ri,  that  had  fallen  out.  Evvald's : 
much  rather  there  is  yet  a  future  (Dächsei :  much  rather  be 
happy  there  is  .  .  .),  is  also  impossible ;  for  the  preceding  clause 
is  positive,  not  negative.  The  particles  CX  ""3,  connected  thus, 
mean :  for  if  (e.g.  Lam.  iii.  32) ;  or  also  relatively :  that  if 
(e.g.  Jer.  xxvi.  15).  After  a  negative  clause  they  have  the 
meaning  of  "  unless,"  which  is  acquired  by  means  of  an  ellipsis  ; 
e.g.  Isa.  Iv.  10,  it  turns  not  back  thither,  unless  it  has  watered 
the  earth  (It  returns  back  not  before  then,  not  unless  this  is 
done).  This  "  unless"  is,  however,  used  like  the  Lat.  nisi,  also 
without  the  conditioning  clause  following,  e.g.  Gen.  xxviii.  17, 
Jiic  locus  non  est  nisi  domus  Dei.  And  hence  the  expression 
DX  '"3,  after  the  negation  going  before,  acquires  the  meaning  of 
"but,"  e.g.  lib:  let  not  thy  heart  be  covetous  after  sinners,  for 
thou  canst  always  be  zealous  for  the  fear  of  God,  i.e.  much 
rather  for  this,  but  for  this.  This  pleonasm  of  DX  sometimes 
occurs  where  "'S  is  not  used  confirmatively,  but  affirmatively : 
the  "certainly  if"  forms  the  transition,  e g.  1  Kings  xx.  6  (vid. 
Keil's  Comm.  I.e.),  whose  "if"  is  not  seldom  omitted,  so  that 
CX  ""a  has  only  the  meaning  of  an  affirmative  "  certainly,"  not 
"truly  no,"  which  it  may  also  have,  1  Sam.  xxv.  34,  but  "truly 
yes."  Tims  DX  '3  is  used  Judg.  xv.  7  ;  2  Sam.  xv.  21  (where 
as  is  emitted  by  the  Kert);  2  Kings  v.  20;  Jer.  II.  14;  and  thus 
it  is  also  meant  here,  18a,  notwithstanding  that  CX  ''3,  in  its 
more  usual  t-ignificatlcu,  "  besides  only,  but,  nisi,'^  precedes,  as 
at  1  Sam.  xxl.  6,  cf.  5.  The  objection  by  Hitzig,  that  with 
this  explanation  :  "  certainly  there  is  a  future,"  vers.  18  and  17 
are  at  variance,  falls  to  the  ground,  if  one  reflects  on  the  Heb. 
idiom,  in  which  the  affirmative  signification  of  ^3  is  interpene- 
^  The  form  -QS  "'S  does  not  contradict  the  connection  of  the  two  particles. 
This  use  of  the  MaJckeph  is  general,  except  in  these  three  instances:  Geu. 
XV.  4  ;  Num.  xxxv.  33  ;  Neh.  ii.  2. 


CHAP.  XXIII.  19-21  115 

trated  by  the  confirmative,  nnnx  used  tlius  pregnantly,  as 
here  (xxiv.  14),  is  the  glorious  final  issue ;  the  word  in  itself 
designates  the  end  into  which  human  life  issues  (cf.  Ps.  xxxvii. 
37  f.)  ;  here,  the  end  crowning  the  preceding  course.  Jeremiah 
(xxix.  11)  in  this  sense  connects  mpni  nnns*  [end  and  expecta- 
tion]. And  what  is  here  denied  of  the  n^i?J^,  the  hope  (not  as 
certain  Jewish  interpreters  dream,  the  thread  of  life)  of  him 
who  zealously  strives  after  the  fear  of  God,  is  affirmed,  at  Ps. 
xxxvii.  38,  of  the  godless :  the  latter  have  no  continuance,  but 
the  former  have  such  as  is  the  fulfilling  of  his  hope. 

Among  the  virtues  which  flow  from  the  fear  of  God,  tem- 
perance is  made  prominent,  and  the  warning  against  excess  is 
introduced  by  the  general  exhortation  to  wisdom : 

Ver.  19  Hear  thou,  my  son,  and  become  -wise, 

And  direct  thy  heart  straight  forward  on  the  way. 

20  And  be  not  among  wine-drinkers, 
And  among  those  who  devour  flesh ; 

21  For  the  drunkard  and  glutton  become  poor, 
And  sleepiness  clotheth  in  rags. 

The  nn^j  connected  with  V^f,  imports  that  the  speaker  has  to 
do  with  the  hearer  altogether  by  himself,  and  that  the  latter 
may  make  an  exception  to  the  many  who  do  not  hear  (cf.  Job 
xxxiii.  33  ;  Jer.  ii.  31).  Eegarding  it^X,  to  make  to  go  straight 
out,  vid.  at  iv.  14  ;  the  Kal,  ix.  6,  and  also  the  Piel,  iv.  14,  mean 
to  go  straight  on,  and,  generally,  to  go.  The  way  merely,  is  the 
one  that  is  right  in  contrast  to  the  many  byways.  Fleischer : 
"  the  way  sensu  eximio,  as  the  Oriental  mystics  called  the  way 
to  perfection  merely  (Arab.)  alatryh ;  and  him  who  walked 
therein,  älsälak,  the  walker  or  wanderer."^  3  '''?^~''^,  as  at  xxii. 
26,  the  "  Words  of  the  Wise,"  are  to  be  compared  in  point  of 
style.  The  degenerate  and  perverse  son  is  more  clearly  de- 
scribed, Deut.  xxi.  20,  as  t<?bl  ppir.  These  two  characteristics 
the  poet  distributes  between  20a  and  20&.  N3D  means  to  drink 
(whence  X3b,  drink  =  wine,  Isa.  i.  22)  wine  or  other  intoxi- 
cating drinks  ;  Arab,  saha,  vinum  potandi  causa  emere.  To  the 
1";^^  here  added,  "i^'9  in  the  parallel  member  corresponds,  which 

^  Eashi  reads  "J27  1"n3  (walk),  in  the  way  of  "thy  heart  (which  has 
become  wise),  and  so  Heidenheim  found  it  in  an  old  MS. ;  but  '^"in^  is 
equivalent  to  njU  1"in3)  ix.  6. 


116  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

consequently  is  not  the  fleshly  body  of  the  gluttons  themselves, 
but  the  prepared  flesh  which  they  consume  at  their  luxurious 
banquets.  The  LXX.  incorrectly  as  to  the  word,  but  not  con- 
trary to  the  sense,  "  be  no  wine-bibber,  and  stretch  not  thyself 
after  picbiicks  {avfißoXak),  and  buying  in  of  flesh  {Kpewv  re 
ayopaafjioU),'"  whereby  ''9?t  is  translated  in  the  sense  of  the 
Aram.  V.^r  (Lagarde).  ?^f  denotes,  intransitively,  to  be  little 
valued  (whence  bi^iT,  opp.  "li^J,  Jer.  xv.  19),  transitively  to  value 
little,  and  as  such  to  squander,  to  lavish  prodigally  ;  thus :  qui 
prodigi  sunt  carnis  sibi ;  iö?  is  dat.  commodi.  Otherwise 
Gesenius,  Fleischer,  Umbreit,  and  Ewald  :  qui  prodigi  sunt 
carnis  suce,  who  destroy  their  own  body ;  but  the  parallelism 
shows  that  flesh  is  meant  wherewith  they  feed  themselves, 
not  their  o-wn  flesh  (^rh  nlvn,  like  i»^"non,  Ps.  Iviii.  5),  which,  i.e. 
its  health,  they  squander,  hhw  also,  in  phrase  used  in  Deut.  xxi. 
20  (cf.  with  Hitzig  the  formula  <j)dyo';  koI  olvoirörr}^,  Matt.  xi. 
19),  denotes  not  the  dissolute  person,  as  the  sensualist,  iropvo- 
Ko'TTO'^  (LXX.),  but  the  avfjbßokoKoiro^  (Aquila,  Symmachus, 
Theodotion),  Kpewßöpo^  ( Venet.),  "li?^  ^^T  (Onkelos),  i.e.  flesh- 
eater,  ravenous  person,  glutton,  in  which  sense  it  is  rendered, 
here,  by  the  Syr.  and  Targ.,  by  tSlDS  (ld'^dx),  i.e.  äacoTo<i. 
Eegarding  the  metaplastic  fat.  Niph.  ^y^,  (LXX.  7rTö);^eucret), 
vid.  at  XX.  13,  cf.  xi.  25.  HM  (after  the  form  of  nc'Q,  n:^^, 
rriix)  is  drowsiness,  lethargy,  long  sleeping,  which  necessarily 
follows  a  life  of  riot  and  revelry.  Such  a  slothful  person  comes 
to  a  bit  of  bread  (xxi.  17) ;  and  the  disinclination  and  unfitness 
for  work,  resulting  from  night  revelry,  brings  it  about  that  at 
last  he  must  clothe  himself  in  miserable  rags.  The  rags  are 
called  yT!i?.  and  pdKo<i,  from  the  rending  (tearing),  Arab,  ruk'at, 
from  the  patching,  mending.  Lagarde,  more  at  large,  treats  of 
this  word  here  used  for  rags. 

The  parainesz's  begi  anew,  and  the  division  is  open  to  ques- 
tion. Vers.  22-24  can  of  themselves  be  independent  distichs ; 
but  this  is  not  the  case  with  ver.  25,  which,  in  the  resump- 
tion of  the  address  and  in  expression,  leans  back  on  ver.  22. 
The  author  of  this  appendix  may  have  met  with  vers.  23  and 
24  (although  here  also  his  style,  as  conformed  to  that  of  i.  9, 
is  noticeable,  cf.  236  with  i.  2),  but  vers.  22  and  25  are  the 
form  which  he  has  given  to  them. 


CHAP.  SXIII.  22-25.  117 

Thus  22-25  are  a  whole  :— 
Ver.  22  Hearken  to  thy  father,  to  him  T\'ho  hath  begotten  thee, 
And  despise  not  thy  mother  when  she  has  grown  old. 
23  Buy  the  truth,  and  sell  it  not, 

Wisdom  and  discipline  and  understanding. 
24.  The  father  of  a  righteous  man  rejoiceth  greatly; 

(And)  he  that  is  the  father  of-  a  wise  man — he  will  rejoice. 
25  Let  thy  father  and  thy  mother  be  glad  ; 
And  her  that  bare  thee  exult. 

The  ostasticli  begins  with  a  call  to  childlike  obedience,  for 
p  V^^,  to  listen  to  any  one,  is  equivalent  to,  to  obey  him,  e.g. 
Ps.  Lxxxi.  9,  14  (cf.  "  hearken  to  his  voice,"  Ps.  xcv.  7).  VT-  "] 
is  a  relative  clause  (cf.  Deut.  xxxii.  18,  without  nf  or  "^^f^), 
according  to  which  it  is  rightly  accentuated  (cf.  on  the  contrary, 
Ps.  Ixxviii.  54).  221»,  strictly  taken,  is  not  to  be  translated 
neve  contemne  cum  senuerit  matrem  iuam  (Fleischer),  but  cum 
senuerit  mater  tua,  for  the  logical  object  to  Tl3n"7X  is  attracted 
as  subj.  of  n^ipT  (Hitzig).  TJiere  now  follows  the  exliortation 
comprehending  all,  and  formed  after  iv.  7,  to  buy  wisdom,  i.e. 
to  shun  no  expense,  no  effort,  no  privation,  in  order  to  attain  to 
the  possession  of  wisdom ;  and  not  to  sell  it,  i.e.  not  to  place  it 
over  against  any  earthly  possession,  worldly  gain,  sensual  en- 
joyment ;  not  to  let  it  be  taken  away  by  any  intimidation, 
argued  away  by  false  reasoning,  or  prevailed  against  by  entice- 
ments into  the  way  of  vice,  and  not  to  become  unfaithful  to  it 
by  swimming  with  the  great  stream  (Ex.  xxiii.  2)  ;  for  truth, 
nox,  is  that  which  endures  and  proves  itself  in  all  spheres,  the 
moral  as  well  as  the  intellectual.  In  2ob,  in  like  manner  as 
i.  3,  xxii.  4,  a  threefold  object  is  given  to  n^ip  instead  of  DON  : 
there  are  three  properties  which  are  peculiar  to  truth,  the 
three  powers  which  handle  it :  "^^^O  ^^  knowledge  solid,  press- 
ing into  the  essence  of  things;  "iD''^  is  moral  culture;  and 
n:""!!  the  central  faculty  of  proving  and  distinguishing  (vid.  i. 
3-5).  Now  ver.  24  says  what  consequences  are  for  the  parents 
when  the  son,  according  to  the  exhortation  of  23,  makes  truth 
his  aim,  to  which  all  is  subordinated.  Because  in  nax  the 
ideas  of  practical  and  theoretical  truth  are  inter-connected.  P'''^^ 
and  Dsn  are  also  here  parallel  to  one  another.  The  Chethih  of 
24a  is  ^=13^  ^i2,  which  Schultens  finds  tenable  in  view  of  (Arab.) 
jalf  fut.  jajidu  (to  turn  round ;  Heb.  to  turn  oneself  for  joy) 


118  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

but  the  Heb.  usus  log.  knows  elsewhere  only  ^i)  yi,  as  the 
Kei'i  corrects.  The  LXX.,  misled  by  the  ChetMb,  translates 
Ka\o)'i  eKTpej>ei  (incorrect  iKTpv(j>i](T6L),  i.e.  ?'^i]  ?3!?>  In  24J, 
no^^l  is  of  the  nature  of  a  pred.  of  the  conclusion  (cf.  Gen. 
xxii.  24 ;  Ps.  cxv.  7),  as  if  the  sentence  were  :  has  one  begotten 
a  wise  man,  then  (cf.  xvii.  21)  he  has  joy  of  him  ;  but  the 
Kert  effaces  this  Vav  cqyodosis,  and  assigns  it  to  'rpy  as  Vav 
copul. — an  unnecessary  mingling  of  the  syntactically  possible, 
more  emphatic  expression.  This  proverbial  whole  now  rounds 
itself  off  in  ver.  25  by  a  reference  to  ver.  22, — the  Optative  here 
corresponding  to  the  Impr.  and  Prohib.  there :  let  thy  father 
and  thy  mother  rejoice  (LXX.  evc^pavea-Qco),  and  let  her  that 
bare  thee  exult  (here  where  it  is  possible  the  Optat.  form  ''^.^"i). 
Vers.  ^6-28.  This  hexastich  warns  against  unchastity. 
What,  in  i.-ix.,  extended  discourses  and  representations  exhi- 
bited to  the  youth  is  here  repeated  in  miniature  pictures.  It  is 
the  teacher  of  wisdom,  but  by  him  Wisdom  herself,  who  speaks  : 

Ver.  26  Give  me,  my  son,  thine  heart ; 

And  let  thine  eyes  delight  in  my  ways. 

27  For  the  harlot  is  a  deep  ditch, 

And  the  strange  woman  a  narrow  pit. 

28  Yea,  she  lieth  in  wait  like  a  robber. 
And  multiplieth  the  faithless  among  men 

We  have  retained  Luther's  beautiful  rendering  of  ver.  26,^  in 
which  this  proverb,  as  a  warning  word  of  heavenly  wisdom  and 
of  divine  love,  has  become  dear  to  us.  It  follows,  as  Sym- 
machus  and  the  Venet.,  the  Chethtb  nj\nn  (for  nr^nn,  like  Ex. 
ii.  16  ;  Job  v.  12),  the  stylistic  appropriateness  of  which  pro- 
ceeds from  xvi.  7,  as  on  the  other  hand  the  Ken  njiirn  (cf. 
1  Sam.  xiv.  27)  is  supported  by  xxii.  12,  cf.  v.  2.  But  the 
correction  is  unnecessary,  and  the  Chethib  sounds  more  affec- 
tionate, hence  it  is  with  right  defended  by  Hitzig.  The  ways 
of  wisdom  are  ways  of  correction,  and  particularly  of  chastity, 
thus  placed  over  against  "the  ways  of  the  harlot,"  vii.  24 ff. 
Accordingly  the  exhortation,  ver.  26,  verifies  itself ;  warning,  by 
ver.  27,  cf.  xxii.  14,  where  Hj^DJ^  was  written,  here  as  at  Job  xii. 
22,  with  the  long  vowel  nj^iöj?"  (npDj;).     nn^  isa  interchanges 

^  The  right  punctuation  of  26a  is  rizb  ""JlTljri,  as  it  is  found  in  the 
editions :  Ven.  1615  ;  Basel  1619  ;  and  in  those  of  Norzi  and  Michaelis. 


CHAP.  XXIII.  2C-23.  119 

with  np"iDy  nmC',  and  means,  not  the  fountain  of  sorrow  (Löwen- 
stein), but  the  narrow  pit.  "ixa  is  fern,  gen.,  xxvi.  21  f.,  and 
IV  means  narrow,  like  kroit  (old  French,  estreit),  from  strictus. 
The  figure  has,  after  xxii.  14,  the  mouth  of  the  harlot  in  view. 
Whoever  is  enticed  by  her  syren  voice  falls  into  a  deep  ditch, 
into  a  pit  with  a  narrow  mouth,  into  which  one  can  more  easily 
enter  than  escape  from.  Ver.  28  says  that  it  is  the  artifice  of 
the  harlot  which  draws  a  man  into  such  depth  of  wickedness 
and  guilt.  With  ^X,  which,  as  at  Judg.  v.  29,  belongs  not  to 
N''n  but  to  the  whole  sentence,  the  picture  of  terror  is  completed. 
The  verb  ^inn  (whence  Arab,  hataf,  death,  natural  death) 
means  to  snatch  away.  If  we  take  ^nn  as  abstr. :  a  snatching 
away,  then  it  would  here  stand  elliptically  for  ^nn  (?i?^)  C^'X, 
which  in  itself  is  improbable  (vid.  vii.  22,  Day)  and  also  un- 
necessary, since,  as  ^?o,  13y,  ^bri^  etc.  show,  such  ahstracta  can 
pass  immediately  into  concreta,  so  that  ^irin  thus  means  the 
person  who  snatches  away,  i.e.  the  street  robber,  latro  (cf.  ^t^n^ 
(Arab.)  khataf,  Ps.  x.  9,  rightly  explained  by  Kimchi  as  cogn.). 
In  2Sh,  fl''pin  cannot  mean  abripit  (as  LXX.,  Theodotion,  and 
Jerome  suppose),  for  which  the  word  '"ispri  (^IDNri)  would  have 
been  used.^  But  this  verbal  idea  does  not  harmonize  with  the 
connection ;  ?i''Din  means,  as  always,  addit  (aiiget),  and  that  here 
in  tlie  sense  of  midliplicat.  The  same  thing  may  be  said  of 
D''13U  as  is  said  (xi.  15)  of  D'ypin.  Hitzig  s  objection,  "fj-'Din, 
to  multiply,  with  the  accusative  of  the  person,  is  not  at  all 
used,"  is  set  aside  by  xix.  4.  But  we  may  translate :  the  faith- 
less, or:  the  breach  of  faith  she  increases.  Yet  it  always 
remains  a  question  whether  Ci'^'^?  is  dependent  on  nnJ13,  as 
Eccles.  viii.  9,  cf.  2  Sam.  xxiii.  3,  on  the  verb  of  ruling  (Hitzig), 
or  whether,  as  frequently  D"]';'^^  e.g.  Ps.  Ixxviii.  60,  it  means 
inter  homines  (thus  most  interpreters).  Uncleanness  leads  to 
faithlessness  of  manifold  kinds :  it  makes  not  only  the  husband 
unfaithful  to  his  wife,  but  also  the  son  to  his  parents,  the 
scholar  to  his  teacher  and  pastor,  the  servant  (cf.  the  case  of 
Potiphar's  wife)  to  his  master.  The  adulteress,  inasmuch  as 
she  entices  now  one  and  now  another  into  her  net,  increases  the 

^  The  Targ.  translates  28b  (here  free  from  the  influence  of  the  Peshito) 
in  the  Syro-Palestinian  idiom  by  '<-)2*y  i<*J3N  lifVI^  i-^-  slie  seizes  thought- 
less sons. 


120  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERDS. 

number  of  those  who  are  faithless  towards  men.  But  are  they 
not,  above  all,  faithless  towards  God?  We  are  of  opinion  that 
not  D"'^JU,  but  Fi'Din,  has  its  complement  in  01X3,  and  needs  it : 
the  adulteress  increases  the  faithless  among  men,  she  makes 
faithlessness  of  manifold  kinds  common  in  human  society. 
According  to  this,  also,  it  is  accentuated ;  nn^m  is  placed  as 
object  by  MugrascU,  and  mxn  is  connected  by  Mercha  with 
ei^Din. 

Vers.  29-35.  The  author  passes  from  the  sin  of  uncleanness 
to  that  of  drunkenness ;  they  are  nearly  related,  for  drunkenness 
excites  fleshly  lust ;  and  to  wallow  with  delight  in  the  mire  of  sen- 
suality, a  man,  created  in  the  image  of  God,  must  first  brutalize 
himself  by  intoxication.  The  Maslial  in  the  number  of  its  lines 
passes  beyond  the  limits  of  the  distich,  and  becomes  a  Mashal  ode. 
Ver.  29  Whose  is  woe  ?    Whose  is  grief  ? 

"Whose  are  contentions,  -whose  trouble,  whose  wounds 
without  cause  ? 

Whose  is  dimness  of  eyes  ? 

30  Theirs,  who  sit  late  at  the  wine, 
Who  turn  iu  to  taste  mixed  wine. 

31  Look  not  on  the  wiue  as  it  sparklcth  red, 
As  it  showeth  its  gleam  in  the  cup, 
Glideth  down  with  ease. 

32  The  end  of  it  is  that  it  biteth  like  a  serpent, 
And  stingetli  like  a  badlisk, 

S3  Thine  eyes  shall  see  strange  things, 

And  thine  heart  shall  speak  perverse  things  ; 
Si  And  thou  art  as  one  lying  iu  the  heart  of  the  sea, 

And  as  one  lying  on  the  top  of  a  mast. 
35  "  They  have  scourged  me — it  pained  me  not ; 

They  have  beaten  me — I  perceived  it  not. 

When  shall  I  have  wakened  ficm  sleep? 

Thus  en  I  go,  I  return  to  it  again." 

The  repeated  '^p^  asks  who  then  has  to  experience  all  that ; 
the  answer  follows  in  ver.  30.  With  ""ix,  the  ""isx  occurrino; 
only  here  accords ;  it  Is  not  a  substantive  from  n3X  (whence 
iVjSI)  after  the  form  of  priv,  in  the  sense  of  cgestas;  but,  like 
the  former  ['if*],  an  interjection  of  sorrow  (Venet.  tlvi  at, 
TiVL  (jiev).     Regarding  ü^^no   (ChetJub  ^'?'^^),  viel,  at  vi.  14. 

1  We  punctuate  iMn  ''C7,  for  that  is  Ben  Asher's  punctuation,  while  that 

of  his  opponent  Ben  Naphtali  is  Pix"''»^-     Vid.  Tlwrath  Emeth,  p.  33. 


CHAP.  XXIII.  29-35.  121 

n^b»  signifies  (vid.  at  vi.  22)  meditation  and  speech,  here  sor- 
rowful thought  and  sorrowful  complaint  (1  Sam.  i.  16 ;  Ps. 
Iv.  18  ;  cf .  i^i}J,  y^'}),  e.g.  over  the  exhausted  purse,  the  neglected 
work,  the  anticipated  reproaches,  the  diminishing  strength.  In 
the  connection  Csn  WV'^B  (cf.  Ps.  xxxv.  19)  the  accus,  adv. 
D3n  (French  gratuitement)  represents  the  place  of  an  adjective: 
strokes  which  one  receives  without  being  in  the  situation  from 
necessity,  or  duty  to  expect  them,  strokes  for  nothing  and 
in  return  for  nothing  (Fleischer),  wounds  for  a  long  while 
(Oetinger).  ^''X'V.  ^"^^"^^  is  the  darkening  (clouding)  of  the 
eyes,  from  /3n,  to  be  firm,  closed,  and  transferred  to  the  sensa- 
tion of  light :  to  be  dark  (yid.  at  Gen.  xlix.  12  ;  Ps.  x.  8) ;  the 
copper-nose  of  the  drunkard  is  not  under  consideration ;  the 
word  does  not  refer  to  the  reddening,  but  the  dimming  of  the 
eyes,  and  of  the  power  of  vision.  The  answer,  ver.  30,  begins, 
in  conformity  with  the  form  of  the  question,  with  h  (write 
^"'"!Ü]^P^,  with  Gaja  to  h,  according  to  3 fetheg- Setzung,  §  20, 
Michlol  ■iijb)  :  pain,  and  woe,  and  contention  they  have  who 
tarry  late  at  the  wine  (cf.  Isa.  v.  11),  who  enter  (viz.  into  the 
wine-house,  Eccles.  ii.  4,  the  house  of  revelry)  "  to  search " 
mingled  drink  (vid.  at  ix.  2  ;  Isa.  v.  22).  Hitzig :  "  they  test 
the  mixing,  as  to  the  relation  of  the  wine  to  the  water,  whether 
it  is  correct."  But  lipn^  is  like  D''132,  Isa.  v.  22,  meant  in 
mockery :  they  are  heroes,  viz.  heroes  in  drinking ;  they  are 
searchers,  such,  namely,  as  seek  to  examine  into  the  mixed  wine, 
or  also  :  thoroughly  and  carefully  taste  it  (Fleischer). 

The  evil  consequences  of  drunkenness  are  now  registered. 
That  one  may  not  fall  under  this  common  sin,  the  poet,  ver.  31, 
warns  against  the  attraction  which  the  wine  presents  to  the 
sight  and  to  the  sense  of  taste:  one  must  not  permit  himself  to  be 
caught  as  a  prisoner  by  this  enticement,  but  must  maintain  his 
fi'eedom  against  it.  D'^^^n'7j  to  make,  i.e.  to  show  oneself  red,  is 
almost  equivalent  to  D''']^^i^ ;  and  more  than  this,  it  presents  the 
wine  as  itself  co-operating  and  active  by  its  red  play  of  colours 
(Fleischer).  Regarding  the  antiptosis  (antiphonesis)  :  Look 
not  on  the  wine  that  is  .  .  .,  vid.  at  Gen.  i.  3  ;  yet  here,  where 
nxi  means  not  merely  "  to  see,"  but  "  to  look  at,"  the  case  is 
somewhat  different.  In  315,  one  for  the  most  part  assumes 
that  iJ''y  signifies  the  eye  of  the  wine,  i.e.  the  pearls  which  play 


122  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

on  the  surface  of  the  wine  (Fleischer).  And,  indeed,  Hitzlg's 
translation,  after  Num.  xi.  7  :  when  it  presents  its  appearance 
in  the  cup,  does  not  commend  itself,  because  it  expresses  too 
little.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  saying  too  much  when 
Böttcher  maintains  that  py  never  denotes  the  mere  appearance, 
but  always  the  shining  aspect  of  the  object.  But  used  of  wine, 
py  appears  to  denote  not  merely  aspect  as  such,  but  its  gleam, 
glance ;  not  its  pearls,  for  which  ^^V  would  be  the  word  used, 
but  shining  glance,  by  which  particularly  the  bright  glance,  as 
out  of  deep  darkness,  of  the  Syro-Palestinian  wine  is  thought 
of,  which  is  for  the  most  part  prepared  from  red  (blue)  gi'apes, 
and  because  very  rich  in  sugar,  is  thick  almost  like  syrup. 
Jerome  translates  iry  well :  (cum  splenduerit  in  vitro)  color  ejus. 
But  one  need  not  think  of  a  glass;  Böttcher  has  rightly  said 
that  one  might  perceive  the  glittering  appearance  also  in  a 
metal  or  earthen  vessel  if  one  looked  into  it.  The  Clietlub  D''32 
is  an  error  of  transcription  ;  the  Midrash  makes  the  remark  on 
this,  that  D''33  fits  the  wine  merchant,  and  Dins  the  wine  drinker. 
From  the  pleasure  of  the  eye,  31c  passes  over  to  the  pleasures 
of  the  taste :  (that,  or,  as  it)  goeth  down  smoothly  (Luther) ; 
the  expression  is  like  Eccles.  vii.  10.  Instead  of  "]St  (like  jary, 
of  fluidity)  there  stands  here  l^nnn,  commonly  used  of  pleasant 
going;  and  instead  of  D''"i5J'''Dp  with  h,  the  norm  D"'"iK''"'D3  with 
n  of  the  manner;  directness  is  here  easiness,  facility  (Arab. 
jusr);  it  goes  as  on  a  straight,  even  way  unhindered  and  easily 
down  the  throat.^ 

Ver.  32  shows  how  it  issues  with  the  wine,  viz.  with  those 
who  immoderately  enjoy  it.  Is  in''")n5<  [its  end]  here  the  sub- 
ject, as  at  V.  4  ?  We  must  in  that  case  interpret  '^It^'  and 
^"[p]  as  attributives,  as  the  Syr.  and  Targ.  translate  the  latter, 
and  Ewald  both.  The  issue  which  it  brings  with  it  is  like  the 
serpent  which  bites,  etc.,  and  there  is  nothing  syntactically 
opposed  to  this  (cf.  e.g.  Ps.  xvii.  12) ;  the  future,  in  contra- 
distinction to  the  participle,  would  not  express  properties,  but 
intimations  of  facts.  But  the  end  of  the  wine  is  not  like  a 
serpent,  but  like  the  bite  of  a  serpent.     The  wine  itself,  and 

^  The  English  version  is,  "  when  it  moveth  itself  aright,"  which  one  has 
perceived  in  the  phenomenon  of  the  tears  of  the  wine,  or  of  the  movement 
in  the  glass.     Vid.  Ausland,  1869,  p.  72. 


CHAP.  XXIII.  29-35.  123 

independent  of  its  consequences,  is  in  and  of  itself  like  a  serpent. 
In  accordance  with  the  matter,  innns  may  be  interpreted,  with 
Hitzig  (after  Jerome,  in  novissimo),  as  ace.  adverb.  =  )n'^-\r\i^2, 
Jer.  xvii.  11.  But  why  did  not  the  author  more  distinctly 
write  this  word 'S3  ?  The  syntactic  relation  is  like  xxix.  21: 
lIT'irii«  is  after  the  manner  of  a  substantival  clause,  the  subject 
to  that  which  follows  as  its  virtual  predicate  :  "  its  end  is  :  like 
a  serpent  it  biteth  =  this,  tliat  it  biteth  like  a  serpent."  Ee- 
iiarding  "'^V^Vj  serpens  regulus  (after  Schultens,  from  J?3V  = 
(Arab.)  saf,  to  breathe  out  glowing,  scorching),  vid.  at  Isa.  vii. 
8.  The  Hiph.  K^nsn  Schultens  here  understands  of  the  division 
of  the  liver,  and  Hitzig,  after  the  LXX.,  Vulgate,  and  Venet.^ 
of  squirting  the  poison  ;  both  after  the  Arab,  farth.  But  C'^DH, 
Syr.  ofrcs,  also  signifies,  from  the  root-idea  of  dividing  and 
splitting,  to  sting,  poindre,  pointer,  as  ßashi  and  Kimchi  gloss, 
whence  the  Aram.  C^'Q,  an  ox-goad,  with  which  the  ancients 
connect  C'lD  (of  the  spur),  the  name  for  a  rider,  eques,  and  also 
a  horse  (cf.  on  the  contrary,  Fleischer  in  Levy,  W.  B.  ii.  574) ; 
a  serpent's  bite  and  a  serpent's  sting  (Lat.  morsus,  ictus,  Varro  : 
citm  pepiigerit  coluhrd)  are  connected  together  by  the  ancients.^ 
The  excited  condition  of  the  drunkard  is  now  described. 
First,  ver.  33  describes  the  activity  of  his  imagination  as 
excited  to  madness.  It  is  untenable  to  interpret  HiiT  here 
with  Kashi,  Aben  Ezra,  and  others,  and  to  translate  with 
Luther:  "  so  shall  thine  eyes  look  after  other  women  "  {circum- 
spicient  midieres  impudicas,  Fleischer,  for  the  meaning  to  per- 
ceive, to  look  about  for  something,  to  seek  something  with  the 
eyes,  referring  to  Gen.xli.  33).  For  niiT  acquires  the  meaning 
of  midieres  rmpudicce  only  from  its  surrounding,  but  here  the 
parallel  niasnn  (perverse  things)  directs  to  the  neut.  aliena  (cf. 
XV.  28,  J^iJ^'J),  but  not  merely  in  the  sense  of  unreal  things 
(Ralbag,  Meiri),  but :  strange,  i.e.  abnormal,  thus  bizarre, 
mad,  dreadful  things.  An  old  Heb.  parable  compares  the 
changing  circumstances  which  wine  produces  with  the  man- 

^  However,  we  will  not  conceal  it,  that  the  post-bibl.  Heb.  does  not 
know  Ci^nsn  in  the  sense  of  to  prick,  sting  (the  Midrash  explains  the  passage 
by  W^Tih  nrT'D  P3  t^'''"lSN  i-e-  it  cuts  off  life)  ;  and  the  Nestorian  Knanishu 
of  Superghau,  whom  I  asked  regarding  aphrish,  knew  only  of  the  meanings 
"  to  separate  "  and  "  to  point  out,"  but  not  "  to  sting." 


124  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

iier  of  the  lamb,  the  lion,  the  swine,  the  monkey;  here  juggles 
and  phantoms  of  the  imagination  are  meant,  which  in  the 
view  and  fancy  of  the  drunken  man  hunt  one  another  like 
monkey  capers.  Moreover,  the  state  of  the  drunken  man  is 
one  that  is  separated  from  the  reality  of  a  life  of  sobriety  and 
the  safety  of  a  life  of  moderation,  34a  :  thou  act  like  one  who 
lies  in  the  heart  of  the  sea.  Thus  to  lie  in  the  heart,  i.e.  the 
midst,  of  the  sea  as  a  ship  goes  therein,  xxx.  19,  is  impossible  ; 
there  one  must  swim;  but  swimming  is  not  lying,  and  to  think 
on  a  situation  like  that  of  Jonah,  i.  5,  one  must  think  also  of  the 
ship;  but  23^^  does  not  necessarily  mean  ''  to  sleep,"  and,  besides, 
the  sleep  of  a  passenger  in  the  cabin  on  the  high  sea  is  of  itself 
no  dangerous  matter.  Rightly  Hitzig :  in  the  depth  of  the 
sea  (cf.  Jonah  ii.  4) — the  drunken  man,  or  the  man  overcome 
by  wine  (Isa.  xxviii.  7),  is  like  one  who  has  sunk  down  into 
the  midst  of  the  sea ;  and  thus  drowned,  or  in  danger  of  being 
drowned,  he  is  in  a  condition  of  intellectual  confusion,  wliich 
finally  passes  over  into  perfect  unconsciousness,  cutoff  from  the 
true  life  which  passes  over  him  like  one  dead,  and  in  this  con- 
dition he  has  made  a  bed  for  himself,  as  ^sb'  denotes.  With 
D^3j  {^'Nia  stands  in  complete  contrast :  he  is  like  one  who  lies 
on  the  top  of  the  mast.  ^3n,  after  the  forms  "i^'n,  Q?^,  is  the 
sail-yard  fastened  by  ropes,  Qv^ri  (Isa.  xxxiii.  23).  To  lay  one- 
self down  on  the  sail-yard  happens  thus  to  no  one,  and  it  is  no 
place  for  such  a  purpose;  but  as  little  as  one  can  quarter  him 
who  is  on  the  ridge  of  the  roof,  in  the  'Älija,  because  no  one  is 
able  to  lie  down  there,  so  little  can  he  in  the  bower  IMastkorh] 
him  who  is  here  spoken  of  (Böttcher).  The  poet  says,  but 
only  by  way  of  comparison,  how  critical  the  situation  of  the 
drunkard  is ;  he  compares  him  to  one  who  lies  on  the  highest 
sail-yard,  and  is  exposed  to  the  danger  of  being  every  moment 
thrown  into  the  sea  ;  for  the  rocking  of  the  ship  is  the  greater 
in  proportion  to  the  height  of  the  sail-yard.  The  drunkard  is, 
indeed,  thus  often  exposed  to  the  peril  of  his  life ;  for  an  acci- 
dent of  itself  not  great,  or  a  stroke,  may  suddenly  put  an  end 
to  his  life. 

Ver.  35.  The  poet  represents  the  drunken  man  as  now  speak- 
ing to  himself.  He  has  been  well  cudgelled;  but  because  insen- 
sible, he  has  not  felt  it,  and  he  places  himself  now  where  he  will 


CHAP.  XXIV.  1,  2.  125 

sleep  out  his  intoxication.  Far  from  being  made  temperate 
by  the  strokes  inflicted  on  liim,  he  rejoices  in  the  prospect, 
when  he  has  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  of  beginning  again  the 
life  of  drunkenness  and  revelry  which  has  become  a  plea- 
sant custom  to  him.  npn  means  not  only  to  be  sick,  but  gene- 
rally to  be,  or  to  become,  affected  painfully ;  cf.  Jer.  v.  3, 
where  vli  is  not  the  3d  pi.  mas.  of  ^'H,  but  of  r6n.  The  words 
pips  ''no  are,  it  is  true,  a  cry  of  longing  of  a  different  kind  from 
Job  vii.  4.  The  sleeping  man  cannot  forbear  from  yielding  to 
the  constraint  of  nature :  he  is  no  longer  master  of  himself,  he 
becomes  giddy,  everything  goes  round  about  with  him,  but  he 
thinks  with  himself  :  Oh  that  I  were  again  awake  !  and  so  little 
has  his  appetite  been  appeased  by  his  sufferings,  that  when  he 
is  again  awakened,  he  will  begin  where  he  left  off  yesterday, 
when  he  could  drink  no  more,  ''^ö  is  here,  after  Nolde, 
Fleischer,  and  Hitzig,  the  relative  quando  (quujn);  but  the  bibl. 
usus  log.  gives  no  authority  for  this.  In  that  case  we  would  have 
expected  T'^^'^i?!?.  instead  of  Pi??.  As  the  interrog.  «i^o  is  more 
animated  than  the  relat.,  so  also  ^5?'i??^?  fl''?i^  is  more  animated 
(1  Sam.  ii.  3)  than  l^?.?^  fl^DIS.  The  suffix  of  I3:rpns  refers  to 
the  wine :  raised  up,  he  will  seek  that  which  has  become  so 
dear  and  so  necessary  to  him. 

After  this  divergence  (in  vers.  29-35)  from  the  usual  form  of 
the  proverb,  there  is  now  a  return  to  the  tetrastich  : 
xxiv.  1  Envy  not  evil  men, 

And  desire  not  to  have  intercourse  with  them. 
2  For  their  heart  thinketh  of  violence, 
And  their  Hps  speak  mischief. 

The  warning,  not  to  envy  the  godless,  is  also  found  at  iii.  31, 
xxiii.  17,  xxiv.  19,  but  is  differently  constructed  in  each  of 
these  passages.  Regarding  ^^^n^  with  Pathach,  viel,  at  xxiii.  3. 
'^V'l  ^'^'-.^  (cf.  V],  xxviii.  5)  are  the  wicked,  i.e.  such  as  cleave  to 
evil,  and  to  whom  evil  clino;s.  The  warnincj  is  grounded  in  this, 
that  whoever  have  intercourse  with  such  men,  make  themselves 
partners  in  greater  sins  and  evil :  for  their  heart  broodeth 
(write  ^b'  "'S,  Munacli  Dechi)  violence,  i.e.  robbery,  plunder, 
destruction,  murder,  and  the  like.  With  nb'  (in  the  Mislde 
only  here  and  at  xxi.  7,  cf.  Tj}*^,  xix.  26)  connects  itself  else- 
where DO'7,  here  (cf.  Hab.  i.  3)  ?OJ?j  lahor,  molestia,  viz.  those 


126  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

wlio  prepare  it  for  others  by  means  of  slanderous,  crafty,  un- 
charitable talk. 

Vers.  3,  4.  The  warning  against  fellowship  with  the  godless 
is  followed  by  the  praise  of  wisdom,  which  is  rooted  in  the  fear 
of  God. 

Ver.  3  By  -«'isdom  is  the  house  builded, 

And  by  understanding  is  it  established. 
4  And  by  knowledge  shall  the  chambers  be  filled 
With  all  manner  of  precious  and  pleasant  goods. 

What  is  meant  by  the  "  building  of  the  house  "  is  explained  at 
xiv.  1.  It  is  wisdom,  viz.  that  which  originates  from  God, 
which  is  rooted  in  fellowship  with  Him,  by  which  every  house- 
hold, be  it  great  or  small,  prospers  and  attains  to  a  successful 
and  flourishing  state  ;  p}3,  as  parallel  word  to  n32  (iii.  19  ;  Hab. 
ii.  12),  is  related  to  it  as  statuere  to  extruere;  the  Hithpal  (as  at 
Num.  xxi.  17)  means  to  keep  oneself  in  a  state  of  continuance, 
to  gain  perpetuity,  to  become  established.  That  ^^?^1  by 
Athnach  has  not  passed  over  into  the  pausal  I^J??!,  arises  from 
this,  that  the  Athnach,  by  the  poetical  system  of  accents,  has 
only  the  force  of  the  prose  accent  Salcef;  the  clause  completes 
itself  only  by  4i  ;  the  pausal  form  on  that  account  also  is  not 
found,  and  it  is  discontinued,  because  the  Athnach  does  not 
produce  any  pausal  effect  {vid.  at  Ps.  xlv.  6).  The  form  of 
expression  in  ver.  4  is  like  i.  13,  iii.  10.  But  the  Q'"'?'^'^.,  of 
storerooms  (LXX.  as  Isa.  xxvi.  20,  rafiieXa),  and  D''i?3,  like  xxii. 
18,  xxiii.  8,  is  peculiar  to  this  collection. 

Vers.  5,  6.  The  praise  of  wisdom  is  continued :  it  brings 
blessings  in  the  time  of  peace,  and  gives  the  victory  in  war. 

Ver.  5  A  wise  man  is  full  of  strength  ; 

And  a  man  of  understanding  showeth  great  power. 
6  For  with  wise  counsel  shalt  thou  carry  on  successful  war; 
And  safety  ia  where  counsellors  are  not  wanting. 

The  3  of  Tiy?  (thus  with  Pathach  in  old  impressions.  Cod.  1294, 
Cod.  Jaman.,  and  elsevrfiere  with  the  Masoretic  note  N^ül  n^b) 
introduces,  as  that  of  nb3,  Ps.  xxix.  4,  the  property  in  which  a 
person  or  thing  appears;  the  article  (cf.  D"'nryn,  ii.  13,  Gesen. 
§  35,  2a)  is  that  of  gender.  The  parallel  na  J'DSn,  a  Greek 
translates  by  vTrep  Kparaiov  Wxv'i  =  nb  pßt<0  (Job  ix.  4  ; 
Isa.  xl.  26).     But  after  5a  it  lies  nearer  that  the  poet  means 


CHAP.  SXIV.  7.  127 

to  express  the  power  which  lies  in  wisdom  itself  (Eccle?.  vii.  19), 
and  its  superiority  to  physical  force  (xxi.  22)  ;  the  LXX.,  Syr., 
and  Targ.  also,  it  is  true,  translate  5a  as  if  TJ?»  (prce  potente) 
were  the  words  used,  nb  )^ÖX  means  to  strengthen  the  strength, 
and  that  is  (Nah.  ii.  2)  equivalent  to,  to  collect  the  strength 
(to  take  courage),  here  and  at  Amos  ii.  14,  to  show  strong 
(superior)  strength.  The  reason  is  gathered  from  xx.  186  and 
xi.  lib.  The  ^p  here  added.  Hitzig  is  determined  to  read 
nt^yn  :  for  with  prudent  counsel  the  war  shall  be  carried  out  by 
thee.  The  construction  of  the  passive  with  ^  of  the  subject  is 
correct  in  Heb.  (vid.  at  xiv.  20)  as  well  as  in  Arara.,^  and  n^yv 
frequently  means,  in  a  pregnant  sense :  to  complete,  to  carry 
out,  to  bring  to  an  end;  but  the  phrase  nünhj2  nb'J?  means  always 
to  carry  on  war,  and  nothing  further,  "^b  is  the  dat.  commod., 
as  in  p  ^Or-'j  to  wage  war  (to  contend)  for  any  one,  e.g.  Ex.  xiv. 
14.  Instead  of  n"i2,  the  LXX.  reads  'ihl ;  regarding  <y6ü)pyiov 
fieydXov  for  n3  )^DNO,  without  doubt  a  corrupt  reading,  vid. 
Lagarde. 

Till  now  in  this  appendix  we  have  found  only  two  distichs 
(vid.  vol.  i.  p.  17) ;  now  several  of  them  follow.  From  this, 
that  wisdom  is  a  power  which  accomplishes  great  things,  it 
follows  that  it  is  of  high  value,  though  to  the  fool  it  appears  all 
too  costly. 

Ver.  7  Wisdom  seems  to  the  fool  to  be  an  ornamental  commodity  ; 
He  openeth  not  his  mouth  in  the  gate. 
!Most  interpreters  take  riiONT  for  nioi  (written  as  at  1  Chron. 
vi.  58  ;  cf.  Zech.  xiv.  10;  ^i^l,  Pro  v.  x.  4;  ns^,  Hos.  x.  14), 
and  translate,  as  Jerome  and  Luther  :  "  Wisdom  is  to  the  fool 
too  high;"  the  way  to  wisdom  is  to  him  too  long  and  too 
steep,  the  price  too  costly,  and  not  to  be  afforded.  Certainly 
this  thought  does  not  lie  far  distant  from  what  the  poet  would 
say ;  but  why  does  he  say  niMn,  and  not  "^^sn  ?  This  m03n  is 
not  a  numerical  plur.,  so  as  to  be  translated  with  the  Venet. : 
/xericopoL  rw  a4>povt  at  eirtarriixaL ;  it  is  a  plur.,  as  Ps.  xlix.  4 
shows  ;  but,  as  is  evident  from  the  personification  and  the  con- 
struction, i.  20,  one  inwardly  multiplying  and  heightening, 
which  is  related  to  nD3n  as  science  or  the  contents  of  know- 
ledge is  to  knowledge.  That  this  plur.  comes  here  into  view 
1  Vid.  Nöldeke's  Neusyrische  Gram.  p.  219,  Anm.^  and  p.  41G. 


128  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVECBS. 

as  in  i.-ix.  (vid.  vol.  i.  p.  34),  is  definitely  accounted  for  in 
these  chapters  by  the  circumstance  that  wisdom  was  to  be  de- 
signated, which  is  the  mediatrix  of  all  wisdom ;  here,  to  be 
designated  in  intentional  symphony  with  niöxn,  whose  plur. 
ending  uth  shall  be  for  that  very  reason,  however,  inalienable. 
Thus  niDN")  will  be  the  name  of  a  costly  foreign  bijouterie, 
which  is  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Job,  where  the  unfathom- 
ableness  and  inestimableness  of  wisdom  is  celebrated ;  vid.  Job 
xxvii.  18,  where  we  have  recorded  what  we  had  to  say  at  the 
time  regarding  this  word.  But  what  is  now  the  meaning  of 
the  saying  that  wisdom  is  to  the  fool  a  pearl  or  precious  coral  ? 
Joel  Bril  explains:  "The  fool  uses  the  sciences  like  a  precious 
stone,  only  for  ornament,  but  he  knows  not  how  to  utter  a  word 
publicly."  This  is  to  be  rejected,  because  nioxi  is  not  so  usual 
a  trinket  ©r  ornament  as  to  serve  as  an  expression  of  this 
thought.  The  third  of  the  comparison  lies  in  the  rarity,  costli- 
ness, unattainableness ;  the  fool  despises  wisdom,  because  the 
expenditure  of  strength  and  the  sacrifices  of  all  kinds  which  are 
necessary  to  put  one  into  the  possession  of  wisdom  deter  him 
from  it  (Rashi).  This  is  also  the  sense  which  the  expression 
has  when  niüS")  =  niO"i ;  and  probably  for  the  sake  of  this  double 
meaning  the  poet  chose  just  this  word,  and  not  c^js,  C^UJ,  or 
any  other  name,  for  articles  of  ornament  (Hitzig).  The  Syr. 
has  incorrectly  interpreted  this  play  upon  words :  sapieniia 
ahjecfa  stulto;  and  the  Targumist :  the  fool  grumbles  (Dyino) 
against  wisdom.-^  He  may  also  find  the  grapes  to  be  sour  be- 
cause they  hang  too  high  for  him ;  here  it  is  only  said  that 
wisdom  remains  at  a  distance  from  him  because  he  cannot  soar 
up  to  its  attainment ;  for  that  very  reason  he  does  not  open 
his  mouth  in  the  gate,  where  the  council  and  the  representatives 
of  the  people  have  their  seats  :  he  has  not  the  knowledge  neces- 
sary for  being  associated  in  counselling,  and  thus  must  keep 
silent;  and  this  is  indeed  the  most  prudent  thing  he  can  do. 

Ver.  8.  From  wisdom,  which  is  a  moral  good,  the  following 
proverb  passes  over  to  a  kind  of  a-o^ia  ^ai/xovLooSi]<; : 

He  that  meditateth  to  do  evil, 
"We  call  such  an  one  an  intriguer. 

1  This  explanation  is  more  correct  than  Levy's:  he  lifts  himself  up  (boasts) 
Avith  wisdom. 


CHAP.  XXIV.  9.  129 

A  verbal  explanation  and  definition  like  xxi.  24  (cf.  vol.  i.  p.  40), 
formed  like  xvi.  21  from  jni.  Instead  of  niSTp-^ya  [lord  of 
mischief]  in  xii.  2,  the  expression  is  'ö  t^'^N  (cf.'  at  xxii.  24). 
Regarding  niaro  in  its  usual  sense,  vid.  v.  2.  Such  definitions 
have  of  course  no  lexicographical,  but  only  a  moral  aim.  That 
which  is  here  given  is  designed  to  warn  one  against  gaining  for 
himself  this  ambiguous  title  of  a  refined  (cunning,  versutus) 
man ;  one  is  so  named  whose  schemes  and  endeavours  are 
directed  to  the  doing  of  evil.  One  may  also  inversely  find  the 
turning-point  of  the  warning  in  8b  :  "  he  who  projects  deceitful 
plans  against  the  welfare  of  others,  finds  his  punishment  in  this, 
that  he  falls  under  public  condemnation  as  a  worthless  in- 
triguer" (Elster).  But  niöfD  is  a  p^fia  fiiaov,  vid.  v.  2 ;  the 
title  is  thus  equivocal,  and  the  turning-point  lies  in  the  brintr. 
ing  out  of  his  kernel :  ]nnb  imJD  =,  meditating  to  do  evil. 

Ver.  9.  This  proverb  is  connected  by  DOT  with  ver.  8,  and  by 
hm  with  ver.  7  ;  it  places  the  fool  and  the  mocker  over  against 
one  another. 

The  undertaking  of  folly  is  sin ; 
And  an  abomination  to  men  is  the  scomer. 
Since  it  is  certain  that  for  %  the  subject  is  "  the  scorner,"  so 
also  «  sin"  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  subject  of  9a.  The  special 
meanmg  ßagitiiü7i,  as  xxi.  27,  HöT  will  then  not  have  here,  but 
it  derives  it  from  the  root-idea  "  to  contrive,  imagine,"  and 
signifies  first  only  the  collection  and  forthputting  of  the  thoughts 
towards  a  definite  end  (Job  xvii.  11),  particularly  the  refined 
preparation,  the  contrivance  of  a  sinful  act.  In  a  similar  way 
we  speak  of  a  sinful  beginning  or  undertaking.  But  if  one 
regards  sin  in  itself,  or  in  its  consequences,  it  is  always  a 
contrivance  or  desire  of  folly  (gen.  snhjecti),  or :  one  that  bears 
on  itself  (gen.  qualitatis)  the  character  of  folly ;  for  it  disturbs 
and  destroys  the  relation  of  man  to  God  and  man,  and  rests,  as 
Socrates  in  Plato  says,  on  a  false  calculation.  And  the  mocker 
(the  mocker  at  religion  and  virtue)  is  nnx^  ri2yin.  The  form 
of  combination  stands  here  before  a  word  with  J»,  as  at  Job 
xviii.  2,  xxiv,  5,  and  frequently.  But  why  does  not  the  poet 
say  directly  Dnx  nnyin  ?  Perhaps  to  leave  room  for  the  double 
sense,  that  the  mocker  is  not  only  an  abomination  to  men,  viz. 
to  the  better  disposed ;  but  also,  for  he  makes  others  err  as  to 
VOL.  II.  I 


130  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

their  faith,  and  draws  them  into  his  frivolous  thoughts,  becomes 
to  them  a  cause  of  abomination,  i.e.  of  such  conduct  and  of 
such  thoughts  as  are  an  abomination  before  God  (xv.  9,  26). 

Ver.    10.  The   last   of   these   four   distichs  stands  without 
visible  connection  : 

Hast  thou  shown  thyself  slack  in  the  day  of  adversity, 
Then  is  thy  strength  small. 
The  perf.  10a  is  the  hypothetic,  vid.  at  xxii.  29.  If  a  man 
shows  himself  remiss  (xviii.  9),  i.e.  changeable,  timorous,  in- 
capable of  resisting  in  times  of  difficulty,  then  shall  he  draw- 
therefrom  the  conclusion  which  is  expressed  in  10Z>.  Rightly 
Lutlier,  with  intentional  generalization,  "  he  is  not  strong  who 
is  not  firm  in  need."  But  the  address  makes  the  proverb  an 
earnest  admonition,  which  speaks  to  him  who  shows  himself 
weak  the  judgment  which  he  has  to  pronounce  on  himself. 
And  the  paronomasia  n"iy  and  1^  may  be  rendered,  where  pos- 
sible, "  if  thy  strength  becomes,  as  it  were,  pressed  together  and 
bowed  down  by  the  difficulty  just  when  it  ought  to  show  itself 
(viz.  "^  2'''!'"in^),  then  it  is  limited,  thou  art  a  weakling."  Thus 
Fleischer  accordingly,  translating  :  si  segnis  fueris  die  angustice, 
angustce  sunt  vires  tuce.  Hitzig,  on  the  contraiy,  corrects  after 
Job  vii.  11,  ^n^l,  '•'•  Klemm  (klamm)  ist  dein  Mut"  [  =  strait  is 
thy  courage].  And  why  ?  Of  Hi  [strength],  he  remarks,  one 
can  say  ^cb  [it  is  weak]  (Ps.  xxxi.  11),  but  scarcely  ">V  [strait, 
straitened] ;  for  force  is  exact,  and  only  the  region  of  its  energy 
may  be  wide  or  narrow.  To  this  we  answer,  that  certainly  of 
strength  in  itself  we  cannot  use  the  word  HD  in  the  sense  here 
required  ;  tlie  confinement  (limitation)  may  rather  be,  as  with  a 
stream,  Isa.  lix.  19,  the  increasing  (heightening)  of  its  intensity. 
But  if  the  strength  is  in  itself  anything  definite,  then  on  the 
other  hand  its  expression  is  something  linear,  and  the  force  in 
view  of  its  expression  is  that  which  is  here  called  "IV,  i.e.  not 
extending  widely,  not  expanding,  not  inaccessible.  "IX  is  all  to 
which  narrow  limits  are  applied.  A  little  strength  is  limited, 
because  it  is  little  also  in  its  expression. 

Now,  again,  we  meet  with  proverbs  of  several  lines.   The  first 
here  is  a  hexastich  : 

Ver.  11  Deliver  them  that  are  taken  to  death, 

And  them  that  are  tottering  to  destruction,  oh  stop  them  ! 


CHAP.  XXIV,  11,  12.  131 

12  If  thou  sayest,  "  We  knew  not  of  it  indeed," — 

It  is  not  so  :  The  Weigher  of  hearts,  who  sees  through  it. 
And  He  that  observeth  thy  soul,  He  knoweth  it, 
And  requiteth  man  according  to  his  work. 

If  DX  is  interpreted  as  a  particle  of  adjuraticn,  then  "ijiL'^nrrnx 
is  equivalent  to :  I  adjure  thee,  forbear  not  (cf.  Neh.  xiii.  25 
with  Isa.  Iviii.  1),  viz.  that  which  thou  hast  to  do,  venture  all 
on  it  (LXX.,  Syr.,  Jerome).  But  the  parallelism  requires  us 
to  take  together  y}ij?  D''pö  (such  as  with  tottering  steps  are  led 
forth  to  destruction)  as  object  along  with  *]lb'nn-DX,  as  well 
as  niap  D''np?  (such  as  from  their  condition  are  carried  away  to 
death,  cf.  Ex.  xiv.  11)  as  object  to  ^^fn^  ia  which  all  the  old 
interpreters  have  recognised  the  imper.,  but  none  the  i?>ßn. 
{eripere  .  .  .  ne  cesses,  which  is  contrary  to  Heb.  idiom,  both  in 
the  position  of  the  words  and  in  the  construction).  DX  also  is 
not  to  be  interpreted  as  an  interrogative ;  for,  thus  expressed,  an 
retinetis  ought  rather  to  have  for  the  converse  the  meaning : 
thou  shalt  indeed  not  do  it!  (cf.  e.g.  Isa.  xxix.  16.)  And  DN 
cannot  be  conditional :  si  proJiihere  poteris  (Michaelis  and 
others),  for  the  fut.  after  DN  has  never  the  sense  of  a  potential. 
Thus  DX  is,  like  ^b,  understood  in  the  sense  of  utinam,  as  it  is 
used  not  merely  according  to  later  custom  (Hitzig),  but  from 
ancient  times  (cf.  e.g.  Ex.  xxxii.  32  with  Gen.  xxiii.  13). 
"iDNn-''2  (reminding^  us  of  the  same  formula  of  the  Rabbinical 
writings)  introduces  an  objection,  excuse,  evasion,  which  is  met 
by  N?n  ;  introducing  "  so  say  I  on  the  contrary,"  it  is  of  itself  a 
reply,  vid.  Deut.  vii.  17  f.  HT  we  will  not  have  to  interpret  per- 
sonally (LXX.  rovTov) ;  for,  since  ver.  11  speaks  of  several  of 
them,  the  neut.  rendering  (Syr.,  Targ.,  Venet.,  Luther)  in  itself 
lies  nearer,  and  nt,  hoc,  after  J/T",  is  also  in  conformity  with  the 
usus  loq. ;  vid.  at  Ps.  Ivi.  10.  But  the  neut.  T\1  does  not  refer 
to  the  moral  obligation  expressed  in  ver.  11 ;  to  save  human 
life  when  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  can  be  unknown  to  no  one, 
wherefore  Jerome  (as  if  the  words  of  the  text  were  ^3T  b^b  px 
nt)  :  vires  non  suppetunt.  riT  refers  to  the  fact  that  men  are  led 
to  the  tribunal;  only  thus  is  explained  the  change  of  Tiin"", 
which  was  to  be  expected,  into  l^ipij :  the  objection  is,  that  one 
certainly  did  not  know,  viz.  that  matters  had  come  to  an 
^  Vid.  my  hebräiscJien  Römerbrief,  p.  11  f. 


132  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

« 

extremity  with  them,  and  that  a  short  process  will  be  made 
with  them.  To  this  excuse,  with  pretended  ignorance,  the  reply 
of  the  omniscient  God  stands  opposed,  and  suggests  to  him  who 
makes  the  excuse  to  consider :  It  is  not  so  :  the  Searcher  of 
hearts  (vid.  at  xvi.  2),  He  sees  through  it,  viz.  what  goes  on 
in  thy  heart,  and  He  has  thy  soul  under  His  inspection  pVi,  as 
Job  vii.  20 ;  LXX.  kol  6  ifkdaa'^ ;  '^^  which  Hitzig  prefers, 
for  he  thinks  that  "i^i  must  be  interpreted  in  the  sense  of  to 
guard,  preserve  ;  Luther  rightly)  ;  He  knows,  viz.,  how  it  is  with 
thy  mind  ,  He  looks  through  it,  He  knows  (cf.  for  both,  Ps. 
cxxxix.  1-4),  and  renders  to  man  according  to  his  conduct, 
which,  without  being  deceived,  He  judges  according  to  the 
state  of  the  heart,  out  of  which  the  conduct  springs.  It  is 
to  be  observed  that  ver.  11  speaks  of  one  condemned  to  death 
generally,  and  not  expressly  of  one  innocently  condemned,  and 
makes  no  distinction  between  one  condemned  in  war  and  in 
peace.  One  sees  from  this  that  the  Chokma  generally  has  no 
pleasure  in  this,  that  men  are  put  to  death  by  men,  not  even 
when  it  is  done  legally  as  punishment  for  a  crime.  For,  on  the 
one  side,  it  is  true  that  the  punishment  of  the  murderer  by 
death  is  a  law  proceeding  from  the  nature  of  the  divine  holi- 
ness and  the  inviolability  of  the  divine  ordinance,  and  the  worth 
of  man  as  formed  in  the  image  of  God,  and  that  the  magistrate 
who  disowns  this  law  as  a  law,  disowns  the  divine  foundation  of 
his  office ;  but,  on  the  other  side,  it  is  just  as  true  that 
thousands  and  thousands  of  innocent  persons,  or  at  least  persons 
not  worthy  of  death,  have  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  the  abuse  or  the 
false  application  of  this  law  ;  and  that  along  with  the  principle 
of  recompensative  righteousness,  there  is  a  principle  of  grace 
which  rules  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  is  represented  in  the 
O.  T.  by  prophecy  and  the  Chokma.  It  is,  moreover,  a  notice- 
able fact,  that  God  did  not  visit  with  the  punishment  of  death 
the  first  murderer,  the  murderer  of  the  innocent  Abel,  his 
brother,  but  let  the  principle  of  grace  so  far  prevail  instead  of 
that  of  law,  that  He  even  protected  his  life  against  any  avenger 
of  blood.  But  after  that  the  moral  ruin  of  the  human  race 
had  reached  that  height  which  brought  the  Deluge  over  the 
earth,  there  was  promulgated  to  the  post-diluvians  the  word  of 
the  law.  Gen.  ix.  6,  sanctioning  this  inviolable  right  of  putting 


CHAP.  XXIV.  11,  12.  133 

to  death  by  the  hand  of  justice.  The  conduct  of  God  regulates 
itself  thus  according  to  the  aspect  of  the  times.  In  tlie  Mosaic 
law  the  greatness  of  guilt  was  estimated  not  externally  (cf. 
Num.  XXXV.  31),  but  internally,  a  very  flexible  limitation  in  its 
practical  bearings.  And  that  under  certain  circumstances  grace 
might  have  the  precedence  of  justice,  the  parable  having  in 
view  the  pardon  of  Absalom  (2  Sam.  xiv.)  shows.  But  a  word 
from  God,  like  Ezek.  xviii.  23,  raises  grace  to  a  principle,  and 
the  word  with  which  Jesus  (Johnviii.ll)  dismisses  the  adulteress 
is  altogether  an  expression  of  this  purpose  of  grace  passing 
beyond  the  purpose  of  justice.  In  the  later  Jewish  common- 
wealth, criminal  justice  was  subordinated  to  the  principle  of 
predominating  compassion  ;  practical  effect  was  given  to  the 
consideration  of  the  value  of  human  life  during  the  trial,  and 
even  after  the  sentence  was  pronounced,  and  during  a  long 
time  no  sentence  of  death  was  passed  by  the  Sanhedrim.  But 
Jesus,  who  was  Himself  the  innocent  victim  of  a  fanatical 
legal  murder,  adjudged,  it  is  true,  the  supremacy  to  the  sword; 
but  He  preached  and  practised  love,  which  publishes  grace  for 
justice.  He  was  Himself  incarnate  Love,  offering  Himself  for 
sinners,  the  Mercy  which  Jahve  proclaims  by  Ezek.  xviii.  23. 
The  so-called  Christian  state  ["  Civitas  Dei"'\  is  indeed  in 
manifest  opposition  to  this.  But  Augustine  declares  himself, 
on  the  supposition  that  the  principle  of  grace  must  penetrate 
the  new  era,  in  all  its  conditions,  that  began  with  Christianity, 
for  the  suspension  of  punishment  by  death,  especially  because 
the  heathen  magistrates  had  abused  the  instrument  of  death, 
which,  according  to  divine  right,  they  had  control  over,  to  the 
destruction  of  Christians;  and  Ambrosius  went  so  far  as  to 
impress  it  as  a  duty  on  a  Christian  judge  who  had  pronounced 
the  sentence  of  death,  to  exclude  himself  from  the  Holy  Supper. 
The  magisterial  control  over  life  and  death  had  at  that  time 
gone  to  the  extreme  height  of  bloody  violence,  and  thus  in  a 
certain  degree  it  destroyed  itself.  Therefore  Jansen  changes 
the  proverb  (ver.  11)  with  the  words  of  Ambrosius  into  the 
admonition  :  Quando  indulgentia  non  nocet  publico,  eripe  inter- 
cessione,  eripe  gratia  tu  sacerdos,  aut  tu  imperator  eripe  siib- 
scriptione  indulg entice.  When  Samuel  Eorailly's  Bill  to  abolish 
the  punishment  of  death  for  a  theft  amounting  to  the  sum  of 


134  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

five  shillings  passed  the  English  House  of  Commons,  it  was 
thrown  out  by  a  majority  in  the  House  of  Lords.  Among 
those  who  voted  against  the  Bill  were  one  archbishop  and 
five  bishops.  Our  poet  here  in  the  Proverbs  is  of  a  different 
mind.  Even  the  law  of  Sinai  appoints  the  punishment  of 
death  only  for  man-stealing.  The  Mosaic  code  is  incompar- 
ably milder  than  even  yet  the  Carolina.  In  expressions,  how- 
ever, like  the  above,  a  true  Christian  spirit  rules  the  spii'it 
which  condemns  all  blood-thirstiness  of  justice,  and  calls  forth 
to  a  crusade  not  only  against  the  inquisition,  but  also  against 
such  unmerciful,  cruel  executions  even  as  they  prevailed  in 
Prussia  in  the  name  of  law  in  the  reign  of  Friedrich  Wilhelm  i., 
the  Inexorable. 

Vers.  13,  14.  The  proverb  now  following  stands  in  no  obvious 
relation  with  the  preceding.  But  in  both  a  commencement  is 
made  with  two  lines,  which  contain,  in  the  former,  the  prin- 
cipal thought ;  in  this  here,  its  reason  : 

Ver.  13  My  son,  eat  honey,  for  it  is  good, 

And  honeycomb  is  sweet  to  thy  taste. 
14  So  apprehend  wisdom  for  thy  soul : 

When  thou  hast  found  it,  there  is  a  future, 
And  thy  hope  is  not  destroyed. 

After  its  nearest  fundamental  thought,  3iL3,  Arab,  tejjih,  means 
that  which  smells  and  tastes  well ;  honey  {^^'^.,  from  C'l'n,  to  be 
thick,  consistent)  has,  besides,  according  to  the  old  idea  (e.g.  in 
the  Koran),  healing  virtue,  as  in  general  bitterness  is  viewed  as 
a  property  of  the  poisonous,  and  sweetness  that  of  the  whole- 
some, nail  is  second  accus,  dependent  on  "''^X,  for  honey  and 
honeycomb  were  then  spoken  of  as  different ;  risb  (from 
riö3,  to  pour,  to  flow  out)  is  the  purest  honey  (virgin-honey), 
flowing  of  itself  out  of  the  comb.  With  right  the  accentuation 
takes  136  as  independent,  the  substantival  clause  containing 
the  reason,  "  for  it  is  good  :"  honeycomb  is  sweet  to  thy  taste, 
i.e.  applying  itself  to  it  with  the  impression  of  sweetness ;  ?V,  as 
at  Neh.  ii.  5  ;  Ps.  xvi.  6  (Hitzig). 

In  the  {3  of  14a,  it  is  manifest  that  ver.  13  is  not  spoken  for 
its  own  sake.  To  apprehend  wisdom,  is  elsewhere  equivalent 
to,  to  receive  it  into  the  mind,  i.  2,  Eccles.  i.  17  (cf.  ni''3  nj?n, 
iv.  1,  and  frequently),  according  to  which  Böttcher  also  here 


CHAP.  XXIV.  15,  16.  135 

explains  :  lenrn  to  understand  wisdom.  But  p  unfolds  itself  in 
1466' :  even  as  honey  has  for  the  body,  so  wisdom  has  for  the 
soul,  beneficent  wholesome  effects.  Hönn  nyT  is  thus  not  ab- 
solute, but  is  meant  in  relation  to  these  effects.  Riirhtly 
Fleisclier  :  talem  reputa;  Ewald:  sic  (talem)  scito  sapientiam 
(esse)  animce  tuce,  know,  recognise  wisdom  as  something  advan- 
tageous to  thy  soul,  and  worthy  of  commendation.  Incor- 
rectly Hitzig  explains  riX^'0"DX,  "  if  the  opportunity  presents 
itself."  Apart  from  this,  that  in  such  a  case  the  words  would 
rather  have  been  ^5^'0^  "'S,  to  find  wisdom  is  always  equivalent 
to,  to  obtain  it,  to  make  it  one's  own,  iii.  13,  viii.  35  ;  cf.  ii.  5, 
viii.  9.  niyn  i  stands  for  ny^,  after  the  form  np ;  HT^  (after 
Böttcher,  §  396,  not  without  the  influence  of  the  following 
commencing  sound),  cf.  the  similar  transitions  of  —  into  — 
placed  together  at  Ps.  xx.  4 ;  the  form  nyi  is  also  found,  but 
ny^  is  the  form  in  the  Cod.  Hilleli,^  as  confirmed  by  Moses 
Kimchi  in  Comm.,  and  by  David  Kiinchi,  MichlollOlb.  With 
'^.1'!  begins  the  apodosis  (LXX.,  Jerome,  Targ.,  Luther,  Rashi, 
Ewald,  and  others).  In  itself,  ^'')  (cf.  Gen.  xlvii.  6)  might 
also  continue  the  conditional  clause  ;  but  the  explanation,  si 
inveyieris  (earn)  et  ad postremum  venfum  erit  (Fleischer,  Bertheau, 
Zöckler),  has  this  against  it,  that  n'''inx  e"  does  not  mean  :  the 
end  comes,  but:  there  is  an  end,  xxiii.  18  ;  cf.  xix.  18  ;  here: 
there  is  an  end  for  thee,  viz.  an  issue  that  is  a  blessed  reward. 
The  promise  is  the  same  as  at  xxiii.  18.  In  our  own  language 
we  speak  of  the  hope  of  one  being  cut  off ;  (Arab.)  jciza^  to  be 
cut  off,  is  equivalent  to,  to  give  oneself  up  to  despair. 

Ver.  15  Lie  not  in  wait,  oh  wicked  man,  against  the  dwelling  of  the 
righteous  ; 
Assault  not  his  resting-place. 
16  For  seven  times  doth  the  righteous  fall  and  rise  again, 

But  the  wicked  are  overthrown  when  calamity  falls  on  them. 

The  2*">i:5  [lying  in  wait]  and  Tn.t?^  [practising  violence],  against 
whicii  the  warning  is  here  given,  are  not  directed,  as  at  i.  11, 
xix.  26,  immediately  against  the  person,  but  against  the  dwell- 

1  Write    nyi   "with   Illvj  after  the  preceding  LegarmeTi,  like  126,  }<!in 
(Tltnrath  Emeth,  p.  28). 

2  Vid.  Strack's  Prolegomena  critica  in  V.  T.  (1872),  p.  19. 


/ 


136  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

ing-place  and  resting-place  O'^"?.,  e.g.  Jer.  1.  6,  as  also  np,  iü.  33) 
of  the  righteous,  who,  on  his  part,  does  injustice  and  wrong  to 
no  one;  the  warning  is  against  coveting  his  house,  Ex.  xx.  17, 
and  driving  him  by  cunning  and  violence  out  of  it.  Instead 
of  V^l,  Sjmmachus  and  Jerome  have  incorrectly  read  V'^_,  and 
from  this  misunderstanding  have  here  introduced  a  sense  with- 
out sense  into  ver.  15  ;  many  interpreters  (Löwenstein,  Ewald, 
Elster,  and  Zöckler)  translate  with  Luther  appositionally :  as  a 
wicked  man,  i.e.  "  with  mischievous  intent,"  like  one  stealthily 
lurking  for  the  opportunity  of  taking  possession  of  the  dwell- 
ing of  another,  as  if  this  could  be  done  with  a  good  intent :  r^'l 
is  the  vocative  (Syr.,  Targ.,  Venet. :  aaeßh),  and  this  address 
(cf.  Ps.  Ixxv.  5  f.)  sharpens  the  warning,  for  it  names  him  who 
acts  in  this  manner  by  the  right  name.  The  reason,  16a,  sounds 
like  an  echa  of  Job  v.  19.  Vy^  signifies,  as  at  Ps.  cxix.  164, 
seven  times ;  cf.  nj^O,  xvii.  10.  Di^}  (not  D|"51)  is  perf.  consec.^  as 
"•ni,  e.g.  Gen.  iii.  22  :  and  he  rises  afterwards  (notwithstanding), 
but  the  transgressors  come  to  ruin  ;  ^Vy^,  if  a  misfortune  befall 
them  (cf.  xiv.  32),  they  stumble  and  fall,  and  rise  no  more. 

Vers.  17,  18.  Warning  against  a  vindictive  disposition,  and 
joy  over  its  satisfaction. 

Ver.  17  At  the  fall  of  thine  enemy  rejoice  not, 

And  at  his  overthrow  let  not  thine  heart  be  glad  ; 
18  That  Jahve  see  it  not,  and  it  be  displeasing  to  Him, 
And  He  turns  away  His  anger  from  Him. 

The  Chethib,  which  in  itself,  as  the  plur.  of  category,  ^''?^iN', 
might  be  tolerable,  has  lib  against  it:  with  right,  all  inter- 
preters adhere  to  the  Ken  "^Tix  (with  i  from  e  in  doubled  close 
syllable,  as  in  the  like  Keri,  1  Sam.  xxiv.  5).  i^t>'3n^,  for  i^^'Snni, 
is  the  syncope  usual  in  the  inf.  Niph.  and  Hiph.^  which  in 
Niph.  occurs  only  once  with  the  initial  guttural  (as  ^t?^?)  or 
half  guttural  (nixn?).  j;ni_  is  not  adj.  here  as  at  1  Sam.  xxv.  3, 
but  perf.  with  the  force  of  a  fut.  (Symmachus :  koX  firj  apia-jj 
evcoTTcov  avTov).  The  proverb  extends  the  duty  of  love  even  to 
an  enemy ;  for  it  requires  that  we  do  good  to  him  and  not  evil, 
and  warns  against  rejoicing  when  evil  befalls  him.  Hitzig, 
indeed,  supposes  that  the  noble  morality  which  is  expressed  in 
ver.  17  is  limited  to  a  moderate  extent  by  the  motive  assigned 
in  186.     Certainly  the  poet  means  to  say  that  God  could  easily 


CHAP.  XXIV.  19-22.  137 

give  a  gracious  turn  for  the  better,  as  to  the  punishment  of  the 
wicked,  to  the  decree  of  his  anger  against  his  enemy;  but  his 
meaning  is  not  this,  that  one,  from  joy  at  the  misfortune  of 
others,  ought  to  desist  from  interrupting  the  process  of  the  de- 
struction of  his  enemy,  and  let  it  go  on  to  its  end  ;  but  much 
rather,  that  one  ought  to  abstain  from  this  joy,  so  as  not  to 
experience  the  manifestation  of  God's  displeasure  thereat,  by 
His  granting  grace  to  him  against  whom  we  rejoice  to  see 
God's  anger  go  forth  .^ 

Vers.  19,  20.  Warning  against  envying  the  godless  for  their 
external  prosperity : 

Be  not  enraged  on  account  of  evil-doers, 
Envy  not  the  godless ; 
20  For  the  wicked  men  shall  have  no  future, 
The  light  of  the  godless  is  extinguished. 
Ver.  19  is  a  variation  of  Ps.  xxxvii.  1 ;  cf.  also  iii.  21   (where 
with  VilTiiaa  following  the  traditional  nnan  is  more  appropriate 
than  "innn,  which   Hupfeld   would  here  insert),     "»nnri  is  fut. 
apoc.  of  iTinnn,  to  be  heated  (to  be  indignant),  distinguished 
from  the  Tiphel  "^yy^,  to  be  jealous.     The  ground  and  occasion 
of  being  enraged,  and  on  the  other  side,  of  jealousy  or  envy, 
is  the  prosperity  of  the  godless,  Ps.  Ixxiii.   3 ;  cf.  Jer.  xii.  1. 
This  anger  at  the  apparently  unrighteous  division  of  fortune, 
this  jealousy  at  the  success  in  which  the  godless  rejoice,  rest  on 
short-sightedness,  which  regards  the  present,  and  looks  not  on  to 
the  end.      ^''"inK,  merely  as  in  the  expression  'riN  tJ*"",  146  (of. 
Ps.  xxxvii.  37),  always  denotes  the  happy,  glorious  issue  in- 
demnifying for  past  sufferings.     Such  an  issue  the  wicked  man 
has  not ;  his  light  burns  brightly  on  this  side,  but  one  day  it  is 
extinguished.     In  206  is  repeated  xiii.  9  ;  cf.  xx.  20. 

Vers.  21,  22.  A  warning  against  rebellious  thoughts  against 
God  and  the  king  : 

My  son,  honour  Jahve  and  the  king, 

And  involve  not  thyself  with  those  who  are  otherwise  disposed  ; 
22  For  suddenly  their  calamity  ariseth, 

And  the  end  of  their  years,  who  knoweth  it? 

^  This  proverb,  accordiog  to  Ahoth  iv.  24,  was  the  motto  of  that  Sa'juel 
with  the  surname  JDpn,  who  formulated  D''ycn  nD"l2  (the  interpola^  on  in 
the  Schemone-Esre  prayer  directed  against  the  schismatics)  :  he  tLoa  dis- 
tinguished between  private  enemies  and  the  enemies  of  the  truth. 


1?.8  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS 

The  verb  ^^f,  proceeding  from  the  primary  idea  of  folding 
(complicare,  diiplicare),  signifies  transitively  to  do  twice,  to 
repeat,  xvii.  9,  xxvi.  11,  according  to  which  Kimchi  here  inap- 
propriately thinks  on  relapsing  ;  and  intransitively,  to  change, 
to  be  different,  Esth.  i.  7,  iii.  8.  The  Syr.  and  Targ.  translate 
the  word  \'.^f ,  fools ;  but  the  Kal  (iO^tJ)  HJ^  occurs,  indeed,  in 
the  Syr.,  but  not  in  the  Heb.,  in  the  meaning  alienata  est  {mens 
ejus) ;  and  besides,  this  meaning,  alieni,  is  not  appropriate  here. 
A  few,  however,  with  Saadia  (cf.  Deutsch-Morgenländische 
Zeitschr.  xxi.  616),  the  dualists  (Manichees),  understand  it  in  a 
dogmatic  sense ;  but  then  ^^^^^  must  be  denom.  of  D^Jlp,  while 
much  more  it  is  its  root-word.  Either  U^'TX;  means  those  who 
change,  novantes  =  novarum  rerum  studiosi,  which  is,  however, 
exposed  to  this  objection,  that  the  Heb.  r.yy,  in  the  transitive 
sense  to  change,  does  not  elsewhere  occur ;  or  it  means,  ac- 
cording to  the  usus  log.,  diversos  =  diversum  seniientes  (C.  B. 
Michaelis  and  others),  and  that  with  reference  to  21a:  D''"iDOn 
Dni^'ül  Dnnm  (Meiri,  Immanuel),  or  nDDnn  jnjö  Q-'JC'D  (Ahron 
b.  Joseph).  Thus  they  are  called  (for  it  is  a  common  name  of  a 
particular  class  of  men)  dissidents,  oppositionists,  or  revolution- 
aries, who  recognise  neither  the  monarchy  of  Jahve,  the  King 
of  kings,  nor  that  of  the  earthly  king,  which  perhaps  Jerome 
here  means  by  the  word  detractorihus  (=  detractatoribufi).  The 
Venet.  incorrectly,  avv  roh  fjucrova-i,,  i.e.  CXiiK*.  With  2  at 
xiv.  10,  ^'}V^>}  meant  to  mix  oneself  up  with  something,  here 
with  Dy,  to  mix  oneself  with  some  one,  i.e.  to  make  common 
cause  with  him. 

The  reason  assigned  in  ver.  22  is,  that  although  such  persons 
as  reject  by  thought  and  action  human  and  divine  law  may  for 
a  long  time  escape  punishment,  yet  suddenly  merited  ruin  falls 
on  them.  T'K  is,  according  to  its  primary  signification,  weighty, 
oppressive  misfortune,  vid.  i.  27.  In  DipJ  it  is  thought  of  as 
hostile  power  (Hos.  x.  14)  ;  or  the  rising  up  of  God  as  Judge 
(e.g.  Isa.  xxxiii.  10)  is  transferred  to  the  means  of  executing 
judgment.  T*?)  (=  113  of  Ti3  or  T'Q,  Arab,  fad,  f ut.  jafüda  or 
jaftdu,  a  stronger  power  of  bad,  cogn.  ins)  is  destruction  (Arab. 
feid,fid,  death) ;  this  word  occurs,  besides  here,  only  thrice  in  the 
Book  of  Job.  But  to  what  does  D[l\^ti'  refer?  Certainly  not  to 
Jahve  and  the  king  (LXX.,  Schultens,  Umbreit,and  Bertheau), 


CHAP.  XXIV.  21,  22.  139 

for  in  itself  it  is  doubtful  to  interpret  the  genit.  after  T'S  as 
designating  the  subject,  but  improper  to  comprehend  God  and 
man  under  one  cipher.  Rather  it  may  refer  to  two,  of  whom 
one  class  refuse  to  God,  the  other  to  the  king,  the  honour  that 
is  due  (Jerome,  Luther,  and  at  last  Zöckler)  ;  but  in  the  fore- 
going, two  are  not  distinguished,  and  the  want  of  reverence  for 
God,  and  for  the  magistrates  appointed  by  Him,  is  usually  met 
with,  because  standing  in  interchangeable  relationship,  in  one 
and  the  same  persons.  Is  there  some  misprint  then  in  this 
word  ?  Ewald  suggests  Di!!i''?.Ji',  i.e.  of  those  who  show  them- 
selves as  D'^iit:'  (altercatores)  towards  God  and  the  king.  In 
view  of  Dn''Pi^,  Ex.  xxxii.  25,  this  brevity  of  expression  must  be 
regarded  as  possible.  But  if  this  were  the  meaning  of  the 
word,  then  it  ought  to  have  stood  in  the  first  member  (TN 
DlT'Jti'),  and  not  in  the  second.  No  other  conjecture  presents 
itself.  Thus  ^'>T^P  is  perhaps  to  be  referred  to  the  D'^JiC^^  and 
those  who  engage  with  them :  join  thyself  not  with  the 
opposers ;  for  suddenly  misfortune  will  come  upon  them,  and 
the  destruction  of  both  (of  themselves  and  their  partisans), 
who  knows  it  ?  But  that  also  is  not  satisfactory,  for  after  the 
address  0?''^^'  was  to  have  been  expected,  226.  Nothing  remains, 
therefore,  but  to  understand  D^'^tp,  with  the  Syr.  and  Targ,,  as  at 
Job  xxxvi.  11  ;  the  proverb  falls  into  rhythms  DXi^Q  and  T'Q, 
D"'^Vti'  and  Dil"'i?5i'.  But  "  the  end  of  their  year  "  is  not  equivalent 
to  the  hour  of  their  death  (Hitzig),  because  for  this  QT3  (cf. 


rino- 


o) 


Arab,  feid  and  Jid^  death)  was  necessary ;  but  to  the  expi 
the  vanishing,  the  passing  by  of  the  year  during  which  they 
have  succeeded  in  maintaining  their  ground  and  playing  apart. 
There  will  commence  a  time  which  no  one  knows  beforehand 
when  all  is  over  with  them.  In  this  sense,  ''who  knoweth," 
with  its  object,  is  equivalent  to  "suddenly  ariseth,"  with  its 
subject.  In  the  LXX.,  after  xxiv.  22,  there  follow  one 
distich  of  the  relations  of  man  to  the  word  of  God  as  deciding 
their  fate,  one  distich  of  fidelity  as  a  duty  towards  the  king, 
and  the  duty  of  the  king,  and  one  pentastich  or  hexastich  of 
the  power  of  the  tongue  and  of  the  anger  of  the  king.  The 
Heb.  text  knows  notliing  of  these  three  proverbs.  Ewald  has, 
Jahrh.  xi.  18  f.,  attempted  to  translate  them  into  Heb.,  and  is 
of  opinion  that  they  are  worthy  of  being  regarded  as  original 


110 


THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERDS. 


component  parts  of  i.-xxix.,  and  tliat  they  ought  certainly  to 
have  come  in  after  xxiv.  22.  We  doubt  this  originality,  but 
recognise  their  translation  from  the  Heb.  Then  follows  in  the 
LXX.  the  series  of  Proverbs,  xxx.  1-14,  which  in  the  Heb. 
text  bear  the  superscription  of  "the  Words  of  Agur;"  the 
second  half  of  the  "  Words  of  Agur,"  together  with  the  "  Words 
of  Lemuel,"  stand  after  xxiv.  34  of  the  Heb.  text.  The 
state  of  the  matter  is  this,  that  in  the  copy  from  which  the 
Alexandrines  translated  the  Appendix  xxx.-xxxi.  9,  stood  half 
of  it,  after  the  "  Words  of  the  Wise "  [which  extend  from 
xxii.  17  to  xxiv.  22],  and  half  after  the  supplement  headed 
"  these  also  are  from  wnse  men  "  [xxiv.  23-34],  so  tliat  only  the 
proverbial  ode  in  praise  of  the  excellent  matron  [xxxi.  10] 
remains  as  an  appendix  to  the  Book  of  Hezekiah's  collection, 
xxv.-xxix. 


V 

men 
m 


SECOND  SUPPLEMENT  TO  THE  FIRST  SOLOMONIC 
COLLECTION.— XXIV.  23-34. 

There  now  follows  a  brief  appendix  to  the  older  Book  of  Pi-o- 
^erbs,  bearing  the  superscription,  23a,  "  Tliesealso  are  from  loise 
en,"  i.e.  also  the  proverbs  here  following  originate  from  wise 
en.  The  old  translators  (with  the  exception  of  Luther)  have 
not  understood  this  superscription  ;  they  mistake  the  Lamed 
auctoris,  and  interpret  the  b  as  that  of  address  :  also  these 
(proverbs)  I  speak  to  wise  men,  sapientihus  (LXX.,  Syr., 
Targ.,  Jerome,  Venet.).  The  formation  of  the  superscription 
is  like  that  of  the  Hezekiah  collection,  xxv.  1,  and  from  this 
and  other  facts  we  have  concluded  {vid.  vol.  i.  pp.  26,  27)  that 
this  second  supplement  originated  from  the  same  source  as 
the  extension  of  the  older  Book  of  Proverbs,  by  the  append- 
ing of  the  more  recent,  and  its  appendices.  The  linguistic 
complexion  of  the  proverbs  here  and  there  resembled  that 
of  the  first  appendix  (cf.  29Ö  with  I2d,  and  Dj;r,  2ba,  with 
D^yj,  xxii.  18,  xxiii.  8,  xxiv.  4) ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  23^» 
refers  back  to  xxviii.  21  of  the  Hezekiah  collection,  and  in  ver. 
33  f.  is  repeated  vi.   10  f.     This  appendix  thus  acknowledges 


CHAP.  XXIV.  23-25.  Ill 

its  secoiiJaiy  cliaiacter ;  the  poet  in  minute  details  stands  in  the 
same  relation  to  the  Solomonic  Mashal  as  tliat  in  which  in 
general  he  stands  to  the  author  of  the  Introduction,  i.-ix.  That 
23b  is  not  in  itself  a  proverb,  we  have  ali'eadj  (vol.  i.  p.  6) 
proved  ;  it  is  the  first  line  of  a  hexastich  (vid.  vol.  i.  p.  16). 

Vers.  236-25.  The  curse  of  partiality  and   the  blessing  of 
impartiality : 

Eespect  of  persons  in  judgment  is  by  no  means  good  : 

24  He  that  saith  to  the  guilty,  "  Thou  art  in  the  right," 
Him  the  people  curse,  nations  detest. 

25  But  to  them  who  rightly  decide,  it  is  well, 
And  upon  them  cometh  blessing  with  good. 

Partiality  is  either  called  D''3£i  nxb^,  xviii.  5,  respect  to  the  person, 
for  the  partisan  looks  with  pleasure  on  the  ""JS,  the  countenance, 
appearance,  personality  of  one,  by  way  of  preference ;  or  ""I3n 
D''3S,  as  here  and  at  xxviii.  21,  for  he  places  one  person  before 
another  in  his  sight,  or,  as  we  say,  has  a  regard  to  him;  the 
latter  expression  is  found  in  Deut.  i.  17,  xvi.  19.  "i''2n  (vid. 
XX.  11)  means  to  regard  sharply,  whether  from  interest  in  the 
object,  or  because  it  is  strange.  ?2  Heidenheim  regards  as 
weaker  than  N^ ;  but  the  reverse  is  the  case  (vid.  vol.  i.  p.  204), 
as  is  seen  from  the  derivation  of  this  negative  (=  balj,  from 
n?3j  to  melt,  to  decay) ;  thus  it  does  not  occur  anywhere  else 
than  here  with  the  pred.  adj.  The  two  supplements  delight  in 
this  hi,  xxii.  29,  xxiii.  7,  35.  The  thesis  2ob  is  now  confirmed 
in  vers.  24  and  25,  from  the  consequences  of  this  partiality 
and  its  opposite:  He  that  saith  ('"ip>*,  with  Mehuppach 
Legarmeh  from  the  last  syllable,  as  riglitly  by  Athias,  Nissel, 
and  Michaelis,  vid.  Thorath  Emeth^  p.  32)  to  the  guilty  :  thou 
art  right,  i.e.  he  who  sets  the  guilty  free  (for  y^n  and  P'''nV  have 
here  the  forensic  sense  of  the  post-bibl.  ^'n  and  "'3f),  him  they 
curse,  etc. ;  cf.  the  shorter  proverb,  xvii.  15,  according  to  which 
a  partial,  unjust  judge  is  an  abomination  to  God.  liegarding 
2i53  (33i^)  here  and  atxi.  26,  Schultens,  under  Jobiii.  8,  is  right; 
the  word  signifies  figere,  and  hence  to  distinguish  and  make 
prominent  by  distinguishing  as  well  as  by  branding ;  cf.  defi- 
gere,  to  curse,  properly,  to  pierce  through.  Regarding  Di'Jj  ^''^* 
at  xxii.  14.  O'W  and  ^'^^b  (from  D^y  and  DN^,  which  both 
mean  to  bind  and  combine)   are  plur.  of  categ.:  not  merely 


142  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

individuals,  not  merely  families,  curse  such  an  unrighteous 
judge  and  abhor  him,  but  the  whole  people  in  all  conditions 
and  ranks  of  society  ;  for  even  though  such  an  unjust  judge 
bring  himself  and  his  favourites  to  external  honour,  yet  among 
no  people  is  conscience  so  blunted,  that  he  who  absolves  the 
crime  and  ennobles  the  miscarriage  of  justice  shall  escape  the 
vox  populL  On  the  contrary,  it  goes  well  (0^^.,  like  ii.  10, 
ix.  17,  but  here  with  neut.  indef.  subj.  as  3^''"',  Gen.  xii.  13,  and 
frequently)  with  those  who  place  the  right,  and  particularly  the 
wrong,  fully  to  view  ;  n'^io  is  he  who  mediates  the  right.  Job 
ix.  33,  and  particularly  who  proves,  censures,  punishes  the 
wrong,  ix.  7,  and  in  the  character  of  a  judge  as  here,  Amos 
V.  10 ;  Isa.  xxix.  21.  The  genitive  connection  niü"n3"il  is  not 
altogether  of  the  same  signification  as  litsn  p^^  wine  of  a  good 
sort.  Song  vii.  10,  and  V}  ^i^^^  a  woman  of  a  bad  kind,  vi.  24, 
for  every  blessing  is  of  a  good  kind ;  the  gen.  31L5  thus,  as  at 
Ps.  xxi.  4,  denotes  the  contents  of  the  blessing ;  cf.  Eph.  i.  3, 
"  with  all  spiritual  blessings,"  in  which  the  manifoldness  of  the 
blessing  is  presupposed. 

Ver.  26.  Then  follows  a  distich  with  the  watchword  C^'nbJ : 

He  kisseth  the  lips 

Who  for  the  end  giveth  a  right  answer. 

The  LXX.,  Syr.,  and  Targ.  translate:  one  kisseth  the  lips 
who,  or :  of  those  who  .  .  . ;  but  such  a  meaning  is  violently 
forced  into  the  word  (in  that  case  the  expression  would  have 
been  y^^  '^St^  or  Ü'ym  D^nsb').  Equally  impossible  is  Theo- 
dotion's  'X^elXeai  KaTa^L\.r}d7]aerai^  for  Pf^,  cannot  be  the  fat. 
Nipli.  Nor  is  it :  lips  kiss  him  who  .  .  .  (Rashi)  ;  for,  to  be 
thus  understood,  the  word  ought  to  have  been  ^^ip^.  ^p^  is 
naturally  to  be  taken  as  the  subj.,  and  thus  it  supplies  the 
meaning :  he  who  kisseth  the  lips  giveth  an  excellent  answer, 
viz.  the  lips  of  him  whom  the  answer  concerns  (Jerome,  Venet., 
Luther).  But  Hitzig  ingeniously,  "  the  words  reach  from  the 
lips  of  the  speaker  to  the  ears  of  the  hearer,  and  thus  he  kisses 
his  ear  with  his  lips."  But  since  to  kiss  the  ear  is  not  a  custom, 
not  even  with  the  Florentines,  then  a  welcome  answer,  if  its 
impression  is  to  be  compared  to  a  kiss,  is  compared  to  a  kiss  on 
the  lips.  Hitzig  himself  translates  :  he  commends  himself  with 
the  lips  who  .  .  . ;  but  \>^\   may  mean  to  join  oneself,  Gen. 


CHAP.  XXIV.  27.  143 

xli.  40,  as  kissing  is  equivalent  to  the  joining  of  the  Hps  ;  it  does 
not  mean  intrans.  to  cringe.  Eather  the  explanation  :  he  who 
joins  the  lips  together  .  .  . ;  for  he,  viz.  before  reflecting,  closed 
his  lips  together  (suggested  by  Meiri)  ;  but  p'Cb,  with  D'TiQK', 
brings  the  idea  of  kissing,  labi^  lahris  jüngere^  far  nearer. 
This  prevails  against  Schultens'  armatus  est  {erit)  labia,  besides 
p\^2,  certainly,  from  the  primary  idea  of  connecting  (laying 
together)  (vid.  Ps.  Ixxviii.  9),  to  equip  (arm)  oneself  therewith  ; 
but  the  meaning  arising  from  thence :  with  the  lips  he  arms 
himself  ...  is  direct  nonsense.  Fleischer  is  essentially  right, 
Lahra  osculatur  {i.e.  quasi  osculum  ohlatum  reddit)  qui  congrua 
respondet.  Only  the  question  has  nothing  to  do  with  a  kiss  ; 
but  if  he  who  asks  receives  a  satisfactory  answer,  an  enlighten- 
ing counsel,  he  experiences  it  as  if  he  received  a  kiss.  The 
Midrash  incorrectly  remarks  under  Ci''nb3  D''^3'n,  "  words  of 
merited  denunciation,"  according  to  which  the  Syr.  translates. 
Words  are  meant  which  are  corresponding  to  the  matter  and  the 
circumstances,  and  suitable  for  the  end  (cf.  viii.  9).  Such 
words  are  like  as  if  the  lips  of  the  inquirer  received  a  kiss  from 
the  lips  of  the  answerer. 

Ver.  27.  Warning  against  the  establishing  of  a  household 
where  the  previous  conditions  are  wanting : 

Set  in  order  thy  work  without, 

And  make  it  ready  for  thyself  beforehand  in  the  fields, — 

After  that  then  mayest  thou  build  thine  house. 
The  interchange  of  pnn  and  nntrs  shows  that  by  nn|'n  n^xf^p 
field-labour,  1  Chron.  xxvii.  26,  is  meant.  p3n,  used  of  ar- 
rangement, procuring,  here  with  nas^o,  signifies  the  setting  in 
order  of  the  work,  viz.  the  cultivation  of  the  field.  In  the 
parallel  member,  nnriy^  carrying  also  its  object,  in  itself  is  ad- 
missible:  make  preparations  (LXX.,  Syr.);  but  the  punctua- 
tion ^y^V  (Targ.,  Venet.;  on  the  other  hand,  Jerome  and  Luther 
translate  as  if  the  words  were  nni^n  mnyi)  is  not  worthy  of 
being  contended  against :  set  it  (the  work)  in  the  fields  in 
readiness,  i.e.  on  the  one  hand  set  forward  the  present  neces- 
sary work,  and  on  the  other  hand  prepare  for  that  which  next 
follows ;  thus :  do  completely  and  circumspectly  what  thy 
calling  as  a  husbandman  requires  of  thee, — then  mayest  thou 
go  to  the  building  and  building  up  of  thy  house  {yid.  at  ver.  3, 


144  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

xlv.  1),  to  which  not  only  the  building  and  setting  in  order  oF 
a  convenient  dwelling,  but  also  the  bringing  home  of  a  house- 
wife and  the  whole  setting  up  of  a  household  belongs  ;  prosperity 
at  home  is  conditioned  by  this — one  fulfils  his  duty  without  in 
the  fields  actively  and  faithfully.  One  begins  at  the  wrong 
end  when  he  begins  with  the  building  of  his  house,  which  is 
much  rather  the  result  and  goal  of  an  intelligent  discharge  of 
duty  within  the  sphere  of  one's  calling.  The  perf.,  with  1 
after  a  date,  such  as  "inx^  toyo  niy^  and  the  like,  when  things 
that  will  or  should  be  done  are  spoken  of,  has  the  fut.  signi- 
fication of  a  perf.  consec,  Gen.  iii.  5 ;  Ex.  xvi.  6  f.,  xvii.  4 ; 
Ewald,  §  3445. 

Ver.  28.  Warning  against  unnecessary  witnessing  to  the 
disadvantage  of  another : 

Never  be  a  causeless  witness  against  thy  neighbour  ; 
Aud  shouldest  thou  use  deceit  with  thy  lips  ? 

The  phrase  D3n"iy  does  not  mean  a  witness  who  appears  against 
his  neighbour  without  knowledge  of  the  facts  of  the  case,  but 
one  who  has  no  substantial  reason  for  his  giving  of  testimony ; 
D^n  means  groundless,  with  reference  to  the  occasion  and 
motive,  iii.  30,  xxiii.  29,  xxvi.  2.  Other  designations  stood  for 
false  witnesses  (LXX.,  Syr.,  Targ.).  Rightly  Jerome,  the 
Venet.^  and  Luther,  without,  however,  rendering  the  gen.  con- 
nection DjrriJ?,  as  it  might  have  been  by  the  adj. 

In  285,  Chajug  derives  ^''^sn'l  from  nns,  to  break  in  pieces, 
to  crumble;  for  he  remarks  it  might  stand,  with  the  passing  over 
of  6  into  %  for  riwsni  [and  thou  wilt  whisper].  But  the  ancients 
had  no  acquaintance  with  the  laws  of  sound,  and  therefore 
with  naive  arbitrariness  regarded  all  as  possible ;  and  Böttcher, 
indeed,  maintains  that  the  Hiphil  of  riDD  may  be  TT'riDn  as  well 
as  ninan  ;  but  the  former  of  these  forms  with  i  could  only  be 
metaplastically  possible,  and  would  be  JrT'riDn  {yid.  Hitzig  under 
Jer.  xi.  20).  And  what  can  this  Hiph.  of  nns  mean  ?  "  To 
crumble "  one's  neighbours  (Ciiajug)  is  an  unheard  of  ex- 
pression ;  and  the  meanings,  to  throw  out  crumbs,  viz.  crumbs 
of  words  (Böttcher),  or  to  speak  with  a  broken,  subdued  voice 
(Hitzig),  are  extracted  from  the  rare  Arab,  fatafit  (fataßt),  for 
which  the  lexicographers  note  the  meaning  of  a  secret,  moaning 
sound.     When  we  see  DTiam  standing  along  with  ^^n^'r  r^,  then 


CHAP.  XXIV.  29.  145 

before  all  we  are  led  to  think  of  nns  [to  open],  xx.  19 ;  Ps. 
Ixxiii.  36.  Bat  we  stumble  at  the  interrog.  n,  which  nowhere 
else  appears  connected  with  1.  Ewald  therefore  purposes  to 
read  ^'^^^\  [and  will  open  wide]  (LXX.  fx.rjSe  irXarvvov) : 
''  that  thou  usest  treachery  with  thy  lips ;  "  but  from  nnsn,  to 
make  wide  open,  Gen.  ix.  27,  "to  use  treachery  "  is,  only  for 
the  flight  of  imagination,  not  too  wide  a  distance.  On  ni^  et 
num,  one  need  not  stumble ;  ^i^'D,!,  2  Sam,  xv.  35,  shows  that 
the  connection  of  a  question  by  means  of  1  is  not  inadmissible; 
Ewald  himself  takes  notice  that  in- the  Arab,  the  connection  of 

the  interrogatives  \  and  Js^  withj  and  t_j  is  quite  common  ;^ 
and  thus  he  reaches  the  explanation  :  wilt  thou  befool  then  by 
thy  lips,  i.e.  pollute  by  deceit,  by  inconsiderate,  wanton  testi- 
mony against  others?  This  is  the  right  explanation,  which 
Ewald  hesitates  about  only  from  the  fact  that  the  interrog.  n 
comes  in  between  the  "i  consec.  and  its  per/.,  a  thing  which  is 
elsewhere  unheard  of.  But  this  difficulty  is  removed  by  the 
syntactic  observation,  that  the  jDerf.  after  interrogatives  has 
often  the  modal  colouring  of  a  conj.  or  optative,  e.g.  after  the 
interrog.  pronoun,  Gen.  xxi.  7,  quis  dixerit,  and  after  the  in- 
terrogative particle,  as  here  and  at  2  Kings  xx.  9,  iveritne, 
where  it  is  to  be  supplied  (vid.  at  Isa.  xxxviii.  8).  Thus :  et 
nvm  persuaseris  (deceperis)  lahiis  tuis,  and  shouldest  thou  prac- 
tise slander  with  thy  lips,  for  thou  bringest  thy  neighbour, 
without  need,  by  thy  uncalled  for  rashness,   into   disrepute? 

"  It  is  a  question,  aVnahar  (cf.  xxiii.  5),  for  which  f  (not     U) 

in  the  usual  Arab,  interrogative :  how,  thou  wouldest  ?  one 
then  permits  the  inquirer  to  draw  the  negative  answer;  "No, I 
will  not  do  it "  (Fleischer). 

Ver.  29.  The  following  proverb  is  connected  as  to  its  sub- 
ject with  the  foregoing :  one  ought  not  to  do  evil  to  his  neigh- 
bour without  necessity ;  even  evil  which  has  been  done  to  one 
must  not  be  requited  with  evil : 

Say  not,  "  As  he  hath  done  to  me,  so  I  do  to  him : 
I  requite  the  man  according  to  his  conduct." 

1  We  use  the  forms  awa^  aha.,  ätJiümm,  for  we  suppose  the  interrogative 
to  the  copula  ;  we  also  sa.y/ahad,  vid.  Mu/as^'al,  p.  941. 

VOL.   II.  K 


146  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

On  the  ground  of  public  Justice,  the  talio  is  certainly  the 
nearest  form  of  punishment,  Lev.  xxiv.  19  f. ;  but  even  here 
the  Sinaitic  law  does  not  remain  in  the  retortion  of  the  injury 
according  to  its  external  form  (it  is  in  a  certain  manner  prac- 
ticable only  with  regard  to  injury  done  to  the  person  and  to 
property),  but  places  in  its  stead  an  atonement  measured  and 
limited  after  a  higher  point  of  view.  On  pure  moral  grounds, 
ihe  jus  talionis  ("as  thou  to  me,  so  I  to  thee")  has  certainly 
no  validity.  Here  he  to  whom  injustice  is  done  ought  to 
commit  his  case  to  God,  xx.  22,  and  to  oppose  to  evil,  not  evil 
but  good ;  he  ought  not  to  set  himself  up  as  a  judge,  nor  to  act 
as  one  standing  on  a  war-footing  with  his  neighbour  (Judg.  xv. 
11) ;  but  to  take  God  as  his  example,  who  treats  the  sinner,  if 
only  he  seeks  it,  not  in  the  way  of  justice,  but  of  grace  (Ex. 
xxxiv.  6  f.).  The  expression  296  reminds  of  xxiv.  12.  In- 
stead of  ^"^^f^,  there  is  used  here,  where  the  speaker  points  to 
a  definite  person,  the  phrase  &^.  Jerome,  the  Venet.,  and 
Luther  translate :  to  each  one,  as  if  the  word  were  vocalized 
thus,  ^'i6  (Ps.  Ixii.  13). 

A  Mashal  ode  of  the  slothful,  in  the  form  of  a  record  of  ex- 
periences, concludes  this  second  supplement  (vid.  vol.  i.  p.  17)  : 

Ver.  30  The  field  of  a  slothful  man  I  came  past, 

And  the  vineyard  of  a  man  devoid  of  understanding. 

31  And,  lo  !  it  was  wholly  filled  up  with  thorns  ; 
Its  face  was  covered  with  nettles  ; 

And  its  wall  of  stones  was  broken  down. 

32  But  I  looked  and  directed  my  attention  to  it ; 
I  saw  it,  and  took  instruction  from  it : 

S3  "  A  little  sleep,  a  little  slumber, 

A  little  folding  of  the  hands  to  rest. 
34  Then  cometh  thy  poverty  apace, 

And  thy  want  as  an  armed  man." 

The  line  296  with  tf'''xb  is  followed  by  one  with  K>^S.  The 
form  of  the  narrative  in  which  this  warning  against  drowsy 
siothfulness  is  clothed,  is  like  Ps.  xxxvii.  35  f.  The  distin- 
guishing of  different  classes  of  men  by  K'''X  and  DIN  (cf.  xxiv. 
20)  is  common  in  proverbial  poetry.  "•^I^^V,  at  the  close  of 
the  first  parallel  member,  retains  its  Pathach  unchanged.  The 
description :  and,  lo !  (nsni,  with  Fazer^  after  Tliorath  Emeth, 
p.  34,  Anm.  2)  it  was  .  .  .  refers  to  the  vineyard,  for  V33X  nnj 


CHAP.  XXIV.  30-34.  147 

(its  stone  wall,  like  Isa.  ii.  20,  "its  idols  of  silver")  is,  like 
Num.  xxii.  24,  Isa.  v.  5,  the  fencing  in  of  the  vineyard. 
i>)3  nby,  totus  excreverat  (in  carduos),  refers  to  this  as  subject, 
of.  in  Ausonius:  apex  vitihus  assurgit;  the  Heb.  construction 
is  as  Isa.  v.  6,  xxxiv.  13 ;  Gesen.  §  133,  1,  Anm.  2.  The  sing. 
fi^l^\)  of  ^''^iCßp  does  not  occur ;  perhaps  it  means  properly  the 
weed  which  one  tears  up  to  cast  it  aside,  for  (Arab.)  hiindsh  is 
matter  dug  out  of  the  ground.^  The  ancients  interpret  it  by 
urticce;  and  -"^n^  plur.  D'^iin  (as  from  ?in),  E.  "in,  to  burn,  ap- 
pears, indeed,  to  be  the  name  of  the  nettle;  the  botanical  name 
(Arab.)  khullar  (beans,  pease,  at  least  a  leguminous  plant)  is 
from  its  sound  not  Arab.,  and  thus  lies  remote.^  The  Pual  1D3 
sounds  like  Ps.  Ixxx.  11  (cf.  ^?3,  Ps.  Ixxii.  20) ;  the  position  of 
the  words  is  as  this  passage  of  the  Psalm  ;  the  Syr.,  Targ., 
Jerome,  and  the  Venet.  render  the  construction  actively,  as  if 
the  word  were  ^D3. 

In  ver.  32,  Hitzig  proposes  to  read  nrnxi :  and  I  stopped 
(stood  still) ;  but  THN  is  trans.,  not  only  at  Eccles.  vii.  9,  but 
also  at  ii.  15:  to  hold  anything  fast;  not:  to  hold  oneself  still. 
And  for  what  purpose  the  change?  A  contemplating  and 
lookincT  at  a  tiling,  with  which  the  turning  and  standin^j  near 
is  here  connected,  manifestly  includes  a  standing  still ;  ''ri"'^!^"!, 
after  i^.tH^Jj  is,  as  commonly  after  ü'^an  {e..g.  Job  xxxv.  5,  cf.  Isa. 
xlii.  18),  the  expression  of  a  lingering  looking  at  an  object 
after  the  attention  has  been  directed  to  it.  In  modern  impres- 
sions, ""^JN  ntnxi  are  incorrectly  accentuated ;  the  old  editions 

have  rightly  nrns")  with  Rehia;  for  not  ''33S  'ni,  but  n"»!;'«  ''3JX 
are  connected.  In  viii.  17,  this  prominence  of  the  personal 
pronoun  serves  for  the  expression  of  reciprocity ;  elsewhere,  as 
e.g.  Gen.  xxi.  24,  2  Kings  vi.  3,  and  particularly,  frequently  in 
Hosea,  this  circumstantiality  does  not  make  the  subject  pro- 
minent, but  the  action ;  here  the  suitable  extension  denotes 
that  he  rightly  makes  his  comments  at  leisure  (Hitzig). 
37  rT'a'  is,  as  at  xxii.  17,  the  turning  of  attention  and  reflection  ; 

1  This  is  particularly  the  name  of  what  lies  round  about  on  the  ground  in 
the  Bedouin  tents,  and  which  one  takes  up  from  thence  (from  kamesh, 
cogn.  YJ2p  |^2p,  ramasser,  cf.  the  journal  Tijon,  1871,  p.  2876)  ;  in  modern 
Arab.,  linen  and  matter  of  all  kinds ;  vid.  Bocthor,  under  linge  and  etojff'e. 

2  Perhaps  oXy^«,  vid.  Lagarde's  Gesamm.  AbhandL  p.  59. 


148  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

elsewhere  "iD'i?^  nph,  to  receive  a  moral,  viii.  10,  Jer.  vii.  28,  is 
here  equivalent  to,  to  abstract,  deduce  one  from  a  fact,  to  take 
to  oneself  a  lesson  from  it.  In  vers.  33  and  34  there  is  a  re- 
petition of  vi.  9,  10.  Thus,  as  ver.  33  expresses,  the  sluggard 
speaks  to  whom  the  neglected  piece  of  ground  belongs,  and 
ver.  34  places  before  him  the  result.  Instead  of  '^?,[}^r  of  the 
original  passage  [vi.  9,  10],  here  ^^nnö^  of  the  coming  of 
poverty  like  an  avenging  Nemesis ;  and  instead  of  Tibnöl,  here 
^'•nbnai  (the  Cod.  Jaman.  has  it  without  the  "•),  which  might  be 
the  2:)lene  written  pausal  form  of  the  sing.  {vid.  at  vi.  3,  cf.  vi. 
11),  but  is  more  surely  regarded  as  the  plur. :  thy  deficits,  or 
wants ;  for  to  thee  at  one  time  this,  and  at  another  time  that, 
and  finally  all  things  will  be  wanting.  Regarding  the  variants 
^*^'ST  and  ^tf'n  (with  K  in  the  original  passage,  here  in  the 
borrowed  passage  with  "•),  vid.  at  x.  4.  Ip.^  5i'''X?  is  translated 
in  the  LXX.  by  wairep  äja6o<i  Spo/uieix;  (vid.  at  vi.  11);  the 
Syr.  and  Targ.  make  from  it  a  ^"J^^D  X^3a,  tabellarius,  a  letter- 
carrier,  coming  with  the  speed  of  a  courier. 


SECOND  COLLECTION  OF  SOLOMONIC  PROVERBS.— 
XXV.-XXIX. 

The  older  Solomonic  Book  of  Proverbs,  with  its  introduction, 
i.  9,  and  its  two  supplements,  (1)  xxii.  17-xxiv.  22,  (2)  xxiv. 
23-34,  is  now  followed  by  a  more  modern  Solomonie  Book  of 
Proverbs,  a  second  extensive  series  of  no^ü'  ""^t^D,  which  the 
collector  has  introduced  with  the  superscription  : 

XXV.  1  These  also  are  proverbs  of  Solomon, 

Which  the  men  of  Hezekiah  the  king  of  Judah  have  collected. 

Hezekiah,  in  his  concern  for  the  preservation  of  the  national 
literature,  is  the  Jewish  Pisistratos,  and  the  "  men  of  Hezekiah  " 
are  like  the  collectors  of  the  poems  of  Homer,  who  were  em- 
ployed by  Pisistratos  for  that  purpose.  np^s"Da  is  the  subject, 
and  in  Cod.  1294,  and  in  the  editions  of  Bomberg  1515,  Hart- 
mann 1595,  Nissel,  Jablonsky,  Michaelis,  has  Dechi.  This 
title  is  like  that  of  the  second  supplement,  xxiv.  23.  The  form 
of  the  name  '^JiPjnj   abbreviated   from  in*ipTn|    (=in^'i?[n)j   is   not 


CHAP.  XXV,  2.  149 

favourable  to  the  derivation  of  the  title  from  the  collectors 
themselves.  The  LXX.  translates :  Avrai  al  TratSeiaL  XaXw- 
/xcovTO^  al  ahiuKpLroL  (cf.  Jas.  iii.  17),  a?  i^eypdylravro  ot 
<f)i\ot  ^E^eKLOv,  for  which  Aquila  has  a?  jxerrjpav  ävBpe<i 
'E^€KLov,  Jei-ome,  transtulerunt.  P'^n^jü  signifies,  like  (Arab.) 
iisah,  np3^  to  snatch  away,  to  take  away,  to  transfer  from 
another  place;  in  later  Heb. :  to  transcribe  from  one  book  into 
another,  to  translate  from  one  language  into  another :  to  take 
from  another  place  and  place  together;  the  Whence?  remains 
undetermined  :  according  to  the  anachronistic  rendering  of  the 
Midrash  DnrJJD,  i.e.  from  the  Apocrypha ;  according  to  Hitzig, 
from  the  mouths  of  the  people ;  more  correctly  Euchel  and 
others  :  from  their  scattered  condition,  partly  oral,  partly 
written.  Vid.  regarding  pTiyn,  Zunz,  in  Deutsch  -  Morgenl. 
Zeitsch.  XXV.  147  f.,  and  regarding  the  whole  title,  vol.  i.  pp. 
5,  6  ;  regarding  the  forms  of  proverbs  in  this  second  collection, 
vol.  i.  p.  17  ;  regarding  their  relation  to  the  first,  and  their  end 
and  aim,  vol.  i.  pp.  25,  26.  The  first  Collection  of  Pro- 
verbs is  a  Book  for  Youth,  and  this  second  a  Book  for  the 
People. 

Ver.  2.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  purpose  of  the  book  that 
it  begins  with  proverbs  of  the  king  : 

It  is  the  glory  of  God  to  conceal  a  thing ; 

And  the  glory  of  the  king  to  search  out  a  matter. 

That  which  is  the  glory  of  God  and  the  glory  of  the  king 
in  itself,  and  that  by  which  they  acquire  glory,  stand  here 
contrasted.  The  glory  of  God  consists  in  this,  to  conceal  a 
matter,  i.e.  to  place  before  men  mystery  upon  mystery,  in  which 
they  become  conscious  of  the  limitation  and  insufficiency  of 
their  knowledge,  so  that  they  are  constrained  to  acknowledge, 
Deut,  xxix.  28,  that  "  secret  things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our 
God."  There  are  many  things  that  are  hidden  and  are  known 
only  to  God,  and  we  must  be  contented  with  that  which  He 
sees  it  good  to  make  known  to  us.^  The  honour  of  kings,  on 
the  contrary,  who  as  pilots  have  to  steer  the  ship  of  the  state 
(xi.  14),  and  as  supreme  judges  to  administer  justice  (1  Kings 
iii.  9),  consists  in  this,  to  search  out  a  matter,  i.e.  to  place  in  the 
^  Cf.  von  Lasaulx,  Philosophie  der  Geschichte^  p.  128  f. :  "  God  and  Nature 
love  to  conceal  the  beginning  of  things." 


150  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

light  things  that  are  problematical  and  subjects  of  controversy, 
in  conformity  with  their  high  position,  with  surpassing  intelli- 
gence, and,  in  conformity  with  tlieir  responsibility,  with  con- 
scientious zeal.  The  thought  that  it  is  the  glory  of  God  to 
veil  Himself  in  secrecy  (Isa.  Iv.  15;  cf.  1  Kings  viii.  12),  and 
of  the  king,  on  the  contrary,  not  to  surround  himself  with  an 
impenetrable  nimbus,  and  to  withdraw  into  inaccessible  remote- 
ness,— this  thought  does  not,  immediately  at  least,  lie  in  the 
proverb,  which  refers  that  which  is  concealed,  and  its  contrary, 
not  to  the  person,  but  to  a  matter.  Also  that  God,  by  the 
concealment  of  certain  things,  seeks  to  excite  to  activity  human 
research,  is  not  said  in  this  proverb;  for  2b  does  not  speak  of 
the  honour  of  wise  men,  but  of  kings ;  the  searching  out,  2b, 
thus  does  not  refer  to  that  which  is  veiled  by  God.  But  since 
the  honour  of  God  at  the  same  time  as  the  welfare  of  men,  and 
the  honour  of  the  king  as  well  as  the  welfare  of  his  people,  is  to 
be  thought  of,  the  proverb  states  that  God  and  the  king  promote 
liuman  welfare  in  very  different  ways, — God,  by  concealing 
that  which  sets  hmits  to  the  knowledge  of  man,  that  he  may  not 
be  uplifted  ;  and  the  king,  by  research,  which  brings  out  the 
true  state  of  the  matter,  and  thereby  guards  the  political  and 
social  condition  against  threatening  danger,  secret  injuries,  and 
the  ban  of  offences  unatoned  for.  This  proverb,  regarding 
the  difference  between  that  which  constitutes  the  honour  of 
God  and  of  the  king,  is  followed  by  one  which  refers  to  that  in 
which  the  honour  of  both  is  alike, 

Ver.  3  The  heavens  in  height,  and  the  earth  in  depth, 
And  the  heart  of  kings  are  unsearchable. 
This  is  a  proverb  in  the  priamel-form,  vid.  p.  13.  The  praeam- 
hulmn  consists  of  three  subjects  to  which  the  predicate  Ipn  px 
[=  no  searching  out]  is  common.  "As  it  is  impossible  to 
search  through  the  heavens  and  through  the  earth,  so  it  is  also 
impossible  to  search  the  hearts  of  common  men  (like  the  earth), 
and  the  hearts  of  kings  (like  the  heavens)  "  (Fleischer).  The 
meaning,  however,  is  simple.  Three  unsearchable  things  are 
placed  together  :  the  heavens,  with  reference  to  their  height, 
stretching  into  the  impenetrable  distance  ;  the  earth,  in  respect 
to  its  depth,  reaching  down  into  the  immeasurable  abyss  ;  and 
the  heart  of  kings — it  is  this  third  thing  which  the  proverb 


CHAP.  XXV.  4,  5.  151 

particularly  aims  at — which  in  themselves,  and  especially  with 
that  which  goes  on  in  their  depths,  are  impenetrable  and  un- 
searchable. The  proverb  is  a  warning  against  the  delusion  of 
being  flattered  by  the  favour  of  the  king,  which  may,  before 
one  thinks  of  it,  be  withdrawn  or  changed  even  into  the  con- 
trary; and  a  counsel  to  one  to  take  heed  to  his  words  and  acts, 
and  to  see  to  it  that  he  is  influenced  by  higher  motives  than  by 
the  fallacious  calculation  of  the  impression  on  the  view  and 
disposition  of  the  king.  The  7  in  both  cases  is  the  expression 
of  the  reference,  as  e.g.  at  2  Chron.  ix.  22.  pSI,  not  =pNni, 
but  like  Isa.  xxvi.  19,  Ixv.  17,  for  pxi,  which  generally  occurs 
only  in  the  st.  constr. 

There    now    follows   an    emblematic    {vid.   vol.    i.   p.    10) 
tetrastich  : 

Ver.  4  Take  away  the  dross  from  silver, 

So  there  is  ready  a  vessel  for  the  goldsmith  ; 
5  Take  away  the  wicked  from  the  king, 

And  his  throne  is  established  by  righteousness. 

The  form  iin  (cf.  the  inf.  Poal  iJn,  Isa.  lix.  13)  is  regarded  by 
Schultens  as  showing  a  ground-form  l^n  ;  but  there  is  also 
found  e.g.  i^V,  whose  ground- form  is  ''^'V ;  the  verb  njrij  R.  jn 
(whence  Arab,  hajr.^  discedere),  cf.  nj^  (whence  ^^^,  semovit, 
2  Sam.  XX.  13  =  Syr.  dwagy,  cf.  Arab,  dwjay,  to  withhold,  to 
abstain  from),  signifies  to  separate,  withdraw;  here,  of  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  ^''T^,  the  refuse,  i.e.  the  dross  {vid.  regarding  the 
plena  scriptio,  Baer's  krit.  Ausg.  des  Jesaia,  under  i.  22)  ;  the 
goldsmith  is  designated  by  the  word  H"!^,  from  ^y^,  to  turn, 
change,  as  he  who  changes  the  as  yet  drossy  metal  by  means  of 
smelting,  or  by  purification  in  water,  into  that  which  is  pure. 
In  5a  njn  is,  as  at  Isa.  xxvii.  8,  transferred  to  a  process  of  moral 
purification ;  what  kind  of  persons  are  to  be  removed  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  king  is  shown  by  Isa.  i.  22,  23.  Here 
also  (as  at  Isa.  I.e.)  the  emblem  or  figure  of  ver.  4  is  followed 
in  ver.  5  by  its  moral  antitype  aimed  at.  The  punctuation  of 
both  verses  is  wonderfully  fine  and  excellent.  In  ver.  4,  n:»^i 
is  not  pointed  i^)».''.'!,  but  as  the  consecutive  modus  X)f>1 ;  this  first 
part  of  the  proverb  refers  to  a  well-known  process  of  art :  the 
dross  is  separated  from  the  silver  (m/.  absoL,  as  xii.  7,  xv.  22), 
and  so  a  vessel  (utensil)  proceeds  from  the  goldsmith,  for  he 


152  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

manufactures  pure  silver ;  the  b  is  here  similarly  used  as  the 
designation  of  the  subject  in  the  passive,  xiii.  13,  xiv.  20.  In 
ver.  5,  on  the  contrary,  |i3*l  (13*5)  is  not  the  punctuation  used, 
but  the  word  is  pointed  indicatively  ps'I'i ;  this  second  part  of 
the  proverb  expresses  a  moral  demand  {inf.  ahsol.  in  the  sense  of 
the  imperative,  Gesen.  §  131,  4J  like  xvii.  12,  or  an  optative  or 
concessive  conjunction):  let  the  godless  be  removed,  Tjpo  '•pap, 
i.e.  not  from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  king,  for  which  the 
words  are  "I/O  ''^P?^ ;  also  not  those  standing  before  the  king, 
i.e.  in  his  closest  neighbourhood  (Ewald,  Bertheau)  ;  but  since, 
in  the  absolute,  >^^^,  not  an  act  of  another  in  the  interest  of  the 
king,  but  of  the  king  himself,  is  thought  of  :  let  the  godless  be 
removed  from  before  the  king,  i.e.  because  he  administers  justice 
(Hitzig),  or  more  generally:  because  after  that  Psalm  (ci.), 
which  is  the  "  mirror  of  princes,"  he  does  not  suffer  him  to  come 
into  his  presence.  Accordingly,  the  punctuation  is  p"!2k*3j  not 
pl^2  (xvi.  12)  ;  because  such  righteousness  is  meant  as  separates 
the  V^l  from  it  and  itself  from  him,  as  Isa.  xvi.  5  (vid.  Hitzig), 
where  the  punctuation  of  "IDH?  denotes  that  favour  towards 
Moab  seeking  protection.  There  now  follows  a  second  pro- 
verb with  1^0,  as  the  one  just  explained  was  a  second  with 
D''3^0 :    a  warning  against  ai'rogance  before  kings  and  nobles. 

Ver.  6  Display  not  thyself  before  the  king, 

And  approach  not  to  the  place  of  the  great. 
7  For  better  that  one  say  to  thee,  "  Come  up  hither," 
Than  that  they  humble  thee  before  a  prince, 
Whom  thine  eyes  had  seen. 

The  Dv^?  are  those,  like  xviii.  16,  who  by  virtue  of  their 
descent  and  their  office  occupy  a  lofty  place  of  honour  in  the 
court  and  in  the  state,  y^^  (vid.  under  viii.  16)  is  the  noble  in 
disposition  and  the  nobleman  by  birth,  a  general  designation 
which  comprehends  the  king  and  the  princes.  The  Hithpa. 
"i^nnn  is  like  the  reflex  forms  xii.  9,  xiii.  7,  for  it  signifies  to 
conduct  oneself  as  "i^n  or  l"nn3  {vid.  xx.  29),  to  play  the  part  of 
one  highly  distinguished.  "l^V  has,  Qh,  its  nearest  signification  : 
it  denotes,  not  like  32??,  standing  still,  but  approaching  to,  e.g. 
Jer.  vii.  2.  The  reason  given  in  ver.  7  harmonizes  with  the  rule 
of  wisdom,  Luke  xiv.  10  f. :  better  is  the  saying  to  thee,  i.e.  that 
one  say  to  thee  (Ewald,  §  304i),  y^^'n  <n?j;_  (so  the  Olewejored  is 


CHAP.  XXV.  8-10.  153 

to  be  placed),  TrpocravußrjOi  dvcorepov  (thus  in  Luke),  than  that 
one  humble  thee  nnj  '^^b^  not :  because  of  a  prince  (Hitzig), 
for  "»^D?  nowhere  means  either  pro  (xvii.  18)  or  propter,  but 
before  a  prince,  so  that  thou  must  yield  to  him  (cf.  xiv.  19), 
before  him  whom  thine  eyes  had  seen,  so  that  thou  art  not 
excused  if  thou  takest  up  the  place  appropriate  to  liim.  Most 
interpreters  are  at  a  loss  to  explain  this  relative.  Luther  : 
"  which  thine  eyes  must  see,"  and  Schultens  :  id  videant  oculi 
till.  Michaelis,  syntactically  admissible:  quem  videre  gestiverunt 
oculi  tuiy  viz.  to  come  near  to  him,  according  to  Bertheau,  with 
the  request  that  he  receives  some  high  office.  Otherwise 
Fleischer :  before  the  king  by  whom  thou  and  thine  are  seen, 
so  much  the  more  felt  is  the  humiliation  when  it  comes  upon 
one  after  he  has  pressed  so  far  forward  that  he  can  be  perceived 
by  the  king.  But  2^3  is  not  specially  the  king,  but  any  dis- 
tinguished personage  whose  place  he  who  has  pressed  forward 
has  taken  up,  and  from  which  he  must  now  withdraw  when  the 
right  possessor  of  it  comes  and  lays  claim  to  his  place,  "iti'i?  is 
never  used  in  poetry  without  emphasis.  Elsewhere  it  is  equi- 
valent to  ovriva,  quippe  quern,  here  equivalent  to  ovirep,  quem 
quidem.  Thine  eyes  have  seen  him  in  the  company,  and  thou 
canst  say  to  thyself,  this  place  belongs  to  him,  according  to  his 
rank,  and  not  to  thee, — the  humiliation  which  thou  endurest  is 
thus  well  deserved,  because,  with  eyes  to  see,  thou  wert  so  blind. 
The  LXX.,  Syr.,  Symmachus  (who  reads  8a,  2"i?,  ea  7rX?;^o?), 
and  Jerome,  refer  the  words  "  whom  thine  eyes  had  seen  "  to 
the  proverb  following ;  but  "lt^'K  does  not  appropriately  belong  to 
the  beginning  of  a  proverb,  and  on  the  supposition  that  the 
word  yv  is  generally  adopted,  except  by  Symmachus,  they  are 
also  heterogeneous  to  the  following  proverb  : 

Ver.  8  Go  not  forth  hastily  to  strife, 

That  it  may  not  be  said,  "  What  wilt  thou  do  in  the  end 

thereof, 
When  now  thy  neighbour  bringeth  disgrace  upon  thee  ?  " 
9  Art  thou  striving  with  thy  neighbour  ?  strive  with  him, 
But  disclose  not  the  secret  of  another  ; 
10  That  he  who  heareth  it  may  not  despise  thee, 
And  thine  evil  name  depart  no  more. 

Whether  ^n  in  yf^  is  inßn.,  as  at  Judg.  xxi.  22,  or  suhst.,  as  at 


154  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

2  Chron.  xix.  8,  is  not  decided :  ad  litigandum  and  ad  litem 
harmonize.  As  little  may  it  be  said  whether  in  i<>'J]}"i'^it  [go  not 
forth],  a  going  out  to  the  gate  (court  of  justice),  or  to  the  place 
where  he  is  to  be  met  who  is  to  be  called  to  account,  is  to  be 
thought  of ;  in  no  respect  is  the  sense  metaphorical :  let  not 
thyself  transgress  the  bounds  of  moderation,  ne  te  laisse  pas  em- 
porter;  yv  X^'^  is  correlate  to  31"ip  ^13^  Judg,  xxi.  22.  The  use  of 
IS  in  8b  is  unprecedented.  Euchel  and  Löwenstein  regard  it  as 
an  imper. :  reflect  upon  it  (test  it)  ;  but  '"132  does  not  signify  this, 
and  the  interjeetional  DH  does  not  show  the  possibility  of  an 
imper.  Kal  |2,  and  certainly  not  13  (jS).  The  conj.  }3  is  the  con- 
necting form  of  an  original  subst.  (=pa7ij),  which  signifies  a 
turning  away.  It  is  mostly  connected  with  the  future,  accord- 
ing to  which  Nolde,  Oetinger,  Ewald,  and  Bertheau  explain  no 
indefinite,  something,  viz.  unbecoming.  In  itself,  it  may, 
perhaps,  be  possible  that  no  ]Q  was  used  in  the  sense  of  ne  quid 
{Venet.  /tJ^Trore  ri)  ;  but  "to  do  something,"  for  "to  commit 
something  bad,"  is  improbable ;  also  in  that  case  we  would 
expect  the  words  to  be  thus  :  no  nb'yn  JS.  Thus  HD  will  be  an 
interrogative,  as  at  1  Sam.  xx.  10  [vid.  Keil),  and  the  expres- 
sion is  brachylogical :  that  thou  comest  not  into  the  situation 
not  to  know  what  thou  oughtest  to  do  (Rashi :  ynn  i6  H''^  ^52n  }ö 
T\)b]h  no),  or  much  rather  anakoluth.;  for  instead  of  saying 
nib'I?rnD  ynn  N-'"|S,  the  poet,  shunning  this  unusual  i6  }Q,  adopts 
at  once  the  interrogative  form  :  that  it  may  not  be  said  at  the 
end  thereof  (viz.  of  the  strife)  :  what  wilt  thou  do  ?  (Umbreit, 
Stier,  Elster,  Hitzig,  and  Zöckler.)  This  extreme  perplexity 
would  occur  if  thy  neighbour  (with  whom  thou  disputest 
so  eagerly  and  unjustly)  put  thee  to  shame,  so  that  thou 
standest  confounded  (oi^D,  properly  to  hurt,  French  Messe?''). 
If  now  the  summons  9a  follows  this  warning  against  going  out 
for  the  purpose  of  strife  :  fight  out  thy  conflict  with  thy  neigh- 
bour, then  ^^nj  set  forth  with  emphasis,  denotes  not  such  a 
strife  as  one  is  surprised  into,  but  that  into  which  one  is  drawn, 
and  the  tiiam  in  causam  tuam  is  accented  in  so  far  as  2b  localizes 
the  strife  to  the  personal  relation  of  the  two,  and  warns  against 
the  drawing  in  of  an  "inx,  i.e.  in  this  case,  of  a  third  person  : 
and  expose  not  the  secret  of  another  ^'JJ^"-'??  (after  Michlol 
130a,  and  Ben-Bileam,  who  places  the  word  under  the  a"D3  pnns, 


CHAP.  XXV.  11.  155 

is  vocalized  with  Patliacli  on  3,  as  is  Cod.  1294,  and  elsewhere 
in  correct  texts).  One  ought  not  to  bring  forward  in  a  dispute, 
as  material  of  proof  and  means  of  acquittal,  secrets  entrusted 
to  him  by  another,  or  secrets  which  one  knows  regarding  the 
position  and  conduct  of  another;  for  such  faithlessness  and 
gossiping  affix  a  stigma  on  him  who  avails  himself  of  them,  in 
the  public  estimation,  ver.  10 ;  that  he  who  hears  it  may  not 
blame  thee  (isn  =  Aram.  lErij  viel,  under  xiv.  34),  and  the  evil 
report  concerning  thee  continue  without  recall.  Fleischer  :  ne 
infamia  tua  non  recedat  i.  e.  nunquam  desinat  per  ora  hominum 
propagari,  with  the  remark,  "  in  nn"j,  which  properly  means  a 
stealthy  creeping  on  of  the  rumour,  and  in  2V\^  lies  a  (Arab.) 
tarshyh"  i.e.  the  two  ideas  stand  in  an  interchangeable  relation 
with  a  play  upon  the  words  :  the  evil  rumour,  once  put  in  cir- 
culation, will  not  again  retrace  its  steps  ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
as  Virgil  says : 

Mobilitate  viget  viresque  acquirit  eundo. 

In  fact,  every  other  can  sooner  rehabilitate  himself  in  the  public 
estimation  than  he  who  is  regarded  as  a  prattler,  who  can  keep 
no  secret,  or  as  one  so  devoid  of  character  that  he  makes  public 
what  he  ought  to  keep  silent,  if  he  can  make  any  use  of  it  in 
his  own  interest.  In  regard  to  such  an  one,  the  words  are  con- 
tinually applicable,  hie  niger  est,  liunc  tu,  Eomane,  caveto,  xx.  19. 
The  LXX.  has,  instead  of  ']r\2l\  10b,  read  innnoi,  and  trans- 
lated it  with  the  addition  of  a  long  appendix :  "  They  quarrel, 
and  hostilities  will  not  cease,  but  will  be  to  thee  like  death. 
Kindness  and  friendship  deliver,  let  these  preserve  thee,  that 
thou  mayest  not  become  one  meriting  reproaches  (Jerome  :  ne 
exprohrahilis  fias),  but  guard  thy  ways,  ev(TvvaXkdKrü3<;." 
The  first  emblematical  distich  of  this  collection  now  follows: 

Ver.  11  Golden  apples  in  silver  salvers. 

A  word  spoken  according  to  its  circumstances. 

The  Syr.  and  Jerome  vocalize  l^T  "ini,  and  the  Targ.  l^'l  13^  ; 
both  are  admissible,  but  the  figure  and  that  which  is  repre- 
sented are  not  placed  in  so  appropriate  a  relation  as  by  "i^lT  "13T ; 
the  wonderfully  penetrating  expression  of  the  text,  which  is 
rendered  by  the  traditional  nikkud,  agrees  here  with  the  often 
occurring  i?M  (=  "'r?'!'?),  also  its  passive  i^2"=J.     The  defective 


156  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

writing  is  like,  e.g.,  n^?,  Ps.  cxii.  7,  and  gives  no  authority  to 
prefer  "ili'i  =  "is'ip  (Böttcher).  That  ''?.^^,  corresponding  to  the 
plur.  "•n'lsri,  is  not  used,  arises  from  this,  that  nm  is  here  mani- 
festly not  a  word  without  connection,  but  a  sentence  of  motive, 
contents,  and  aim  united.  For  V:SN"7yj  the  meaning  of 
inj?zi  presents  itself  from  xv.  23,  according  to  which,  among  the 
old  interpreters,  Symmachus,  Jerome,  and  Luther  render  "  at 
its  time."  Abulwalid  compared  the  Arab,  äiffan  (äibban,  also 
^iffan,  whence  ^aly  ^ifanihi,  justo  tempore),  which,  as  Orelli  has 
shown  in  his  Si/non.  der  Zeithegriffe,  p.  21  f.,  comes  from  the 
roots  af  ah,  to  drive  (from  within)  going  out,  time  as  consisting 
of  individual  moments,  the  one  of  which  drives  on  the  other, 
and  thus  denotes  time  as  a  course  of  succession.  One  may  not 
hesitate  as  to  the  prep.  pV,  for  D"'JiN*  would,  like  niny,  denote  the 
circumstances,  the  relations  of  the  time,  and  ?V  would,  as  e.g.  in 
"•3  vy  and  ■'mi^'n'-'i^,  have  the  meaning  of  Kara.  But  the  form 
VJ2X,  which  like  1"'jSn,  Lev.  xvi.  12,  sounds  dualistic,  appears  to 
oppose  this.  Hitzig  supposes  that  D^J?^  may  designate  the  time 
as  a  circle,  with  reference  to  the  two  arches  projecting  in  oppo- 
site directions,  but  uniting  themselves  together;  but  the  circle 
which  time  describes  runs  out  from  one  point,  and,  moreover, 
the  Arab,  names  for  time  äfaf,  äifaf,  and  the  like,  which  inter- 
change with  äiffan,  show  that  this  does  not  proceed  from  the 
idea  of  circular  motion.  Ewald  and  others  take  for  VJQX  the 
meaning  of  wheels  (the  Venet.,  after  Kimchi,  eVt  rwv  Tpoyßiv 
avTi]<;),  whereby  the  form  is  to  be  interpreted  as  dual  of  )2i<  = 
|SiK,  "  a  word  driven  on  its  wheels," — so  Ewald  explains  :  as  the 
potter  quickly  and  neatly  forms  a  vessel  on  his  wheels,  thus  a 
fit  and  quickly  framed  word.  But  "im  signifies  to  drive  cattle 
and  to  speak  =  to  cause  words  to  follow  one  another  (cf.  Arab. 
sr/dk,  pressing  on  =  flow  of  words),  but  not  to  drive  =  to  fashion 
in  that  artisan  sense.  Otherwise  Böttcher,  "  a  word  fitly 
spoken,  a  pair  of  wheels  perfect  in  their  motion,"  to  which  he 
compares  the  common  people  "  in  their  jesting,"  and  adduces  all 
kinds  of  heterogeneous  things  partly  already  rejected  by  Orelli 
(e.g.  the  Homeric  einrpo'^dh'qv,  which  is  certainly  no  commen- 
dation). But  ''jesting"  is  not  appropriate  here;  for  what  man 
conceives  of  human  speech  as  a  carriage,  one  only  sometimes 
compares  that  of  a  babbler  to  a  sledge,  or  says  of  him  that  he 


CHAP.  XXV.  11.  157 

slioves  the  cart  into  the  mud.^  Is  it  then  thus  decided  that  VJSX 
is  a  dual?  It  may  be  also  like  1''7r^5  the  plur. especially  in  the 
adverbial  expression  before  us,  which  readily  carried  the  abbre- 
viation with  it  {viel.  Gesen.  Lehrgehr.  §  134,  Anni.  17).  On  this 
supposition,  Orelli  interprets  iSi<  from  |S5<,  to  turn,  in  the  sense 
of  turning  about,  circumstances,  and  reminds  of  this,  that  in  the 
post.-bibl.  Heb.  this  word  is  used  as  indefinitely  as  rpoiro^;,  e.g. 
riD  fSlxa,  quodammodo  (vkl.  Reland's  Analecta  Ralhinica,  1723, 
p.  126).  This  late  Talra.  usage  of  the  word  can,  indeed,  signify 
nothing  as  to  the  bibl.  word ;  but  that  Q"'^2iX,  abbreviated 
D^psx,  can  mean  circumstances,  is  warranted  by  the  synon. 
nniX.  Aquila  and  Theodotion  appear  to  have  thus  understood 
it,  for  their  eVl  dpfio^ovaiv  avTw,  which  they  substitute  for 
the  colourless  ovrcoii  of  the  LXX.,  signifies  :  under  the  circum- 
stances, in  accordance  therewith.  So  Orelli  thus  rightly 
defines :  "  D"'jas  denote  the  ä/iiuäl,  circumstances  and  conditions, 
as  they  form  themselves  in  each  turning  of  time,  and  those 
which  are  ascribed  to  -\21  by  the  suffix  are  those  to  which  it  is 
proper,  and  to  which  it  fits  in.  Consequently  a  word  is  com- 
mended which  is  spoken  whenever  the  precise  time  arrives  to 
which  it  is  adapted,  a  word  which  is  thus  spoken  at  its  time  as 
well  as  at  its  place  (van  Dyk,  fai/  maJiUah),  and  the  grace  of 
which  is  thereby  heightened."  Aben  Ezra's  explanation,  D''3D  f'jj 
D"'''1^«"l^,  in  the  approved  way,  follows  the  opinion  of  Abulwalid 
and  Parchon,  that  VJSi^  is  equivalent  to  VJD  (cf.  ali/  icajhihi,  sua 
ratione)^  which  is  only  so  far  true,  that  both  words  are  derived 
from  R.  |D,  to  turn.  In  the  figure,  it  is  questionable  whether 
by  2rir  "'H-iSri,  apples  of  gold,  or  gold-coloured  apples,  are  meant 
(Luther:  as  pomegranates  and  citrons);  thus  oranges  are 
meant,  as  at  Zech.  iv.  12.  3n|n  denotes  golden  oil.  Since 
fjoa,  besides,  signifies  a  metallic  substance,  one  appears  to  be 
under  the  necessity  of  thinking  of  apples  of  gold ;  cf.  the 
brazen  pomegranates.  But  (1)  apples  of  gold  of  natural  size 
and  massiveness  are  obviously  too  great  to  make  it  probable 
that   such  artistic  productions  are  meant ;  (2)  the  material  of 

^  It  is  something  different  when  the  weaver's  beam,  minwal  in  Arab.,  is 
metaph.  for  kind  and  manner  :  they  are  \ihj  minu-al  wuhad,  is  equivalent  tc 
they  are  of  a  like  calibre,  Arab,  kalih,  Avhich  is  derived  from  x-ooCwovs 
(xaXowoB/oi/),  a  shoemaker's  last. 


X 


/ 


158  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

the  emblem  is  usually  not  of  less  value  than  that  of  which  it  is 
the  emblem  (Fleischer)  ;  (3)  the  Scriptures  are  fond  of  com- 
paring words  with  flowers  and  fruits,  x.  31,  xii.  14,  xiii.  2, 
xviii.  20,  and  to  the  essence  of  the  word  which  is  rooted  in  the 
spirit,  and  buds  and  grows  up  to  maturity  through  the  mouth 
and  the  lips,  the  comparison  with  natural  fruits  corresponds 
better  in  any  case  than  with  artificial.  Thus,  then,  we  interpret 
"  golden  apples  "  as  the  poetic  name  for  oranges,  aurea  mala, 
the  Indian  name  of  which  with  reference  to  or  (gold)  was 
changed  into  the  French  name  orange,  as  our  pomeranze  is 
equivalent  to  pomum  aurantmm.  rii»2b'0  is  the  plur.  of  JT'Sb'öj 
already  explained,  xviii.  11 ;  the  word  is  connected  neither 
with  '^3t^♦,  to  twist,  wreathe  (Ewald,  with  most  Jewish  inter- 
preters--^),  nor  with  nab',  to  pierce,  infigere  (Redslob,  vid.  under 
Ps.  Ixxiii.  7)  ;  it  signifies  medal  or  ornament,  from  nab*,  to 
behold  (cf.  I^'^y',  Qea  =  öea/xa^  Isa.  ii.  6),  here  a  vessel  w^iiich  is 
a  deHght  to  the  eyes.  In  general  the  Venet.  rightly,  iv  fxapcpco- 
fxaa-Lv  äp'yvpov;  Symmachus  and  Theodotion,  more  in  accordance 
with  the  fundamental  idea,  iv  irepißkeTnoL^;  ap<^vpov ;  the  Syr. 
and  Targ.  specially  :  in  vessels  of  embossed  work  CI^J?,  from 
1J3,  to  draw,  to  extend)  ;  yet  more  specially  the  LXX.,  kv 
opfJbiaKw  aapSiov,  on  a  chain  of  cornelian  stone,  for  which,  per- 
haps, iv  cf)opfji,L(TKw  (Jäger)  äpyvpiov,  in  a  little  silver  basket, 
is  the  original  phrase.  Aquila,  after  Bereschith  ralha  c.  93, 
translates  by  fMrjXa  '^pvaov  iv  BcaKOL<;  äp<^v(^iov.  Jerome  :  in 
lectis  argenteisj  appears  to  have  fallen  into  the  error  of  taking  ajj'ö 
for  natJ'D,  lectiis.  Hitzig  here  emends  a  self-made  aira^  Xe<y. 
Luther's  "  golden  apples  in  silver  baskets"  is  to  be  preferred.^ 
A  piece  of  sculpture  which  represents  fruit  by  golden  little  disks 
or  points  within  groups  of  leaves  is  not  meant, — for  the  proverb 
does  not  speak  of  such  pretty  little  apples, — but  golden  oranges 
are  meant.    A  word  in  accordance  with  the  circumstances  which 

^  On  this  proceeds  also  the  beautiful  interpretation  by  ]\Iaimuni  in  the 
preface  to  More  Nebuchim:  Maskiyyotli  sont  des  ciselures  reticulaires,  etc., 
according  to  Munk's  translation  from  the  Arab,  text,  vid.  Kohut's  Pers. 
Pentateuch-  Vehers.  (1871),  p.  356.  Accordingly  Jewish  interpreters  {e.g. 
Elia  Wilna)  understand  under  VJQS  the  four  kinds  of  writing  :  lac'S,  TO"!, 
l>»1-n,  and  TiD,  w^hich  are  comprehended  under  the  memorial  word  DTlD- 

2  A  favourite  expression  of  Goethe's,  vid.  Biichmaun's  Geßiujelte  Worte, 
1688. 


CHAP.  XXV.  12.  159 

occasion  it,  is  like  golden  oranges  which  are  handed  round  in 
silver  salvers  or  on  silver  waiters.  Such  a  word  is,  as  adopting 
another  figure  we  might  say,  like  a  well-executed  picture,  and 
the  situation  into  which  it  appropriately  fits  is  like  its  elegant 
frame.  The  comparison  with  fruit  is,  however,  more  signifi- 
cant ;  it  designates  the  right  word  as  a  delightful  gift,  in  a  way 
which  heightens  its  impression  and  its  influences. 

Ver,  12.  Another  proverb  continues  the  commendation  of 
the  effective  word;  for  it  represents,  in  emblem,  the  inter- 
changeable relation  of  speaker  and  hearer  : 

A  golden  earring  and  an  ornament  of  fine  gold — 
A  wise  preacher  to  an  ear  that  heareth  ; 

i.e.,  as  the  former  two  ornaments  form  a  beautiful  ensemble,  so 
the  latter  two,  the  wise  pi'eacher  of  morality  and  an  attentive 
ear,  form  a  harmonious  whole  :  7y,  down  upon,  is  explained  by 
Deut.  xxxii.  2.  DT3,  at  xi.  12,  standing  along  with  ?1N3,  meant 
a  ring  for  the  nose ;  but  here,  as  elsewhere,  it  means  an  ear- 
ring (LXX.,  Jerome,  Venet.),  translated  by  the  Syr.  and  Targ. 
by  ^'^"Jpj  because  it  serves  as  a  talisman.  A  ring  for  the  nose^ 
cannot  also  be  here  thought  of,  because  this  ornament  is  an 
emblem  of  the  attentive  ear :  willingly  accepted  chastisement 
or  instruction  is  an  ear-ornament  to  him  who  hears  (Stier). 
But  the  gift  of  the  wise  preacher,  which  consists  in  rightly 
dividing  the  word  of  truth,  2  Tim.  ii.  15,  is  as  an  ornament  for 
the  neck  or  the  breast  v^.  (=  Arab,  khali/,  fem.  n^?n  =  hili/t), 
of  fine  gold  (003,  jewel,  then  particularly  precious  gold,  from 
Dri3,  Arab,  katam,  recondere)?    The  Venet.  well :  k6(7/xo<;  airvpo- 

^  Vid.  Geiger's  Zeitschrift,  1872,  pp.  45-48,  where  it  is  endeavoured  to 
be  shown  that  DT3i  as  an  earring,  is  rejected  from  the  later  biblical  litera- 
ture, because  it  liad  become  "  an  object  used  in  the  worship  of  idols,"  and 
that  the  word  was  used  only  of  a  ring  for  the  nose  as  a  permissible  orna- 
ment, while  yi]}  was  used  for  the  earring.  But  that  does  not  apply  to 
the  Solomonic  era ;  for  that,  in  the  passage  under  review,  DT3  signifies  a 
ring  for  the  nose,  is  only  a  supposition  of  Geiger's,  because  it  accords  with 
his  construction  of  history. 

2  Hitzig  compares  Arab,  kumet;  but  this  means  bayard,  as  Lagarde  re- 
marks, the  Greek  >c6j:co(,ido;;  and  if  by  ons  gold  foxes  (gold  money)  are  to  be 
thought  of,  yet  they  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  bayards  (red-brown 
horses)  ;  cf.  Boehnier,  de  colorum  nominibus  equinorum,  in  his  Roman.  Stud. 
Heft  2,  1872,  p.  285. 


160  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERDS. 

'^pvcrov  (fine  gold)  ;  on  tlie  contrary  (perhaps  in  want  of  another 
name  for  gold),  Dn3  is  translated,  by  the  LXX.  and  Syr.,  by 
sardine ;  by  the  Targ.,  by  emerald  ;  and  by  Jerome,  by  mar- 
garitum}  It  looks  well  when  two  stand  together,  the  one  of 
whom  has  golden  earrings,  and  the  other  wears  a  yet  more 
precious  golden  necklace — such  a  beautiful  mutual  relationship 
is  formed  by  a  wise  speaker  and  a  hearer  who  listens  to  his 
admonitions. 

Ver.  13.  The  following  comparative  tristich  refers  to  faithful 
service  rendered  by  words  : 

Like  the  coolness  of  snow  on  a  harvest  day- 
Is  a  faithful  messenger  to  them  that  send  him : 
He  refresheth  the  soul  of  his  master. 

The  coolness  (ns^*  from  \y^,  |3y,  to  be  cool)  of  snow  is  not  that 
of  a  fall  of  snow,  which  in  the  time  of  harvest  would  be  a 
calamity,  but  of  drink  cooled  with  snow,  which  was  brought 
from  Lebanon  or  elsewhere,  from  the  clefts  of  the  rocks ;  the 
peasants  of  Damascus  store  up  the  winter's  snow  in  a  cleft  of 
the  mountains,  and  convey  it  in  the  warm  months  to  Damascus 
and  the  coast  towns.  Such  a  refreshment  is  a  faithful 
messenger  (vid.  regarding  "'''V,  xiii.  17,  here  following  "»''Vi^  as 
a  kind  of  echo)  to  them  that  send  him  (vid.  regarding  this  plur. 
at  X.  26,  cf.  xxii.  21) ;  he  refreshes,  namely  (l  explicativum,  as 
e.g.  Ezek.  xviii.  19,  etenim  filius,  like  the  1  et  quidem,  Mai.  i. 
11,  different  from  the  1  of  conditional  clause  xxiii.  o),  the  soul 
of  his  master ;  for  the  answer  which  he  brings  to  his  master 
refreshes  him,  as  does  a  drink  of  snow-cooled  water  on  a  hot 
harvest  day. 

Ver.  14.  This  proverb  relates  to  the  word  which  promises 
much,  but  remains  unaccomplished  : 

Clouds  and  wind,  and  yet  no  rain — 

A  man  who  boastcth  with  a  false  gift. 

Incorrectly  the  LXX.  and  Targ.  refer  the  predicate  contained 
in  the  concluding  word  of  the  first  line  to  all  the  three  subjects  ; 
and  equally  incorrectly  Hitzig,  with  Heidenheim,  interprets 
"ip'ii^  nriDj  of  a  gift  that  has  been  received  of  which  one  boasts, 

1  Another  Greek  translates  -ttiuusi;  xp^avi.  This  'ttIuutic:  is  a  philological 
mystery,  the  solution  of  which  has  been  attempted  by  Bochart,  Letronne, 
and  Field. 


CHAP.  XXV.  15.  161 

although  It  is  in  reality  of  no  value,  because  by  a  lying  pro- 
mise a  gift  is  not  at  all  obtained.  But  as  D'^nD  nnf',  xxiii.  3,  is 
bread  which,  as  it  were,  deceives  him  who  eats  it,  so  -\p^  nn»  is 
a  gift  which  amounts  to  a  lie,  i.e.  a  deceitful  pretence.  Rightly 
Jerome  :  vir  gloriosiis  et  promissa  non  complens.  In  the  Arab. 
salid,  which  Fleischer  compares,  the  figure  14a  and  its  counter- 
part 14^»  are  amalgamated,  for  this  word  signifies  both  a  boaster 
and  a  cloud,  which  is,  as  it  were,  boastful,  which  thunders 
much,  but  rains  only  sparsely  or  not  at  all.  Similar  is  the 
Arab,  khidlab,  clouds  which  send  forth  lightning,  and  which 
thunder,  but  yet  give  no  rain  ;  we  say  to  one,  magno  promissor 
hiaht :  thou  art  (x4.rab.)  haharahn  hhdlahin^  i.e.  as  Lane  trans- 
lates it :  "  Thou  art  only  like  lightning  with  which  is  no  rain." 
Schultens  refers  to  this  proverbial  Arabic,  fulmen  niihis  in- 
fecundoe.  Liberality  is  called  (Arab.)  imdnay^  as  a  watering,  cf. 
xi.  25.  The  proverb  belongs  to  this  circle  of  figures.  It  is  a 
saying  of  the  German  peasants,  "  Wenn  es  sich  ivolket,  so  loill 
es  regnen'"'  [when  it  is  cloudy,  then  there  will  be  rain];  but 
according  to  another  saying,  '•^ nicht  alle  Wolken  regnen'^  [it  is 
not  every  cloud  that  yields  rain].  "  There  are  clouds  and 
wind  without  rain." 

Three  proverbs  follow,  which  have  this  in  common,  that  they 
exhort  to  moderation : 

Ver.  15  By  forbearance  is  a  judge  won  over, 

And  a  gentle  tongue  breaketh  the  bone. 
rVi^  {vid.  vi.  7)  does  not  denote  any  kind  of  distinguished 
person,  but  a  judge  or  a  person  occupying  a  high  official  posi- 
tion. And  nri3  does  not  here  mean,  to  talk  over  or  delude; 
but,  like  Jer.  xx.  7,  to  persuade,  to  win  over,  to  make  favour- 
able to  one  ;  for  D^3i<  "n"^>'  {vid.  xiv.  29)  is  dispassionate  calm- 
ness, not  breaking  out  into  wrath,  which  finally  makes  it 
manifest  that  he  who  has  become  the  object  of  accusation, 
suspicion,  or  of  disgrace,  is  one  who  nevertheless  has  right  on 
his  side ;  for  indecent,  boisterous  passion  injures  even  a  just 
cause ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  a  quiet,  composed,  thoughtful 
behaviour,  which  is  not  embarrassed  by  injustice,  either  ex- 
perienced or  threatened,  in  the  end  secures  a  decision  in  our 
favour.  "  Patience  overcomes  "  is  an  old  saying.  The  soft, 
gentle  tongue  (cf.  '^'],  xv.  1)  is  the  opposite  of  a  passionate,- 

VOL.    II.  L 


162  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

sharp,  coarse  one,  which  only  the  more  increases  the  resistance 
which  it  seeks  to  overcome.  "  Patience,"  says  a  German  pro- 
verb, "  breaks  iron  ; "  another  says,  "  Patience  is  stronger  than 
a  diamond."  So  here  :  a  gentle  tongue  breaketh  the  bone 
(D"]3  =  DVy,  as  at  xvii.  22),  it  softens  and  breaks  to  pieces  that 
which  is  hardest.  Sudden  anger  makes  the  evil  still  worse ; 
long-suffering,  on  the  contrary,  operates  convincingly  ;  cutting, 
immoderate  language,  embitters  and  drives  away  ;  gentle  words, 
on  the  contrary,  persuade,  if  not  immediately,  yet  by  this,  that 
they  remain  as  it  were  unchangeable. 

Ver.  16.  Another  way  of  showing  self-control : 
Hast  thou  found  honey?  eat  thy  enough, 
Lest  thou  be  surfeited  with  it,  and  vomit  it  up. 

Honey  is  pleasant,  salutary,  and  thus  to  be  eaten  sparingly, 
xxiv.  13,  but  ne  quid  nimis.  Too  much  is  unwholesome,  27a  : 
avTov  Kol  fieX.iTO<i  to  irKeov  earl  %o\?7,  i.e.  even  honey  enjoyed 
immoderately  is  as  bitter  as  gall;  or,  as  Freidank  says:  des 
honges  sileze  erdriiizet  so  mans  ze  viel  geniuzet  [the  sweetness  of 
honey  offends  when  one  partakes  too  much  of  it].  Eat  if  thou 
hast  found  any  in  the  forest  or  the  mountains,  ;IJ.1,  thy  enough 
(LXX.  TO  LKuvov ;  the  Venet.  to  apKovv  aoi),  i.e.  as  much  as 
appeases  thine  appetite,  that  thou  mayest  not  become  sur- 
feited and  vomit  it  out  (^ni^ipni  with  Tsere,  and  ii  quiesc,  as 
at  2  Sam.  xiv.  10  ;  vid.  Micldol  116a,  and  Parchon  under  Nip). 
Fleischer,  Ewald,  Hitzig,  and  others,  place  vers.  16  and  17 
together,  so  as  to  form  an  emblematic  tetrastich  ;  but  he  who 
is  surfeited  is  certainly,  in  ver.  16,  he  who  willingly  enjoys, 
and  in  17,  he  to  whom  it  is  given  to  enjoy  without  his  will ; 
and  is  not,  then,  ver.  16  a  sentence  complete  in  itself  in  mean- 
ing? That  it  is  not  to  be  understood  in  a  purely  dietetic 
sense  (although  thus  interpreted  it  is  a  rule  not  to  be  despised), 
is  self-evident.  As  one  can  suffer  injury  from  the  noblest  of 
food  if  he  overload  his  stomach  therewith,  so  in  the  sphere 
of  science,  instruction,  edification,  there  is  an  injurious  over- 
loading of  the  mind ;  we  ought  to  measure  what  we  receive  by 
our  spiritual  want,  the  right  distribution  of  enjoyment  and 
labour,  and  the  degree  of  our  ability  to  change  it  in  succum  et 
sanguinem, — else  it  at  last  awakens  in  us  dislike,  andi  becomes 
an  evil  to  us. 


CHAP.  XXV.  17,  18.  163 

Ver.  17.  This  proverb  is  of  a  kindred  character  to  the  fore- 
going. "  If  thy  comrade  eats  honey,"  says  an  Arabic  proverb 
quoted  by  Hitzig,  "  do  not  lick  it  all  up."  But  the  emblem  of 
honey  is  not  continued  in  this  verse : 

^Make  rare  thy  foot  in  tliy  neighbour's  house, 
Lest  he  be  satiated  with  thee,  and  hate  thee. 

To  make  one's  foot  rare  or  dear  from  a  neighbour's  house  is 
equivalent  to :  to  enter  it  seldom,  and  not  too  frequently  ;  "li^in 
includes  in  itself  the  idea  of  keeping  at  a  distance  (Targ. 
^?^1  'V.'?',  Symmachns,  vTToarecXov,  and  another:  (pl/jicocrov ttoBu 
(Tov),  and  IP  has  the  sense  of  the  Arab,  'an,  and  is  not  the  com- 
parative, as  at  Isa.  xiii.  12:  regard  thy  visit  dearer  than  the 
house  of  a  neighbour  (Heidenheim).  The  proverb  also  is 
significant  as  to  the  relation  of  friend  to  friend,  whose  reciprocal 
love  may  be  turned  into  hatred  by  too  much  intercourse  and 
too  great  fondness.  But  '^V."!  is  including  a  friend,  any  one  with 
whom  we  stand  in  any  kind  of  intercourse.  "Let  him  who 
seeks  to  be  of  esteem,"  says  a  German  proverb,  "  come  seldom  ;" 
and  that  may  be  said  with  reference  to  him  whom  his  heart 
draws  to  another,  and  also  to  him  who  would  be  of  use  to  another 
by  drawing  him  out  of  the  false  way  and  guiding  on  the  right 
path, — a  showing  of  esteem,  a  confirming  of  love  by  visiting, 
should  not  degenerate  into  forwardness  which  appears  as 
burdensome  servility,  as  indiscreet  self-enjoyment ;  nor  into  a 
restless  impetuosity,  which  seeks  at  once  to  gain  by  force  that 
which  one  should  allow  gradually  to  ripen. 

Vers.  18-22.  This  group  of  proverbs  has  the  word  J?1  in  each 
of  them,  connecting  them  together.  The  first  of  the  group 
represents  a  false  tongue  : 

Ver.  18  A  hammer,  and  a  sword,  and  a  sharp  arrow — 

A  man  that  beareth  false  witness  against  his  neiglibour. 

An  emblematic,  or,  as  we  might  also  say,  an  iconological  pro- 
verb ;  for  18a  is  a  quodlihet  of  instruments  of  murder,  and  ISZ» 
is  the  subscription  under  it :  that  which  these  weapons  of 
murder  accomplish,  is  done  to  his  neighbour  by  a  man  who 
bears  false  witness  against  him — he  ruins  his  estate,  takes  away 
his  honour,  but  yet  more :  he  murders  him,  at  one  time  more 
grossly,  at  another  time  with  more  refinement ;  at  one  time 
slowly,  at  another  time  more  quickly.    r?Pj  from  pa,  is  equiva- 


164  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

lent  to  Y^^,  and  T?'?  from  |'S3 ;  the  Syr.  and  Targ.  have  instead 
NJ/llö  (syna)  from  yis»  =  W? ;  the  word  «y''1|,  on  which  Hitzig 
builds  a  conjecture,  is  an  error  of  transcription  (vid.  Lagarde 
and  Levy).  The  expression,  185,  is  from  the  decalogue,  Ex. 
XX.  16;  Deut.  v.  17.  It  is  for  the  most  part  translated  the 
same  here  as  there :  he  who  speaks  against  his  neighbour  as  a 
false  witness.  But  rightly  the  LXX.,  Jerome,  the  Venet., 
and  Luther :  false  testimony.  As  b^  signifies  both  that  which 
is  mighty  =  power,  and  Him  who  is  mighty  =  God,  so  "IJ?  signifies 
both  him  who  bears  testimony  and  the  testimony  that  is  borne, 
properly  that  which  repeats  itself  and  thereby  strengthens  itself ; 
accordingly  we  say  ^i?  n^y,  to  give  testimony  in  reply, — viz.  to 
the  judge  who  asks, — or  generally  to  offer  testimony  (even 
unasked) ;  as  well  as  *iy?  '^^^,  Deut.  xxxi.  21,  i.e.  as  evidence 
(Jerome,  pro  testimonio).  The  prep.  3  with  this  njy  has 
always  the  meaning  of  contra,  also  at  1  Sam.  xii.  3 ;  Gen. 
XXX.  33  is,  however,  open  to  question. 

Ver.  19  A  worthless  tooth  and  an  unsteady  foot — 
Trust  in  a  faithless  man  in  the  day  of  need. 
The  form  ni;i  (with  Mercha  on  the  antepenult),  Isa.  xxix.  19, 
takes  the  place  of  an  inf.  absol. ;  nj?h  here  (about  the  tone 
syllable  of  which  Decid  does  not  decide,  thus  without  doubt 
Milra)  is  certainly  not  a  subst.  :  tooth  of  breaking  (Gesen.)  ; 
for  how  strange  such  a  designation  of  a  worthless  tooth !  \^  is 
indeed  mas.  in  1  Sam.  xiv.  5,  but  it  can  also  be  used  as  fem., 
as  <i"i.,  which  is  for  the  most  part  fem.,  also  occurs  as  mas., 
Böttch.  §  650.  Böttcher,  in  the  new  Aelirenlese,  and  in  the 
Lehrbuch,  takes  nyn  as  fern,  of  an  adj.  Vn,  after  the  form  bh  ; 
but  bh  is  not  an  adj.,  and  does  not  form  a  fem.,  although  it 
means  not  merely  profanity,  but  that  which  is  profane ;  this  is 
true  also  of  the  Aram.  b-,n ;  for  xn?W,  Esth.  ii.  9,  Targ.,  is  a 
female  name  mistaken  by  Buxtorf.  Are  we  then  to  read  i^VI, 
with  Hitzig,  after  the  LXX.  ? — an  imimportant  change.  We 
interpret  the  traditional  i^V^  with  Fleischer,  as  derived  from 
nyyi"),  from  VVp,  breaking  to  pieces  (crumbling),  in  an  intransi- 
tive sense.  The  form  ^^jno  is  also  difficult.  Böttcher  regards 
it  as  also,  e.g.  Aben  Ezra  after  the  example  of  Gecatilia  as 
part.  Kal.  =■  niJ^lD,  "  only  on  account  of  the  pausal  tone  and  the 
combination  of  the  two  letters  J?D  with  ü  instead  of  d."     But 


CHAP.  XXV.  20.  165 

this  vocal  change,  with  its  reasons,  is  merely  imaginary.  JTiyiiD 
is  the  part.  Paed,  with  the  preformative  ^  struck  out,  Ewald 
169<i.  The  objection  that  the  parL  Pual  should  be  ^yj^p,  after 
the  form  "lybö,  does  not  prove  anything  to  the  contrary ;  for 
rill/iö  cannot  be  the  fem.  so  as  not  to  coincide  with  the  fern,  of 
the  j^art.  Kal.^  cf.  besides  to  the  long  ü  the  form  without  the 
Dagesh  D^L^'i^V,  Eccles.  ix.  12  =  D^'i^^O  (Arnheim,  Gramm,  p. 
139).  nny^D  ?jn  is  a  leg  that  has  become  tottering,  trembling. 
He  who  in  a  time  of  need  makes  a  faithless  man  his  ground  of 
confidence,  is  like  one  who  seeks  to  bite  with  a  broken  tooth, 
and  which  he  finally  crushes,  and  one  who  supports  himself 
on  a  shaking  leg,  and  thus  stumbles  and  falls.  The  gen.  con- 
nection 1J12  nuno  signifies  either  the  ground  of  confidence 
consisting  in  a  faithless  man,  or  the  confidence  placed  in  one 
who  is  faithless.  But,  after  the  Masora,  we  are  to  read  here, 
as  at  Ps.  Ixv.  6,  nn3D,  which  Michlol  184a  also  confirms,  and 
as  it  is  also  found  in  the  Venice  1525,  Basel  1619,  and  in 
Norzi.  This  nüno  is  constr.  according  to  Kimchi,  notwith- 
standing the  Kametz ;  as  also  ^i^'^'p,  Ezra  viii.  30  (after  Abul- 
walid,  Kimchi,  and  Norzi).  In  this  passage  before  us,  nü3ö 
njin  may  signify  a  deceitful  ground  of  confidence  (cf.  Hab.  ii. 
5),  but  the  two  other  passages  present  a  genit.  connection  of 
the  words.  We  must  thus  suppose  that  the  —  of  nLinD  and 
7i?K^b,  in  these  three  passages,  is  regarded  as  fixed,  like  the  ä  of 
the  form  (Arab.)  mif'al. 

The  above  proverb,  which  connects  itself  with  ver.  18,  not 
only  by  the  sound  j;"i,  but  also  by  p,  which  is  assonant  with 
priT,  is  followed  by  another  with  the  catchword  yi : 

Ver.  20  He  that  layeth  aside  his  coat  on  a  day  of  frost,  vinegar  on 
nitre, 
And  he  who  -welcomes  -with  songs  a  dejected  heart. 

Is  not  this  intelligible,  sensible,  ingenious?  All  these  three 
things  are  wrong.  The  first  is  as  wrong  as  the  second,  and 
the  third,  which  the  proverb  has  in  view,  is  morally  wrong, 
for  one  ought  to  weep  with  those  that  weep,  Kom,  xii.  15 ;  he, 
on  the  contrary,  who  laughs  among  those  who  weep,  is,  on  the 
most  favourable  judgment,  a  fool.  That  which  is  wrong  in 
20a,  according  to  Böttcher  in  the  Aehrenlese,  1849,  consists  in 
this,  that  one  in  severe  cold  puts  on  a  fine  garment.     As  if 


166  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

there  were  not  garments  which  are  at  the  same  time  beautiful, 
and  keep  warm  !  In  the  new  Aehrenlese  he  prefers  the  reading 
na^^b  :  if  one  changes  his  coat.  But  that  surely  lie  might  well 
enough  do,  if  the  one  were  warmer  than  the  other !  Is  it  then 
impossible  that  ^1^^,  in  the  connection,  means  transire  faciens 
=  removens?  The  Kal  niy,  transiit,  occurs  at  Job  xxviii.  8. 
So  also,  in  the  poetic  style,  nnyn  might  be  used  in  the  sense  of 
the  Aram.  ''"^yx.  Riglitly  Aquila,  Symmachus,  Trepiaipcov ;  the 
Venet.  better,  a(j)aipovjiievo<i  (Mid.).  133  is  an  overcoat  or 
mantle,  so  called  from  covering,  as  tJ'^^?  (R.  37,  to  fasten,  fix), 
the  garment  lying  next  the  body,  vid.  at  Ps.  xxii.  19.  Thus, 
as  it  is  foolish  to  lay  off  upper  clothing  on  a  frosty  day,  so  it  is 
foolish  also  to  pour  vinegar  on  nitre ;  carbonic  acid  nitre, 
whether  it  be  mineral  (which  may  be  here  thought  of)  or 
vegetable,  is  dissolved  in  water,  and  serves  diverse  purposes  (vid. 
under  Isa.  i.  25)  ;  but  if  one  pours  vinegar  on  it,  it  is  destroyed. 
J^y3V  is,  at  xxvi.  23  and  elsewhere,  a  heart  morally  bad,  here 
a  heart  badly  disposed,  one  inclined  to  that  which  is  evil;  for 
T'ti'  T^  is  the  Contrast  of  Hi'^ip  Jjip^  and  always  the  consequence 
of  a  disposition  joyfully  excited;  the  inconsistency  lies  in  this, 
that  one  thinks  to  cheer  a  sorrowful  heart  by  merry  singing,  if 
the  singing  has  an  object,  and  is  not  much  more  the  reckless 
expression  of  an  animated  pleasure  in  view  of  the  sad  condition 
of  another.  ^V  "i"**^"  signifies,  as  at  Job  xxxiii.  27,  to  sing  to 
any  one,  to  address  him  in  singing;  cf.  ?y  I3"n,  Jer.  vi.  10,  and 
particularly  3^"^^,  Hos.  ii.  16 ;  Isa.  xl.  2.  The  3  of  n'-}^2  is 
neither  the  partitive,  ix.  5,  nor  the  transitive,  xx.  30,  but  the 
instrumental ;  for,  as  e.ff.  at  Ex.  vii.  20,  the  obj.  of  the  action  is 
thought  of  as  its  means  (Gesen.  §  138,  Anm.  3*)  ;  one  sings 
"  with  sono-s,"  for  definite  songs  underlie  his  singing.  The 
LXX.,  which  the  Syr.,  Targ.,  and  Jerome  more  or  less 
follow,  has  formed  from  this  proverb  one  quite  different:  "As 
vinegar  is  hurtful  to  a  wound,  so  an  injury  to  the  body  makes 
the  heart  sorrowful ;  as  the  moth  in  clothes,  and  the  worm  in 
wood,  so  the  sorrow  of  a  man  injures  his  heart."  The  wisdom 
of  this  pair  of  proverbs  is  not  worth  much,  and  after  all  inquiry 
little  or  nothing  comes  of  it.     The  Targ.  at  least  preserves  the 

1  The  writing  wavers  between  J)T3^  bv  (c^-  ^TDy  b^)  and  yn  3^"^y. 


CHAP.  XXV.  21,  22.  167 

figure  20b :  as  he  who  pours  vinegar  (Syr.  chalo)  on  nitre ;  the 
Peshito,  however,  and  here  and  there  also  the  Targum,  has 
jathro  (arrow-string)  instead  of  netliro  (nitre).  Hitzig  adopts 
this,  and  changes  the  tristich  into  the  distich  : 

He  that  meeteth  archers  with  arrow  on  the  string, 
Is  like  him  who  singeth  songs  with  a  sad  heart. 

The  Hebrew  of  this  proverb  of  Hitzig's  ("TT''^  '"^"IP  ^'''P)  is  un- 
hebraic,  the  meaning  dark  as  an  oracle,  and  its  moral  contents 
idl. 

Ver.  21  If  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him  with  bread  ; 

And  if  he  thirst,  give  him  water  to  drink. 
Ver.  22  For  thereby  thou  heapest  burning  coals  on  his  head, 

And  Jahve  will  recompense  it  to  thee. 

The  translation  of  this  proverb  by  the  LXX.  is  without  fault ; 
Paul  cites  therefrom  Rom.  xii.  20.  The  participial  construction 
of  22a,  the  LXX.,  rightly  estimating  it,  thus  renders  :  for, 
doing  this,  thou  shalt  heap  coals  on  his  head.  The  expression, 
"thou  shalt  heap"  (acopevaeL^),  is  also  appropriate;  for  nnn 
certainly  means  first  only  to  fetch  or  bring  fire  (vid.  vi.  27); 
but  here,  by  virtue  of  the  constructio  prcegnans  with  bv,  to  fetch, 
and  hence  to  heap  up, — to  pile  upon.  Burning  pain,  as  com- 
monly observed,  is  the  figure  of  burning  shame,  on  account  of 
undeserved  kindness  shown  by  an  enemy  (Fleischer).  But 
how  burning  coals  heaped  on  the  head  can  denote  burning 
shame,  is  not  to  be  perceived,  for  the  latter  is  a  burning  on  the 
cheeks ;  wherefore  Hitzig  and  Rosenmiiller  explain  :  thou  wilt 
thus  bring  on  him  the  greatest  pain,  and  appease  thy  ven- 
geance, while  at  the  same  time  Jahve  will  reward  thy  generosity. 
Now  we  say,  indeed,  that  he  who  rewards  evil  with  good  takes 
the  noblest  revenge  ;  but  if  this  doing  of  good  proceed  from  a 
revengeful  aim,  and  is  intended  sensibly  to  humble  an  adversary, 
then  it  loses  all  its  moral  worth,  and  is  changed  into  selfish, 
malicious  wickedness.  Must  the  proverb  then  be  understood  in 
this  ignoble  sense?  The  Scriptures  elsewhere  say  that  guilt 
and  punishment  are  laid  on  the  head  of  any  one  when  he  is 
made  to  experience  and  to  bear  them.  Chrysostom  and  others 
therefore  explain  after  Ps.  cxl.  10  and  similar  passages,  but 
thereby  the  proverb  is  morally  falsified,  and  ver.  22  accords 
with  ver.  21,  which  counsels  not  to  the  avenging  of  oneself. 


168  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

but  to  the  requital  of  evil  with  good.  The  burning  of  coals 
laid  on  the  head  must  be  a  painful  but  wholesome  consequence; 
it  is  a  figure  of  self-accusing  repentance  (Augustine,  Zöckler), 
for  the  producing  of  which  the  showing  of  good  to  an  enemy  is 
a  noble  motive.  That  God  rewards  such  magnanimity  may 
not  be  the  special  motive ;  but  this  view  might  contribute  to  it, 
for  otherwise  such  promises  of  God  as  Isa.  Iviii.  8-12  were 
without  moral  right.  The  proverb  also  requires  one  to  show 
himself  gentle  and  liberal  toward  a  needy  enemy,  and  present 
a  tw^ofold  reason  for  this :  first,  that  thereby  his  injustice  is 
brought  home  to  his  conscience ;  and,  secondly,  that  thus  God 
is  well-pleased  in  such  practical  love  toward  an  enemy,  and 
will  reward  it ; — by  such  conduct,  apart  from  the  performance 
of  a  law  grounded  in  our  moral  nature,  one  advances  the 
happiness  of  his  neighbour  and  his  own. 

The  next  group  of  proverbs  extends  from  ver.  23  to  ver.  28. 
Ver.  23  Wind  from  the  north  produceth  rain  ; 

And  a  secret  tongue  a  troubled  countenance. 

The  north  is  called  li^y,  from  i^v,  to  conceal,  from  the  firmament 
darkening  itself  for  a  longer  time,  and  more  easily,  like  the  old 
Persian  apalihtara,  as  (so  it  appears)  the  starless,  and,  like 
cujuilo,  the  north  wind,  as  bringing  forward  the  black  clouds. 
But  properly  the  "fathers  of  rain"  are,  in  Syria,  the  west 
and  the  south-west ;  and  so  little  can  ps^;  here  mean  the  pure 
north  wind,  that  Jerome,  who  knew  from  his  own  experi- 
ence the  changes  of  weather  in  Palestine,  helps  himself,  after 
Symmachus  (pLaXvec  ßpo-^yv),  with  a  quid  pro  quo  out  of  the 
difficulty :  ventus  aquilo  dissipat  pluvias;  the  Jewish  inter- 
preters (Aben  Ezra,  Joseph  Kimchi,  and  Meiri)  also  thus  ex- 
plain, for  they  connect  together  b^)r\n,  in  the  meaning  yjnn, 
with  the  unintelligible  ni'-'^n  (far  be  it !).  But  pav  may  also, 
perhaps  like  ^6(f)o<i  (Deutsch.  Morgenl.  Zeitsch.  -xxi.  600  f.), 
standing  not  without  connection  therewith,  denote  the  north- 
west ;  and  probably  the  proverb  emphasized  the  northern 
direction  of  the  compass,  because,  according  to  the  intention  of 
the  similitude,  he  seeks  to  designate  such  rain  as  is  associated 
with  raw,  icy-cold  weather,  as  the  north  wind  (xxvii.  16, 
LXX.,  Sir.  xliii.  20)  brings  along  with  it.  The  names  of 
the  winds  are  gen.  fan.,  e.g.  Isa.  xliii.  6.     ?)?.inn  (Aquila,  whivei; 


CHAP.  XXV.  24-26.  169 

cf.  viii.  24,  dihivrjOrjv)  has  in  Codd.,  e.g.  the  Jaman.,  the  tone  on 
the  penult,  and  with  Tsere  Metheg  {Thorath  Emeth,  p.  21) 
serving  as  moyn.  So  also  the  Arab,  nataj  is  used  of  the  wind, 
as  helping  the  birth  of  the  rain-clouds.  Manifestly  C)''pj;T3  D"'J3, 
countenances  manifesting  extreme  displeasure  (viel,  the  Kal  oyj, 
xxiv.  24),  are  compared  to  rain.  With  justice  Hitzig  renders 
D'']Q,  as  e.g.  John  ii.  6,  in  the  plur.  sense ;  because,  for  the  in- 
fluence which  the  tongue  slandering  in  secret  (Ps.  ci.  5)  has  on 
the  slandered,  the  "  sorrowful  countenance "  would  not  be  so 
characteristic  as  for  the  influence  which  it  exercises  on  the 
mutual  relationships  of  men:  the  secret  babbler,  the  confidential 
communication  throwing  suspicion,  now  on  this  one  and  now  on 
that  one,  behind  their  backs,  excites  men  against  one  another, 
so  that  one  shows  to  another  a  countenance  in  which  deep 
displeasure  and  suspicion  express  themselves. 

Ver.  24  Better  to  sit  on  the  top  of  a  roof, 

Than  a  quarrelsome  woman  and  a  house  in  common. 
A  repetition  of  xxi.  9. 

Ver.  25  Fresh  water  to  a  thirsty  soul ; 

And  good  news  from  a  far  country. 

Vid.  regarding  the  form  of  this  proverb,  vol.  i.  p.  9  ;  we  have  a 
similar  proverb  regarding  the  influence  of  good  news  at  xv.  30. 
Fresh  cold  w^ater  is  called  at  Jer.  xviii.  14  D*")!^  n^O  ;  vid..  re- 
garding ii^,  xviii.  27.  "  ^.'.y,  cogn.  ^^  and  fiiy,  properly  to  become 
darkened,  therefore  figuratively  like  (Arab.)  gushiya  ^alyli,  to 
become  faint,  to  become  feeble  unto  death,  of  the  darkness 
which  spreads  itself  over  the  eyes"  (Fleischer). 

This  proverb,  with  the  figure  of  "  fresh  water,"  is  now  fol- 
lowed by  one  with  the  figure  of  a  "  fountain  " : 

Ver.  26  A  troubled  fountain  and  a  ruined  spring — 
A  righteous  man  yielding  to  a  godless  man. 
For  the  most  part,  in  ÜO  one  thinks  of  a  yielding  in  conse- 
quence of  being  forced.  Thus  e.g.  Fleischer :  as  a  troubled 
ruined  spring  is  a  misfortune  for  the  people  who  drink  out 
of  it,  or  draw  from  it,  so  is  it  a  misfortune  for  the  surrounding 
of  the  righteous,  when  he  is  driven  from  his  dwelling  or  his 
possession  by  an  unrighteous  man.  And  it  is  true  :  the  right- 
eous can  be  compared  to  a  well  (pyo,  well-spring,  from  TV,  a 
well,  as  an  eye  of  the  earth,  and  "tip»,  fountain,  from  nip,  R.  np, 


170  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

"13,  to  round  out,  to  dig  out),  with  reference  to  the  blessing 
which  flows  from  it  to  its  surroundings  (cf.  x.  11  and  John 
vii.  38).  But  the  words  "  yielding  to  "  (contrast  "  stood  before," 
2  Kings  X.  4,  or  Josh.  vii.  12),  in  the  phrase  "yielding  to  the 
godless,"  may  be  understood  of  a  spontaneous  as  well  as  of  a 
constrained,  forced,  wavering  and  yielding,  as  the  expression 
in  the  Psalm  toi?3X"^3  [«on  movehor,  Ps.  x.  6]  affirms  the  certainty 
of  being  neither  inwardly  nor  outwardly  ever  moved  or  shaken. 
The  righteous  shall  stand  fast  and  strong  in  God  without  fear- 
ing the  godless  (Isa.  li.  12  f.),  unmoveable  and  firm  as  a  brazen 
Avail  (Jer.  i.  17  f.).  If,  however,  he  is  wearied  with  resistance, 
and  from  the  fear  of  man,  or  the  desire  to  please  man,  or  from 
a  false  love  of  peace  he  yields  before  it,  and  so  gives  way, — then 
he  becomes  like  to  a  troubled  fountain  (t^'?"],  cogn.  Don^  Ezek. 
xxxiv.  18  ;  Isa.  xli.  25  ;  Jerome :  fons  tiirbatiis  pede),  a  ruined 
spring;  his  character,  hitherto  pure,  is  now  corrupted  by  his 
own  guilt,  and  now  far  from  being  a  blessing  to  others,  his 
wavering  is  a  cause  of  sorrow  tc>  the  righteous,  and  an  offence 
to  the  weak — he  is  useful  no  longer,  but  only  injurious. 
Rightly  Lagarde :  "  The  verse,  one  of  the  most  profound  of 
the  whole  book,  does  not  speak  of  the  misfortune,  but  of  the 
fall  of  the  righteous,  whose  sin  compromises  the  holy  cause 
which  he  serves,  2  Sam.  xii.  14."  Thus  also  e.g.  Löwenstein, 
with  reference  to  the  proverb  Savhedrin  925  :  also  in  the  time  of 
danger  let  not  a  man  disown  his  honour.  Bachja,  in  his  Ethics, 
referring  to  this  figure,  26a,  thinks  of  the  possibility  of  restora- 
tion :  the  righteous  wavers  only  for  the  moment,  but  at  last  he 
comes  right  (n^iyi  Dl31?onD).  But  this  interpretation  of  the 
figure  destroys  the  point  of  the  proverb. 

Ver.  27.  This  verse,  as  it  stands,  is  scarcely  to  be  under- 
stood. The  Venet.  translates  27b  literally  :  epevvd  re  Bo^af 
avTMv  So^a ;  but  what  is  the  reference  of  this  D'ibZ)  ?  Euchel 
and  others  refer  it  to  men,  for  they  translate  :  "  to  set  a  limit 
to  the  glory  of  man  is  true  glory ; "  but  the  "  glory  of  man  " 
is  denoted  by  the  phrase  D^N*  lbs,  not  by  D^bs ;  and,  besides, 
"ipn  does  not  mean  measure  and  limit.  Oetinger  explains : 
"To  eat  too  much  honey  is  not  good;  whereas  the  searching 
after  their  glory,  viz.  of  pleasant  and  praiseworthy  things, 
which  are  likened  to  honey,  is  glory,  cannot  be  too  much  done, 


CHAP.  XXV.  27.  171 

and  is  never  without  utility  and  honour;"  but  how  can  D^jilS 
be  of  the  same  meaning  as  y^H  D'''i2Tn  133  or  ti'n'nzi  n''7Cb3n — 
such  an  abbreviation  of  the  expression  is  impossible.  Schultens, 
according  to  Rashi :  vestigatio  gravitatis  eorum  est  gravitus,  i.e. 
the  searching  out  of  their  difficulty  is  a  trouble;  better  Vitringa 
(since  1133  nowhere  occurs  in  this  sense  of  gravitas  molesta  ac 
•pondere  oppressura)  :  investigatio  prcestantice  eorum  est  gloriosa  ; 
but  Vitringa,  in  order  to  gain  a  connection  to  27a,  needs  to 
introduce  etiamsi,  and  in  both  explanations  the  reference  of  the 
0133  is  imaginary,  and  it  by  no  means  lies  near,  since  the 
Scripture  uses  the  word  1133  of  God,  and  His  kingdom  and 
name,  but  never  of  His  law  or  His  revelation.  This  also  is  an 
argument  against  Bertheau,  who  translates:  the  searcliingout 
of  their  glory  (viz.  of  the  divine  law  and  revelation)  is  a  burden, 
a  strenuous  occupation  of  the  mind,  since  "ipn  does  not  in  itself 
mean  searching  out,  and  is  equivocally,  even  unintelligibly, 
expressed,  since  1133  denotes,  it  is  true,  here  and  there,  a  great 
multitude,  but  never  a  burden  (as  133).  The  thought  which 
Jerome  finds  in  27b  :  qui  scrutator  est  majestatis  opprimetur  a 
gloria,  is  judicious,  and  connects  itself  synonym,  with  27a;  but 
such  a  thought  is  unwarranted,  for  he  disregards  the  suff.  of 
Dl'33j  and  renders  1133  in  the  sense  of  difficulty  (oppression). 
Or  should  it  perhaps  be  vocalized  D133  (Syr.,  Targ.,  Theodotion, 
BeBo^a(T/j.€va  =  011333)  ?  Thus  vocalized,  Umbreit  renders  it 
in  the  sense  of  honores  ;  Elster  and  Zöckler  in  the  sense  of 
d{ficultates  (dificilia)  i  but  this  plur.,  neither  the  biblical,  nor, 
so  far  as  I  know,  the  post-bibl.  usage  of  the  word  has  ever 
adopted.  However,  the  sense  of  the  proverb  which  Elster  and 
Zöckler  gain  is  certainly  that  which  is  aimed  at.  We  accord- 
ingly translate  : 

To  surfeit  oneself  in  eating  honey  is  not  good, 

But  as  an  inquirer  to  enter  on  what  is  difficult  is  honour. 

We  read  0133  instead  of  0133.  This  change  commends  itself 
far  more  than  11330  133  (ipm),  according  to  which  Gesenius 
explains  :  nimium  studium  honoris  est  sine  honore — impossible, 
for  1!?.n  does  not  signify  nimium  studium,  in  the  sense  of  striving, 
but  only  that  of  inquiry  :  one  strives  after  honour,  but  does 
not  study  it.  Hitzig  and  Ewald,  after  the  example  of  J.  D. 
Michaelis,  Arnoldi,  and  Ziegler,  betake  themselves  therefore  to 


172  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

the  Arabic ;  Ewald  explains,  for  he  leaves  the  text  unchanged: 
"  To  despise  their  honour  (that  is,  of  men)  is  honour  (true,  real 
honour)  ;  "  Hitzig,  for  he  changes  the  text  like  Gesenius  :  "  To 
despise  honour  is  more  than  honour,"  with  the  ingenious 
remark  :  To  obtain  an  order  [insigne  ordinis]  is  an  honour,  but 
not  to  wear  it  then  for  the  first  time  is  its  bouquet.  Nowhere 
any  trace  either  in  Hebrew  or  in  Aramaic  is  to  be  found  of  the 
verb  "ipn,  to  despise  (to  be  despised),  and  so  it  must  here  remain 
without  example.-^  Nor  have  we  any  need  of  it.  The  change 
of  dY23  into  0133  is  enough.  The  proverb  is  an  antithetic 
distich  ;  27a  warns  against  inordinate  longing  after  enjoyments, 
275  praises  earnest  labour.  Instead  of  Jlinnn  t'l'i,  if  honey  in 
the  mass  were  intended,  the  words  would  have  been  nnnn  K^iT 
(Eccles.  V.  11  ;  1  Kings  x.  10),  or  at  least  ^^'^.  rii3~in  (Amos 
iv.  9) ;  nimn  can  only  be  a  n.  actionis^  and  ^^^  ?3N  its  inverted 
object  (cf.  Jer.  ix.  4),  as  Böttcher  has  discerned  :  to  make  much 
of  the  eating  of  honey,  to  do  much  therein  is  not  good  (cf.  ver. 
16).  In  276  Luther  also  partly  hits  on  the  correct  rendering: 
"  and  he  who  searches  into  difficult  things,  to  him  it  is  too  diffi- 
cult," for  which  it  ought  to  be  said  :  to  him  it  is  an  honour. 
C)"]?3,  viz.  nnm,  signifies  difficult  things,  as  D'i?''"?.,  xii.  11,  vain 
things.  The  Heb.  1?3,  however,  never  means  difficult  to  be 
understood  or  comprehended  (although  more  modern  lexicons 
say  this),^  but  always  only  burdensome  and  heavy,  gravis,  not 
dißciUs.  0133  are  also  things  of  which  the  "i|^n,  i.e,  the  funda- 
mental searching  into  them  (xviii.  17,  xxv.  2  f.),  costs  an  earnest 
effort,  which  perhaps,  according  to  the  first  impression,  appears 
to  surpass  the  available  strength  (cf.  Ex.  xviii.  18).  To  overdo 
oneself  in  eating  honey  is  not  good  ;  on  the  contrary,  the  search- 
ing into  difficult  subjects  is  nothing  less  than  an  eating  of 
honey,  but  an  honour.  There  is  here  a  paronomasia.  Fleischer 
translates  it :  explorare  gravia  grave  est ;  but  we  render  grave 

1  The  Hebrew  meaning  nzvesf/^rctj-e,  and  the  equivalent  Arabic  liakr,  con- 
temnere  (contemtui  esse),  are  derivations  from  the  primary  meaning  (R. 
pn):  to  go  down  from  above  firmly  on  anything,  and  thus  to  press  in  (to 
cut  in),  or  also  to  press  downward. 

2  Cf.  Sir.  iii.  20  f.  with  Ben-Sira's  Heb.  text  in  my  Gesch.  der  jüd.  Poesie, 
p.  204  (vers.  30-32)  ;  nowhere  does  this  adj.  ^33  appear  here  in  this 
warning  against  meditating  over  the  transcendental. 


CHAP,  XXV.  28-XXVI.  I.  17.3 

est  not  in  the  sense  of  molestiam  creat,  but  gravitatem  parit 

(weight  =  respect,  honour). 

Ver.  28.  This  verse,  counselling  restraint  as  to  the  spirit,  is 

connected  with  the  foregoing,  which  counsels  to  self-control  as 

to  enjoyment : 

A  city  broken  through,  now  without  walls — 
A  man  without  self-control  over  his  spirit. 

A  "  city  broken  down  "  is  one  whose  wall  is  "  broken,"  2  Chron. 
xxxii.  5,  whether  it  has  met  with  breaches  (D''>n£)),  or  is  wholly- 
broken  ;  in  the  former  case  also  the  city  is  incapable  of  being 
defended,  and  it  is  all  one  as  if  it  had  no  wall.  Such  a  city  is 
like  a  man  "  who  hath  no  control  over  his  own  spirit "  (for  the 
accentuation  of  the  Heb.  words  here,  vid.  Thorath  Emeth, 
p.  10)  :  cujus  sphntui  nulla  cohihitio  (Schultens),  i.e.  qui  aiiimuni 
suum  cohibere  non  potest  (Fleischer :  "ivy,  R.  nv,  to  press  to- 
gether, to  oppress,  and  thereby  to  hold  back).  As  such  a 
city  can  be  plundered  and  laid  waste  without  trouble,  so  a  man 
who  knows  not  to  hold  in  check  his  desires  and  affections  is  in 
constant  danger  of  blindly  following  the  impulse  of  his  un- 
bridled sensuality,  and  of  being  hurried  forward  to  outbreaks  of 
passion,  and  thus  of  bringing  unhappiness  upon  himself.  There 
are  sensual  passions  {e.g.  drunkenness),  intellectual  (e.g.  ambi- 
tion), mingled  (e.g.  revenge)  ;  but  in  all  of  these  a  false  ego 
rules,  which,  instead  of  being  held  down  by  the  true  and  better 
ego,  rises  to  unbounded  supremacy.-^  Therefore  the  expression 
used  is  not  iE^'D:7,  but  in^p ;  desire  has  its  seat  in  the  soul,  but 
in  the  spirit  it  grows  into  passion,  which  in  the  root  of  all  its 
diversities  is  selfishness  (Psychol,  p.  199)  ;  self-control  is  accord- 
ingly the  ruling  of  the  spirit,  i.e.  the  restraining  (keeping 
down)  of  the  false  enslaved  ego-life  by  the  true  and  free,  and 
powerful  in  God  Himself. 

xxvi.  1.  There  now  follows  a  group  of  eleven  proverbs  of 
the  fool ;  only  the  first  of  the  group  has  after  it  a  proverb  of 
different  contents,  but  of  similar  form  : 

As  snow  in  summer,  and  rain  in  harvest ; 
So  honour  befitteth  not  a  fool. 

If  there  is  snow  in  high  summer  (Y^  to  be  glowing  hot),  it  is 

contrary  to  nature;  and  if  there  is  rain  in  harvest,  it  is  (accord- 

1  Vid.  Drbal's  Empirische  Psychologie,  §  137. 


174  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVERBS. 

ing  to  the  alternations  of  the  weather  in  Palestine)  contrary  to 
what  is  usually  the  case,  and  is  a  hindrance  to  the  ingathering 
of  the  fruits  of  the  field.  Even  so  a  fool  and  respect,  or  a  place 
of  honour,  are  incongruous  things  ;  honour  will  only  injure  him 
(as  according  to  xix.  10,  luxury)  ;  he  will  make  unjust  use  of  it, 
and  draw  false  conclusions  from  it ;  it  will  strengthen  him  in  his 
folly,  and  only  increase  it.  ^'l^<J  (=  "»^SJ)  is  the  adj.  to  the  P'd. 
m^p,  Ps.  xciii.  5  (plur.  ^1X3)  ;  nixj,  xix.  10,  and  niN3,  xvii.  7,  are 
also  masc.  and  fern,  of  the  adj.,  according  to  which,  that  which 
is  said  under  xix.  10  is  to  be  corrected.  Symmachus  and 
Theodotion  have  translated  ovic  eirpe^^ev,  and  have  therefore 
read  rijXJ.  The  root  word  is  ns3  (as  nnc^  to  njnji')=nj3,  to 
aim  at  something  (yid.  Hupfeld  under  Ps.  xxiii.  2). 

Ver.  2.  This  verse  is  formed  quite  in  the  same  way  as  the 
preceding : 

As  the  sparrow  in  its  fluttering,  as  the  swallow  in  its  flying, 

So  the  curse  that  is  groundless :  it  cometh  not. 

This  passage  is  one  of  those  fifteen  (vid.  under  Ps.  c.  3)  in 
which  the  N^  of  the  text  is  changed  by  the  Keri  into  17 ;  the 
Talm.,  Midrash,  and  Sohar  refer  this  Sh  partly  to  him  who  utters 
the  curse  himself,  against  whom  also,  if  he  is  a  judge,  such 
inconsiderate  cursing  becomes  an  accusation  by  God ;  partly  to 
him  who  is  cursed,  for  they  read  from  the  proverb  that  the 
curse  of  a  private  person  also  (t:inn,  IBicoTijii)  is  not  wont  to 
fall  to  the  ground,  and  that  therefore  one  ought  to  be  on  his 
guard  against  giving  any  occasion  for  it  (vid.  Norzi).  But 
Aben  Ezra  supposes  that  üb  and  1^  interchange,  as  much  as  to 
say  that  the  undeserved  curse  falls  on  him  (l^)  who  curses,  and 
does  not  fall  (i6)  on  him  who  is  cursed.  The  figures  in  2a 
harmonize  only  with  ti7,  according  to  which  the  LXX.,  the 
Syr.,  Targ.,  Veiiet.,  and  Luther  (against  Jerome)  translate,  for 
the  principal  matter,  that  the  sparrow  and  the  swallow,  although 
flying  out  (xxvii.  8),  return  home  again  to  their  nest  (Ralbag), 
would  be  left  out  of  view  in  the  comparison  by  17.  This 
emphasizes  the  fluttering  and  flying,  and  is  intended  to  affirm 
that  a  groundless  curse  is  a  "i^i.^^^  nnb,  aimless,  i.e.  a  thing 
hovering  in  the  air,  that  it  fails  and  does  not  take  effect.  Most 
interpreters  explain  the  two  Lameds  as  declaring  the  destination: 
ut  passer  (so.  natus  est)  ad  vagandum,  as  the  sparrow,  through 


CHAP.  XXVI.  3,  4.  175 

necessity  of  nature,  roves  about  .  .  .  (Fleischer).  But  from 
XXV.  3  it  is  evident  that  the  Lamed  in  both  cases  declares  tlie 
reference  or  the  point  of  comparison  :  as  the  sparrow  in  respect 
to  its  fluttering  about,  etc.  The  names  of  the  two  birds  are, 
according  to  Aben  Ezra,  like  dreams  without  a  meaning  ;  but 
the  Romanic  exposition  explains  rightly  "li^V  by  passereaitj  and 
"liiT  by  hirondelle,  for  "IIDV  (Arab,  hisfuior),  twitterer,  designates 
at  least  preferably  the  sparrow,  and  "iim  the  swallow,  from  its 
flight  shooting  straight  out,  as  it  were  radiating  (yid.  under  Ps. 
Ixxxiv.  4) ;  the  name  of  the  sparrow,  duri  (found  in  court- 
yards), which  Wetstein,  after  Saadia,  compares  to  nm,  is  ety- 
mologically  different.-^  Regarding  D3n,  vid.  under  xxiv.  28. 
Rightly  the  accentuation  separates  the  words  rendered,  "  so  the 
curse  undeserved  "  (ri?Pp,  after  Kimchi,  Micldol  Idb,  n^?i5),from 
those  which  follow ;  N^H  N7  is  the  explication  of  p :  thus 
hovering  iu  the  air  is  a  groundless  curse — it  does  not  come  (KU, 
like  e.g.  Josh.  xsi.  43).  After  this  proverb,  which  is  formed 
like  ver.  1,  the  series  now  returns  to  the  "  fool." 
Ver.  3  A  whip  for  the  horse,  a  bridle  for  the  ass, 
And  a  rod  for  the  back  of  fools. 

J.  D.  Michaelis  supposes  that  the  order  should  be  reversed: 
a  bridle  for  the  horse,  a  whip  for  the  ass ;  but  Arnold!  has 
here  discovered  the  figure  of  speech  merismus  (cf.  x.  1) ;  and 
Hitzig,  in  the  manner  of  the  division,  the  rhythmical  reason  of 
the  combination  (cf.  nan  DH  Di^  for  Dm  nD""  D'l^)  :  whip  and 
bridle  belong  to  both,  for  one  whips  a  horse  (Neh.  iii.  2)  and 
also  bridles  him ;  one  bridles  an  ass  (Ps.  xxxii.  9)  and  also  whips 
him  (Num.  xxii.  28  f.).  As  whip  and  bridle  are  both  service- 
able and  necessary,  so  also  serviceable  and  necessary  is  a  rod, 
^^'03  \ib,  X.  13,  xix.  29. 

Ver.  4  Answer  not  the  fool  according  to  his  folly, 
Lest  thou  thyself  also  become  like  unto  him. 

After,  or  according  to  his  folly,  is  here  equivalent  to  recognising 
the  foolish  supposition  and  the  foolish  object  of  his  question, 
and  thereupon  considering  it,  as  if,  e.g.,  he  asked  why  the 
ignorant  man  was  happier  than  the  man  who  had  much  know- 
ledge, or  how  one  may  acquire  the  art  of  making  gold ;  for  "a 
1  It  is  true  that  the  Gemara  to  Nefja'im,  xiv.  1,  explains  the  Mishnic  DnSX 
lin,  "house -birds,"  for  it  derives  niil  from  "in,  to  dwell. 


X76  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

fool  can  ask  more  than  ten  wise  men  can  answer."  He  who 
recognises  such  questions  as  justifiable,  and  thus  sanctions 
them,  places  himself  on  an  equality  with  the  fool,  and  easily 
himself  becomes  one.  The  proverb  that  follows  affirms  ap- 
parently the  direct  contrary : 

Ver.  5  Answer  the  fool  according  to  his  folly, 
Lest  he  regard  himself  as  wise. 

'''''??f'''.^y.  (with  MaMeph,  and  Gaja,  and  Chatep)  here  stands 
opposed  to  ^''03  lyrr^N.  The  Gospel  of  John,  e.g.  v.  31,  cf.  viii. 
31,^  is  rich  in  such  apparently  contradictory  sayings.  The  sic 
et  non  here  lying  before  us  is  easily  explained ;  after,  or  ac- 
cording to  his  folly,  is  this  second  time  equivalent  to,  as  is  due 
to  his  folly  :  decidedly  and  firmly  rejecting  it,  making  short 
work  with  it  (returning  a  sharp  answer),  and  promptly  replying 
in  a  way  fitted,  if  possible,  to  make  him  ashamed.  Thus  one 
helps  him,  perhaps,  to  self-knowledge ;  while,  in  the  contrary 
case,  one  gives  assistance  to  his  self-importance.  The  Talmud, 
Schahbath  306,  solves  the  contradiction  by  referring  ver.  4  to 
worldly  things,  and  ver.  5  to  religious  things ;  and  it  is  true  that, 
especially  in  the  latter  case,  the  answer  is  itself  a  duty  toward 
the  fool,  and  toward  the  truth.  Otherwise  the  Midrash :  one 
ought  not  to  answer  when  one  knows  the  fool  as  such,  and  to 
answer  when  he  does  not  so  know  him  ;  for  in  the  first  instance 
the  wise  man  would  dishonour  himself  by  the  answer,  in  the 
latter  case  he  would  give  to  him  who  asks  the  importance  ap- 
pertaining to  a  superior. 

Ver.  6  He  cutteth  off  the  feet,  he  drinketh  injury, 
Who  transacteth  business  by  a  fool. 

He  cutteth  off,  i.e.  his  own  feet,  as  we  say:  he  breaks  his 
neck,  il  se  casse  le  cou ;  Lat.  frangere  brachium,  crus,  coxam ; 
frangere  navem  (Fleischer).  He  thinks  to  supplement  his  own 
two  legs  by  those  of  the  messenger,  but  in  reality  he  cuts  them 
off ;  for  not  only  is  the  commission  not  carried  out,  but  it  is 
even  badly  carried  out,  so  that  instead  of  being  refreshed  (xiii. 

^  Thus  after  Ben  Asher ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  Ben  Naphtali  writes 
?^D3  npy  with  Munach,  vid.  Thoratli  Emeth,  p.  41. 

2  Vid.  my  dissertation  on  three  little-observed  passages  in  the  Gospel  of 
John,  and  their  practical  lessons,  in  the  Evang.  lutli.  Kirchenzeitung,  18G9, 
Nos.  37,  38. 


CHAP.  XXVI.  7.  177 

17,  XXV.  13)  by  the  quick,  faitliful  execution  of  it,  he  has  to 
swallow  nothing  but  damage ;  cf.  Job  xxxiv.  7,  where,  how- 
ever, drinking  scorn  is  meant  of  another  (LXX.),  not  his  own  ; 
on  the  contrary,  D^n  here  refers  to  injury  suffered  (as  if  it  were 
iD^n,  for  the  suff.  of  Don  is  for  the  most  part  objective)  ;  cf.  the 
similar  figures  x.  26.  So  T3  n^^,  to  accomplish  anything  by 
the  mediation  of  another,  cf.  Ex.  iv.  13;  with  "im  (Dnan), 
2  Sam.  XV.  36.  The  reading  nsrpD  (Jerome,  Luther,  claudus) 
is  unnecessary ;  since,  as  we  saw,  Hi'i^p  includes  it  in  the  sihi. 
The  Syr.  reads,  after  the  LXX.  (the  original  text  of  which 
was  etc  T(av  ttoSmv  eavrov),  '"'■fi?'?,  for  he  errs,  as  also  does  the 
Targumist,  in  thinking  that  r\)ipD  can  be  used  for  |*^;pO ;  but 
Hitzig  adopts  this  reading,  and  renders  :  "  from  the  end  of  the 
legs  he  swallows  injury  who  sends  messages  by  a  fool."  The 
end  of  the  legs  are  the  feet,  and  the  feet  are  those  of  the 
foolish  messenger.  The  proverb  in  this  form  does  not  want  in 
boldness,  but  the  wisdom  which  Hitzig  finds  in  it  is  certainly 
not  mother-wit.^  Böttcher,  on  his  part,  also  with  n)fi?0,  renders  : 
"  from  the  end  of  his  feet  he  drinks  in  that  which  is  bitter  .  .  ." 
— that  also  is  too  artificial,  and  is  unintelligible  without  the 
explanation  of  its  discoverer.  But  that  he  who  makes  a  fool 
his  messenger  becomes  himself  like  unto  one  who  cuts  off  his 
own  legs,  is  a  figure  altogether  excellent. 

Ver.  7  The  hanging  down  of  the  legs  of  a  lame  man  ; 
And  a  proverb  in  a  fool's  mouth. 

With  reference  to  the  obscure  Ivl,  the  following  views  have 
been  maintained  : — (1)  The  form  as  punctuated  appears  directly 
as  an  imperative.  Thus  the  LXX.  translate,  the  original  text 
of  which  is  here  :  a^ekov  iropeiav  kvXKwv  (conj.  Lagarde's)  koI 
irapoifilav  e'/c  aT6fjLaTo<;  a^povwv,  which  the  Syr.  (with  its 
imitator,  the  Targ.)  has  rendered  positively :  "  If  thou  canst 
give  the  power  of  (sound)  going  to  the  lame,  then  wilt  thou 
also  receive  (prudent)  words  from  the  mouth  of  a  fool."  Since 
Kimchi,  V'hl  has  been  regarded  by  many  as  the  softening  of  the 
Imp.  Piel  1^"^,  according  to  which  the  Venet.  translates :  eTrdpare 

1  The  Venet.  translates  nnb*  by  »vov;,  bo  ntob'  (the  post-bibl.  designa- 
tion of  a  fool) — one  of  the  many  indications  that  this  translator  is  a  Jew, 
and  as  such  is  not  confined  in  his  knowledge  of  language  only  to  the  bibl. 
Hebrew. 

VOL.  TI.  M 


178  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

KvrijjLa<i  '^coXov ;  and  Bertheau  and  Zöclder  explain :  always 
take  away  his  legs  from  the  lame,  since  they  are  in  reality 
useless  to  him,  just  as  a  proverb  in  the  mouth  of  the  fool  is 
useless, — something  that  without  loss  might  be  never  there." 
But  why  did  not  the  poet  write  ^t^'^li},  or  I'T'DH,  or  inp,  or  the 
like  ?  ""^I,  to  carry  away,  to  dispense  with,  is  Syriac  (Targ.  Jer. 
I.,  under  Deut.  xxxii.  50),  but  not  Hebrew.  And  how  mean- 
ingless is  this  expression !  A  lame  man  would  withstand  a 
surgeon  (as  he  would  a  murderer)  who  would  amputate  his 
legs ;  for  lame  legs  are  certainly  better  than  none,  especially 
since  there  is  a  great  distinction  between  a  lame  man  (nD3, 
from  HDSij  luxare;  cf.  (Arab.)  fasah,  laxare,  vid.  Schultens)  who 
halts  or  goes  on  crutches  (2  Sam.  iii.  29),  and  one  who  is 
maimed  (paralytic),  who  needs  to  be  carried.  It  comes  to  this, 
that  by  this  rendering  of  la  one  must,  as  a  consequence,  with 
the  LXX.,  regard  ^^^^  [and  a  proverb]  as  object,  accus, 
parallel  to  0]?'^  D^gs] ;  but  "  to  draw  a  proverb  from  one's 
mouth "  is,  after  xx.  5,  something  quite  different  from  to 
tear  a  proverb  away  from  him,  besides  which,  one  cannot  see 
how  it  is  to  be  caught.  Rather  one  would  prefer :  attollite 
crura  claudi  (iit  incedat,  et  iiildL  promovehitis) ;  but  the  jo  of 
riDSö  does  not  accord  with  this,  and  lb  does  not  connect  itself 
with  it.  But  the  explanation  :  "  take  away  the  legs  from  a 
lame  man  who  has  none,  at  least  none  to  use,  and  a  proverb  in 
the  mouth  of  fools,  when  there  is  none,"  is  shattered  against 
the  "  leg-taking-away,"  which  can  only  be  used  perhaps  of 
frogs'  legs.  (2)  Symmachus  translates  ;  i^eXcTrov  Kvrnxai  airo 
'^coXov;  and  Chajug  explains  VpT  as  3  pret.  Kal,  to  which 
Kimchi  adds  the  remark,  that  he  appears  to  have  found  w^, 
which  indeed  is  noted  by  Norzi  and  J.  H.  Michaelis  as  a 
variant.  But  the  INIasoretic  reading  is  vp'i,  and  this,  after 
Gesenius  and  Böttcher  (who  in  this,  without  any  reason,  sees 
an  Ephraimitic  form  of  uttering  the  word),  is  a  softened  varia- 
tion from  1?1.  Only  it  is  a  pity  that  this  softening,  while  it 
is  supported  by  cdiiis  =  aXko^,  folium  =  (pvWov,  faillir  =f allere^ 
and  the  like,  has  yet  not  a  single  Hebrew  or  Semitic  example 
in  its  favour.  (3)  Therefore  Ewald  finds,  "  all  things  con- 
sidered," that  it  is  best  to  read  Vp-n,  "  the  legs  are  too  loose  for 
the  lame  man  to  use  them."     But,  with  Dietrich,  we  cannot 


CHAP.  XXVI.  7.  179 

concur  in  this,  nor  in  the  more  appropriate  translation :  "  the 
legs  of  the  lame  hang  down  loose,"  to  say  nothing  of  the  clearly 
impossible :  "  high  are  the  legs  of  the  lame  (one  higher  than 
the  other),"  and  that  because  this  form  V?3  for  vpa  also  occurs 
without  pause,  Ps.  Ivii.  2,  Ixxlii.  2,  cxxii.  6,  Isa.  xxi.  12  ;  but 
although  thus,  as  at  Ps.  xxxvi.  9,  Ixviii.  32,  at  the  beginning  of 
a  clause,  yet  always  only  in  connection,  never  at  the  beginning 
of  an  address.  (4)  It  has  also  been  attempted  to  interpret  VPT 
as  abstr.,  e.g.  Euchel:  '•  he  learns  from  a  cripple  to  dance,  who 
seeks  to  learn  proverbs  from  the  mouth  of  a  fool."  D^i^t^  V?"l 
must  mean  the  lifting  up  of  the  legs  =  springing  and  dancing. 
Accordingly  Luther  translates : 

"  As  dancing  to  a  cripple, 
So  does  it  become  a  fool  to  speak  of  ■wisdom." 

The  thought  is  agreeable,  and  according  to  fact ;  but  these 
words  do  not  mean  dancing,  but  much  rather,  as  the  Arabic 
shows  (yid.  Schultens  at  xx.  5,  and  on  the  passage  before  us), 
a  limping,  waddling  walk,  like  that  of  ducks,  after  the 
manner  of  a  well  -  bucket  dangling  to  and  fro.  And  V?^, 
after  the  form  ^3p^,  would  be  an  unheard-of  Aramaism.  For 
forms  such  as  ^nb',  swimming,  and  vK',  security,  Ps.  xxx.  7,  on 
which  C.  B.  Michaelis  and  others  rest,  cannot  be  compared, 
since  they  are  modified  from  sachxo,  salw,  while  in  VpT  the  ü 
ending  must  be,  and  besides  the  Aramaic  VpT  must  in  st.  constr. 
be  nvp^.  Since  none  of  these  explanations  are  grammatically 
satisfactory,  and  besides  VpT  =  vp/n  =  'w\  gives  a  parallel  member 
which  is  heterogeneous  and  not  conformable  to  the  nature  of 
an  emblematical  proverb,  we  read  '''^T\  after  the  forms  ""^SV,  ^'^'P'^ 
(cf.  P^srij  vi.  10,  xxiv.  33),  and  this  signifies  loose,  hanging 
down,  from  HP'n,  to  hang  at  length  and  loosely  down,  or  transi- 
tively :  to  hang,  particularly  of  the  hanging  down  at  length  of 
the  bucket-rope,  and  of  the  bucket  itself,  to  draw  water  from 
the  well.  The  }D  is  similar  to  that  of  Job  xxviii.  4,  only  that 
here  the  connecting  of  the  hanging  down,  and  of  that  from 
which  it  hangs  down,  is  clear.  Were  we  to  express  the  purely 
nominally  expressed  emblematical  proverb  in  the  form  of  a 
comparative  one,  it  would  thus  stand  as  Fleischer  translates  it : 
%it  laxa  et  ßaccida  dependent  (torpent^  crura  a  claudo^  sic  sen- 
tentia  in  ore  stultorum  {sc.  torpet  h.  e.  inutilis  est).    The  fool  can 


180  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

as  little  make  use  of  an  intelligent  proverb,  or  moral  maxim 
{dictum  sententiosum),  as  a  lame  man  can  of  his  feet ;  the 
word,  which  in  itself  is  full  of  thought,  and  excellent,  becomes 
halting,  lame,  and  loose  in  his  mouth  (Schaltens :  deformiter 
Claudicat)  ;  it  has,  as  spoken  and  applied  by  him,  neither  hand 
nor  foot.  Strangely,  yet  without  missing  the  point,  Jerome  : 
quomodo  pidcras  frustra  habet  claudus  tibias,  sic  indecens  est  in 
ore  stidtorum  parabola.  The  lame  man  possibly  has  limbs  that 
appear  sound ;  but  when  he  seeks  to  walk,  they  fail  to  do  him 
service, — so  a  ban-mot  comes  forth  awkwardly  when  the  fool 
seeks  to  make  use  of  it.  Hitzig's  conjecture  :  as  leaping  of 
the  legs  on  the  part  of  a  lame  man  .  .  .,  Böttcher  has  already 
shown  sufficient  reasons  for  rejecting ;  leaping  on  the  part  of 
any  one,  for  the  leaping  of  any  one,  were  a  court  style  familiar 
to  no  poet. 

Ver.  8.  This  proverb  presents  to  us  a  new  difficulty. 

As  one  binds  a  stone  in  a  sling, 

So  is  he  -who  giveth  honour  to  a  fool. 

This  translation  is  warranted  by  tradition,  and  is  in  accordance 
with  the  actual  facts.  A  sling  is  elsewhere  called  V7\> ;  but  that 
no3"iD  also  in  the  passage  before  us  signifies  a  sling  (from 
DJ"i,  to  throw  with  stones  =  to  stone  or  to  throw  stones  =  to 
sling,  cf.  Targ.  Esth.  v.  14  Dn,  of  David's  slinging  stones 
against  Goliath),  is  supported  by  the  LXX.,  Syr.,  and  Targ.  on 
the  one  side,  and  the  Jewish  Glossists  on  the  other  (Rashi  : 
fronde^  \\.i\\.  frombola).  Eightly  the  LXX.  renders  "'i"'>"ri  as  a 
verb :  o)?  airohearfievei ;  on  the  contrary,  the  Syr.  and  Targ. 
regard  it  as  a  substantive  :  as  a  piece  of  stone  ;  but  "inx  as  a 
substantive  does  not  mean  a  piece,  as  one  would  put  into  a 
sling  to  use  as  a  weapon,  but  a  grain,  and  thus  a  little  piece, 
2  Sam.  xvii.  13  ;  cf.  Amos  ix.  9.  Erroneously  Ewald :  "  if 
one  binds  to  the  sling  the  stone  which  he  yet  seeks  to  throw, 
then  all  his  throwing  and  aiming  are  in  vain ;  so  it  is  in  vain 
to  give  to  a  fool  honour  which  does  not  reach  him."  If  one 
seeks  to  sling  a  stone,  he  must  lay  the  lapis  missilis  so  in  the 
sling  that  it  remains  firm  there,  and  goes  forth  only  by  the 
strong  force  of  the  slinging ;  this  fitting  in  (of  the  stone),  so 
that  it  does  not   of  itself  fall  out,  is  expressed  by  3  "inv  (cf. 


CHAP.  XXVI.  8.  181 

xxs.  4  ;  Job  xxvi.  8).  The  giving  is  compared  to  the  binding, 
the  stones  to  the  honour,  and  the  sling  to  the  fool :  the  fool  is 
related  to  the  honour  which  one  confers  on  him,  as  the  stone  to 
the  sling  in  which  one  lays  it — the  giving  of  honour  is  a  slinging 
of  honour.  Otherwise  (after  Kimchi)  the  Venet.  w?  avvSe(Tfji,oi 
\l6ov  iv  XLOdSL,  i.e.  as  Fleischer  translates :  ut  qui  crumenam 
gemmarum  pleiiain  in  acervum  lapidum  conjicit.  Thus  also 
Ralbag,  Ahron  b.  Josef,  and  others,  and  lastly  Zöckler.  The 
figure  is  in  the  form  of  an  address,  and  ^^P.^  (from  D^n, 
accicmulare,  congerere,  vid.  under  Ps.  Ixvii.  28)  might  certainly 
mean  the  heaping  of  stones.  But  15^  is  not  used  in  the  sense  of 
•T^i^^  1?^  (precious  stone)  ;  also  one  does  not  see  why  one  precious 
stone  is  not  enough  as  the  figure  of  honour,  and  a  whole  heap  is 
named  ;  but  in  the  third  place,  iriiJ  }3  requires  for  niiva  a  verbal 
signification.  Therefore  Jerome  translates:  siciit  qui  mittit 
lapldem  in  acervum  3Iercurii ;  in  this  the  echo  of  his  Jewish 
teacher,  for  the  Midrash  thus  explains  literally  :  every  one  who 
gives  honour  to  a  fool  is  like  one  who  throws  a  stone  on  a  heap 
of  stones  consecrated  to  Mercury.  Around  the  Hermes  {epfxai)^ 
i.e.  pillars  with  the  head  of  Mercury  {statues  mercuriules  or 
viales),  were  heaps  of  stones  (k'pfiaKe<;),  to  which  the  passer-by 
was  wont  to  throw  a  stone ;  it  was  a  mark  of  honour,  and 
served  at  the  same  time  to  improve  the  way,  whose  patron  was 
Mercurius  (D''b"ipiö).  It  is  self-evident  that  this  Grseco-Koman 
custom  to  which  the  Talm.  make  frequent  reference,  cannot  be 
supposed  to  have  existed  in  the  times  of  Solomon.  Luther 
translates  independently,  and  apparently  rendering  into  German 
that  in  acervum  Mercurii:  that  is  as  if  one  threw  a  precious 
stone  on  the  "  JRabenstein,''^  i.e.  the  heap  of  stones  raised  at  the 
foot  of  the  gallows.  This  heap  of  stones  is  more  natural  and 
suitable  to  the  times  of  Solomon  than  the  heap  of  stones  dedi- 
cated to  Mercury,  if,  like  Gussetius,  one  understands  nojiD  of 
a  heap  of  stones,  sujjj'a  corpus  lapidatum.  But  against  this 
and  similar  interpretations  it  is  enough  to  remark  that  lliva 
cannot  signify  sicut  qui  mittit.  Had  such  a  meaning  been 
intended,  the  word  would  have  been  ^''^^'l'?  or  "ily^P?.  Still 
different  is  the  rendering  of  Joseph  Kimchi,  Aben  Ezra,  and 
finally  Löwenstein  :  as  when  one  wraps  up  a  stone  in  a  piece  of 
purple  stuff.     But  I^P.^j  purple,  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  verb 


182  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

D5"J ;  it  is,  as  the  Aramaic  i)3"!SI  shows,  a  compound  word ;  the 
supposition  of  a  denom.  '"loa-iD  thus  proceeds  from  a  false 
etymological  supposition.  And  Hitzig's  combination  of  HDJID 
with  (Arab.)  munjam,  handle  and  beam  of  a  balance  (he  trans- 
lates :  as  a  stone  on  the  beam  of  a  balance,  i.e.  lies  on  it),  is 
nothing  but  refined  ingenuity,  since  we  have  no  need  at  all  of 
such  an  Arab,  word  for  a  satisfactory  clearing  up  of  nojiD. 
"We  abide  by  the  rendering  of  the  sling.  Böttcher  translates  : 
a  sling  that  scatters  ;  perhaps  nnjiD  in  reality  denotes  such  a 
sling  as  throws  many  stones  at  once.  Let  that,  however,  her 
as  it  may  :  that  he  who  confers  a  title  of  honour,  a  place  of 
honour,  and  the  like,  on  a  fool,  is  like  one  who  lays  a  stone  in  a 
sling,  is  a  true  and  intelligibly  formed  thought:  the  fool  makes 
the  honour  no  honour  ;  he  is  not  capable  of  maintaining  it ;  that 
which  is  conferred  on  him  is  uselessly  wasted. 

Ver.  9  A  thorn  goeth  into  the  hand  of  a  drunkard, 
And  a  proverb  in  a  fool's  mouth  ; 

i.e.,  if  a  proverb  falls  into  a  fool's  mouth,  it  is  as  if  a  thorn 
entered  into  the  hand  of  a  drunken  man ;  the  one  is  as  danger- 
ous as  the  other,  for  fools  misuse  such  a  proverb,  which,  rightly 
used,  instructs  and  improves,  only  to  the  wounding  and  grieving 
of  another,  as  a  drunken  man  makes  use  of  the  pointed  instrument 
which  he  has  possession  of  for  coarse  raillery,  and  as  a  welcome 
weapon  of  his  strife.  The  LXX.,  Syr.  (Targ.  ?),  and  Jerome 
interpret  "^V  in  the  sense  of  shooting  up,  i.e.  of  growing; ; 
Böttcher  also,  after  xxiv.  31  and  other  passages,  insists  that  the 
thorn  which  has  shot  up  may  be  one  that  has  not  grown  to  per- 
fection, and  therefore  not  dangerous.  But  thorns  grow  not  in 
the  hand  of  any  one  ;  and  one  also  does  not  perceive  why  the 
poet  should  speak  of  it  as  growing  in  the  hand  of  a  drunken 
man,  which  the  use  of  the  hand  with  it  would  only  make  worse. 
We  have  here  ''Ta  nbv,  i.e.  it  has  come  into  my  hand,  commonly 
used  in  the  3Iishna,  which  is  used  where  anything,  according  to 
intention,  falls  into  one's  hands,  as  well  as  where  it  comes  acci- 
dentally and  unsought  for,  e.g.  Nazir  23a,  SV2  T\\h]h  \X\'2T\IV}  ''Ö 
nPD  "ib'a  IT'n  Tbv\  y^n  "iba,  he  who  designs  to  obtain  swine's 
flesh  and  (accidentally)  obtains  lamb's  flesh.  Thus  rightly 
Heidenheim,  Löwenstein,  and   the    Venet.:  uKavOa   aveßr]   ek 


CHAP.  XXVI.  9.  183 

'Xeipa  fxe6vovTo<i.  H^n  signifies  a  thorn  bush,  2  Kings  xiv.  9/ 
as  well  as  a  thorn,  Song  ii.  2,  but  where  not  the  thorns  of  the 
rose,  and  indeed  no  rose  at  all,  is  meant.  Luther  thinks  of  the 
rose  with  the  thorn  when  he  explains:  "When  a  drunkard  carries 
and  brandishes  in  his  hand  a  thorn  bush,  he  scratches  more  with 
it  than  allows  the  roses  to  be  smelled — so  a  fool  with  the 
Scriptures,  or  a  right  saying,  often  does  more  harm  than  good." 
This  paraphrase  of  Luther's  interprets  T*!  npy  more  correctly 
than  his  translation  does ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  latter  more 
correctly  is  satisfied  with  a  thorn  twig  (as  a  thorn  twig  which 
pierces  into  the  hand  of  a  drunken  man)  ;  the  roses  are,  however, 
assumed  contrary  to  the  text.  This  holds  good  also  against 
Wessely's  explanation  :  "  the  Mashal  is  like  a  rose  not  without 
thorns,  but  in  the  mouth  of  a  fool  is  like  a  thorn  without  a 
rose,  as  when  a  drunken  man  seeks  to  pluck  roses  and  gains  by 
his  effort  nothing  but  being  pierced  by  thorns."  The  idea  of 
roses  is  to  be  rejected,  because  at  the  time  when  this  proverb 
was  formed  there  were  no  roses  in  Palestine.  The  proverb 
certainly  means  that  a  right  Mashal,  i.e.  an  ingenious  excellent 
maxim,  is  something  more  and  better  than  a  nin  (the  prick  as  of 
the  Jewish  thorn,  Zizyphus  vulgaris,  or  the  Christus-i\\oYn,  the 
Ziz.  spina  Christi)  ;  but  in  the  mouth  of  a  fool  such  a  maxim 
becomes  only  a  useless  and  a  hurtful  thing  ;  for  the  fool  so  makes 
use  of  it,  that  he  only  embarrasses  others  and  recklessly  does 
injury  to  them.  The  LXX.  translates  ^SJ'D  by  BovXeta,  and 
the  Aram,  by  NWtpö' ;  how  the  latter  reached  this  ''folly"  is 
rot  apparent;  but  the  LXX.  vocalized  ^^'^,  according  to  which 
Hitzig,  at  the  same  time  changing  "ii3^  into  "i^^b',  translates : 
"  thorns  shoot  up  by  the  hand  of  the  hireling,  and  tyranny  by 
the  mouth  of  fools."  Although  a  hired  labourer,  yet,  on  this 
account,  he  is  not  devoid  of  conscience;  thus  9a  so  corrected  has 
something  in  its  favour :  one  ought,  as  far  as  possible,  to  do 
all  with  his  own  hand;  but  the  thought  in  9b  is  far-fetched,  and 
if  Plitzig  explains  that  want  of  judgment  in  the  state  councils 
creates  despotism,  so,  on  the  other  hand,  xxiv.  7  says  that  the  fool 
cannot  give  counsel  in  the  gate,  and  therefore  he  holds  his  mouth. 
'  The  plur.  QTiin,  1  Sam.  xiii.  6,  signifies  not  thorn  bushes,  but  rock- 
splitting  ;  in  Damascus,  chocha  means  a  little  gate  in  the  -wing  of  a  large 
door ;  viel.  TVetstein's  JSordaralien,  p.  23. 


184  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Ver.  10.  All  that  we  have  hitherto  read  is  surpassed  in  6h- 
scurity  by  this  proverb,  which  is  here  connected  because  of  the 
resemblance  of  "lati'l  to  "iDtJ'.  We  translate  it  thus,  vocalizino- 
differently  only  one  word  : 

Much  bringeth  forth  from  itself  all ; 

But  the  reward  and  the  hirer  of  the  fool  pass  away. 

The  LXX.  translates  iroWa  '^eifjud^erac  iräcra  crap^  acppovcov 
(all  the  flesh  of  fools  suffers  much),  a-vvTpLß/jaerat  jap  rj 
eKo-raaL'i  avrcav,  which  is  in  Hebrew  : 

An  unfortunate  attempt  so  to  rectify  the  words  that  some 
meaning  might  be  extracted  from  them.  The  first  line  of  this 
translation  has  been  adopted  by  the  Syr.  and  Targ.,  omitting 
only  the  b,  in  which  the  self-condemnation  of  this  deciphering 
lies  (for  "ib*!  b  means  elsewhere,  humanity,  not  the  whole  body 
of  each  individual)  ;  but  they  translate  the  second  line  as  if  the 
words  were : 

i.e.,  and  the  drunken  man  sails  over  the  sea  (nn^i?  is  separated 
into  D""  -i3y,  as  nnpaa,  Amos  vi.  12,  is  to  be  separated  into 
DJ  "ii^3?) ;  but  what  does  that  mean  ?  Does  it  mean  that  to  a 
drunkard  (but  113^,  the  drunken  man,  and  not  N2b,  the 
drunkard,  is  used)  nothing  remains  but  to  wander  over  the 
sea?  or  that  the  drunken  man  lets  his  imagination  wander 
away  over  the  sea,  while  he  neglects  the  obligation  that  lies 
upon  him  ?  Symmachus  and  Theodotion,  with  the  Midrash 
(Rashi)  and  Saadia  (Kimchi),  take  "i3i:>  in  106  =  "iJD  (like  Isa. 
xix.  10,  "i3i^  =  embankment,  cf.  p3P,  Kelhn,  xxiii.  5);  the 
former  translates  by  koI  0  ^pdcrcroov  ä(ppova  epL^pdaaei  ra? 
opja^  auTov,  the  latter  by  Koi  (pipboiv  ä(j)pova  ^ipiol  '^oKov^j 
yielding  to  the  imagination  that  ^n^y,  like  '^^^'^V,  may  be  the 
plur.  of  »T^^y,  anger.  Jerome  punctuates  21  as,  xxv.  8,  2"!,  and 
interprets,  as  Symmachus  and  Theodotion,  13CJ'  both  times  = 
lib,  translating:  Judicium  determinat  causas,  et  qui  imponit 
stulto  silentium  iras  miligat ;  but  31  does  not  mean  judicium^ 
nor  hh'^n'O  determinat,  nor  73  causas.  As  Gussetius,  so  also 
Ralbag  (in  the  first  of  his  three   explanations),  Meiri,  Elia 


CHAP.  XXVI.  10.  185 

"VYilna  interpret  the  proverb  as  a  declaration  regarding  quarrel- 
some persons  :  he  causeth  woe  to  all,  and  hireth  fools,  hireth 
transgressors,  for  his  companions ;  but  in  that  case  we  must 
read  3^  ^^r  3"} ;  7?)^^,  bringing  woe,  would  be  either  the  Po.  of 
??n,  to  bore  through,  or  Pilel  of  P''n  (b^n),  to  put  into  distress 
(as  with  pangs)  ;  but  Q'^^jj,  transgressors  =  sinners,  is  contrary 
to  the  O.  T.  usus  loq.^  xxii.  3  (xxvii.  12)  is  falsely  cited  in  its 
favour;  besides,  for  3^  there  should  have  been  at  least  Ht  JT'^X, 
and  why  "lib»"!  is  repeated  remains  inexplicable.  Others  take 
fja-^hnö  as  the  name  of  God,  the  creator  of  all  men  and  things ; 
and  truly  this  is  the  nearest  impression  of  these  two  words,  for 
??in  is  the  usual  designation  for  divine  production,  e.g.  Ps. 
xc.  2.  Accordingly  Kimchi  explains :  The  Lord  is  the  creator 
of  all,  and  He  gives  to  fools  and  to  transgressors  their  main- 
tenance ;  but  ^''l^j?,  transgressors,  is  Mishnic,  not  bibl. ;  and 
13b'  means  to  hire,  but  not  to  supply  with  food.  The  proverb 
is  thus  incapable  of  presenting  a  thought  like  Matt.  v.  45  (He 
maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good).  Others 
translate :  "  The  Lord  is  creator  of  all,  and  takes  fools,  takes 
idlers,  into  His  service."  Thus  rendered,  the  proverb  is  offen- 
sive; wherefore  Rashi,  Moses  Kimchi,  Arama,  and  others 
regard  the  Mashal  as  in  the  mouth  of  fools,  and  thus  they 
take  vers.  9  and  10  together  as  a  tetrastich.  Certainly  this 
second  collection  of  proverbs  contains  also  tetrastiches ;  but  vers. 
9  and  10  cannot  be  regarded  as  together  forming  a  tetrastich, 
because  3"i  (which  is  valid  against  Kimchi  also)  cannot  mean 
God  the  Lord :  3"},  Lord,  is  unheard  of  in  bibl.  Heb.,  and  at 
least  the  word  3nn  must  be  used  for  God.  The  Venet.  on  this 
account  does  not  follow  Kimchi,  but  translates,  "Ap^d^v  TrXdrret 
iravra^  koX  fiiaOovraL  fioopov  koX  fiiadovrai  o)?  7rapaßdTr}<i 
(ought  to  have  been  irapaßdra'i)  ;  but  who  could  this  cunning 
man  be?  Perhaps  the  Venet.  is  to  be  understood,  after  Geca- 
tilia  (in  Rashi) :  a  great  (rich)  man  performs  all  manner  of 
things ;  but  if  he  hires  a  fool,  it  is  as  if  he  hired  the  first  best 
who  pass  along  the  way.  But  that  ^Pin  is  used  in  the  general 
sense  of  to  execute,  to  perform,  is  without  example,  and  im- 
probable. Also  the  explanation :  a  ruler  brings  grief,  i.e. 
severe  oppression,  upon  all  (Abulwalld,  Immanuel,  Aben  Ezra, 
who,  in  his  smaller  grammar,  explains  3"i  =  3T  after  Isa.  xlix.  9  ; 


186  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

C.  B.  Micliaells :  dolore  afficit  omnes),  does  not  recommend 
itself;  for  ^bin,  whether  it  be  from  bbn,  Isa.  li.  9  (to  bore 
through),  or  from  TTI,  Ps.  xxix.  9  (to  bring  on  the  pangs  of 
birth),  is  too  strong  a  word  for  hurting ;  also  the  clause,  thus 
generally  understood,  is  fortunately  untrue.  Translated  as  by 
Euchel :  "  the  prominent  persons  destroy  all ;  they  keep  fools 
in  pay,  and  favour  vagabonds," — it  sounds  as  if  it  had  been 
picked  up  in  an  assembly  of  democrats.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  proverb,  as  translated  by  Luther : 

A  good  master  maketh  a  thing  right ; 

But  he  who  hireth  a  bungler,  by  him  it  is  spoiled, 

is  worthy  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs.  The  second  line  is  here 
freely  rendered,  but  it  is  also  appropriate,  if  we  abide  closer  by 
the  words  of  the  text,  in  this  connection.  Fleischer:  Magister 
{artifex  peritus)  effingit  omnia  (i.e.  bene  perficit  qucecunque  ei 
committimtur)  ;  qui  autem  stultum  conducit,  conducit  transeuntes 
(i.e.  idem  facit  ac  si  homines  ignotos  et  forte  transeuntes  ad  opus 
gravius  et  diß.cilius  conduceret).  Thus  also  Gesenius,  Böttcher, 
and  others,  who  all,  as  Gecatilia  above,  explain  Ciny,  rov'i 
Tv^ovTa'^,  the  first  best.  But  we  are  reluctantly  constrained  to 
object  to  this  thought,  because  3"i  nowhere  in  bibl.  Hebrew 
signifies  a  master;  and  the  1  of  the  second  "I3bl  cannot  bear 
that  rendering,  ac  si.  And  if  we  leave  it  out,  we  nevertheless 
encounter  a  difficulty  in  ^?in,  which  cannot  be  used  of  human 
production.  Many  Christian  interpreters  (Cocceius,  Schultens, 
Schelling,  Ewald,  Bertheau,  Stier,  Zöckler)  give  to  m  a  mean- 
ing which  is  found  in  no  Jewish  interpreter,  viz.  Sagittarius, 
from  yy]  (^^1)5  Gen.  xlix.  23  (and  perhaps  Ps.  xviii.  15),  after 
the  forms  1V,  "itr,  the  plur.  of  which,  D""!!"!,  is  found  at  Job  xvi. 
13,  Jer.  1.  29,  but  in  a  connection  which  removes  all  doubt 
from  the  meaning  of  the  word.  Here  also  y\  may  be  more 
closely  defined  by  '•■^ino ;  but  how  then  does  the  proverb  stand  ? 
"  an  archer  who  wounds  everything,  and  he  who  hires  a  fool, 
and  hires  passers-by "  (Ewald :  street-runners),  i.e.  they  are 
alike.  But  if  the  archer  piercing  everything  is  a  comic 
Hercules  furens,  then,  in  order  to  discover  the  resemblance 
between  the  three,  there  is  need  of  a  portion  of  ingenuity,  such 
as  is  only  particularly  assigned  to  the  favoured.     But  it  is  also 


CHAP.  XXVL  11.  187 

against  tlie  form  and  the  usage  of  the  wort!  to  interpret  D''l2y 
simply  of  rogues  and  vagabonds.  Several  interpreters  have 
supposed  that  m  and  ^2  must  stand  in  a  certain  interchange- 
able relation  to  each  other.  Thus,  e.g.,  Ahron  b.  Josef : 
"  Much  makes  amazement  to  all,  but  especially  one  who  hires 
a  fool.  .  .  ."  But  this  "especially"  (before  all)  is  an  expression 
smuggled  in.  Agreeing  with  Umbreit  and  Plitzig,  we  trans- 
late line  first ;  but  in  translating  line  second,  we  follow  our 
own  method : 

Much  bringeth  all  out  of  it ; 
i.e.,  where  there  is  much,  then  one  has  it  in  his  power,  if  he 
begins  right,  to  undertake  everything.  2"]  has  by  bb  the  defini- 
tion of  a  neuter,  so  as  to  designate  not  only  many  men.  Ex, 
xix.  21,  but  also  much  ability  in  a  pecuniary  and  facultative 
sense  (cf.  the  subst.  y},  Isa.  Ixiii.  7;  Ps.  cxlv.  7);  and  of  the 
much  which  bringeth  forth  all  out  of  itself,  effects  all  by  itself, 
^pin  with  equal  right  might  be  used,  as  xxv.  23,  of  the  north 
wind.     The  antithesis  106  takes  this  form  : 

But  the  reward  (read  "lab'O  ^°d  the  master  (who  hires  him  for 
wages)  of  the  fool  pass  away, 

i.e.  perish  ;  ^''l^'y,  as  if  "^^V,  is  used  of  chaff,  Isa.  xxix.  5  ;  of 
stubble,  Jer.  xiii,  24  ;  of  shadow,  Ps.  cxliv.  4.  That  which  the 
fool  gains  passes  away,  for  he  squanders  it ;  and  he  who  took 
him  into  his  service  for  wages  is  ruined  along  with  him,  for  his 
work  is  only  pernicious,  not  useful.  Although  he  who  pos- 
sesses much,  and  has  great  ability,  may  be  able  to  effect  every- 
thing of  himself,  yet  that  is  not  the  case  when  he  makes  use  of 
the  assistance  therein  of  foolish  men,  who  not  only  do  not 
accomplish  anything,  but,  on  the  contrary,  destroy  everything, 
and  are  only  ruinous  to  him  who,  with  good  intention,  associates 
them  with  himself  in  his  work.  That  the  word  must  be  more 
accurately  "^^^^  instead  of  i"'2b"i,  one  may  not  object,  since 
"labl  is  perfectly  unambiguous,  and  is  manifestly  the  object. 
Ver.  11.  The  series  of  proverbs  regarding  fools  is  continued  : 

Like  a  dog  Avhich  returneth  to  his  vomit, 
Is  a  fool  who  Cometh  again  with  his  folly. 

yf  is  like  Hiic^,  particip. ;  only  if  the  punctuation  were  3^33, 
ought    "  which   returneth   to   his   vomit "    to    be   taken    as   a 


188  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

relative  clause  (vid.  under  Ps.  xxxviii.  14).  Regarding  bv  as 
designating  the  terminus  quo  with  verbs  of  motions,  vid.  Köhler 
under  Mai.  iii.  24.  On  i^\?.  =  N'i?,  cf.  xxlii.  8.  Luther  rightly  : 
as  a  dog  devours  again  his  vomit.  The  LXX.  translate  :  coa-Trep 
Kvcov  orav  iTrekOrj  evrt  rov  eavrov  eixerov ;  the  reference  in 
2  Pet.  ii.  22  :  kvwv  kiria-Tpe-^a'i  eirl  to  iSlov  i^epafjua,  is  thus 
not  from  the  LXX. ;  the  Venet.  is  not  connected  with  this  N.  T. 
citation,  but  with  the  LXX.,  if  its  accordance  with  it  is  not 
merely  accidental.  To  devour  again  its  vomit  is  common  with 
the  dog.^  Even  so,  it  is  the  manner  of  fools  to  return  again 
in  word  and  in  deed  to  their  past  folly  (vid.  regarding  ny\i^ 
with  2  of  the  object,  xvii.  9);  as  an  Aram,  popular  saying  has 
it :  the  fool  always  falls  back  upon  his  foolish  conduct.^  He 
must  needs  do  so,  for  folly  has  become  to  him  a  second  nature  ; 
but  this  "  must "  ceases  when  once  a  divine  light  shines  forth 
upon  him.  The  LXX.  has  after  ver.  11  a  distich  which  is 
literally  the  same  as  Sir.  iv.  21. 

Ver.  12  Seest  thou  a  man  who  is  wise  in  his  own  eyes  ? 
The  fool  hath  more  hope  than  he. 
Regarding  the  per/,  lypotheticum  ^''X'l,  vid.  at  xxii.  29.  Line 
second  is  repeated,  xxix.  20,  unchanged.  I^^??,  prce  eo,  is  equi- 
valent to  the  Mishnic  ^  ^p  '^nS'^^plus  quam  ei.  As  the  conversion 
of  a  sinner,  who  does  not  regard  himself  as  righteous,  is  more 
to  be  expected  than  that  of  a  self-righteous  man  (Matt.  ix.  12  f.), 
so  the  putting  right  of  a  fool,  who  is  conscious  that  he  is  not 
wise  (cf.  xxiv.  7),  is  more  likely  to  be  effected  than  that  of  one 
deeming  himself  wise  ;  for  the  greatest  hindrance  to  any  turn- 
ing toward  that  which  is  better  lies  in  the  delusion  that  he  does 
not  need  it.^     Thus  far  the  group  of  proverbs  regarding  fools. 

There  follows  now  a  group  of  proverbs  regarding  the 
slothful : 

Ver.  13  The  slothful  saith  there  is  a  lion  without, 
A  lion  in  the  midst  of  the  streets  ; 

'   Vid.  Schulze's  Die  bibl.  Sprichwörter  der  deutschen  Sprache,  p.  71  f. 

*  Vid.  Wahl's  Das  Sprichwort  der  heh.-aram.  Literatur,  p.  147;  Duke's 
Rahhin.  Blumenlese,  p.  9. 

3  The  Targum  has  126  after  Codd.  n''3!p  3D  X^DD  DpQ  (=  Syr.  peJcach, 
expedit,  convenit,  melius  est),  it  is  far  better  circuuistanced  regarding  the 
fool   han  regarding  him.     Vid,  Geiger's  Zeitschr.  vi.  (1868),  p.  154. 


CHAP.  XXVI.  14-16.  189 

cf.  the  original  of  this  proverb,  xxii.  13.  PyVJ',  to  say  nothing  of 
?nK^,  is  not  the  jackal ;  ?n^  is  the  bibl.  name  for  the  lion.  T?  is 
the  more  general  expression  for  ^'lipa,  Isa.  v.  25  ;  by  the  streets 
he  thinks  of  the  rows  of  houses  that  form  them. 

Ver.  14  The  door  tumeth  on  its  hinges, 
And  the  sluggard  on  his  bed. 

The  comparison  is  clear.  The  door  turns  itself  on  its  hinges, 
on  which  it  hangs,  in  and  out,  without  passing  beyond  the 
narrow  space  of  its  motion ;  so  is  the  fool  on  his  bed,  where 
he  turns  himself  from  the  one  side  to  the  other.  He  is  called 
pvy?  because  he  is  fast  glued  to  the  place  where  he  is  (Arab. 
'azila),  and  cannot  be  free  (contrast  of  the  active,  cf.  Arab. 
liafyf,  moving  nimbly,  agilis).  But  the  door  offers  itself  as  a 
comparison,  because  the  diligent  goes  out  by  it  to  begin  his 
work  without  (xxiv,  27  ;  Ps.  civ.  23),  while  the  sluggard  rolls 
himself  about  on  his  bed.  The  hook,  the  hinge,  on  which  the 
door  is  moved,  called  I^V,  fi'om  "i^V,  to  turn,^  has  thus  the  name 
of  aiDn. 

Ver.  15  The  slothful  has  thrust  his  hand  into  the  dish, 

It  is  hard  for  him  to  bring  it  back  to  his  mouth  again. 

A  variation  of  xix.  24 ;  the  fut.  HSTti'''  there,  is  here  explained 

by  ^y^V^^  nx^j. 

Ver.  16  The  sluggard  is  wise  in  his  own  eyes, 

More  than  seven  men  who  give  an  excellent  answer. 

Between  sloth  fulness  and  conceit  there  exists  no  inward  neces- 
sary mutual  relation.  The  proverb  means  that  the  sluggard 
as  such  regards  himself  as  wiser  than  seven,  who  all  together 
answer  well  at  any  examination  :  much  labour — he  thinks 
with  himself — only  injures  the  health,  blunts  men  for  life  and 
its  joys,  leads  only  to  over-exertion  ;  for  the  most  prudent  is,  as 
a  general  rule,  crack-brained.  Böttcher's  ^'maulfaule"  [slow 
to  speak]  belongs  to  the  German  style  of  thinking ;  böV 
KJC'I'  in  Syr.  is  not  he  who  is  slow  to  speak,  but  he  who  has  a 

I  The  Arab,  verb  signifies  radically :  to  turn,  hke  the  Persian  verbs 
kashatn  and  kardydan,  and  like  our  "  werden  "  [to  grow,  turn],  accords  with 
verier e  (Fleischer). 


190  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

faltering  tongue.^  Seven  is  the  number  of  manlfoldness  In 
completed  unfolding  (ix.  1).  Meiri  thinks,  after  Ezra  vii.  14, 
on  the  council  of  seven  of  the  Asiatic  ruler.  But  seven  is  a 
round  number  of  plurality,  ver.  25,  xxiv.  16,  vi.  31.  Regard- 
ing ^V^,  vid.  at  xi.  22. 

A  series  of  proverbs  which  recommend  the  love  of  peace,  for 
they  present  caricatures  of  the  opposite : 

Ver.  17  He  seizeth  by  the  ears  a  dog  passing  by, 

Who  is  excited  by  a  strife  which  concerns  him  not. 
According  to  the  accentuation  in  the  text,  the  proverb  is  to  be 
translated  with  Fleischer:  Qualis  est  qui prehendit  aiires  canis, 
talis  est  qui  forte  transiens  ira  abripitur  propter  rixam  alienam 
{eique  temere  se  immiscet).  Since  he  is  cautioned  against  un- 
warranted interference,  the  expression  pB  ^^i^np  might  have 
been  used  (xiv.  10),  according  to  which  the  Syr.  translates ; 
but  3^T''?  substantiates  the  originality  of  "isynD  {vid.  xiv.  16, 
XX.  2).  On  the  other  hand,  the  placing  together,  without  any 
connection  of  the  two  participles,  is  perplexing;  why  not 
"layrini  ~i3'y  ?  For  it  is  certainly  not  meant,  that  falling  into  a 
passion  he  passes  by;  but  that  passing  by,  he  falls  into  a 
passion ;  for  he  stands  to  this  object.  The  Targumist,  feeling 
this  also,  renders  ">3V  in  the  sense  of  being  angry,  but  contrary 
to  the  usus  loq.  Wherefore  the  conjecture  of  Euchel  and 
Abramsohn  commends  itself,  that  "I2'y  belongs  to  3^3 — the  figure 
thereby  becomes  more  distinct.  To  seize  one's  own  dog  by 
the  ear  is  not  dangerous,  but  it  is  not  advisable  to  do  this  with 
a  strange  dog.  Therefore  i^y  belongs  as  a  necessary  attribute 
to  the  dog.  The  dog  accidentally  passing  by  corresponds  to 
the  strife  to  which  one  stands  in  no  relation  {p'^b  3''"i,  vid. 
regarding  the  Makkeph,  Baer's  Genesis,  p.  85,  not.  9).  Who- 
ever is  excited  to  passion  about  a  strife  that  does  not  belong  to 
him,  is  like  one  who  lays  hold  by  the  ears  (the  LXX.  arbitrarily  : 
by  the  tail)  of  a  dog  that  is  passing  by — to  the  one  or  to  the 
other  it  happens  right  when  he  brings  evil  upon  himself  thereby. 

Vers.  18,  19.  These  verses  form  a  tetrastich  : 
Ver.  18  As  a  man  who  casteth  brands, 
And  arrows,  and  death  ; 

»  The  Aram.  ^QV  is  the  Hebr.  ^vy,  as  Süy  =  n!»);;  but  in  Arab,  corre- 
sponds not  to  ''atul,  but  to  'azal. 


CHAP.  XXVI.  19.  191 

19  So  is  tlie  man  who  deceiveth  his  neighbour, 
And  saith :  I  only  make  sport. 

The  old  translations  of  rhrhn^  are  very  diverse.  Aquila  has 
rendered  it  by  KaKorjOt^ofievo'; ;  Symmachus  :  Treipcofievot ;  the 
Syr.:  the  vaincrlorious ;  the  Targ. :  nnna  (from  nnj),  a  suc- 
cessor (spiritually)  ;  Jerome  :  noxius  (injurious  ;  for  which 
Luther:  secret).  There  is  thus  no  traditional  translation. 
Kimchi  explains  the  word  by  VJnii'n  {Venet.  e^ecrröj?)  ;  Aben 
Ezra  by  ^L3n:^'^  (from  HLD'J'),  to  behave  thoughtlessly,  foolishly ; 
but  both  erroneously,  confounding  with  it  '"^p^l,  Gen.  xlvii.  13, 
which  is  formed  from  nn7  and  not  from  ^\y>^  and  is  related  to 
^^s^,  according  to  wliich  Tbrhno  would  designate  him  who  exerts 
himself  (Rashi,  yrriDn),  or  who  is  worn  out  (Saadia :  who  does 
not  know  what  to  do,  and  in  weariness  passes  his  time).  The 
root  ^rh  (rb,  whence  the  reflex  form  rkjj^^^,  like  iTOnrpnn^  from 
•"^no^  no)  leads  to  another  primary  idea.  The  root  n?  presents 
in  (Arab.)  aliha  (vid.  Fleischer  in  the  Comm.  zur  Genesis,  p. 
57),  loaliha,  and  taliha,  formed  from  the  8th  form  of  this  verb 
(aiitcdah),  the  fundamental  meaning  of  internal  and  external 
unrest;  these  verbs  are  used  of  the  effect  of  fear  (shrinking 
back  from  fear),  and,  generally,  the  want  of  self-command; 
the  Syr.  otlaliiah,  to  be  terrified,  ohstupescere,  confirms  this 
primary  conception,  connecting  itself  with  the  R.  ri7.  Accord- 
ingly, he  who  shoots  every  possible  death-bringing  arrow,  is 
thought  of  as  one  who  is  beside  himself,  one  who  is  of  confused 
mind,  in  which  sense  the  passive  forms  of  (Arab.)  alah  and 
talah  are  actually  used.  Schultens'  reference  to  (Arab.)  lah 
micare,  according  to  which  n?n?ni33  must  mean  siciit  ludicram 
micationem  exercens  (Böttcher  :  one  who  exerts  himself ;  Mal- 
bim  :  one  who  scoffs,  from  Pnn)^  is  to  be  rejected,  because 
nSn^no  must  be  the  direct  opposite  of  pH'^'P  ;  and  Ewald's  com- 
parison of  (Arab.)  icah  and  akhlch,  to  be  entangled,  distorted, 
Idh,  to  be  veiled,  confounds  together  heterogeneous  words. 
Regarding  D"'ipT  (from  P^J),  burning  arrows,  vid.  under  Isa.  1.  11. 
Death  stands  third,  not  as  comprehensive  (that  which  is  deadly 
of  every  kind),  but  as  a  climax  (yea,  even  death  itself).  The  )? 
of  the  principal  sentence,  correlate  to  3  of  the  contiguous 
clause,  has  the  Makkeph  in  our  editions;  but  the  laws  of  the 
metrical  Makkeph  require  K'''S  J3  (with  Mitnach),  as  it  occurs 


192  TUE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

e.g.  in  Cod.  1204.  A  man  who  gives  vent  to  his  malice 
against  his  neighbour,  and  then  says :  seest  thou  not  that  .  .  . 
(NPn,  like  Arab,  aid),  i.e.  I  am  only  jesting,  I  have  only  a  joke 
with  thee :  he  exhibits  himself  as  being  mad,  who  in  blind  rage 
scatters  about  him  deadly  arrows. 

There  now  follow  proverbs  regarding  the  nirgdn,  the  slanderer 
(vid.  regarding  the  formation  and  import  of  this  word  at  xvi. 
28): 

Ver.  20  Where  the  wood  failcth,  the  fire  goeth  out ; 

And  where  do  tale-bearer,  discord  cometh  to  silence. 

Wood,  as  material  for  building  or  for  burning,  is  called,  with 
the  plur.  of  its  product,  I3''Vy.  Since  DDX  is  the  absolute  end  of 
a  thing,  and  thus  expresses  its  no  longer  existing,  so  it  was 
more  appropriate  to  wood  (Fleischer:  consumtis  lignis)  than  to 
the  tale-bearer,  of  whom  the  proverb  says  the  same  thing  as 
xxii.  10  says  of  the  mocker. 

Ver.  21  Black  coal  to  burning  coal,  and  wood  to  fire ; 
And  a  contentious  man  to  stir  up  strife. 

The  Venet.  translates  QHS  by  Kapßoöv,  and  npna  by  avOpa^;  the 
former  (from  Ons,  Arab,  fahuma,  to  be  deep  black)  is  coal  in 
itself;  the  latter  (from  ?f]^,  jaham,  to  set  on  fire,  and  intrans. 
to  burn),  coal  in  a  glowing  state  (e.g.  xxv.  22  ;  Ezek.  i.  13). 
Black  coal  is  suited  to  glowing  coal,  to  nourish  it ;  and  wood  to 
the  fire,  to  sustain  it ;  and  a  contentious  man  is  suited  for  and 
serves  this  purpose,  to  kindle  up  strife,  "iin  signifies  to  be  hot, 
and  the  Pilpel  ">Dir'j  to  heat,  i.e.  to  make  hot  or  hotter.  The 
three — coal,  wood,  and  the  contentious  man — are  alike,  in  that 
they  are  a  means  to  an  end. 

Ver.  22  The  words  of  the  tale-bearer  are  like  dainty  morsels ; 
And  they  glide  down  into  the  innermost  parts. 

A  repetition  of  xviii.  8. 

The   proverbs   next   following   treat   of   a   cognate  theme, 
hypocrisy   (the  art  of  dissembling),    which,   under  a  shining 
l_gleisse7{]  exterior,^  conceals  hatred  and  destruction  : 
Ver.  23  Dross  of  silver  spread  over  an  earthen  vessel — 
Lips  glowing  with  love  and  a  base  heart. 

^  Vid.  regarding  gleisen  (to  give  a  deceitful  appearance)  and  gleissen  (to 
throw  a  dazzling  appearance),  Schmitthenner-Weigand's  Deutsches  Wör- 
terbuch. 


CHAP.  XXVI.  24,  25.  193 

Dross  of  silver  is  the  so-called  glätte  (French,  Utliarge),  a  com- 
bination of  lead  and  oxygen,  which,  in  the  old  process  of  pro- 
ducing silver,  was  separated  (Luther:  silberschaum,  i.e.  the 
silver  litharge ;  Lat.  spuma  argenti,  having  the  appearance  of 
foam).  It  is  still  used  to  glaze  over  potter's  ware,  which  here 
(Greek,  Kepa/Mo<i)  is  briefly  called  t^'■^^  for  tjnn  73  ;  for  the  vessel 
is  better  in  appearance  than  the  mere  potsherd.  The  glossing 
of  the  earthenware  is  called  J^'in-py  nay,  which  is  applicable  to 
any  kind  of  covering  (nay,  R.  C)V,  to  spread  or  lay  out  broad)  of 
a  less  costly  material  with  that  which  is  more  precious.  23a 
contains  the  figure,  and  236  its  subscription  :  V^  sS  w^h''^^  Ql'pöb'. 
Thus,  with  the  taking  away  of  the  Mahhepli  after  Codd.,  to  be 
punctuated  :  burning  lips,  and  therewith  a  base  heart ;  burning, 
that  is,  with  the  fire  of  love  (Meiri,  ptt'nn  tJ'N),  while  yet  the 
assurances  of  friendship,  sealed  by  ardent  kisses,  serve  only  to 
mask  a  far  different  heart.  The  LXX.  translate  U^phl  [burn- 
ing] by  Xeta,  and  thus  have  read  ^[hn  [smooth],  which  Hitzig 
without  reason  prefers ;  burning  lips  (Jerome,  incorrectly : 
tmnentia  ;  Luther,  after  Deut.  xxxii.  33,  noil :  Gifftiger  mund  = 
a  poisonous  mouth)  are  just  flattering,  and  at  the  same  time 
hypocritical  ^  lips.  Regarding  D'TiDti'  as  masc,  vid.  vol.  i.  p.  119; 
J?n  3^5  means,  at  xxv.  20,  animus  mcestus ;  here,  inimicus.  The 
figure  is  excellent :  one  may  regard  a  vessel  with  the  silver 
gloss  as  silver,  and  it  is  still  earthen ;  and  that  also  which  gives 
forth  the  silver  glance  is  not  silver,  but  only  the  refuse  of 
silver.  Both  are  suitable  to  the  comparison  :  the  lips  only 
glitter,  the  heart  is  false  (Heidenheim). 
Vers.  24  and  25  form  a  tetrastich. 

Ver.  24  With  his  lips  the  hater  dissembleth, 

And  in  his  heart  he  museth  deceit. 
25  If  he  maketh  his  voice  agreeable,  believe  him  not, 

For  seven  abominations  are  in  his  heart. 

^  Schultens  explains  the  labia  flagrantia  by  voluhiliter  prompta  et  diserta. 
But  one  sees  from  the  Arab,  dhaluka,  to  be  loose,  lightly  and  easily  moved 
{viJ.  in  Fleischer's  Beiträgen  zur  arab.  SprachJcunde  the  explanation  of  the 
designation  of  the  liquid  expressed  with  the  point  of  the  tongue  by  dhal- 
kiytt,  at  i.  26,  27 ;  cf .  de  Sacy's  Grammar),  and  dalk,  to  draw  out  (of  the 
sword  from  its  scabbard),  to  rinse  (of  water),  that  the  meaning  of  the 
Heb,  p^n,  to  burn,  from  R.  ^n,  refers  to  the  idea  of  the  flickering,  tongue- 
like movement  of  the  flame. 

VOL.  II.  N 


194  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

All  the  old  translators  (also  the  Veuet.  and  Luther)  give  to 
"ISSI  the  meaning,  to  become  known ;  but  the  Niph.  as  well  as 
the  Hithpa.  {vid.  at  xx.  11 ;  Gen.  xlvii.  7)  unites  with  this 
meanincp  also  the  meanincj  to  make  oneself  known  :  to  make 
oneself  unknow'n,  unrecognisable  =  (Arab.)  tanakkr,  e.g.  by 
means  of  clothing,  or  by  a  changed  expression  of  countenance.^ 
The  contrast  demands  here  this  latter  signification :  labiis  suis 
alium  se  simulat  osor^  intus  in  pectore  autem  reconditum  habet 
dolum  (Fleischer).  This  rendering  of  nO"i?D  n''^^  is  more  correct 
than  Hitzig's  ("in  his  breast)  he  prepares  treachery;"  for  IT'ü' 
nD"iD  is  to  be  rendered  after  ni^'y  JT'C',  Ps.  xiii.  3  {vid.  Hupfeld's 
and  also  our  comni.  on  this  passage),  not  after  Jer.  ix.  7 ;  for 
one  says  D''t^'lpiD  n"'K',  to  place  snares,  l^i<  JT'E',  to  lay  an  ambush, 
and  the  like,  but  not  to  place  or  to  lay  deceit.  If  such  a 
dissembler  makes  his  voice  agreeable  {Piel  of  l^n  only  here,  for 
the  form  Ps.  ix.  14  is,  as  it  is  punctuated,  Kal),  trust  not 
thyself  to  him  (r^xn,  with  2:  to  put  firm  trust  in  anything, 
vid.  Genesis^  p.  312  ^)  ;  for  seven  abominations,  i.e.  a  whole 
host  of  abominable  thoughts  and  designs,  are  in  his  heart ;  he 
is,  if  one  may  express  it,  after  Matt.  xii.  45,  possessed  inwardly 
of  seven  devils.  The  LXX.  makes  a  history  of  24a;  an 
enemy  who,  under  complaints,  makes  all  possible  allowances, 
but  in  his  heart  TeKralverat,  SoXov;.  The  history  is  only  too 
true,  but  it  has  no  place  in  the  text. 

Ver.  26  Hatred  may  conceal  itself  behind  deceit : 

Its  wickedness  shall  be  exposed  in  the  assembly. 


1  Vid.  de  Goeje's  Fragmenta  Hist.  Arab.  ii.  (1871),  p.  94.  The  verb 
133,  primarily  to  fix  one's  attention,  sharply  to  contemplate  anything, 
whence  is  derived  the  meanings  of  knowing  and  of  not  knowing,  dis- 
owning. The  account  of  the  origin  of  these  contrasted  meanings,  in 
Gesenius-Dietrich's  Lexicon,  is  essentially  correct ;  but  the  Arab,  nakar 
there  referred  to  means,  not  sharpness  of  mind,  from  nakar  =  "Tian,  but 
from  the  negative  signification  prevailing  in  the  Arab,  alone,  a  property  by 
which  one  makes  himself  worthy  of  being  disowned  :  craftiness,  cunning, 
and  then  also  in  honam  partem :  sagacity. 

2  The  fundamental  idea  of  firmness  in  pDSH  is  always  in  the  subject,  not 
the  object.  The  Arabic  interpreters  remark  that  arnan  with  b  expresses 
recognition,  and  with  I  submission  (vid.  Lane's  Lexicon  under  arnan)  ;  but 
in  Hebr.  paSH  with  "2  fiducia  ßdei,  with  ^  assensus  ßdei;  the  relation  is 
thus  not  altogether  the  same. 


cnAP.  XXVI.  26.  195 

true;  yet,  as  we  liave  seen,  xii.  26,  tliey  are  sometimes  to  be  met 
with  in  the  collection.  This  is  one  of  the  few  that  are  of  such 
a  character;  for  that  the  LXX.  and  others  translate  6  Kpvir- 
rojv,  which  gives  for  inj;"i  a  more  appropriate  reference,  does 
not  require  us  to  agree  with  Hitzig  in  reading  i^^''2\}  (xii.  16, 
23), — the  two  clauses  rendered  fut.  stand  in  the  same  syntactical 
relation,  as  e.g.  Job  xx.  24.  Still  less  can  the  rendering  of 
)1^^cb2  by  (Twiarrjcn  B6\ov,  by  the  LXX.,  induce  us  to  read 
with  Hitzig  |)X  ^"^hj  especially  since  it  is  doubtful  whether  the 
Heb.  words  which  floated  before  those  translators  (the  LXX.) 
have  been  fallen  upon,  ji^^^'ö  (beginning  and  ending  with  a 
formative  syllable)  is  certainly  a  word  of  rare  formation,  to  be 
compared  only  to  jii'^pPj  Judg.  iii.  23 ;  but  since  the  nearest- 
lying  formation  i^f^  signifies  usury  (from  V^'C'^,  to  credit)  (ac- 
cording to  Avhich  Symmachus,  Sia  Xij/jL/u-aTa^  to  desire  gain),  it 
is  obvious  that  the  language  preferred  this  double  formation 
for  the  meaning  deceiving,  illusion,  or,  exactly  :  fraud.  It 
may  also  be  possible  to  refer  it,  like  nixitj^b  (vid.  under  Ps. 
xxiii.  18),  to  Xi:^>  =  nsc',  to  be  confused,  waste,  as  this  is  done 
by  Parchon,  Kimchi  (Vcnet.  iv  ip7)/xia),  Ralbag,  and  others; 
pxrä,  in  this  sense  of  deepest  concealment,  certainly  says  not  a 
little  as  the  contrast  of  /Hj^  [an  assembly],  but  f^^^'^'\  [a  desert] 
stood  ready  for  the  poet  to  be  used  in  this  sense ;  he  might 
also  have  expressed  himself  as  Job  xxx.  3,  xxxviii.  27.  The 
selection  of  this  rare  word  is  better  explained  if  it  denotes  the 
superlative  of  deceit, — a  course  of  conduct  maliciously  directed 
toward  the  deception  of  a  neighbour.  That  is  also  the  im- 
pression which  the  word  has  made  on  Jerome  (fraudulenter), 
the  Targ.  (snp'ilSJa^  in  grinding),  Luther  (to  do  injury),  and 
according  to  which  it  has  already  been  explained,  e.g.  by  C.  B. 
Michaelis  and  Oetinger  ("with  dissembled,  deceitful  nature"). 
The  punctuation  of  riDSD,  Codd.  and  editions  present  in  three 
different  forms.  Buxtorf  in  his  Concordance  (also  Fürst),  and 
the  Basel  Bihlia  Rahhinica,  have  the  form  ^Dsn ;  but  this  is  a 
mistake.  Either  npari  (^Niph.)  or  HMri  (Hithpa.,  with  the  same 
assimilation  of  the  preformative  n  as  in  Da^Hj  Lev.  xiii.  55  ;  "'S??, 
Deut.  xxi.  8)  is  to  be  read;  Kimchi,  in  his  Wörterbuch,  gives  npSPi, 
which  is  certainly  better  supported.  A  surer  contrast  of  JIXK'bi 
and  br\p2  remains  in  our  interpretation ;  only  we  translate  not 


196  THE   BOOK  OF  PROVEEDS. 

as  Ewald  :  "  hatred  seeks  to  conceal  itself  by  hypocrisy,"  but : 
in  deceitful  work.  Also  we  refer  inv^,  not  to  ;iX'^'b3,  but  to 
nxJ^j  for  hatred  is  thought  of  in  connection  with  its  personal 
representative.  We  see  from  265  that  hatred  is  meant  which 
not  only  broods  over  evil,  but  also  carries  it  into  execution. 
Such  hatred  may  conceal  itself  in  cunningly-contrived  decep- 
tion, yet  the  wickedness  of  the  hater  in  the  end  comes  out  from 
behind  the  mask  with  the  light  of  publicity. 

Ver.  27  He  who  diggeth  a  pit  falleth  therein  ; 

And  he  that  rolleth  up  a  stone,  upon  himself  it  roUeth  back. 
The  thought  that  destruction  prepared  for  others  recoils  upon 
its  contriver,  has  found  its  expression  everywhere  among  men 
in  divers  forms  of  proverbial  sayings  ;  in  the  form  which  it 
here  receives,  27a  has  its  oldest  original  in  Ps.  vii.  16,  whence  it 
is  repeated  here  and  in  Eccles.  x.  8,  and  Sir.  xxvii.  26.  Re- 
garding i^"})^,  vid.  at  xvi.  27.  «^^  here  has  the  sense  of  in  earn 
ipsam;  expressed  in  French,  the  proverb  is  :  celui  qui  creuse  la 
fosse,  y  tomhera ;  in  Italian  :  chi  cava  la  fossa,  cadera  in  essa. 
The  second  line  of  this  proverb  accords  with  Ps.  vii.  17  (vid. 
Hupfeld  and  Riehm  on  this  passage).  It  is  natural  to  think  of 
the  rolling  as  a  rolling  upwards  ;  cf.  Sir.  xxvii.  25,  o  ßdXkwv 
\i6ov  eh  ü-v^ro?  eVt  KecpaXyjv  avrov  ßdWei,  i.e.  throws  it  on  his 
own  head.     |3N  ?Pil  is  to  be  syntactically  judged  of  like  xviii.  13. 

Ver.  28  The  lying  tongue  hateth  those  whom  it  bruiseth  ; 
And  a  flattering  mouth  causeth  ruin. 
The  LXX.,  Jerome,  the  Targ.,  and  Syr.  render  V^l  N3b"'  in 
the  sense  of  non  amat  veritatem ;  they  appear  by  Y21  to  have 
thought  of  the  Aram.  N^^l,  that  which  is  pure  ;  and  thus  they 
gain  nothing  else  but  an  undeniable  plain  thought.  Many 
Jewish  interpreters  gloss :  VnOID,  also  after  the  Aram. :  1^3^  = 
V3"|p  ;  but  the  Aram.  ''3'n  does  not  mean  pure  in  the  sense  of 
being  right,  therefore  Elia  Wilna  understands  him  who  desires 
to  justify  himself,  and  this  violent  derivation  from  the  Aram, 
thus  does  not  lead  to  the  end.  Luther,  translating :  ''  a  false 
tongue  hates  those  who  punish  it,"  explains,  as  also  Gesenius, 
conterentes^=.castigantes  ipsam;  but  TjT  signifies,  according  to 
the  usage  of  the  language  before  us,  "  bruised  "  {vid.  Ps.  ix. 
10),  not :  bruising  ;  and  the  thought  that  the  liar  hates  him  who 
listens  to  him,  leads  ad  absurdum;  but  that  he  does  not  love  him 


CHAP.  XXVI.  28,  197 

who  bruises  (punishes)  him,  is  self-evident.  Kimchi  sees  in  V2T 
another  form  of  i^ST  ;  and  Meiri,  Jona  Gerundi  in  his  ethical 
work  (nmc'n  "'lyi^  =  The  gates  of  Kepentance),  and  others, 
accordingly  render  V21  in  the  sense  of  "iJy  C^V)  *  ^'^^  ^J'^g 
tongue  hates — as  Löwenstein  translates — the  humble  [pious]  ; 
also  that  for  VSl,  by  the  omission  of  i,  ^3"!  =  ''3T  may  be  read,  is 
supposable  ;  but  this  does  not  harmonize  with  the  second  half 
of  the  proverb,  according  to  which  ii?.t?'  pt^7  must  be  the  subject, 
and  V21  N3B'"'  must  express  some  kind  of  evil  which  proceeds 
from  such  a  tongue.  Ewald :  "  the  lying  tongue  hates  its 
master  (1''3'"IX),"  but  that  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  Heb. 
style  ;  the  word  in  that  case  should  have  been  lY^?.  Hitzig 
countenances  this  VJ"IX,  with  the  remark  that  the  tongue  is 
here  personified ;  but  personified,  the  tongue  certainly  means 
him  who  has  it  (Ps.  cxx.  3).  Böttchers  conjecture  i"'3"i  is2^\ 
"  confounds  their  talk,"  is  certainly  a  curiosity.  Spoken  of 
the  sea,  those  words  would  mean,  "it  changes  its  surge."  But 
is  it  then  at  all  necessary  to  uncover  first  the  meaning  of  28a? 
Eashi,  Arama,  and  others  refer  V3T  to  D^S'n^D^sani  (ü'3^??). 
Thus  also  perhaps  the  Venet.,  which  translates  tov<;  eTrcrpt/xfiovi^ 
(not:  kirLTerpi^ixevov^i)  avTri<i.  C.B.Michaelis:  Lingua falsi- 
tatis  odio  habet  contritos  sicos,  k.  e.  eos  quos  falsitate  ac  mendacio 
Icedit  contritosqiie  facit.  Hitzig  objects  that  it  is  more  correct  to 
say :  conterit  loerosos  sibi.  And  certainly  this  lay  nearer,  on 
which  account  Fleischer  remaiks  :  in  28a  there  is  to  be  sup- 
posed a  poetic  transposition  of  the  ideas  (Hypallage) :  Jioino  qui 
lingua  ad  cahimnias  abutitur  conterit  eos  quos  adit.  The  poet 
makes  XJb'"'  the  main  conception,  because  it  does  not  come 
to  him  so  readily  to  say  that  the  lying  tongue  bruises  those 
against  whom  it  is  directed,  as  that  it  is  hatred,  which  is 
active  in  this.  To  say  this  was  by  no  means  superfluous.  There 
are  men  who  find  pleasure  in  repeating  and  magnifying  scandal- 
ously that  which  is  depreciatory  and  disadvantageous  to  their 
neighbour  unsubstantiated,  without  being  at  all  conscious  of 
any  particular  ill-will  or  personal  enmity  against  him  ;  but  this 
proverb  says  that  such  untruthful  tongue-thrashing  proceeds 
always  from  a  transgression  of  the  commandment,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  hate  thy  brother,"  Lev.  xix.  17,  and  not  merely  from  the 
want  of  love,  but  from  a  state  of  mind  which  is  the  direct 


198  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

opposite  of  love  (vld.  x.  18).  Ewald  finds  it  incongruous  that" 
28a  speaks  of  that  which  others  have  to  suffer  from  the  lying 
tongue,  whereas  the  whole  connection  of  this  proverb  requires 
that  the  tongue  should  here  be  regarded  as  bringing  ruin  upon 
its  owner  himself.  But  of  the  destruction  which  the  wicked 
tongue  prepares  for  others  many  proverbs  also  speak,  e.g.  xii. 
13,  cf.  xvii.  4,  nin  JV^J^?;  and  286  does  not  mention  that  the 

smooth  tongue  (written  P^n'nsi  with 3Iakkeph)  brings  injury  upon 
itself  (an  idea  which  must  be  otherwise  expressed;  cf .  xiv.  32), 
but  that  it  brings  injury  and  ruin  on  those  who  have  pleasure  in 
its  flatteries  (nip?n,  Ps.  xii.  3;  Isa.  xxx.  10),  and  are  befooled 
thereby :  os  hlandiloquum  {hlanditiis  dolum  teyens)  ad  casum 
impellit,  sc.  alios  (Fleischer). 

xxvii.  In  the  group  1-6  of  this  chapter  every  two  proverbs 
form  a  pair.  The  first  pair  is  directed  against  unseemly 
boasting : 

Ver.  1  Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow, 

For  thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  bringeth  forth. 

The  3  of  Di''3  is  like,  e.g.  that  in  xxv.  14,  the  2  of  the  ground 
of  boasting.  One  boasts  of  to-morrow  when  he  boasts  of  that 
which  he  will  then  do  and  experience.  This  boasting  is  foolish 
and  presumptuous  (Luke  xii.  20),  for  the  future  is  God's  ;  not 
a  moment  of  the  future  is  in  our  own  power,  we  know  not  what 
a  day,  this  present  day  or  to-morrow  (Jas.  iv.  13),  will  bring 
forth,  i.e.  (cf.  Zeph.  ii.  2)  will  disclose,  and  cannot  therefore 
order  anything  beforehand  regarding  it.  Instead  of  Vin'X? 
(with  Kametz  and  Mitgrash),  V^n'iö  (thus  e.g.  the  Cod.  Jaman) 
is  to  be  written ;  the  Masora  knows   nothing  of  that  pausal 

form.  And  instead  of  Qi^  '^(.'^'^^,  we  write  Dr  np»  no  with 
Zinnorith.  ^71  before  Di""  has  the  tone  thrown  back  on  the 
pemdt.,  and  consequently  a  shortened  ult. ;  the  Masora  reckons 
this  word  among  the  twenty-five  words  with  only  one  Tsere. 

Yer.  2  Let  another  praise  thee,  and  not  thine  own  mouth  ; 
A  stranger,  and  not  thine  own  lips. 
The  negative  N^  is  with  T'3,  as  in  (Arab.)  ghyra  fyh,  bound  into 
one    compact    idea :    that    which    is    not   thine    own    mouth 
(Fleischer),  "not  thine  own  lips,"  on  the  other  hand,  is  not  to 
be  interpreted  as  corresponding  to  it,  like  n'lO'pNj  xii.  28  ;  since 


CHAP  XXVII.  3.  199 

after  the  prohibitive  ?i?,  W^n";  [praise  thee]  easily  supplies 
itself.  *1T  is  properly  the  stranger,  as  having  come  from  a  dis- 
tance, and  "'I^J  he  who  comes  from  an  unknown  country,  and  is 
liimself  unknown  (vid.  under  xxvi.  24)  ;  the  idea  of  both  words, 
however,  passes  from  advena  and  alienigena  to  alius.  Tliere  is 
certainly  in  rare  cases  a  praising  of  oneself,  which  is  authorized 
because  it  is  demanded  (2  Cor.  xi.  18),  which,  because  it  is 
offered  strongly  against  one's  will,  will  be  measured  by  truth 
(x.  13);  but  in  general  it  is  improper  to  applaud  oneself,  because 
it  is  a  vain  looking  at  oneself  in  a  glass;  it  is  indecent,  because 
it  places  others  in  the  shade ;  imprudent,  because  it  is  of  no 
use  to  us,  but  only  injures,  for  propria  laus  sordet,  and  as 
Stobäus  says,  ovSev  ovtco^  aKovafjia  (popriKov  w?  o  kuO'  avrov 
€Trai,vo<i.  Compare  the  German  proverb,  "  Eigenlob  stinkt, 
Freundes  Lob  hinkt,  fremdes  Lob  klingt^^  [=  self-praise  stinks, 
a  friend's  praise  is  lame,  a  stranger's  praise  sounds]. 

The  second  pair  of  proverbs  designates  two  kinds  of  violent 
passion  as  unbearable  : 

Ver.  3  The  heaviness  of  a  stone,  the  weight  of  sand — 
A  fool's  wrath  is  heavier  than  both. 

We  do  not  translate  :  Gravis  est  peira  et  onerosa  arena,  so  that 
the  substantives  stand  for  strengthening  the  idea,  instead  of  the 
corresponding  adjective  (Fleischer,  as  the  LXX.,  Jerome,  Syr., 
Targum);  the  two  pairs  of  words  stand,  as  4a,  in  genit.  relation 
(cf.  on  the  contrary,  xxxi.  30),  and  it  is  as  if  the  poet  said  : 
represent  to  thyself  the  heaviness  of  a  stone  and  the  weight  of 
sand,  and  thou  shalt  find  that  the  wrath  of  a  fool  compared 
thereto  is  still  heavier,  viz.  for  him  who  has  to  bear  it ;  thus 
heavier,  not  for  the  fool  himself  (Hitzig,  Zockler,  Dächsei),  but 
for  others  against  whom  his  anger  goes  forth.  A  Jewish  pro- 
verb {vid.  Tendlau,  No.  901)  says,  that  one  knows  a  man  by 
his  wine-glass  (D13),  his  purse  (D"'3),  and  his  anger  (Di'3),  viz. 
how  he  deports  himself  in  the  tumult ;  and  another  says  that 
one  reads  what  is  in  a  man  1Dj;3  DVa,  when  he  is  in  an  ill- 
humour.  Thus  also  Dya  is  to  be  here  understood  :  the  fool  in 
a  state  of  angry,  wrathful  excitement  is  so  far  not  master  of 
himself  that  the  worst  is  to  be  feared;  he  sulks  and  shows 
hatred,  and  rages  without  being  appeased  ;  no  one  can  calculate 


200  THE  BOOK  OF  PBOVERBS. 

what  he  may  attempt,  his  behaviour  is  unendurable.  Sand,  ^in,^ 
as  it  appears,  as  to  the  number  of  its  grains  innumerable,  so  as 
to  its  mass  (in  weight)  immeasurable,  Job  vi.  3 ;  Sir.  xxii.  13. 
?9-?  the  Venet.  translates,  with  strict  regard  to  the  etymology,  by 
ap/jua. 

Ver.  4  The  madness  of  anger,  and  the  overflowing  of  wrath — 
And  before  jealousy  who  keeps  his  place  ! 

Here  also  the  two  pairs  of  words  4a  stand  in  connection  ;  ninpX 
(for  which  the  Cod.  Jaman  has  incorrectly  nvipN)  is  the  con- 
necting form;  uz(i.  regarding ''1T3X,  V.  9.  Let  one  imagine  the 
blind,  relentless  rage  of  extreme  excitement  and  irritation,  a 
boiling  over  of  anger  like  a  water-flood,  which  bears  everything 
down  along  with  it — these  paroxysms  of  wrath  do  not  usually 
continue  long,  and  it  is  possible  to  appease  them ;  but  jealousy 
is  a  passion  that  not  only  rages,  but  reckons  calmly ;  it  inces- 
santly ferments  through  the  mind,  and  when  it  breaks  forth,  he 
perishes  irretrievably  who  is  its  object.  Fleischer  generalizes 
this  idea  :  ''  enmity  proceeding  from  hatred,  envy,  or  jealousy, 
it  is  difficult  or  altogether  impossible  to  withstand,  since  it  puts 
into  operation  all  means,  both  secretly  and  openly,  to  injure  the 
enemy."  But  after  vi.  34  f.,  cf.  Song  viii.  8,  there  is  particularly 
meant  the  passion  of  scorned,  mortified,  deceived  love,  viz.  in 
the  relation  of  husband  and  wife. 

The  third  pair  of  proverbs  passes  over  from  this  special  love 
between  husband  and  wife  to  that  subsisting  between  friends : 
Ver.  5  Better  is  open  accusation 
Than  secret  love. 

An  integral  distich;  '""^i^^^r  ^^^^  Munacli,  and  instead  of  the 
second  Metheg  Tarcha^  after  Thorath  Emeth,  p.  11.  Zöckler, 
with  Hitzig,  incorrectly :  better  than  love  which,  from  false 
indulgence,  keeps  concealed  from  his  neighbour  his  faults, 
when  he  ought  to  tell  him  of  them.  That  would  require  the 
phrase  nnriDD  nnriN^  not  nnriDO.  Ddchsel,  in  order  to  accommo- 
date the  text  to  this  meaning,  remarks :  concealed  censure  is 
concealed  love ;  but  it  is  much  rather  the  neglected  duty  of 
love, — love  without  mutual  discipline  is  weak,  faint-hearted, 
^  Sand  is  called  by  the  name  hn  (^Tl);  to  change,  whirl,  particularly  to 
form  sand-wreaths,  whence  (Arab.)  al-Habil,  the  region  of  moving  sand ; 
vid.  Wetzstein's  Nord-araiien,  p.  56. 


CHAP.  XXVII.  6.  201 

and,  if  it  is  not  too  blind  to  remark  in  a  friend  what  is 
worthy  of  blame,  is  altogether  too  forbearing,  and  essentially 
without  conscience ;  but  it  is  not  "  hidden  and  concealed  love." 
The  meaning  of  the  proverb  is  different :  it  is  better  to  be 
courageously  and  sternly  corrected — on  account  of  some  fault 
committed — by  any  one,  whether  he  be  a  foe  or  a  friend,  than 
to  be  the  object  of  a  love  which  may  exist  indeed  in  the  heart, 
but  which  fails  to  make  itself  manifest  in  outward  act.  There 
are  men  who  continually  assure  us  of  the  reality  and  depth  of 
their  friendship ;  but  when  it  is  necessary  for  them  to  prove 
their  love  to  be  self-denying  and  generous,  they  are  like  a 
torrent  which  is  dry  when  one  expects  to  drink  water  from  it 
(Job  vi.  15).  Such  "secret"  love,  or,  since  the  word  is  not 
nnnw,  but  I^"]^DP,  love  confined  to  the  heart  alone,  is  like  a  fire 
which,  when  it  burns  secretly,  neither  lightens  nor  warms  ; 
and  before  such  a  friend,  any  one  who  frankly  and  freely  tells 
the  truth  has  by  far  the  preference,  for  although  he  may  pain 
us,  yet  he  does  us  good ;  while  the  former  deceives  us,  for  he 
leaves  us  in  the  lui'ch  when  it  is  necessary  to  love  us,  not 
merely  in  word  and  with  the  tongue,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth 
(1  John  iii.  18).  Rightly  Fleischer  :  Prcestat  correptio  aperta 
amicitice  tectce,  i.e.  nulla  re  probatce. 

Ver.  6  Faithful  are  the  -wounds  of  a  friend, 

And  overloaded  [plentiful]  the  kisses  of  an  enemy. 

The  contrast  to  Q"'?öN3j  true,  i.e.  honourable  and  good  (with  the 
transference  of  the  character  of  the  person  to  his  act),  would 
be  fraudulenta  (Jerome),  or  ni3Dn3,  i.e.  false  (Ralbag) ;  Ewald 
seeks  this  idea  from  "inj;,  to  stumble,  make  a  false  step ;  ^ 
Hitzig,  from  "iny  =  (Arab.)  dadhr,  whence  dddhir,  perfidus,  to 
gain  from ;  but  (1)  the  comparison  does  not  lie  near,  since 
usually  the  Arab.  C->  corresponds  to  the  Heb.  K^,  and  the 
Arab,  j  to  the  Heb.  T;  (2)  the  Heb.  iny  has  already  three 
meanings,  and  it  is  not  advisable  to  load  it  with  yet  another 
meaning  assumed  for  this  passage,  and  elsewhere  not  found. 
The  three  meanings  are  the  following :   (a)  to  smoke,  Aram.  l£?y., 

1  Thus  also  Schultens  in  the  Animad verstörtes,  which  later  he  fancied 
was  derived  from  "iny,  nidor,  from  the  meaning  nidorosa,  and  thence 
virulenta. 


202  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

whence  "iW,  vapour,  Ezek.  viii.  11,  according  to  wliicli  the 
Venet.,  with  Kimchi's  and  Parchon's  Lex.,  translates  :  the  kisses 
of  an  enemy  avvcofML^covrai,  i.e.  are  fog;  (b)  to  sacrifice,  to 
worship,  Arab,  atar ;  according  to  which  Aquila:  iKeriKd  (as, 
with  Grabe,  it  is  probably  to  be  read  for  eKovaia  of  the  LXX.); 
and  agreeably  to  the  Niph.,  but  too  artificially,  Arama:  ob- 
tained by  entreaties  =  constrained;  (c)  to  heap  up,  whence 
Hiph.  1''n^n,  Ezek.  xxxv.  13,  cf.  Jer.  xxxiii.  6,  according  to 
which  Eashi,  Meiri,  Gesenius,  Fleischer,  Bertheau,  and  most 
explain,  cogn.  with  l^i?,  whose  Aram,  form  is  inj?,  for  "itJ'y  is 
properly  a  heap  of  goods  or  treasures.^  This  third  meaning 
gives  to  the  kisses  of  an  enemy  a  natural  adjective :  they  are 
too  abundant,  so  much  the  more  plentiful  to  veil  over  the 
hatred,  like  the  kisses  by  means  of  which  Judas  betrayed  his 
Lord,  not  merely  denoted  by  ^ikelv,  but  by  KaracptXetv,  Matt. 
xxvi.  49.  This,  then,  is  the  contrast,  that  the  strokes  inflicted 
by  one  who  truly  loves  us,  although  they  tear  into  our  flesh 
{V^B,  from  WB,  to  split,  to  tear  open),  yet  are  faithful  (cf.  Ps. 
cxli.  5) ;  on  the  contrary,  the  enemy  covers  over  with  kisses 
him  to  whom  he  wishes  all  evil.  Thus  also  niinyj  forms  an 
indirect  contrast  to  D''JOW. 

In  7-10  there  is  also  visible  a  weaving  of  the  external  with 
the  internal.  First,  there  are  two  proverbs,  in  each  of  which 
there  is  repeated  a  word  terminating  with  3. 

Ver.  7  A  satisfied  soul  treadeth  honeycomb  under  foot ; 

And  a  hungry  soul — everything  bitter  is  (to  it)  sweet. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  read  H^ri  (Hitzig)  ;  Di3n  is  stronger ;  "  to 
tread  with  the  feet"  is  the  extreme  degree  of  scornful  despite. 
That  satiety  and  hunger  are  applicable  to  the  soul,  vid.  under 
X.  3.  In  7b,  the  adverb  rb,  relative  to  the  nomin.  absol,  like 
xxviii.  7,  but  not  xiii.  18.  "  Hunger  is  the  best  cook,"  ac- 
cording to  a  German  proverb  ;  the  Hebrew  proverb  is  so  formed 
that  it  is  easily  transferred  to  the  sphere  of  the  soul.  Let  the 
man  whom  God  has  richly  satisfied  with  good  things  guard 
himself  against  ingratitude  towards  the  Giver,  and  against  an 
undervaluing  of  the  gifts  received ;  and  if  they  are  spiritual 
blessings,  let  him  guard  himself  against   self-satisfaction  and 

^  Vid.  regarding  this  word,  Sch\ottma,un  in  Deutsch.- Mo rgenl  Zeitschrift, 
xxiv.  665,  668. 


CHAP.  XXVII.  8.  203 

self-contentment,  which  is,  in  truth,  the  worst  poverty,  Rev. 
iii.  17 ;  for  life  without  God  is  a  constant  hunger  and  thirst. 
There  is  in  worldly  things,  even  the  most  pleasing,  a  dis- 
satisfaction felt,  and  a  dissatisfaction  awakening  disgust;  and 
in  spiritual  life,  a  satiety  which  supposes  itself  to  be  full  of  life, 
but  which  is  nothing  else  than  the  decay  of  life,  than  the 
changing  of  life  into  death. 

Ver.  8  As  a  bird  that  wandereth  from  her  nest, 

So  is  a  man  that  wandereth  from  his  home. 

It  is  not  a  flying  out  that  is  meant,  from  which  at  any  moment 
a  return  is  possible,  but  an  unwilling  taking  to  flight  (LXX. 
Sb  :  orav  airo^evcoOfj  ;  Venet. :  TfXavovjxevov  .  .  .  TrXavovfxevo'i)  ; 
for  T]i3  fiiy,  Isa.  xvi.  2,  of.  Jer.  iv.  25,  birds  that  have  been 
frightened;  and  ^"p,  xxi.  15  f.,  designates  the  fugitive;  cf. 
131  yj,  Gen.  iv.  14,  and  above,  xxvi.  2,  where  llJ  designates 
aimless  roving  about.  Otherwise  Fleischer:  "warning  against 
unnecessary  roaming  about,  in  journeyings  and  wanderings  far 
from  home :  as  a  bird  far  from  its  nest  is  easily  wounded, 
caught,  or  killed,  so,  on  such  excursions,  one  easily  comes  to 
injury  and  want.  One  may  think  of  a  journey  in  the  East. 
The  Arabs  say,  in  one  of  their  proverbs :  alsafar  kafat  man 
dlklyym  (=  journeying  is  a  part  of  the  pains  of  hell)."  But  TiJ 
here  is  not  to  be  understood  in  the  sense  of  a  lihere  vagari. 
Rightly  C.  B.  Michaelis :  qui  vagatur  extorris  et  exul  a  loco  suo 
sc.  natali  vel  hahitationis  ordinance.  This  proverb  mediately 
recommends  the  love  of  one's  fatherland,  i.e.  "  love  to  the  land 
in  which  our  father  has  his  home ;  on  which  our  paternal 
mansion  stands ;  in  which  we  have  spent  the  years  of  our 
childhood,  so  significant  a  part  of  one's  whole  life  ;  from  which 
we  have  derived  our  bodily  and  intellectual  nourishment ;  and 
in  which  home  we  recognise  bone  of  our  bone  and  flesh  of  our 
flesh."  ^  But  next  it  says,  that  to  be  in  a  strange  land  must  be 
an  unhappiness,  because  a  man  never  feels  better  than  at 
home,  as  the  bird  in  its  nest.  We  say :  Heimat  [home] — this 
beautiful  word  becomes  the  German  language,  which  has  also 
coined  the  expressive  idea  of  Heimweh  [longing  for  home]  ;  the 

^  Gustave  Baur's  article  "  Vaterlandsliebe,"  in  Schmid's  Pädagogischer 
Encyklopädie. 


204  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVERDS. 

Heb.  uses,  to  express  the  idea  of  home,  tlie  word  ""isipo ;  and  of 
fatherland,  the  word  ''inx  or  "TiDIX.  The  Heb.  H^^^  corre- 
sponds ^  to  the  German  ELend^  but  =  Eilend,  elilenti,  of  another 
land,  strange. 

The  two  following  proverbs  have  in  common  the  catchword 
V"],  and  treat  of  the  value  of  friendship  : — 

Ver.  9  Oil  and  frankincense  rejoice  the  heart ; 

And  the  sweet  discourse  of  a  friend  from  a  counselling  of  soul. 

Regarding  the  perfuming  with  dry  aromas,  and  sprinkling  with 
liquid  aromas,  as  a  mark  of  honour  towards  guests,  and  as  a 

^  The  translators  transfer  to  this  place  a  note  from  vol.  ii.  p.  191  f.  of 
the  author's  larger  Covim.  ii.  den  Psalter,  to  which  Delitzsch  refers  the 
reader: — "The  modern  High  German  adj.  elend,  middle  High  German 
eilende,  old  High  German  alilandi,  elilendi,  or  elilenti,  is  composed  of  ali 
and  land.  The  adj.  ali  occurs  only  in  old  High  German  in  composition. 
In  the  Gothic  it  is  found  as  an  independent  adj.,  in  the  sense  of  alius  and 
uh'Ko;  (vid.  Ulfilas,  Gal.  v.  10).  The  primary  meaning  of  elilenti  is  conse- 
quently :  of  another  country,  foreign.  In  glosses  and  translations  it  is 
rendered  by  the  Lat.  words  peregrinus,  exul,  advena,  also  captivus.  In 
these  meanings  it  occurs  very  frequently.  In  the  old  High  German  trans- 
lation of  Ammonius,  Diatessaron,  sive  Harmonise  in  quatuor  Evangelica, 
the  word  proselytism,  occurring  in  Matt,  xxiii.  15,  is  rendered  hy  elilantan. 
To  the  adj.  the  old  High  German  subst.  corresponds.  This  has  the 
meaning  exilium,  transmigratio,  captivitas.  The  connection  in  elilenti  or 
elilentes,  used  adverbially,  is  rendered  by  the  Lat.  peregre.  In  the  middle 
High  German,  however,  the  proper  signification  of  both  words  greatly  pre- 
dominates. But  as,  in  the  old  High  German,  the  idea  of  7niser  is  often  at 
the  same  time  comprehended  in  the  proper  signification  :  he  who  is  miser- 
able through  banishment,  imprisonment,  or  through  sojourning  in  a  strange 
land ;  thus,  in  several  places  of  the  middle  High  German,  this  derived  idea 
begins  to  separate  itself  from  the  fundamental  conception,  so  that  eilende 
comes  in  genei'al  to  be  called  miser.  In  the  new  High  German  this  derived 
conception  is  almost  alone  maintained.  Yet  here  also,  in  certain  connec- 
tions, there  are  found  traces  of  the  original  idea,  e.g.  in's  Elend  schicken, 
for  to  banish.  Very  early  also  the  word  came  to  be  used,  in  a  spiritual 
sense,  to  denote  our  present  abode,  in  contrast  to  paradise  or  the  heavenly 
kingdom.  .  .  .  Thus,  e.g.  in  one  of  Luther's  hymns,  when  we  pray  to  the 
Holy  Ghost : 

"  Das  er  vns  behüte,  an  vnserm  ende, 
Wenn  wir  heim  farn  aus  diesem  elende." 

[That  He  guard  us  to  our  end 
When  we  go  home  from  this  world.] 

— KuD.  VON  Eaujiee. 


CHAP.  XXVII.  9.  205- 

means  of  promoting  joyful  social  fellowship,  vid.  at  vii.  16  f,, 
xxi.  17.  The  pred.  nab'''  comprehends  frankincense  or  oil  as  the 
two  sides  of  one  and  the  same  thing ;  the  LXX.  introduces, 
from  Ps.  civ.  15,  also  wine.  It  also  reads  nyi  pnci  as  one 
word,  nynpnjpi :  Karappy^jwrai,  Be  viro  avfiTrrcof^drcov  '^V'^ij, 
which  Hitzig  regards  as  original  ;  for  he  translates,  under- 
standing riVyo  after  Ps.  xiii.  3,  "  but  the  soul  is  torn  by  cares." 
But  why  nyipn^,  this  Hitlipa.  without  example,  for  i^J^IP^  ?  and 
now  connected  with  1??  in  the  sense  of  viro  !  And  what  does 
one  gain  by  this  Alexandrian  wisdom  [of  the  LXX.] — a  con- 
trast to  9«  which  is  altogether  incongruous  ?  Döderlein's  ren- 
dering accords  far  better  with  9a :  "  but  the  sweetness  of  a 
friend  surpasses  fragrant  wood."  But  although  this  renderinij 
of  the  word  \p'^t]  by  "  fragrant  wood  "  is  found  in  Gesen.  Lex., 
from  one  edition  to  another,  yet  it  must  be  rejected ;  for  the 
word  signifies  wood  as  the  contents  of  trees,  the  word  for 
aromatic  wood  must  be  D''Vy  ;  and  if  the  poet  had  not  intention- 
ally aimed  at  dubiety,  he  ought  to  have  written  Db'^  ''>*y,  since 
C'D:,  with  the  exception  of  Isa.  iii.  20,  where  it  is  beyond  doubt, 
nowhere  means  fragrance.  If  we  read  n^>y  and  ^'Q3  together, 
then  we  may  suppose  that  the  latter  designates  the  soul,  as  at 
Ps.  xiii.  3  ;  and  the  former,  counsel  (from  the  verb  YT^.  But 
to  what  does  the  suffix  of  ^nyi  refer?  One  may  almost  con- 
jecture that  the  words  originally  were  inyn  ri^yo  tJ'SJ  pnni^  and 
the  sweetness  of  the  soul  {i.e.  a  sweet  relish  for  it,  cf.  ver.  7 
and  xvi.  24)  consists  in  the  counsel  of  a  friend,  according  to 
which  Jerome  translates :  et  bonis  amici  consiliis  anima  dulcora- 
tur.  By  this  transposition  inyi  refers  back  to  B'D) ;  for  if  nephesh 
denote  a  person  or  a  living  being,  it  can  be  construed  ad  sensum 
as  masc,  e.g.  Num.  xxxi.  28.  But  the  words  may  remain  in 
the  order  in  which  they  are  transmitted  to  us.  It  is  possible 
that  inyT  is  (Böttcher  refers  to  Job  xii.  4)  of  the  same  meaning 
as  y"]n  (the  friend  of  one  =  the  friend),  as  ^?3  denotes  directly 
the  whole  ;  i''Vn,  the  half ;  i^y,  the  right  time.  Recognising 
this,  Cocceius,  Umbreit,  Stier,  and  Zockler  explain :  sweetness, 
i.e.  the  sweet  encouragement  (Pr"??  in  the  sense  of  "  sweetness 
(grace)  of  the  lips,"  xvi.  21)  of  a  friend,  is  better  than  one's 
own  counsel,  than  prudence  seeking  to  help  oneself,  and  trusting 
merely  to  one's  own  resources ;   thus  also  Rashi :   better  than 


206  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

what  one's  own  soul  advises  him.  Bat  (1)  K'SJ  cannot  mean 
one's  own  person  (oneself)  in  contrast  to  another  person ; 
and  (2)  this  does  not  supply  a  correct  antithesis  to  9a.  Thus 
|0  will  not  express  the  preference,  but  the  origin.  Accordingly 
Ewald,  e.g.,  explains :  the  sweetness  of  a  friend  whom  one  has 
proceedeth  from  the  counsel  of  soul,  i.e.  from  such  counsel  as 
is  drawn  from  a  deep,  full  soul.  But  no  proof  can  be  brought 
from  the  usage  of  the  language  that  C'Drm*y  can  be  so  meant ; 
these  words,  after  the  analogy  of  ll'DJ  nyn,  xix.  2,  mean  ability  to 
give  counsel  as  a  quality  of  the  soul  (viii.  14  ;  Job  xii.  13),  i.e. 
its  ability  to  advise.  Accordingly,  with  Bertheau,  we  explain 
i^TiOb'''  as  the  common  predicate  for  9a  and  96;  ointment  and 
perfume  rejoice  the  heart,  and  (the  Syr.,  Targ.,  well :  even  so) 
the  sweet  exhortation  of  a  friend,  from  a  soul  capable  of  ren- 
dering counsel ;  also,  this  and  this,  more  than  that  fragrance. 
This  proverb  is  formed  in  the  same  way  as  xxvi.  9,  14.  In 
this  explanation  inj?"i  is  well  referred  back  to  2? :  and  (more 
than)  the  sweet  advice  of  his  friend.  But  not  so  that  inj?1  is 
equivalent  to  3?n  yn^  for  one  does  not  thus  speak;  but  the  con- 
struction is  as  when  we  say,  in  the  German  language  :  Nichts 
thut  einem  Herzen  xooler  als  loenn  sein  Freund  es  mitfühlend 
tröstet  [nothing  does  more  good  to  a  heart  than  when  a  friend 
sympathizingly  comforts  it]  ;  or :  Zage  nicht,  tief  betrübtes  Herz! 
Hein  Freund  lebt  und  wird  dir  bald  sich  zeigen  [Be  not  dismayed, 
deeply-troubled  heart !  thy  friend  lives,  and  will  soon  show 
himself  to  thee].  In  such  cases  the  word  "  Herz'^  [heart]  does 
not  designate  a  distinct  part  of  the  person,  but,  synecdochically, 
it  denotes  the  whole  person. 

Ver.  10.  Another  proverb,  consisting  of  three  lines,  in  com- 
mendation of  friendship : 

Thine  own  friend  and  the  friend  of  thy  father  forsake  not, 

And  into  thy  brother's  house  go  not  in  the  day  of  thy  misfortune — 

Better  is  a  near  neighbour  than  a  far-off  brother. 

In  our  editions  ^T},  is  incorrectly  pointed  with  Pasek  after  it,  so 
that  the  accent  is  Asia  Legarmeh ;  the  Pasek  is,  after  the 
example  of  older  editions,  with  Norzi,  to  be  cancelled,  so  that 
only  the  conjunctive  Asia  remains ;  "  thine  own  and  the  friend 
of  thy  father"  denotes  the   family  friend,  like  some  family 


CHAP.  XXVII.  n,  207 

heirloom,  descending  from  father  to  son.  Such  an  old  tried 
friend  one  must  certainly  not  give  up.  The  Keri  changes 
the  second  nyni  into  T}\  but  nj/ni  (which,  after  the  Masora  in 
St.  constr.,  retains  its  segol,  Ewald,  §  2 lie)  is  also  admissible,  for 
a  form  of  comparison  (Hitzig)  this  nyn  is  not,  but  the  fuller 
form  of  the  abbreviated  J?"»,  from  nyn,  to  take  care  of,  to  tend, 

to  pasture — an  infinitive  formation  (=  ''.V"!)  like  the  cogn.  ^j 

a  participial.  Such  a  proved  friend  one  ought  certainly  not  to 
give  up,  and  in  the  time  of  heavy  trial  (vid.  regarding  T'i?,  i.  26) 
one  should  go  to  him  and  not  to  a  brother's  house — it  is  by 
this  supposed  that,  as  xviii.  24  says,  there  is  a  degree  of  friend- 
ship (cf.  xvii.  17)  which  in  regard  to  attachment  stands  above 
that  of  mere  fraternal  relationship,  and  it  is  true ;  blood-rela- 
tionship, viewed  in  itself,  stands  as  a  relationship  of  affection 
on  natural  grounds  below  friendship,  which  is  a  relationship  of 
life  on  moral  grounds.  But  does  blood-relationship  exclude 
friendship  of  soul  ?  cannot  my  brother  be  at  the  same  time  my 
heart-friend  ?  and  is  not  friendship  all  the  firmer  when  it  has 
at  the  same  time  its  roots  in  the  spirit  and  in  natural  grounds? 
The  poet  seems  to  have  said  this,  for  in  10c,  probably  a  popular 
saying  (cf.  ^^  Besser  Nachbar  an  der  Wand  als  Bruder  über  Land''^ 
[Better  a  neighbour  by  one's  side  than  a  brother  abroad]),  he 
gives  to  his  advice  a  foundation,  and  at  the  same  time  a  limita- 
tion which  modifies  its  ruggedness.  But  Dächsei  places  (like 
Schultens)  in  ^iii^  and  pinn  meanings  which  the  words  do 
not  contain,  for  he  interprets  them  of  inward  nearness  and 
remoteness;  and  Zöckler  reads  between  the  lines,  for  he  remai'ks, 
a  "  near  neighbour "  is  one  who  is  near  to  the  oppressed  to 
counsel  and  help  them,  and  a  "distant  brother"  is  one  who 
with  an  un amiable  disposition  remains  far  from  the  oppressed. 
The  state  of  the  matter  is  simple.  If  one  has  a  tried  friend  in 
neighbourly  nearness,  so  in  the  time  of  distress,  when  he  needs 
consolation  and  help,  he  must  go  to  this  friend,  and  not  first  to 
the  house  of  a  brother  dwelling  at  a  distance,  for  the  former 
certainly  does  for  us  what  the  latter  probably  may  and  probably 
may  not  do  for  us. 

Ver.  11.  This  proverb  has,  in  common  with  the  preceding 
tristich,  the  form  of  an  address: 


203  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVEEBS. 

Become  wise,  my  son,  and  make  my  heart  rejoice, 
That  I  may  give  an  answer  to  my  accusers. 

Better  than  "  be  wise  "  (Luther),  we  translate  "  become  wise  " 
(LXX.  (To^o^  yivov);  for  he  who  is  addressed  might  indeed  be 
wise,  though  not  at  present  so,  so  that  his  father  is  made  to 
listen  to  such  deeply  wounding  words  as  these,  "  Cursed  be  he 
wiio  begat,  and  who  educated  this  man"  (Malbim).  The 
cohortative  clause  116  (cf.  Ps.  cxix.  42)  has  the  force  of  a  clause 
with  a  purpose  (Gesen.  §  cxxviii.  1) :  ut  Juiheam  quod  Us  qui  me 
convicientur  o^egerere  possim  ;  it  does  not  occur  anywhere  in  the 
Hezekiah  collection  except  here. 

Ver.  12.  Diny  appears  to  lean  on  D3n. 

The  prudent  man  seeth  the  misfortune,  hideth  himself  ; 
The  simple  pass  on,  suffer  injury. 

=  xxii.  3,  where  D^^nsi  for  D>*riQ,  nrip;i  for  ■iJ;i?3,  and  ^^}V}\  for 
''^JHiv '  ^^^®  three  asyndeta  make  the  proverb  clumsy,  as  if  it 
counted  out  its  seven  words  separately  to  the  hearer.  Ewald, 
§  349a,  calls  it  a  "  Steinschrift "  [an  inscription  on  a  stone]. 
The  perfects  united  in  pairs  with,  and  yet  more  without,  Vav, 
express  the  coincidence*  as  to  time. 
Ver.  13.  Dny  alliterates  with  liy. 

Take  from  him  the  garment,  for  he  hath  become  surety  for  another, 
And  for  the  sake  of  a  strange  matter  put  him  under  bonds. 

=  xx.  16,  vid.  there.  n^'iaa  we  interpret  neut.  (LXX.  ra 
dWorpia ;  Jerome,  pro  alicnis),  although  certainly  the  case 
occurs  that  one  becomes  surety  for  a  strange  woman  (Aquila, 
Theodotion,  irepl  ^evT]<i),  by  whose  enticements  and  flatteries  he 

1  The  second  Munach  is  at  xxii.  3,  as  well  as  here,  according  to  the  rule 
xviii.  4  of  the  Accentuationssystem,  the  transformation  of  the  Dechi,  and  pre- 
serves its  value  of  interpunction ;  the  Legarmeh  of  I  Dliy  is,  however,  a 
disjunctive  of  less  force  than  Dechi,  so  that  thus  the  sequence  of  the  accents 
denotes  that  nj?")  ns")  Qllj;  is  a  clause  related  to  "inDJI  as  a  hypothetical 
antecedent :  if  the  prudent  sees  the  calamity,  then  he  hides  himself  from  it. 
This  syntactic  relation  is  tenable  at  xxii.  3,  but  not  here  at  xxvii.  12.  Here, 
at  least,  Dl"iy  would  be  better  with  Rebla,  to  which  the  following  Dechi 
would  subordinate  itself.  The  prudent  seeth  the  evil,  concealeth  himself  ; 
or  also,  prudent  is  he  who  sees  the  evil,  hides  himself.  For  of  two  dis- 
junctives before  Athnach,  the  first,  according  as  it  is  greater  or  less  than 
the  second,  retains  either  Legarmeh  (e.g.  Ps.  i.  5,  Ixxxvi.  12,  Ixxxviii.  14, 
cix,  14)  or  Rebia  (xii.  2 ;  Ps.  xxv,  2,  Ixix.  9,  cxlvi.  5). 


CHAP.  XXVII.  14,  15.  2  Of 

is  taken,  and  who  afterwards  leaves  him  in  the  lurch  whh  the 
debts  for  Avhich  he  had  become  security,  to  show  her  costly 
favour  to  another. 

Ver.  14.  This  proverb,  passing  over  the  three  immediately 
intervening,  connects  itself  with  vers.  9  and  10.  It  is  directed 
against  cringing,  noisy  complimenting: 

He  who  blesseth  his  neighbour  with  a  loud  voice,  rising  early  in  the 

morning, 
It  is  reckoned  as  a  curse  to  him. 

The  first  line  is  intentionally  very  heavy,  in  order  to  portray 
the  empressement  of  the  maker  of  compliments  :  he  calls  out  to 
another  his  good  wishes  with  a  loud  voice,  so  as  to  make  the 
impression  of  deep  veneration,  of  deeply  felt  thankfulness,  but 
in  reality  to  gain  favour  thereby,  and  to  commend  himself  to 
greater  acts  of  kindness  ;  he  sets  himself  to  meet  him,  having 
risen  up  (D^3K'n,  adverbial  inj.  ahs. ;  cf .  .Ter.  xliv.  4  with  xxv.  4) 
early  in  the  morning,  to  offer  his  captatio  benevolentice  as  speedily 
as  possible ;  but  this  salutation  of  good  wishes,  the  affected  zeal 
in  presenting  which  is  a  sign  of  a  selfish,  calculating,  servile  soul, 
is  reckoned  to  him  as  np?p,  viz.  before  God  and  every  one  who 
can  judge  correctly  of  human  nature,  also  before  him  who  is 
complimented  in  so  ostentatious  and  troublesome  a  manner,  the 
true  design  of  which  is  thus  seen.  Oiliers  understand  the 
proverb  after  the  example  of  Berachoth  14a,  that  one  ought  to 
salute  no  one  till  he  has  said  his  morning's  prayer,  because 
honour  is  due  before  all  to  God  (the  Book  of  Wisdom,  x.  28)  ; 
and  others  after  EracJdn  16a,  according  to  which  one  is  meant 
who  was  invited  as  a  guest  of  a  generous  lord,  r.-.d  was  liberally 
entertained,  and  who  now  on  the  public  streets  blesses  him,  i.e. 
praises  him  for  his  nobility  of  mind — such  blessing  is  a  curse  to 
him  whom  it  concerns,  because  this  trumpeting  of  his  ])raise 
brings  upon  him  a  troublesome,  importunate  crowd.  But  plainly 
the  particularity  of  '1J1  7ipii  lays  the  chief  emphasis  on  the 
servility  manifested  ;  and  one  calls  to  mind  the  case  of  the 
clients  besieging  the  doors  of  their  patrons,  those  cUentes 
matutini,  each  of  whom  sought  to  be  the  first  in  the  sahiiatio  of 
his  distinguished  wealthy  patron. 

Ver.  15.  This  proverb  passes  from  the  complimentarius  to  its 
opposite,  a  shrewish  wife: 

VOL.  II.  O 


C^IO  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

A  continual  dropping  in  a  rainy  clay 
And  a  contentious  woman  are  alike. 

Thus  we  have  ah-eady  translated  (vol.  i.  p.  9),  where,  when 
treating  of  the  manifold  forms  of  parabolic  proverbs,  we  began 
with  this  least  poetic,  but  at  the  same  time  remarked  that 
vers.  15  and  16  are  connected,  forming  a  tetrastich,  which  is 
certainly  the  case  according  to  the  text  here  lying  before  us. 
In  verse  15,  xix.  13b  is  expanded  into  a  distich,  and  made  a 
complete  verse.     Regarding  *T]iü  f\7i^  vid.  the  explanation  there 

given.     The  noun  i^l^?,  which  the  Syr.  translates  by  lr-iv-£0, 

but  the  Targumist  retains,  because  it  is  in  common  use  in  the 
post.-bibl.  Heb.  {Bereschith  rabba,  c.  1)  and  the  Jewish  Aramaic, 
si(Tnifies  violent  rain,  after  the  Jewish  interpreters,  because  then 
the  people  remain  shut  up  in  their  houses  ;  more  correctly,  per- 
haps, from  the  unbroken  continuousness  and  thickness  (cf.  the 
Arab,  insajara,  to  go  behind  each  other  in  close  column)  with 
which  the  rain  pours  down.  Regarding  D''3n»,  Kert  ^^^l^?,  vid. 
vi.  14 ;  the  genit.  connection  of  '^  rif  S*  we  had  already  at  xxi. 
9.  The  form  niriU'2  is  doubtful.  If  accented,  with  Löwen- 
stein and  others,  as  Milray  then  we  would  have  a  Nithkatal 
before  us,  as  at  Num.  i.  47,  or  a  Hoilikatal — a  passive 
form  of  the  Kal,  the  existence  of  which,  however,  is  not  fully 
established.  Eather  this  word  is  to  be  regarded  as  ^}^'''^'} 
{NiÜipa.  as  Deut.  xxi.  8 ;  Ezek.  xxiii.  48)  without  the  dagesh, 
and  lengthened ;  the  form  of  the  word  >^y!}^?,  as  found  in  the 
Cod.  Jaman.,  aims  at  this.  But  the  form  niW3  is  better  estab- 
lished, e.g.  by  Cod.  1294,  as  MileL  Kimchi,  McJdol  131a  (cf. 
Ewald,  §  132t;),  regards  it  as  a  form  without  the  dagesh,  made 
up  of  the  Ä'iph.  and  Hilhpa.,  leaving  the  penrdtima  toning  unex- 
plained. Bertheau  regards  it  as  a  voluntative:  let  us  compare 
(as  nynüö,  Isa.  xli.  23)  ;  but  as  he  himself  says,  the  reflexive 
form  does  not  accord  with  this  sense.  Hitzig  has  adopted  the 
right  explanation  (cf.  Olshausen,  §  275,  and  Böttcher,  §  1072, 
who,  however,  registers  it  at  random  as  an  Ephraimitism).  i^)^^! 
is  a  Niphal,  with  a  transposition  of  consonants  for  ^nv^'?,  since 
nnyjö  passes  over  into  ninp'J.  Such  is  now  the  genus  in  the 
arrangement ;  the  Milra  form  would  be  as  masc.  syntactically 
inaccurate.     "  The  finite  following  the  subjects  is  regulated  by 


CHAP.  SXVir.  16.  211 

the  gender  and  number  of  that  which  is  next  before  it,  as  at 
2  Sam.  iii.  22,  xx.  20  ;  Ps.  Iv.  6  ;  Job  xix.  15  "  (Hitzig). 

Ver.  16.  This  verse  stands  in  close  connection  with  the  pre- 
ceding, for  it  speaks  of  the  contentious  woman: 

He  that  restraiueth  her  restraineth  the  wind, 

And  oil  meeteth  his  right  hand. 
The  connection  of  the  plur.  subject  n^jsi;  =  quicunque  earn 
cohibet,  with  a  sing,  predicate,  is  not  to  be  disputed  (yid.  iii.  18 
and  xxviii.  16,  Chelhib)  ;  but  can  pi*  gain  from  the  meaning  of 
preserving,  laying  up,  also  the  meanings  of  keeping,  of  con- 
fining, and  shutting  up? — for  these  meanings  we  have  N?li 
and  "lyy  (cf.  1"]^*,  XXX.  4).  In  166  it  lies  nearer  to  see  in 
iJ''P^  tlie  object  of  the  clause  (oil  meeteth  his  right  hand) 
than  the  subject  (his  right  hand  meeteth  oil),  for  the  gender 
of  pD""  directs  to  "i^  (e.g.  Ezek.  xv.  66 ;  cf.  Qa,  where  "'■]■^^^^  is  as 
to  gender  indifferent) :  it  is  fem.,  while  on  the  contrary  I^^i'  is 
generally  masc.  (cf.  Song  i.  3).  There  is  no  reason  for  regard- 
ing i2''D^  as  an  adverbial  accus,  (he  meets  oil  with  his  right 
hand),  or,  with  Hitzig,  as  a  second  subject  (he  meets  oil,  his 
right  hand) ;  the  latter,  in  the  order  of  the  words  lying  before  us, 
is  not  at  all  possible.  We  suppose  that  N^i?^.,  as  at  Gen.  xlix.  1, 
is  equivalent  to  nnp^  (Ewald,  §  116c),  for  the  explanation  oleum 
dextercB  ejus  prceconem  agit  (Cocceius,  Schultens)  does  not 
explain,  but  only  darkens ;  and  oleum  dextera  sua  legit,  i.e.  colligit 
(Fleischer),  is  based  on  an  untenable  use  of  the  word.  As  one 
may  say  of  person  to  person,  Tjp^,  occurrit  tibi,  Num.  xxv,  18, 
so  also  X")P1  ('""vi?"^)?  ^^  ^  thing  that  meets  a  man  or  one  of  his 
members;  and  if  we  compare  riNii^p  and  "'"li',  then  for  166  the 
meaning  is  possible:  oil  meets  his  right  hand;  the  quarrelsome 
woman  is  like  oil  that  cannot  be  held  in  the  hand,  which  struggles 
against  that  which  holds  it,  for  it  always  glides  out  of  the  hand. 
Thus  also  Luther :  "  and  seeks  to  hold  oil  with  his  hand,"  as  if 
he  read  Y^P\-  In  fact,  this  word  was  more  commonly  used  as 
the  expression  of  untenableness  than  the  colourless  and  singular 
word  xnp^,  which,  besides,  is  so  ambiguous,  that  none  of  the  old 
translators  has  thought  on  any  other  Nip  than  that  which  signifies 
"  to  call,"  "  to  name."  The  Jewish  interpreters  also  adhere  to 
this  nearest  lying  N"ip,  and,  moreover,  explain,  as  the  Syr., 
Targ.,  Aquila,  Symrnachus,  Jerome,  and  the   Venet.,  13"'0^  10*^, 


212  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

according  to  the  accentuation  as  genit.  connected,  e.g.  Raslii  : 
he  calls  for  oil  to  his  right  hand,  viz.  as  the  means  of  purifica- 
tion from  leprosy,  Lev.  viii.  14  [xiv.  16]  ;  and  Aben  Ezra : 
even  when  he  calls  for  oil  to  his  right  hand,  i.e.  would  move 
them  to  silence  with  the  precious  anointing  oil.  Perhaps  ver. 
16  was  originally  an  independent  proverb  as  follows : 

nn  \ti^  {in  ^jd^j 

K-ip"'  lyn'»  pm  '"^ 

i3re 
He  who  layeth  up  riches  in  store  layeth  up  the  wind, 

And  he  nameth  them  the  fat  of  his  right  hand  ;  " 

i.e.^  he  sees  in  them  that  which  makes  his  right  hand  fat  ^lu' 
strong  (19t;',  as  at  Ps.  cix.  24,  opp.  Zech.  xi.  17  ;  cf.  VSOtJ'pa, 
Isa.  X.  16,  and  regarding  'Eafxovv,  the  Phoenican  god  of  health, 
at  Isa.  lix.  10),  and  yet  it  is  only  the  wind,  i.e.  something  that 
is  worthless  and  transient,  which  he  stored  up  (ISV,  as  at  xiii.  22, 
and  in  1''^3Vöj  Obad.  ver.  6).  |in  is  used  as  it  frequently  occurs 
in  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  e.g.  xi.  4,  and  the  whole  proverb 
expresses  by  another  figure  the  same  as  xviii.  11.  The  fact 
that  pss  (nn),  XXV.  23,  and  as  a  contrast  thereto  in  the  compass 
YJ2''  (the  south),  hovered  before  the  poet,  may  not  have  been 
without  its  influence  on  the  choice  of  the  words  and  expression 
here. 

Ver.  17.  This  proverb  expresses  the  influence  arising  from 
the  intercourse  of  man  with  man  : 

Iron  is  sharpened  by  iron, 

And  a  man  may  sharpen  the  appearance  of  another. 
When  the  Masora  reads  in^^,  Ewald  remarks,  it  interprets  the 
word  as  denoting  "at  the  same  time,"  and  the  further  meaning  of 
the  proverb  must  then  accord  therewith.  Accordingly  he  trans- 
lates :  "  iron  together  with  iron  !  and  one  together  with  the  face 
of  another !  "  But  then  the  prep.  3  or  Dy  is  wanting  after  the 
second  in'' — for  '^^'[  is,  in  spite  of  Ewald,  §  217A,  never  a  prep. 
— and  the  "  face,"  17^»,  would  be  a  perplexing  superfluity. 
Hitzig  already  replies,  but  without  doing  homage  to  the  tra- 
ditional text-punctuation,  that  such  a  violence  to  the  use  of 
language,  and  such  a  darkening  of  the  thought,  is  not  at  all  to 
be  accepted.  He  suggests  four  ways  of  interpreting  nrr*:  (1) 
the  adverb  "^^l,  united,  properly  (taken  accusat.)  union  ;  (2)  nn]^ 
Ps.  Ixxxvi.  11,  imper.  of  the  Piel  ^iy,,  unite ;  (3)  "nn;",  Job  iii.  6, 


CHAP.  XXVII.  17.  213 

jussive  of  the  Kal  nnn,  gandeat ;  and  (4)  as  Kimclii,  in  Michlol 
126a,  jussive  of  the  Kal  nnn  (^=z:Tin)  acuere,  after  the  form  Tnri, 
Mic.  iv.  11.  Yü%  Gen.  xxxii.  8,  etc.  in  p.  nrp,  after  the  form 
rnx,  Job  xxiii.  9.  ^n'V  2  Kinr^s  i.  2  (=  i6r\^\  2  Chron.  xvi.  12). 
If  we  take  nn^  with  ?n3,  then  it  is  a  priori  to  be,  supposed  that 
in  nn^  the  idea  of  sharpening  lies ;  in  the  Arab,  iron  is  simply 
called  /iadi/da  =  '^^'^^,  that  which  is  sharpened,  sharp;  and  a 
current  Arab,  proverb  says  :  alhadyd  halhadyd  yiiflali  =ferrum 
ferro  dip.nditur  {yid.  Freytag  under  the  word /a/a/i).  But  is 
the  traditional  text-punctuation  thus  understood  to  be  rightly 
maintained  ?  It  may  be  easily  changed  in  conformity  with  the 
meanincT,  but  not  so  that  with  Böttcher  we  read  in'»  and  ^H'' 

O'  1ST-  J  — 7 

the  fut.  Kal  of  ^in  :  "iron  sharpenetli  itself  on  iron,  and  a 
man  sharpeneth  himself  over  against  his  neighbour" — for  ""iD 
after  a  verb  to  be  understood  actively,  has  to  be  regarded  as  the 
object — but  since  'in^''^  is  changed  into  *in*  {fut.  Hipli.  of  '^1\}), 
and  in;;  into  *in^  or  in;;  (^fut.  Hiph.  of  Tin,  after  the  form  P^^, 
incipianij  Deut.  ii.  25,  or  ^nx^  profanaho^  Ezek.  xxxix.  7;  Num. 
XXX.  3).  The  passive  rendering  of  the  idea  17a  and  the  active  of 
176  thus  more  distinctly  appear,  and  the  unsuitable  jussive  forms 
are  set  aside  :  ferrum  ferro  exacuitur^  et  homo  exacuitfaciem  amici 
sui  (Jerome,  Targ.,  the  Ve7ieL).  But  that  is  not  necessary. 
As  H'-l  may  be  the  fut.  of  the  Iliph.  (he  brought  up)  as  well  as 
of  the  Kal  (he  went  up),  so  *l|V  may  be  regarded  as  fit.  Kal, 
and  in;;  as  fut.  Hiph.  Fleischer  prefers  to  render  irr  also  as 
Hiph. :  aciem  exhibet,  like  '^'^^'V^.,  divitias  acqidrit,  and  the  like ; 
but  the  jussive  is  not  favourable  to  this  supposition  of  an  in- 
transitive (inwardly  transitive)  Hiph.  It  may  indeed  be  said 
that  the  two  jussives  appear  to  be  used,  according  to  poetic 
licence,  with  the  force  of  indicatives  (cf.  under  xii.  26),  but  the 
repetition  opposes  it.  Thus  we  explain  :  iron  is  sharpened 
[gewetzt,  Luther  uses  this  appropriate  word]  by  iron  (3  of  the 
means,  not  of  the  object,  which  was  rather  to  be  expected  in 
176  after  xx.  30),  and  a  man  whets  '•jd,  the  appearance,  the 
deportment,  the  nature,  and  manner  of  the  conduct  of  his 
neighbour.  The  proverb  requires  that  the  intercourse  of  man 
with  man  operate  in  the  way  of  sharpening  the  manner  and 
forming  the  habits  and  character;  that  one  help  another  to 
culture  and  polish  of  manner,  rub  off  his  ruggedness,  round 


214  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

liis  corners,  as  one  has  to  make  use  of  iron  when  he  sharpens 
iron  and  seeks  to  make  it  bright.  The  jussive  form  is  the 
oratorical  form  of  the  expression  of  that  which  is  done,  but  also 
of  that  which  is  to  be  done. 

The  following  three  proverbs  are  connected  with  17  in  their 
similarity  of  form  : — 

Ver.  18  Whosoever  watclieth  the  fig-tree  will  enjoy  its  fruit ; 

And  he  that  hath  regard  to  his  master  attaineth  to  honour. 
The  first  member  is,  as  in  ver.  17,  only  the  means  of  contem- 
plating the  second ;  as  faithful  care  of  the  tree  has  fruit  for  a 
reward,  so  faithful  regard  for  one's  master,  honour ;  "i>|3  is  used 
as  at  Isa.  xxvii.  3,  i^b'  as  at  Hos.  iv.  10,  etc. — the  proverb  is 
valid  in  the  case  of  any  kind  of  master  up  to  the  Lord  of  lords. 
The  fig-tree  presented  itself,  as  Heidenheim  remarks,  as  an 
appropriate  figure ;  because  in  the  course  of  several  years'  train- 
ino;  it  brintrs  forth  its  fruit,  which  the  lano;uao;e  of  the  Mishna 
distinguishes  as  pjS,  unripe,  Snu,  half  ripe,  and  7üV,  fully 
ripe.  To  fruit  in  the  first  line  corresponds  honour  in  the 
second,  which  the  faithful  and  attentive  servant  attains  unto 
first  on  the  part  of  his  master,  and  then  also  from  society  in 
general. 

Ver.  19  As  it  is  with  water,  face  correspondeth  to  face, 
So  also  the  heart  of  man  to  man. 
Thus  the  traditional  text  is  to  be  translated  ;  for  on  the  supposi- 
tion that  2^03  must  be  used  for  D^ö?3,  yet  it  might  not  be  trans- 
lated :  as  in  waters  face  corresponds  to  face  (Jerome  :  guo- 
modo  in  aquis  resplendent  vultus  respicientium),  because  3  (instar) 
is  always  only  a  prep,  and  never  conj.  subordinating  to  itself  a 
whole  sentence  {vid.  under  Ps.  xxxviii.  14).  But  whether 
D^ss,  "  like  water,"  may  be  an  abridgment  of  a  sentence:  "  like 
as  it  is  with  water,"  is  a  question,  and  the  translation  of  the 
LXX.  (Syr.,  Targ.,  Arab.),  wcnrep  ov-^  ofioLairpoawira  irpoaoi- 
TroL^;,  K.T.\.,  appears,  according  to  Böttchers  ingenious  conjec- 
ture, to  have  supposed  D''D3  "iC'XD,  from  which  the  LXX.  derived 
Q^jyi  px3,  sicut  non  pares.  The  thought  is  beautiful:  as  in  the 
water-mirror  each  one  beholds  his  own  face  (Luther :  der 
Scheme  —  the  shadow),  so  out  of  the  heart  of  another  each  sees 
his  own  heart,  i.e.  he  finds  in  another  the  dispositions  and  feel- 
ings of  his  own  heart  (Fleischer) — the  face  finds  in  water  its 


CHAP.  XXVII.  20.  215- 

reflection,  and  the  heart  of  a  man  finds  in  man  its  echo  ;  men 
are  oixoLoiradel^^  and  it  is  a  fortunate  thing  tliat  their  heart  is 
capable  of  the  same  sympatlietic  feelings,  so  that  one  can  pour 
into  the  heart  of  another  that  which  fills  and  moves  his  own 
heart,  and  can  there  find  agreement  with  it,  and  a  re-echo.  The 
expression  with  ?  is  extensive  :  one  corresponds  to  another,  one 
belongs  to  another,  is  adapted  to  the  other,  turns  to  the  other, 
so  that  the  thought  may  be  rendered  in  manifold  ways ;  the 
divinely-ordained  mutual  relationship  is  always  the  ground- 
thought.  This  is  wholly  obliterated  by  Hitzig's  conjecture 
D^03,  "  what  a  mole  on  the  face  is  to  the  face,  that  is  man's 
heart  to  man,"  i.e.  the  heart  is  the  dark  spot  in  man,  his  partie 
honteuse.  But  the  Scripture  nowhere  speaks  of  the  human 
heart  after  this  manner,  at  least  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  in  which 
2^5  frequently  means  directly  the  understanding.  Far  more 
intelligible  and  consistent  is  the  conjecture  of  Mendel  Stern,  to 
which  Abrahamsohn  drew  my  attention :  CJöp  D^2Br\  D^J33,  like 
water  (viz.  flowing  water),  which  directs  its  course  always  for- 
ward, thus  (is  turned)  the  heart  of  man  to  man.  This  con- 
jecture removes  the  syntactic  harshness  of  the  first  member 
without  changing  the  letters,  and  illustrates  by  a  beautiful 
and  excellent  figure  the  natural  impulse  moving  man  to  man. 
It  appears,  however,  to  us,  in  view  of  the  LXX.,  more  probable 
that  2)^3  is  abbreviated  from  the  original  cm  nü^'xa  (cf. 
xxiv.  29). 

The  following  proverb  has,  in  common  with  the  preceding, 
the  catchword  Dnxn,  and  the  emphatic  repetition  of  the  same 
expression  : 

Ver.  20  The  under-world  and  hell  are  not  satisfied, 
And  the  eyes  of  man  are  not  satisfied. 

A  Ken  pnasi  is  here  erroneously  noted  by  Lövvenstein,  Stuart, 
and  others.  The  Ke)i  to  n"'^3K1  is  here  n3N"i,  which  secures 
the  right  utterance  of  the  ending,  and  is  altogether  wanting^  in 
many  mss.  (e.g.  Cod.  Jaman).  The  stripping  off  of  the  }  from 
the  ending  Ji  is  common  in  the  names  of  persons  and  places 
{e.g.  iyobü^  LXX.  SoXo/xdov  and  Hpi^') ;  we  write  at  pleasure 
either  i  or  n—  {e.g.  n?9),  Olsh.  §  215j.    ni3N  (h2x)  of  the 

1  In  Gesen.  Lex.  this  mas  stands  to  the  present  day  under  m3N. 


216  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERDS. 

nature  of  a  proper  name,  is  already  found  in  its  full  form  P'^^x 
at  XV.  11,  along  with  7iSK';  the  two  synonyms  are,  as  was  there 
shown,  not  wholly  alike  in  the  idea  they  present,  as  the  under- 
world and  realm  of  death,  but  are  related  to  each  other  almost 
the  same  as  Hades  and  Gehenna  ;  pna«  is  what  is  called^  in  the 
Jonathan-Targum  X5"^3i^  n''3,  the  place  of  destruction,  i.e  of  the 
second  death  {'^^''J^  J^niO).  The  proverb  places  Hades  and  Hell 
on  the  one  side,  and  the  eyes  of  man  on  the  other,  on  the  same 
line  in  respect  of  their  insatiableness.  To  this  Fleischer  adds 
the  remark :  cf.  the  Arab.  aVayn  Va  tamVaha  aWa  altrah, 
nothing  fills  the  eyes  of  man  but  at  last  the  dust  of  the  grave — 
a  strikingly  beautiful  expression  !  If  the  dust  of  the  grave  fills 
the  open  eyes,  then  they  are  full — fearful  irony  !  The  eye  is 
the  instrument  of  seeing,  and  consequently  in  so  far  as  it 
always  looks  out  farther  and  farther,  it  is  the  instrument  and 
the  representation  of  human  covetousness.  The  eye  is  filled, 
is  satisfied,  is  equivalent  to :  human  covetousness  is  appeased. 
But  first  "the  desire  of  the  eye,"  1  John  ii.  16,  is  meant  in  the 
proper  sense.  The  eyes  of  men  are  not  satisfied  in  looking  and 
contemplating  that  which  is  attractive  and  new,  and  no  com- 
mand is  more  difficult  to  be  fulfilled  than  that  in  Isa.  xxxiii. 
15,  "...  that  shutteth  his  eyes  from  seeing  evil."  There  is 
therefore  no  more  inexhaustible  means,  iwjyice  specidationis,  than 
the  desire  of  the  eyes. 

There  follow  here  two  proverbs  which  have  in  common  with 
each  other  the  figures  of  the  crucible  and  the  mortar : 

Ver.  21  The  crucible  for  silver  and  the  furnace  for  gold, 

And  a  man  according  to  the  measure  of  his  praise  ; 
i.c.j  silver  and  gold  one  values  according  to  the  result  of  the 
smelting  crucible  and  the  smelting  furnace  ;  but  a  man,  accord- 
in  o-  to  the  measure  of  public  opinion,  which  presupposes  that 
which  is  said  in  xii.  8,  "  according  to  the  measure  of  his  wisdom 
is  a  man  praised."  -'(ü)^  is  not  a  pfjfia  jxeaov  like  our  Leumund 
[renown],  but  it  is  a  graduated  idea  which  denotes  fame  down 
to  evil  Loh  [fame],  which  is  only  L^oh  [praise]  i^er  antiphrasin. 
Ewald  otherwise  :  "  according  to  the  measure  of  his  glorying  ;" 
or  Hitzig  better :  "  according  to  the  measure  with  which  he 
praises  himself,"  with  the  remark  :  "  hhr\^2  is  not  the  act,  the 

1  Vid.  Frankel,  Zu  dem  Tarcjim  der  Propheten  (1872),  p.  25. 


CHAP.  XXVII.  22.  217 

glorifying  of  self,  but  the  object  of  the  glorying  (cf.  HDno, 
tno),  i.e.  that  in  which  he  places  his  glory."  Böttcher  some- 
thing further :  "  one  recognises  him  by  that  which  he  is 
generally  wont  to  praise  in  himself  and  others,  persons  and 
things."  Thus  the  proverb  is  to  be  understood  ;  but  in  connec- 
tion with  xii.  8  it  seems  to  us  more  probable  that  bhr\j2  is 
thought  of  as  going  forth  from  others,  and  not  as  from  him- 
self. In  line  first,  xvii.  3a  is  repeated ;  the  second  line  there 
is  conformable  to  the  first,  according  to  which  it  should  be  here 
said  that  the  praise  of  a  man  is  for  him  what  the  crucible  and 
the  furnace  is  for  metal.  The  LXX.,  Syr.,  Targ.,  Jerome, 
and  the  Venet.  read  i<'?.p^  "'S?,  and  thereby  obtain  more  con- 
cinnity.     Luther  accordingly  translates  : 

A  man  is  tried  by  the  mouth  of  his  praise, 

As  silver  in  the  crucible  and  gold  in  the  furnace. 

Others  even  think  to  interpret  man  as  the  subject  examining, 
and  so  they  vocalize  the  words.  Thus  e.g.  Fleischer :  Qualis 
est  catinus  argento  etfornax  auro,  talis  sit  homo  ori  a  quo  laiidatur, 
so  that  "  mouth  of  his  praise "  is  equivalent  to  the  man  who 
praises  him  with  his  mouth.  But  where,  as  here,  the  language 
relates  to  relative  worth,  the  supposition  for  "•£?,  that  it  denotes, 
as  at  xii.  8,  pro  ratione,  is  tenable.  And  that  the  mouth  of  him 
who  praises  is  a  smelting  crucible  for  him  who  is  praised,  or 
that  the  praised  shall  be  a  crucible  for  the  mouth  of  him  who 
praises,  would  be  a  wonderful  comparison.  The  LXX.  has 
here  also  an  additional  distich  which  has  no  place  in  the  Heb. 
text. 

Ver.  22  Though  thou  bruise  a  fool  in  a  mortar  among  grit  with  a 
pestle, 
Yet  would  not  his  folly  depart  from  him. 

According  to  the  best  accredited  accentuations,  ti'in^n^DX  has 
lllvj.  and  t^'n3G3  has  Pazer^  not  Hebia,  which  would  separate 
more  than  the  DecJii,  and  disturb  the  sequence  of  the  thoughts. 
The  first  line  is  long  ;  the  chief  disjunctive  in  the  sphere  of  the 
Athnach  is  Dechi  of  '"in,  this  disjoins  more  than  the  Pazer  of 
'Ki3,  and  this  again  more  than  the  Legarmeh  of '  !?MX^-n^?.  The 
n  of  riisin  does  not  belong  to  the  stem  of  the  word  (Hitzig), 
but  is  the  article  ;  nisi  (from  fill,  to  shake,  to  break ;  according 


218  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

to  Scliultens,  from  risn,  to  crumble,  to  cut  in  pieces,  after  tlie 
form  ">it3''p,  which  is  improbable)  are  bruised  grains  of  corn 
(peeled  grain,  grit),  here  they  receive  this  name  in  the  act  of 
being  bruised  ;  rightly  Aquila  and  Theodotion,  iv  /J^ea-o)  ifiTma- 
aofxevcov  (grains  of  corn  in  the  act  of  being  pounded  or  bruised), 
and  the  Venet.  fiecrov  rcov  Trriaavcov}  In  yjJB  (thus  to  be  written 
after  Michlol  43i,  not  vya,  as  Heidenheim  writes  it  without 
any  authority)  also  the  article  is  contained.  C'riDO  is  the  vessel, 
and  the  3  of  ''bv2  is  Beth  insirumenti ;  v.y.  (of  lifting  up  for  the 
purpose  of  bruising)  is  the  club,  pestle  (Luther:  stempffel=^ 
pounder)  ;  in  the  Mishna,  Beza  i.  5,  this  word  denotes  a  pounder 
for  the  cutting  out  of  flesh.  The  proverb  interprets  itself : 
folly  has  become  to  the  fool  as  a  second  nature,  and  he  is  not 
to  be  delivered  from  it  by  the  sternest  discipline,  the  severest 
means  that  may  be  tried  ;  it  is  not  indeed  his  substance  (Hitzig), 
but  an  inalienable  accident  of  his  substance. 

Vers.  23-27.  An  exhortation  to  rural  industry,  and  particularly 
to  the  careful  tending  of  cattle  for  breeding,  forms  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  foregoing  series  of  proverbs,  in  which  we  cannot 
always  discern  an  intentional  grouping.  It  is  one  of  the  Mashal- 
odes  spoken  of  vol.  i.  p.  12.     It  consists  of  11  =4+  7  lines. 

Ver.  23  Give  heed  to  the  look  of  thy  small  cattle, 
Be  considerate  about  the  herds. 

24  For  prosperity  continues  not  for  ever  ; 

And  does  the  diadem  continue  from  generation  to  generation? 

25  (But)  the  hay  is  gone,  and  the  after-growth  appears, 
And  the  grass  of  the  mountains  is  gathered  : 

26  Lambs  serve  to  clothe  thee, 
And  goats  are  the  price  of  a  field. 

27  And  there  is  plenty  of  goats'  milk  for  thy  nourishment, 
And  for  the  nourishment  of  thy  house, 

And  subsistence  for  thy  maidens. 

The  beginning  directs  to  the  fut.,  as  is  not  common  in  these 
proverbs,  vid.  xxvi.  26.  With  V^\  to  take  knowledge,  which  is 
strengthened  by  the«?/,  inte.nsivus,  is  interchanged  3?  T\'"\^,  which 
means  at  xxiv.  32  to  consider  well,  but  here,  to  be  careful 
regarding  anything.  JN^  is  the  small  or  little  cattle,  thus  sheep 
and  goats.  Whether  Q^'J^yJ'-  G^^"^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^'  ^^"-  2)  contains  the 
1  The  LXX.  translates  iu  yJau  avueZpiov,  and  has  thereby  misled  the  Syr., 
and  mediately  the  Targum. 


CHAP.  XXVII.  23-27.  219 

article  is  questionable  (Gesen.  §  35.  2  A),  and,  since  the  herds  are 
called  2''"}iyn,  is  not  probable;  thus  :  direct  thy  attention  to  the 
herds,  that  is,  to  this,  that  thou  hast  herds.  V.?  is  the  external 
side  in  general ;  here,  the  appearance  which  the  sheep  present ; 
thus  their  condition  as  seen  externally.  In  ver.  24  I  formerly 
regarded  "ly.  as  a  synonym  of  Ta,  to  be  understood  of  the  produce 
of  wool,  or,  with  Hitzig,  of  the  shearing  of  the  meadow,  and 
thus  the  produce  of  the  meadow.  But  this  interpretation  of  the 
word  is  untenable,  and  ver.  25  provides  for  ver.  24,  thus  under- 
stood, no  natural  continuation  of  thought.  That  |?n  signifies  a 
store,  fulness  of  possessions,  property,  and  abundance,  has 
already  been  shown  under  xv.  6  ;  but  ITJ  is  always  the  mark  of 
royal,  and  generally  of  princely  dignity,  and  here  denotes,  per 
melon,  signipro  re  signata,  that  dignity  itself.  With  the  negative 
expression  in  24a  the  interrogative  in  246  is  interchanged  as  at 
Job  xl.  9,  with  the  implied  negative  answer ;  DX"i,  of  an  oath 
("  and  truly  not,"  as  at  Isa.  Ixii.  8),  presents  the  same  thought, 
but  with  a  passionate  colouring  here  unnecessary.  Eightly 
Fleischer  :  "  ready  money,  moveable  property,  and  on  the  other 
hand  the  highest  positions  of  honour,  are  far  more  easily  torn 
away  from  a  man,  and  secure  to  him  far  less  of  quiet  prosperity, 
than  husbandry,  viewed  particularly  with  respect  to  the  rearing 
of  cattle."  In  other  words :  the  possession  of  treasures  and 
of  a  lofty  place  of  power  and  of  honour  has  not  in  itself  the 
security  of  everlasting  duration ;  but  rural  economy,  and  par- 
ticularly the  rearing  of  cattle,  gives  security  for  food  and  clothing. 
The  Chetlnh  in  -\Th  is  found,  e.g.  at  Ex.  ill.  15  ;  the  Keri 
lini  nn^  substitutes  the  more  usual  form.  If  ver.  25  was  an 
independent  whole  (Hitzig :  grass  vanishes  and  fresh  green 
appears,  etc.),  then  the  meaning  here  and  onward  would  be 
that  in  the  sphere  of  husbandry  it  is  otherwise  than  is  said  in 
ver.  24  :  there  that  which  is  consumed  renews  itself,  and  there 
is  an  enlarging  circulation.  But  this  contrast  to  ver.  24  must 
be  expressed  and  formed  unambiguously.  The  connection  is 
rather  this,  that  ver.  23  commends  the  rearing  of  cattle,  ver.  24 
confirms  it,  and  25  ff.  discuss  what  real  advantages,  not  depen- 
dent on  the  accidents  of  public  and  social  life,  it  brings. 

I  rejoice  to  agree  with  Fleischer  in  the  opinion  that  the  per- 
fects of  ver.  25  form  a  complex  hypothetical  antecedent  to  ver. 


220  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

26 :  Quiim  evanuerit  gramen  (sc.  vettis)  et  apparuerint  herhce 
recentes  et  collecta  fuerint  jyabula  montiiim,  agni  vestitui  tuo 
(inservient)  et  pretium  agri  (sc.  a  te  emendi)  erunt  hirci,  i.e.  then 
wilt  thou  nourish  thy  lierds  of  sheep  and  goats  with  the  grass 
on  tliy  fields,  and  with  the  dried  gathered  hay  ;  and  these  will 
yield  for  thee,  partly  immediately  and  partly  by  the  money 
derived  therefrom  (viz.  from  the  valuable  goats  not  needed  for 
the  flocks),  all  that  is  needful  for  thy  life.  He  also  remarks, 
under  TO,  that  it  means  to  make  a  place  void,  empty  (viz.  to  quit 
the  place,  evacuer  la  forteresse) ;  hence  to  leave  one's  fatherland 
or  home,  to  wander  abroad ;  thus,  rhetorically  and  poetically 
of  things  and  possessions :  to  disappear.  'T'V'7  (from  ">vn,  to  be 
green)  is  hay,  and  Nti^'n  the  after-grovv'ing  second  crop  (after- 
grass) ;  thus  a  meadow  capable  of  being  mowed  a  second  time 
is  thought  of.  D-'in  nu^'y  (with  Bag.  dirimens,  as  e.g.  ''^^V, 
Deut.  xxxii.  32)  are  the  herbage  of  the  mountains.  The  time 
when  one  proceeds  to  sheep-shearing,  ver.  25  cannot  intend  to 
designate  ;  it  sets  before  us  an  interesting  rural  harvest  scene, 
where,  after  a  plentiful  ingathering  of  hay,  one  sees  the  meadows 
again  overspread  with  new  grass  (Ewald)  ;  but  with  us  the 
shearing  of  sheep  takes  place  in  the  month  of  May,  when  the 
warm  season  of  the  year  is  just  at  hand.  The  poet  means  in 
general  to  say,  that  when  the  hay  is  mown  and  now  the  her- 
bage is  grow^n  up,  and  also  the  fodder  from  the  mountains  (Ps. 
cvi.  20)  has  been  gathered  home,  when  thus  the  barns  are 
filled  with  plenty,  the  husbandman  is  guaranteed  against  the 
future  on  all  sides  by  his  stock  of  cattle.  2pn  (from  2?n,  Arab. 
hal)/b,  with  halah)  is  the  usual  metaplastic  connecting  form  of 
3^ri,  milk.  '•'^  (from  %  like  ''n  from  '•n),  generally  connected 
with  the  genitive  of  the  person  or  thing,  for  which  anything  is 
sufficient  (e.g.  xxv.  16,  ^^.'^,  to  which  Fleischer  compares  Arab. 
Iiashuha,  tassiiha  kifayuha)^  has  here  the  genitive  of  the  thing 
of  which,  or  in  which,  one  has  enough.  The  complex  subject- 
conception  is  limited  by  Eebia,  and  the  governing  ''T  has  the 
subordinated  disjunctive  Legarmeh.  0"?^  is  a  word  of  two 
genders  (epicoenum),  Gesen.  §  107,  Id.  In  Q"'>ri"i  the  influence 
of  the  p  stiJl  continues;  one  does  not  need  to  supply  it  mean- 
while, since  all  that  maintains  and  nourishes  life  can  be  called 
D^^n  (vita  =  victus),  e.g.  iii.  22.     The  LXX.  translates  ^ri^?  by 


COiV 


CHAP.  SXVIII.  1,  221 

OepaTTovrcov,  and  omits  (as  also  the  Syr.,  but  not  the  Syro- 
Hexap.)  the  last  line  as  now  superfluous ;  but  that  the  maids 
attending  to  the  cattle — by  whom  we  particularly  think  of 
milkers — are  especially  mentioned,  intentionally  presents  the 
figure  of  a  well-ordered  household,  full  of  varied  life  and 
activity  rJob  xl.  29). 

This  Mashal-ode,  commending  the  rearing  of  cattle,  is  a 
boundary.  The  series  of  proverbs  beginning  with  the  next 
chapter  is  not,  however,  a  commencement,  like  that  at  xxii.  17 ; 
and  Hitzig's  supposition,  that  xxviii.  1-16  and  xxii.  17  ff.  have 
one  and  the  same  author,  stands  on  a  false  foundation.  The 
second  proverb  of  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  shows  directly  that 
this  new  series  of  proverbs  is  subordinated  to  the  aim  of  the 
Hezekiah-collection  beginning  with  xxv.,  and  thus  has  to  be 
regarded  as  an  original  component  part  of  it.  The  traces  of 
the  post-exih'an  period  which  Hitzig  discovers  in  xxviii.  1-16 
are  not  sufficient  to  remove  the  origin  of  the  proverbs  so  far 
down  from  the  times  of  Hezekiah.  We  take  the  first  group, 
xxviii.  1-11,  together;  for  po  and  "ir^"',  pervading  these  eleven 
proverbs,  gives  to  them,  as  a  whole,  a  peculiar  colouring ;  and 
xxviii.  12  presents  itself  as  a  new  beginning,  going  back  to 
ver.  2,  which  ver.  1  precedes  as  a  prelude. 

xxviii.  1  The  godless  flee  without  any  one  pursuing  them  ; 
But  the  righteous  are  bold  like  a  lion. 
We  would  misinterpret  the  sequence  of  the  accents  if  we  sup- 
posed that  it  denoted  V^"]  as  obj. ;  it  by  no  means  takes  ^ivp*?! 
as  a  parenthesis,  yc'i  belongs  thus  to  ^D3  as  collective  sing, 
(cf.  e.g.  Isa.  xvi.  Ab)  ;  ^  in  lb,  ^^^],  as  comprehensive  or  dis- 
tributive (individualizing)  singular,  follows  the  plur.  subject. 
One  cannot,  because  the  word  is  vocalized  i''???  and  not  1^233, 
regard  n\2y  as  an  attributive  clause  thereto  (Ewald,  like  Jerome, 
quasi  leo  conßdens) ;  but  the  article,  denoting  the  idea  of  kind, 
does  not  certainly  always  follow  d.  We  say,  indifferently,  ''1X3 
or  ^1X3,  S^ab  or  N^n^S,  and  always  nnx3,  not  ^n^<3.  In  itself, 
indeed,  nun''  may  be  used  absolutely  :  he  is  confident,  undis- 
mayed, of  the  lion  as  well  as  of  the  leviathan,  Job  xl.  23.     But 

'  The  Targuni  of  xxviii.  la  is,  in  BcrcscMth  rahba,  c.  84,  K^t^")  p"ij? 
?h  psm  ^^h  ;  that  lying  before  us  is  formed  after  the  Peshito. 


222  THE  BOOK  OF  PllOVERBS. 

it  is  suitable  thus  without  any  addition  for  the  righteous,  and  1D3 
and  non''  <;orrespond  to  each  other  as  predicates,  in  accordance 
with  the  parallehsm  ;  the  accentuation  is  also  here  correct.  The 
perf.  1DJ  denotes  that  which  is  uncaused,  and  yet  follows  :  the 
godless  flee,  pursued  by  the  terrible  images  that  arise  in  their 
own  wicked  consciences,  even  when  no  external  danger  threatens. 
The  fut.  nüy  denotes  that  which  continually  happens  ;  the 
righteous  remains,  even  where  external  danger  really  threatens, 
bold  and  courageous,  after  the  manner  of  a  young,  vigorous 
lion,  because  feeling  himself  strong  in  God,  and  assured  of  his 
safety  through  Him. 

Ver.  2.  There  now  follows  a  royal  proverb,  whose  key-note 
is  the  same  as  that  struck  at  xxv.  2,  which  states  how  a 
country  falls  into  the  ovk  äya96v  of  the  rule  of  the  many  : 

Through  the  wickedness  of  a  land  the  rulers  become  many ; 

And  through  a  man  of  wisdom,  of  knowledge,  authority  continues. 
If  the  text  presented  Vti'Sa  as  Hitzig  corrects,  then  one  might 
think  of  a  political  revolt,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  word, 
1  Kings  xii.  19,  etc. ;  but  the  word  is  V^^^,^  and  V^Q  (from 
r^S,  dlrumpere)  is  the  breaking  through  of  limits  fixed  by  God, 
apostasy,  irreligion,  e.g.  Mic.  i.  5.  But  that  many  rulers  for  a 
land  arise  from  such  a  cause,  shows  a  glance  into  the  Book  of 
Hosea,  e.g.  vii.  16  :  "  They  return,  but  not  to  the  Most  High 
(sursum)  ;  they  are  becume  like  a  deceitful  bow  ;  their  princes 
shall  then  fall  by  the  sword ; "  and  viii.  4 :  "  They  set  up 
kings,  but  not  by  me ;  they  liave  made  princes,  and  I  knew  it 
not."  The  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  shows  that  a  land 
which  apostatizes  from  revealed  religion  becomes  at  once  the 
victim  of  party  spirit,  and  a  subject  of  contention  to  many 
would-be  rulers,  whether  the  fate  of  the  king  whom  it  has 
rejected  be  merited  or  not.  But  what  is  now  the  contrast 
which  2b  brings  forward  ?  The  translation  by  Bertheau  and 
also  by  Zockler  is  impossible  :  "  but  through  intelhgent,  prudent 
men,  he  (the  prince)  continueth  long."  For  2a  does  not  mean 
a  frequent  changing  of  the  throne,  which  in  itself  may  not  be 
a  punishment  for  the  sins  of  the  people,  but  the  appearance 
at  the  same  time  of  many  pretenders  to  the  throne,  as  was  the 

^  Thus  to  be  written  with  Gaja  here  and  at  ssix.  6,  after  the  rule  of 
Metheg-Setzuvg,  §  42i. 


CHAP.  XXV  III.  2.  223 

case  in  the  kingdom  of  Israel  during  the  interregnum  after 
the  death  of  Jeroboam  ii.,  or  in  Rome  at  the  time  of  the  thirty 
tyrants;  T")^,!  must  thus  refer  to  one  of  these  "many"  who 
usurp  for  a  time  the  throne.  D^X3  may  also  mean,  xxiii.  28, 
inter  homines ;  but  Q*J5<j  with  adjective  following,  e.g.  xi.  7, 
xii.  23,  xvii.  18,  xxi.  16,  always  denotes  one ;  and  that  trans- 
lation also  changes  the  i?  into  a  "  so,"  "  then "  introducing 
the  concluding  clause,  which  it  altogether  disregards  as  un- 
translatable. But  equally  impossible  is  Böttcher's :  "  among 
intelligent,  prudent  people,  one  continues  (in  the  government)," 
for  then  the  subject-conception  on  which  it  depends  would  be 
slurred  over.  Without  doubt  |3  is  here  a  substantive,  and  just 
this  subject-conception.  That  it  may  be  a  substantive  has  been 
already  shown  at  xi.  19.  There  it  denoted  integrity  (pro- 
perly that  which  is  right  or  genuine)  ;  and  accordingly  it  means 
here,  not  the  status  quo  (Fleischer :  idem  rerum  status),  but 
continuance,  and  that  in  a  full  sense :  the  jurisdiction  (properly 
that  which  is  upright  and  right),  i.e.  this,  that  right  continues 
and  is  carried  on  in  the  land.  Similarly  Heidenheim,  for  he 
glosses  p  by  psn  pao ;  and  Umbreit,  who,  however,  unwarned 
by  the  accent,  subordinates  this  p  [in  the  sense  of  "  right"]  to 
V'J}  as  its  object.  Zöckler,  with  Bertheau,  finds  a  difficulty  in 
the  asyndeton  Vf  p^^.  But  these  words  also,  Neh.  x.  29,  stand 
together  as  a  formula  ;  and  that  this  formula  is  in  the  spirit 
and  style  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  passages  such  as  xix.  25, 
xxix.  7  ^  show.  A  practical  man,  and  one  M'ho  is  at  the  same 
time  furnished  with  thorough  knowledge,  is  thus  spoken  of, 
and  prudence  and  knowledge  of  religious  moral  character  and 
worth  are  meant.  What  a  single  man  may  do  under  certain 
circumstances  is  shown  in  xxi.  22  ;  Eccles.  ix.  15.  Here  one 
has  to  think  of  a  man  of  understanding  and  spirit  at  the  helm 
of  the  State,  perhaps  as  the  nearest  counsellor  of  the  king.  By 
means  of  such  an  one,  right  continues  long  (we  do  not  need  to 
supply  T\\'rh  after  "  continues  long  ").  If,  on  the  one  side,  the 
State  falls  asunder  by  the  evil  conduct  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 

1  The  three  connected  words  j;T«  pa©  D1X31  have,  in  Löwenstein,  the 
accents  Mercha,  MercJia,  Mucjrash ;  but  the  Venetian,  1515,  20,  Athias,  v.  d. 
Hooght,  and  Hahn,  have  rightly  Tarcha,  Mercha,  Mu^rash, — to  place  two 
Mcrchas  is  Beu-Naphtali's  manner. 


224  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

land,  on  tlie  other  hand  a  single  man  who  unites  in  himself 
sound  understanding  and  higher  knowledge,  for  a  long  time 
holds  it  together. 

Ver.  3.  A  proverb  of  a  tyrant  here  connects  itself  with  that 
of  usurpers : 

A  poor  man  and  an  oppressor  of  the  lowly — 
A  sweeping  rain  without  bringing  bread. 

Thus  it  is  to  be  translated  according  to  the  accents.  Fleischer 
otherwise,  but  also  in  conformity  with  the  accents :  Quales  sunt 
vir  pauper  et  oppressor  miserorum,  tales  sunt  pluvia  omnia  securn 
abripiens  et  qui  panein  non  hahent,  i.e.  the  relation  between  a 
poor  man  and  an  oppressor  of  the  needy  is  the  same  as  tliat 
between  a  rain  carrying  all  away  with  it  and  a  people  robbed 
thereby  of  their  sustenance  :  in  other  words  :  a  prince  or  poten- 
tate who  robs  the  poor  of  their  possessions  is  like  a  pouring 
rain  which  floods  the  fruitful  fields — the  separate  members  of 
the  sentence  would  then  correspond  with  each  other  after 
the  scheme  of  the  chiasmus.  But  the  comparison  would  be 
faulty,  for  C^n  "i3a  and  Dn^  p^  fall  together,  and  then  the 
explanation  would  be  idem  per  idem.  A  "  sweeping  rain  "  is 
one  which  has  only  that  which  is  bad,  and  not  that  which  is 
good  in  rain,  for  it  only  destroys  instead  of  promoting  the  growth 
of  the  corn  ;  and  as  the  Arab,  according  to  a  proverb  compared 
by  Hitzig,  says  of  an  unjust  sultan,  that  he  is  a  stream  without 
water,  so  an  oppressor  of  the  helpless  is  appropriately  compared 
to  a  rain  which  floods  the  land  and  brings  no  bread.  But  then 
the  words,  ''  a  poor  man  and  an  oppressor  of  the  lowly,"  must 
designate  one  person,  and  in  that  case  the  Heb.  words  must  be 

accentuated,  D'^1  P^Vl  C^"}  inj  (cf.  xxix.  Aa).  For,  that  the 
oppressor  of  the  helpless  deports  himself  toward  the  poor  man 
like  a  sweeping  rain  which  brings  no  bread,  is  a  saying  not 
intended  to  be  here  used,  since  this  is  altogether  too  obvious, 
that  the  poor  man  has  nothing  to  hope  for  from  such  an  ex- 
tortioner. But  the  comparison  would  be  appropriate  if  da 
referred  to  an  oppressive  master ;  for  one  who  belongs  to  a 
master,  or  who  is  in  any  way  subordinated  to  him,  has  before 
all  to  expect  from  him  that  which  is  good,  as  a  requital  for  his 
services,  and  as  a  proof  of  his  master's  condescending  sympathy. 


CHAP.  XXVIII.  3.  225 

It  is  thus  asked  whether  "  a  poor  man  and  an  oppressor  of  the 
lowly "  may  be  two  properties  united  in  the  person  of  one 
master.  This  is  certainly  possible,  for  he  may  be  primarily  a 
poor  official  or  an  upstart  (Zöckler),  such  as  were  the  Eoman 
proconsuls  and  procurators,  who  enriched  themselves  by  im- 
poverishing their  provinces  (cf.  LXX.  xxviii.  15) ;  or  a  heredi- 
tary proprietor,  who  seeks  to  regain  what  he  has  lost  by  extorting 
it  from  his  relatives  and  workmen.  But  tr"i  (poor)  is  not 
sufficient  to  give  this  definite  feature  to  the  figure  of  the 
master ;  and  what  does  this  feature  in  the  figure  of  the  master 
at  all  mean  ?  What  the  comparison  3b  says  is  appropriate  to 
any  oppressive  ruler,  and  one  does  not  think  of  an  oppressor  of 
the  poor  as  himself  poor ;  he  may  find  himself  in  tlie  midst  of 
shattered  possessions,  but  he  is  not  poor ;  much  rather  the  op- 
pressor and  the  poor  are,  as  e.g.  atxxix.  13,  contrasted  with  each 
other.  Therefore  we  hold,  with  Hitzig,  that  e^n  of  the  text  is  to 
be  read  rosh,  whether  we  have  to  change  it  into  e'N"),  or  to  suppose 
that  the  Jewish  transcriber  has  here  for  once  slipped  into  the 
Phoenician  writing  of  the  word;^  we  do  not  interpret,  with 
Hitzig,  C'X")  123  in  the  sense  of  av6pw'Ko<i  Swdcrrr}^,  Sir.  viii.  1, 
but  explain  :  a  man  (or  master  -  ">''35)  is  the  head  (cf.  e.g.  Judg. 
xi.  8),  and  oppresses  the  helpless.  This  rendering  is  probable, 
because  cn  "i33,  a  poor  man,  is  a  combination  of  words  without 
a  parallel :  the  Book  of  Proverbs  does  not  once  use  the  expres- 
sion ^1  C^'N,  but  always  simply  ti'")  {e.g.  xxviii.  6,  xxix.  13)  ;  and 
"133  is  compatible  with  CSn  and  the  like,  but  not  with  m.  If 
we  stumble  at  the  isolated  position  of  D*N"i,  we  should  consider 
that  it  is  in  a  certain  measure  covered  by  c^n ;  for  one  has  to 
think  of  the  "I33,  who  is  the  üa.1,  also  as  the  tJ'NT  of  these 
Q'bl,  as  one  placed  in  a  high  station  who  numbers  poor  people 
among  his  suboi'dinates.  The  LXX.  translates  dvSp6io<i  ev 
dae߀Lai<;  as  if  the  words  of  the  text  were  W"}  1133  (cf.  the 
interchange  of  "I33  and  ">i33  in  both  texts  of  Ps.  xviii.  26),  but 
what  the  LXX.  read  must  have  been  V''^'"]^^  ii33  (Isa.  v.  22) ; 
and  what  can  1123  here  mean  ?  The  statement  here  made 
refers  to  the  ruinous  conduct  of  a  123,  a  man  of  standing, 
or  1''33,  a  high  lord,  a  "wicked  ruler,"  xxviii.  15.      On  the 

^  The  Phcen.  writes  CI  (i-e.  K^"l,  rus) ;  vid.  Schroder's  PJianizische  Gram. 
p.  133;  cf.  Geseo.  Thes.  under  ^ii\ 

VOL.  II.  P 


226  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

contrary,  wliat  kind  of  rain  the  rule  of  an  ideal  governor  is 
compared  to,  Ps.  Ixxii.  1-8  tells. 

Ver.  4  They  who  forsake  the  law  praise  the  godless  ; 

But  they  who  keep  the  law  become  angry  with  them, 
viz.  the  godless,  for  V'f]  is  to  be  thought  of  collectively,  as  at 
ver.  1.  They  who  praise  the  godless  turn  away  from  the 
revealed  word  of  God  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  11-15) ;  those,  on  the  con- 
trary, who  are  true  to  God's  word  (xxix.  18)  are  aroused 
against  them  (vid.  regarding  mj,  xv.  18),  they  are  deeply  moved 
by  their  conduct,  they  cannot  remain  silent  and  let  their 
wickedness  go  unpunished  ;  nnarin  is  zeal  (excitement)  always 
expressing  itself,  passing  over  into  actions  (syn.  "•"'.^^nn,  Job 
xvii.  8). 

Ver.  5.  A  similar  antithetic  distich : 

Wicked  men  understand  not  what  is  right ; 

But  they  who  seek  Jahve  understand  all. 

Eegardiiig  the  gen.  expression  yyc'JX,  vid.  under  ii.  14.  He 
who  makes  wickedness  his  element,  falls  into  the  confusion  of 
the  moral  conception ;  but  he  whose  end  is  the  one  living  God, 
gains  from  that,  in  every  situation  of  life,  even  amid  the  greatest 
difficulties,  the  knowledge  of  that  which  is  morally  right. 
Similarly  the  Apostle  John  (1  John  ii.  20):  "ye  have  an  unction 
from  the  Holy  One,  and  ye  know  all  things  "  (otSare  iravTo) : 
i.e.,  ye  need  to  seek  that  knowledge  which  ye  require,  and 
which  ye  long  after,  not  without  yourselves,  but  in  the  new 
divine  foundation  of  your  personal  life;  from  thence  all  that 
ye  need  for  the  growth  of  your  spiritual  life,  and  for  the  turn- 
ing away  from  you  of  hostile  influences,  will  come  into  youi 
consciences.  It  is  a  potential  knowledge,  all-comprehensive  in 
its  character,  and  obviously  a  human  relative  knowledge,  that 
is  here  meant. 

Ver.  6.  What  is  stated  in  this  proverb  is  a  conclusion  from 
the  preceding,  with  which  it  is  also  externally  connected,  for  CJ*") 
(=  ti'Nl),  VJi'ij  S!"i,  and  now  \:h,  follow  each  other: 
Better  a  poor  man  who  walketh  in  his  innocence, 
Than  a  double-going  deceiver  who  is  rich  thereby. 
A  variation  of  xix.  1.     Stainlessness,  integritas  vitce^  as  a  con- 
sequence of  unreserved  devotion  to  God,  gives  to  a  man  with 
poverty  a  higher  worth  and  nobility  than  riches  connected  with 


CHAP.  XXVIII.  7,  8.  227 

falsehood  which  "  halts  between  two  opinions "  (1  Kings 
xviii.  21),  and  appears  to  go  one  way,  while  in  reality  it  goes 
another.  The  two  ways  ^\^y\  (cf.  Sir.  ii.  12,  ovac  afxaprcoXu) 
.  .  .  einßaivovri  iirl  Bvo  rplßovi)  are,  as  ver.  18,  not  ways 
going  aside  to  the  right  or  to  the  left  of  the  right  way,  but 
the  evil  way  which  the  deceiver  truly  walks  in,  and  the  good 
way  which  he  pretends  to  walk  in  (Fleischer);  the  two  ways 
of  action  placed  over  against  one  another,  by  one  of  which 
he  masks  the  other. 
Ver.  7  He  who  keepeth  instruction  is  a  wise  son ; 

But  he  that  is  a  companion  of  profligates  bringeth  his  father 
into  shame. 

We  have  translated  mm  at  ver.  4  by  "  law  ;"  here  it  includes 
the  father's  instruction  regarding  the  right  way  of  life,  nnin  ijria^ 
according  to  the  nearest  lying  syntax,  has  to  be  taken  as 
pred.  DY?.it  are  such  as  squander  their  means  and  destroy 
their  health,  vid.  under  xxiii.  20  f.  nyn  signifies,  as  frequently 
from  the  idea  of  (cf.  xxix.  3)  pasturing,  or  properly  of 
tending,  to  take  care  of,  and  to  have  fellowship  with.  Cv?! 
[shall  put  to  shame]  denotes  both  that  he  himself  does  dis- 
grace to  him,  and  that  he  brings  disgrace  to  him  on  the  part 
of  others. 

Ver.  8.    This  verse  continues  a  series  of  proverbs  (com- 
mencing in  ver.  7)  beginning  with  a  participle  : 

He  who  increaseth  his  wealth  by  interest  and  usury, 
Gathereth  it  for  one  who  is  benevolent  toward  the  lowly. 
Wealth  increased  by  covetous  plundering  of  a  neighbour 
does  not  remain  with  him  who  has  scraped  it  together  in  so 
relentless  a  manner,  and  without  considering  his  own  advan- 
tage ;  but  it  goes  finally  into  the  possession  of  one  who  is 
merciful  towards  the  poor,  and  thus  it  is  bestowed  in  a 
manner  that  is  pleasing  to  God  (cf.  xiii.  22,  Job  xxii.  16  f.). 
The  Keri,  which  drops  the  second  3,  appears  to  wish  to  mitigate 
the  sharpness  of  the  distinction  of  the  second  idea  supposed 
in  its  repetition.  But  Lev.  xxv.  35-37,  where  an  Israelite  is 
forbidden  to  take  usury  and  interest  from  his  brother,  the 
two  are  distinguished ;  and  Fleischer  rightly  remarks  that  there 
"IB'J  means  usury  or  interest  taken  in  money,  and  n^Sin  usury 
or  interest  taken  in  kind  ;  i.e.,  of  that  which  one  has  received 


228  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

in  loan,  such  as  grain,  or  oil,  etc.,  he  gives  back  more  than  he 
has  received.  In  other  words  :  ']\i^i  is  the  name  of  the  interest 
for  the  capital  that  is  lent,  and  ri''3"io,  or,  as  it  is  here  called 
JT'lin,  the  more,  the  addition  thereto,  the  increase  (Luther : 
vbersatz).  This  meaning  of  gain  by  means  of  lending  on  in- 
terest remains  in  "pi ;  but  n''2"in,  according  to  the  later  usus  log., 
signifies  gain  by  means  of  commerce,  thus  business-profit,  vid. 
Baba  Mezui,  v.  1.  Instead  of  ^35*315'',  more  recent  texts  have  the 
Kal^  I3y31?\  Jp.inp  also  is,  as  xiv.  31,  xix.  17,  part,  Kal,  not  inf. 
Poel :  ad  largiendum  pauperibus  (Merc,  Ewald,  Bertheau),  for 
there  the  person  of  him  who  presents  the  gift  is  undefined  ;  but 
just  this,  that  it  is  another  and  better-disposed,  for  whom, 
without  having  it  in  view,  the  collector  gathers  his  stores,  is  the 
very  point  of  the  thought. 

Ver.  9  He  who  turneth  away  his  ear  not  to  hear  of  the  law, 
Even  his  prayer  is  an  abomination. 
Cf.  XV.  8  and  the  argument  1  Sam.  xv.  22.  Not  only  the  evil 
which  such  an  one  does,  but  also  the  apparent  good  is  an 
abomination,  an  abomination  to  God,  and  eo  ipso  also  in  itself  : 
morally  hollow  and  corrupt ;  for  it  is  not  truth  and  sincerity,  for 
the  whole  soul,  the  whole  will  of  the  suppliant,  is  not  present : 
he  is  not  that  for  which  he  gives  himself  out  in  his  prayer,  and 
does  not  earnestly  seek  that  which  he  presents  and  expresses  a 
wish  for  in  prayer. 

Ver.  10.  A  tristich  beginning  with  a  participle: 
He  who  misleads  the  upright  into  an  evil  way, 
He  shall  fall  into  his  own  pit ; 
But  the  innocent  shall  inherit  that  which  is  good. 

In  the  first  case,  xxvi.  27  is  fulfilled  :  the  deceiver  who  leads 
astray  falls  himself  into  the  destruction  which  he  prepared  for 
others,  whether  he  misleads  them  into  sin,  and  thus  mediately 
prepares  destruction  for  them,  or  that  he  does  this  immediately 

^  If,  as  Hitzig,  after  J.  H.  Michaelis,  remarks,  the  word  were  Ben-Asher's 
13)i3p\  then  it  would  be  thus  rightly  punctuated  by  Clodius  and  the 
moderns.  Kimchi,  in  the  Wörterluch  under  |>3p,  adduces  this  word  as 
Bea-Asher's.  But  the  Masora  knows  nothing  of  it.  It  marks  ^3^*3p\  Jer. 
xxxi.  10,  with  T\'h  «s  uniciim,  and  thus  supposes  for  the  passage  before  us 
^3^*3pN  which  certainly  is  found  in  Jiss.,  and  is  also  marked  on  the  margin 
with  n""^  as  unicum. 


CHAP.  XXVIII.  11.  229 

by  enticing  them  into  this  or  that  danger ;  for  V}  Tf?.^  may  be 
understood  of  the  way  of  wicked  conduct,  as  well  as  of  the 
experience  of  evil,  of  being  betrayed,  robbed,  or  even  mur- 
dered. That  those  who  are  misled  are  called  D^'j'^,  explains 
itself  in  the  latter  case :  that  they  are  such  as  he  ought  to 
show  respect  towards,  and  such  as  deserved  better  treatment, 
heightens  the  measure  of  his  guilt.  If  we  understand  being 
morally  led  astray,  yet  may  we  not  with  Hitzig  here  find  the 
"  theory  "  which  removes  the  punishment  from  the  just  and  lays 
it  on  the  wicked.  The  clause  xi.  8  is  not  here  applicable.  The 
first  pages  of  the  Scripture  teach  that  the  deceiver  does  not  by 
any  means  escape  punishment ;  but  certainly  the  deceiver  of  the 
upright  does  not  gain  his  object,  for  his  diabolical  joy  at  the 
destruction  of  such  an  one  is  vain,  because  God  again  helps 
him  with  the  right  way,  but  casts  the  deceiver  so  much  the 
deeper  down.  As  the  idea  of  yi  "["iT  has  a  twofold  direction, 
so  the  connections  of  the  words  may  be  genitival  (via  mali)  as 
well  as  adjectival  (via  mala).  inin*^'Zi  is  not  incorrectly  written 
for  inmti'a,  for  rr'nc'  occurs  (only  here)  with  ninty  as  its  warrant 
both  from  nn^",  to  bend,  to  sink  ;  cf.  ri^P  under  iv.  24.  In  line 
third,  opposite  to  "  he  who  misleads,"  stand  "  the  innocent " 
(pious),  who,  far  from  seeking  to  entice  others  into  the  evil 
way  and  bring  them  to  ruin,  are  unreservedly  and  honestly 
devoted  to  God  and  to  that  which  is  good ;  these  shall  inherit 
good  (cf.  iii.  35)  ;  even  the  consciousness  of  having  made  no 
man  unhappy  makes  them  happy  ;  but  even  in  their  external 
relations  there  falls  to  them  the  possession  of  all  good,  which  is 
the  divinely  ordained  reward  of  the  good, 

Ver.  11  A  rich  man  deems  himself  wise  ; 

But  a  poor  man  that  hath  understanding  searcheth  him  out, 

or,  as  we  have  translated,  xviii.  17,  goes  to  the  bottom  of  him, 
whereby  is  probably  thought  of  the  case  that  he  seeks  to  use 
him  as  a  means  to  an  ignoble  end.  The  rich  man  appears  in 
his  own  eyes  to  be  a  wise  man,  i.e.  in  his  self-delusion  he  thinks 
that  he  is  so;  but  if  he  has  anything  to  do  with  a  poor  man 
who  has  intelligence,  then  he  is  seen  through  by  him.  "Wisdom 
is  a  gift  not  depending  on  any  earthly  possession. 

We  take  vers.  12-20  together.     A  proverb  regarding  riches 


230  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

closes  this  group,  as  also  the  foregoing  is  closed,  and  its  com- 
mencement is  related  in  form  and  in  its  contents  to  ver.  2  : 

Ver.  12  When  righteous  men  triumph,  the  glory  is  great ; 

And  when  the  godless  rise,  the  people  are  searched  for. 

The  first  line  of  this  distich  is  parallel  with  xxix.  2  ;  cf.  xi.  10«, 
11a  :  when  the  righteous  rejoice,  viz.  as  conquerors  (cf.  e.g.  Ps. 
Ix.  8),  who  have  the  upper  hand,  then  ri"!Xari,  bright  prosperity, 
is  increased  ;  or  as  Fleischer,  by  comparison  of  the  Arab,  yaiom 
alazynt  (day  of  ornament  =  festival  day),  explains :  so  is  there 
much  festival  adornment,  i.e.  one  puts  on  festival  clothes,  Signum 
pro  re  signata :  thus  all  appears  festal  and  joyous,  for  pro- 
sperity and  happiness  then  show  themselves  forth,  nsn  is  adj. 
and  pred.  of  the  substantival  clause ;  Hitzig  regards  it  as  the 
attribute :  "  then  is  there  great  glory ; "  this  supposition  is 
possible  (vid.  vii.  26,  and  under  Ps.  Ixxxix.  51),  but  here  it  is 
purely  arbitrary.  28a  is  parallel  with  12b :  if  the  godless 
arise,  attain  to  power  and  prominence,  these  men  are  spied  out, 
i.e.  as  we  say,  after  Zeph.  i.  12,  they  are  searched  for  as  with 
lamps.  D^X  ti'sn";  is  to  be  understood  after  Obadiah,  ver.  6, 
cf.  ii.  4  :  men  are  searched  out,  i.e.  are  plundered  (in  which 
sense  Heiden  heim  regards  b'sn  as  here  a  transposition  from 
flKTi),  or,  with  reference  to  the  secret  police  of  despotism  :  they 
are  subjected  to  an  espionage.  But  a  better  gloss  is  D'lK  "iriD^ 
28a :  the  people  let  themselves  be  sought  for,  they  keep  them- 
selves concealed  in  the  inside  of  their  houses,  they  venture  not 
out  into  the  streets  and  public  places  (Fleischer),  for  mistrust 
and  suspicion  oppress  them  all ;  one  regards  his  person  and 
property  nowhere  safer  than  within  the  four  walls  of  his  house  ; 
the  lively,  noisy,  variegated  life  which  elsewhere  rules  without, 
is  as  if  it  were  dead. 

Ver,  13  He  that  denieth  his  sin  shall  not  prosper ; 

But  he  that  acknowledgeth  and  forsaketh  it  shall  obtain  mercy. 

Thus  is  this  proverb  translated  by  Luther,  and  thus  it  lives  in 
the  mouth  of  the  Christian  people.  He  who  falsely  disowns,  or 
with  self-deception  excuses,  if  he  does  not  altogether  justify  his 
sins,  which  are  discernible  as  öW'ö,  has  no  success;  he  remains, 
after  Ps.  xxxii.,  in  his  conscience  and  life  burdened  with  a  secret 
ban ;  but  he  who  acknowledges  (the  LXX.  has  i^r)yovfi€vo<i 


CHAP.  SSIII.  14-16.  231 

instead  of  i^oijLo\oyovfji€vo<i,  as  it  ought  to  be)  and  forsakes  (for 
the  remissio  does  not  follow  the  confessio,  if  there  is  not  the 
accompaniment  of  nova  ohedientia)  will  find  mercy  (om'',  as 
Hos.  xiv.  4).  In  close  connection  therewith  stands  the  thought 
that  man  has  to  work  out  his  salvation  "with  fear  and  trem- 
bling" (Phil.  ii.  12). 

Ver.  14  Well  is  it  with  the  man  who  feareth  always  ; 

But  he  that  is  stiff-necked  shall  fall  into  mischief. 
The  Piel  "'HS  occurs  elsewhere  only  at  Isa.  li.  13,  where  it  is 
used  of  the  fear  and  dread  of  men ;  here  it  denotes  the  anxious 
concern  with  which  one  has  to  guard  against  the  danger  of 
evil  coming  upon  his  soul.  Aben  Ezra  makes  God  the  object ; 
but  rather  we  are  to  regard  sin  as  the  object,  for  while  the  truly 
pious  is  one  that  "  fears  God,"  he  is  at  the  same  time  one  that 
"  feareth  evil."  The  antithesis  extends  beyond  the  nearest 
lying  contrast  of  fleshly  security ;  this  is  at  the  same  time  more 
or  less  one  who  hardens  or  steels  his  heart  (i^p  n'ti'ipo)^  viz.  against 
the  word  of  God,  against  the  sons  of  God  in  his  heart,  and 
against  the  affectionate  concern  of  others  about  his  soul,  and  as 
such  rushes  on  to  his  own  destruction  (»"IVI?  ''^^^  as  at  xvii.  20). 
This  general  ethical  proverb  is  now  followed  by  one  concern- 
ing the  king : 

Ver.  15  A  roaring  lion  and  a  ravening  bear 
Is  a  foolish  ruler  over  a  poor  people, 
i.e.  a  people  without  riches  and  possessions,  without  lasting 
sources  of  help, — a  people  brought  low  by  the  events  of  war  and 
by  calamities.  To  such  a  people  a  tyrant  is  a  twofold  terror, 
like  a  ravenous  monster.  The  LXX.  translate  J?^'")  ^^i^io  by 
o<?  rvpavvel  tttw^o?  wi',  as  if  t^*"l  had  been  transferred  to  this 
place  from  ver.  3.  But  their  translation  of  ytj*"!,  xxix.  7,  wavers 
between  äaeßr)<i  and  tttw^j^o?,  and  of  the  bear  they  make  a 
wolf  3^?T,  dialectical  S''^..  p\>)'^  designates  a  bear  as  lingering 
about,  running  hither  and  thither,  impelled  by  extreme  hunger 
{Venet.  eVioDcra),  from  Pi^B'  =  pit^,  to  drive,  which  is  said  of 
nimble  running,  as  well  as  of  urging  impulses  (cf.  under  Gen. 
iii.  16),  viz.  hunger. 

Ver.  16.  Another  proverb  of  the  king: 

0  prince  devoid  of  understanding  and  rich  in  oppression  ! 

He  that  hateth  unrighteous  gain  continueth  long. 


232  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

The  old  interpreters  from  the  LXX.  interpret  DiptJ'yö  y]\  as 
pred.  (as  also  Fleischer  :  princeps  qui  intellig entice  habet  partim 
idem  oppressionis  exercet  mulium)  ;  but  why  did  not  the  author 
use  the  word  Nin  or  ^5'l^'l  instead  of  this  ambiguous  inconvenient 
\%  Hitzig  regards  the  first  term  as  a  nominative  absolute, 
which  does  not  assume  a  suffix  in  the  second  line.  But  examples 
such  as  27a,  xxvii.  7Z>,  are  altogether  of  a  different  sort ;  there 
occurs  a  reference  that  is  in  reality  latent,  and  only  finds  not 
expression  ;  the  clause  following  the  nominative  is  related  to  it 
as  its  natural  predicate,  but  here  15^  is  an  independent  clause 
standing  outside  of  any  syntactical  relation  to  15a.  Heidenheim 
has  acknowledged  that  here  there  lies  before  us  a  proverb  not  in 
the  form  of  a  mere  declaration,  but  of  a  warning  address,  and  thus 
also  it  is  understood  by  Ewald,  Bertheau,  Elster,  and  Zöckler. 
The  accentuation  seems  to  proceed  on  the  same  supposition. 
It  is  the  only  passage  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  where  T'JJj  of  the 
supreme  ruler  of  the  people,  and  where  the  plur,  riiiuri,  occur ; 
it  is  not  therefore  at  all  strange  if  the  proverb  also  has  some- 
thing strange  in  its  formation.  Often  enough,  proverbs  are  in 
the  form  of  an  address  to  a  son,  and  generally  to  their  reader  ; 
why  not  also  one  at  least  to  the  king  ?  It  is  a  proverb  as  when 
I  say  :  Oh  thou  reckless,  merry  fellow  !  he  who  laughs  much 
will  sometimes  weep  long.  Thus  here  the  address  is  directed  to 
the  prince  who  is  devoid  of  all  wisdom  and  intelligence,  which 
are  necessary  for  a  prince ;  but  on  this  account  the  more 
earnest  in  exhortation  to  say  to  him  that  only  one  who  hates 
defrauding  the  people  attains  an  old  age  ;  thus  that  a  prince 
who  plunders  the  people  wantonly  shortens  his  life  as  a  man, 
and  his  position  as  a  ruler  (cf.  ^\j^}}^^  xxiv.  22).  The  Keri 
^}P  has  the  tone  thrown  back  on  the  penult.,  as  the  Chetldh 
''N3B'  would  also  have  it,  cf.  ^^Sjjl-,  viii.  9.  The  relation  of  a 
plur.  subj.  to  a  sing.  pred.  is  as  at  xxvii.  16.  Eegarding  ^^3, 
vid.  under  i.  19.  A  confirmation  of  this  proverb  directing  itself 
to  princes  is  found  in  Jer.  xxii.  13-19,  the  woe  pronounced 
upon  Jehoiakim.  And  a  glance  at  the  woe  pronounced  in  Hab. 
ii.  12,  shows  how  easily  ver.  17  presents  itself  in  connection. 
Ver.  17  A  man  burdened  with  the  guilt  of  blood  upon  his  soul 
Fleeth  to  the  pit ;  let  no  one  detain  him. 

Luther  translates :  "  A  man  that  doeth  violence  to  the  blood 


CHAP.  XXVIII.  17.  233 

of  any  one,"  as  if  he  had  read  the  word  P'^^.  Löwenstein  per- 
suades himself  that  P'^V  may  mean  ''  having  oppressed,"  and 
for  this  refers  to  ^^^^,  having  clothed,  in  the  Mishna  "'Vl^J,  212"i, 
Lat.  coenatus,  juratus ;  but  none  of  all  these  cases  are  of  the 
same  nature,  for  always  the  conduct  designated  is  interpreted  as 
a  suffering  of  that  which  is  done,  e.g.  the  drawing  on,  as  a  being 
clothed ;  the  riding,  as  a  being  ridden,  etc.  Of  P^^'V,  in  the  sense 
of  the  oppression  of  another,  there  is  no  such  part,  jjass.  as 
throws  the  action  as  a  condition  back  upon  the  subject.  This 
is  valid  also  against  Aben  Ezra,  who  supposes  that  P'^V  means 
oppressing  after  the  forms  1^J^^,  n^lK',  JW^,  for  of  p3^,  settled  = 
dwelling,  that  which  has  just  been  said  is  true;  that  "113X  is 
equivalent  to  "i3X,  cf.  regarding  it  under  xxx.  1,  and  that  "i^n^', 
Ps.  cxxxvii.  8,  is  equivalent  to  ll't^,  is  not  true.  Kimchi  adds, 
under  the  name  of  his  father  (Joseph  Kimchi),  also  D^nti',  Jer. 
ix.  7  =  t^O^'^;  but  that  "slaughtered"  can  be  equivalent  to 
slaughtering  is  impossible.  Some  MSS.  have  the  word  P^V, 
which  is  not  inadmissible,  but  not  in  the  sense  of  "  accused  " 
(Löwenstein),  but :  persecuted,  exposed  to  war ;  for  Ptr'^  signifies 
to  treat  hostilely,  and  post-bibl.  generally  to  aspire  after  or 
pursue  anything,  e.g.  n")in  ''^^']2  piDj;^  R.  c>j;  (whence  Piel  con- 
trectare,  cf.  Isa.  xxiii.  2,  according  to  which  p^V  appears  to  be 
an  intensifying  of  this  nb'J?).  However,  there  is  no  ground  for 
regarding  P^'V  ^  as  not  original,  nor  in  the  sense  of  "  hard 
pressed  ; "  for  it  is  not  used  of  avenging  persecution,  but : 
inwardly  pressed,  for  Isa.  xxxviii.  14  »^P^fV  also  signifies  the 
anguish  of  a  guilty  conscience.  Whoever  is  inwardly  bowed 
down  by  the  blood  of  a  man  whom  he  has  murdered,  betakes 
himself  to  a  ceaseless  flight  to  escape  the  avenger  of  blood,  the 
punishment  of  his  guilt,  and  his  own  inward  torment ;  he  flees 
and  finds  no  rest,  till  at  last  the  grave  ("113  according  to  the 
Eastern,  i.e.  the  Babylonian,  mode  of  writing  in)  receives  him, 
and  death  accomplishes  the  only  possible  propitiation  of  the 
murderer.  The  exhortation,  "  let  no  one  detain  him,"  does  not 
mean  that  one  should  not  lay  hold  on  the  fugitive  ;  but,  since 
3  Tjon  does  not  mean  merely  to  hold  fast,  but  to  hold  right,  that 
1  Böttcber  supposes  much  rather  pWV  =  P^V^;  also,  xxv.  11,  -|3"J  = 
'iinü  ;  but  that  does  not  follow  from  the  de/ectiva  scriptio,  nor  from  any- 
thinof  else. 


234  THE  BOOK  OF  PEO VERBS. 

one  should  not  afford  him  any  support,  any  refuge,  any  covering 
or  security  against  the  vengeance  which  pursues  him  ;  that  one 
should  not  rescue  him  from  the  arm  of  justice,  and  thereby 
invade  and  disturb  the  public  administration  of  justice,  which 
rests  on  moral  foundations  ;  on  the  other  side,  the  Book  of  Pro- 
verbs, xxiv.  11  f.,  has  uttered  its  exhortation  to  save  a  human 
life  whenever  it  is  possible  to  do  so.  The  proverb  lying  before 
us  cannot  thus  mean  anything  else  than  that  no  one  should  give 
to  the  murderer,  as  such,  any  assistance ;  that  no  one  should 
save  him  clandestinely,  and  thereby  make  himself  a  partaker 
of  his  sin.  Grace  cannot  come  into  the  place  of  justice  till 
justice  has  been  fully  recognised.  Human  sympathy,  human 
forbearance,  under  the  false  title  of  grace,  do  not  stand  in  con- 
trast to  this  justice.  We  must,  however,  render  in"l3»n''-!3N  not 
directly  as  an  admonition  against  that  which  is  immoral;  it  may 
also  be  a  declaration  of  that  which  is  impossible :  only  let  no 
one  support  him,  let  no  one  seek  to  deliver  him  from  the  unrest 
which  drives  him  from  place  to  place.  This  is,  however,  in 
vain;  he  is  unceasingly  driven  about  to  fulfil  his  lot.  But  the 
translation  :  nemine  eum  sustinente  (Fleischer),  is  inadmissible  ; 
a  mere  declaration  of  a  fact  without  any  subjective  colouring  is 
never  bx  seq.  fut. 

Ver.  18  He  who  walketh  blamelessly  is  helped, 

And  he  who  is  perverse  in  a  double  way  suddenly  perisheth. 
The  LXX.  translate  D'^on  by  St/cat'o)?  (as  the  accusative  of 
manner),  Aquila  and  Theodotion  by  reXeio?;  but  it  may  also 
be  translated  reketov  or  reXetoTT^ra,  as  the  object  accus,  of 
ii.  7.  Instead  of  D^ani  ^^V^  ver.  6,  there  is  here  D^3-iT  t'^V':^ 
obliquely  directed  in  a  double  way,  or  reflex  bending  himself. 
At  ver.  6  we  have  interpreted  the  dual  D^a^T  rightly,  thus 
rinsa  cannot  refer  back  to  one  of  these  two  ways ;  besides,  TIIT 
as  fem.  is  an  anomaly,  if  not  a  solecism,  nnxa  signifies,  like 
the  Aram.  ^IH^,  either  all  at  once  (for  which  the  Mish.  nns3, 
Aram.  ^"JH^),  or  once  (  =  rinN  0^03),  and  it  signifies  in  the 
passage  before  us,  not :  once,  aligumido,  as  Nolde,  with  Flacius, 
explains,  but :  all  at  once,  i.e.  as  Geier  explains :  penitusj  sic 
ut  pluribus  casibus  porro  non  sit  opus.  Schultens  compares : 
"  Procubuit  moriens  et  humum  semel  ore  momordit.'''''^ 
1  jEneid,  xi.  418. 


CHAP.  XXVIII.  19-21.  235 

Eightly  Fleischer :  repente  totus  concidet. 
Ver.  19  He  who  cultivateth  his  land  is  satisfied  with  bread, 

And  he  that  graspeth  after  vanities  is  satisfied  with  poverty. 

A  variation  of  xii.  11.  The  pred.  here  corresponds  to  its  con- 
trast. On  ti'n  (here  and  at  xxxi.  7),  instead  of  the  more  fre- 
quent tJ'^"?.,  cf.  X.  4. 

To  this  proverb  of  the  cultivation  of  the  land  as  the  sure 
source  of  support,  the  next  following  stands  related,  its  con- 
tents being  cognate : 

Ver.  20  A  strong,  upright  man  is  enriched  with  blessings ; 

But  he  that  hastens  to  become  rich  remains  not  unpunished. 

D"?!)»«  {y'^X,  XX.  6,  as  well  as  niiiDS  'S,  denotes  a  man  bonoi  fidei; 
but  the  former  expression  refers  the  description  to  a  constancy 
and  certainty  in  the  relations  of  favour  and  of  friendship,  here 
to  rectitude  or  integrity  in  walk  and  conduct ;  the  plur.  refers 
to  the  all-sidedness  and  the  ceaselessness  of  the  activity.  ni3"j3 
is  related,  as  at  x.  6 :  the  idea  comprehends  blessings  on  the 
side  of  God  and  of  man,  thus  benedictio  rei  and  benedictio  voti. 
On  the  contrary,  he  who,  without  being  careful  as  to  the 
means,  is  in  haste  to  become  rich,  remains  not  only  unblessed, 
but  also  is  not  guiltless,  and  thus  not  without  punishment ;  also 
this  njpr  vh  {e.g.  vi.  29),  frequently  met  in  the  Mishle,  is,  like 
nDi3,  the  union  of  two  ideas,  for  generally  the  bibl.  mode  of 
conception  and  language  comprehends  in  one,  sin,  guilt,  and 
punishment. 

With  a  proverb,  in  the  first  half  of  which  is  repeated  the 
beginning  of  the  second  appendix,  xxiv.  23,  a  new  group  com- 
mences : 

Ver.  21  Respect  of  persons  is  not  good  ; 

And  for  a  morsel  of  bread  a  man  may  become  a  transgressor. 

Line  first  refers  to  the  administration  of  justice,  and  line  second 
— the  special  generalized — to  social  life  generally.  The  "  morsel 
of  bread,"  as  example  of  a  bribe  by  means  of  which  the  favour 
of  the  judge  is  purchased,  is  too  low  a  conception.  Hitzig 
well  I  "  even  a  trifle,  a  morsel  of  bread  (1  Sam.  ii.  36),  may, 
as  it  awakens  favour  and  dislike  within  us,  thus  in  general  call 
forth  in  the  will  an  inclination  tending  to  draw  one  aside  from 
the  line  of  strict  rectitude."     Geier  compares  A.  Gellius'  Noct. 


236  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Att.  i.  15,  where  Cato  says  of  the  Tribune  Coelius:  Fnisto 
panis  condiici  potest  vel  ut  taceat  vel  ut  loquatur. 
Ver.  22  The  man  of  an  evil  eye  hasteneth  after  riches, 

And  knoweth  not  that  want  shall  come  upon  him. 

Hitzig  renders  'lil  ^^^  [the  man  of  an  evil  eye]  as  appos.  of  the 
subject ;  but  in  that  case  the  phrase  would  have  been  py  yi  c'''N 
;in^  ^n33  (cf.  e.g.  xxix.  1).  py  yt  (xxiii.  6)  is  the  jealous, 
envious,  grudging,  and  at  the  same  time  covetous  man.  It  is 
certainly  possible  that  an  envious  man  consumes  himself  in  ill- 
humour  without  quietness,  as  Hitzig  objects ;  but  as  a  rule 
there  is  connected  with  envy  a  passionate  endeavour  to  raise 
oneself  to  an  equal  height  of  prosperity  with  the  one  who  is 
the  object  of  envy ;  and  this  zeal,  proceeding  from  an  impure 
motive,  makes  men  blind  to  the  fact  that  thereby  they  do  not 
advance,  but  rather  degrade  themselves,  for  no  blessing  can 
rest  on  it ;  discontentedness  loses,  with  that  which  God  has 
assigned  to  us,  deservedly  also  that  which  it  has.  The  pret. 
?n33,  the  expression  of  a  fact ;  the  part.  '''"^^3,  the  expression  of 
an  habitual  characteristic  action ;  the  word  signifies  prceceps 
(fjui prceceps  fertitr),  with  the  root-idea  of  one  who  is  unbridled, 
who  is  not  master  of  himself  (vid.  under  Ps.  ii.  5,  and  above  at 
XX.  21).  The  phrase  wavers  between  ?n33  (Kimchi,  under  biM; 
and  Norzi,  after  Codd.  and  old  editions)  and  ^n.^J  (thus,  e.g., 
Cod.  Jamaii) ;  only  at  Ps.  xxx.  8  -'^^^  stands  unquestioned, 
"ipn  [want]  is  recognised  by  Symmachus,  Syr.,  and  Jerome. 
To  this,  as  the  authentic  reading,  cf.  its  ingenious  rendering  in 
Bereschith  Rahba,  c.  58,  to  Gen.  xxiii.  14.  The  LXX.  reads, 
from  225,  that  a  T'On,  iXerj/xcov,  will  finally  seize  the  same 
riches,  according  to  which  Hitzig  reads  "ipn,  disgrace,  shame 
(cf.  XXV.  10). 

Ver.  23  He  that  reproveth  a  man  who  is  going  backwards, 
Findeth  more  thanks  than  the  flatterer. 

It  is  impossible  that  aj  can  be  the  suffix  of  '•'^nx ;  the  Talmud, 
Tamid  28(2,  refers  it  to  God ;  but  that  it  signifies :  after  my 
(Solomon's)  example  or  precedence  (Aben  Ezra,  Ahron  b. 
Josef,  Venet.,  J.  H.  Michaelis),  is  untenable  —  such  a  name 
given  by  the  teacher  here  to  himself  is  altogether  aimless. 
Others  translate,  with  Jerome :  Qui  corripit  hominem  gratiayn 
postea  inveniei  apiid  eum  magis,  quam  ille  qui  per  linguce  hlandi- 


CHAP.  XXVIII.  23.  237 

tnenta  decipit,  for  they  partly  purpose  to  read  l?""'"]!!}^,  partly  to 
give  to  'ni?  the  meaning  of  posfea.  ^I^i^,  Ewald  says,  is  a 
notable  example  of  an  adverb.  Hitzig  seeks  to  correct  this 
adv.  as  at  Neh.  iii.  30  f.,  but  where,  with  Keil,  I^H'):?  is  to  be 
read ;  at  Josh.  ii.  7,  where  nns  is  to  erased ;  and  at  Deut.  ii. 
30,  where  the  traditional  text  is  accountable.  This  '•'^nx  may 
be  formed  like  ''TN*  and  ""riO;  but  if  it  had  existed,  it  would  not 
be  a  aira^  Xey.  The  accentuation  also,  in  the  passage  before 
us,  does  not  recognise  it ;  but  it  takes  ■'']nNi  and  Dnx  together,  and 
how  otherwise  than  that  it  appears,  as  Ibn-Jach  ja  in  his  Grammar, 
and  Immanuel  ^  have  recocmised  it,  to  be  a  noun  terminatino-  in 
aj.  It  is  a  formation,  like  ''i^?,  1  Kings  vi.  10  (cf.  Olshausen's 
Lelirb.  p.  428  f.),  of  the  same  termination  as  ''T^,  ''sn^  and  in 
the  later  Aram.-Heb.  ''3_f,  and  the  like.  The  variant  ^"ins, 
noticed  by  Heidenheim,  confirms  it;  and  the  distinction  be- 
tween different  classes  of  men  (yid.  vol.  i.  p.  39)  which  prevails 
in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  favours  it.  A  ""inN  DIS  is  defined,  after 
the  manner  of  Jeremiah  (vii.  24)  :  a  man  who  is  directed  back- 
wards, and  not  ^''^sp,  forwards.  Not  the  renegade — for  n"'3"irD, 
opp.  \\''S  p-'^no,  does  not  lead  to  so  strong  a  conception — but  the 
retrograder  is  thus  called  in  German :  Rückläufige  [one  who 
runs  backwards]  or  Rückwendige  [one  who  turns  backwards], 
who  turns  away  from  the  good,  the  right,  and  the  true,  and 
always  departs  the  farther  away  from  them  (Immanuel :  going 
backwards  in  his  nature  or  his  moral  relations).  This  centri- 
fugal direction,  leading  to  estrangement  from  the  fear  of 
Jahve,  or,  wdiat  is  the  same  thing,  from  the  religion  of  revela- 
tion, would  lead  to  entire  ruin  if  unreserved  and  fearless 
denunciation  did  not  interpose  and  seek  to  restrain  it;  and 
he  who  speaks^  so  truly,  openly,  and  earnestly  home  to  the 
conscience  of  one  who  is  on  the  downward  course,  gains  for 
himself  thereby,  on  the  part  of  him  whom  he  has  directed 
aright,  and  on  the  part  of  all  who  are  well  disposed,  better 
thanks  (and  also,  on  the  part  of  God,  a  better  reward,  James 

^  Abulwalid  {Rikma,  p.  69)  also  rightly  explains  nnx,  as  a  characterizing 
epithet,  by  ijiriN  (turned  backwards). 

2  Lowensteia  writes  n^3iO,  after  Metheg- Setzung,  §  43,  not  incorrectly ; 
for  the  following  word,  although  toned  on  the  first  syllable,  begins  with 
guttural  having  the  same  sound. 


238  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

V.  19  f.)  than  he  who,  speaking  to  him,  smooths  his  tongue 
to  say  to  him  who  is  rich,  or  in  a  high  position,  only  that  which 
is  agreeable.     Laiidat  adulator^  sed  non  est  verus  amator.     The 
second  half  of  the  verse  consists,  as  often  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  8  ;  Job 
xxxiii.  1 ;  cf.  Thorath  Emeth,  p.  51),  of  only  two  words,  with 
Mercha  Silluk. 
Ver.  24  He  who  robbeth  his  father  and  mother,  and  saith :  It  is  no 
wrong, 
Is  a  companion  of  the  destroyer. 

The  second  line  is  related  to  xviii.  2b.  Instead  of  dominus 
perditionis  there  found,  there  is  here  JT'nK'b  B'''N,  vir  perdens 
( per ditor)  i  the  word  thus  denotes  a  man  who  destroys,  not 
from  revenge,  but  from  lust,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  life  of 
men,  and  that  which  is  valuable  for  men  ;  thus  the  spoiler,  the 
incendiary,  etc.  Instead  of  nx  there,  here  we  have  I3n  in  the 
same  sense.  He  who  robs  his  parents,  i.e.  takes  to  himself 
what  belongs  to  them,  and  regards  his  doing  so  as  no  particular 
sin,^  because  he  will  at  last  come  to  inherit  it  all  (cf.  xx.  21 
with  xix.  26),  is  to  be  likened  to  a  man  who  allows  himself  in 
all  offences  against  the  life  and  property  of  his  neighbour ;  for 
what  the  deed  of  such  a  son  wants  in  external  violence,  it 
makes  up  in  its  wickedness,  because  it  is  a  rude  violation  of 
the  tenderest  and  holiest  demands  of  duty. 

Ver.  25  The  covetous  stirreth  up  strife  ; 

But  he  that  trusteth  in  Jahve  is  richly  comforted. 
Line  first  is  a  variation  of  xv.  18a  ;  C'^rnrri  is  not  to  be  inter- 
changed with  3/?"3n"!,  xxi.  4.  He  is  of  a  wide  heart  who 
haughtily  puffs  himself  up,  of  a  wide  soul  (cf .  with  Schultens  HTiin 
It^'SJ,  of  the  opening  up  of  the  throat,  or  of  revenge,  Isa.  v.  14; 
Hab.  ii.  5)  who  is  insatiably  covetous ;  for  3?  is  the  spiritual, 
and  trw  the  natural,  heart  of  man,  according  to  which  the 
M'idening  of  the  heart  is  the  overstraining  of  self-consciousness, 
and  the  widening  of  the  soul  the  overstraining  of  passion. 
Rightly  the  LXX.,  according  to  its  original  text :  airXTjaro^ 
avrjp  KLvel  (thus  with  Hitzig  for  Kptvet)  veUr).  Line  second 
is  a  variation  of  xvi.  20,  xxix.  25.  Over  against  the  insatiable 
is  he  who  trusts  in  God  (nt3  3^,  with  Gaja  to  the  vocal,  concluding 
1  Accentuate  ycj'D  px  "10N1  without  Makkeph,  as  in  Codd.  1294  and 
old  editions. 


CHAP.  XXVIII.  26,  27.  239 

the  word,  for  it  follows  a  word  accented  on  the  first  syllable,  and 
beginning  with  a  guttural ;  cf .  '^1,  xxix.  2 ;  's^,  xxix.  18),  that 
He  will  bestow  upon  him  what  is  necessary  and  good  for  him. 
One  thus  contented  is  easily  satisfied  (compare  with  the  word 
xi.  25,  xiii.  4,  and  with  the  matter,  x.  3,  xiii.  24),  is  externally 
as  well  as  internally  appeased ;  while  that  other,  never  con- 
tented, has  no  peace,  and  creates  dispeace  around  him. 

The  following  proverb  assumes  the  HDln  of  the  foregoing :  ^ 
Ver.  26  He  that  trusteth  in  bis  own  heart  is  a  fool ; 
But  he  that  walketh  in  wisdom  shall  escape. 
From  the  promise  in  the  second  line.  Hitzig  concludes  that  a 
courageous  heart  is  meant,  but  when  by  itself  lb  never  bears 
this  meaning.  He  who  trusteth  in  his  own  heart  is  not  merely 
one  who  is  guided  solely  "  by  his  own  inconsiderate,  defiant 
impulse  to  act "  (Zöckler).  The  proverb  is  directed  against  a 
false  subjectivity.  The  heart  is  that  fabricator  of  thoughts, 
of  which,  as  of  man  by  nature,  nothing  good  can  be  said,  Gen. 
vi.  5,  viii.  21.  But  wisdom  is  a  gift  from  above,  and  consists 
in  the  knowledge  of  that  which  is  objectively  true,  that  which  is 
normatively  godlike.  '*19t"??  ^^'^  is  he  who  so  walks  that  he  has 
in  wisdom  a  secure  authority,  and  has  not  then  for  the  first 
time,  when  he  requires  to  walk,  need  to  consider,  to  reckon,  to 
experiment.  Thus  walking  in  the  way  of  wisdom,  he  escapes 
dangers  to  which  one  is  exposed  who  walks  in  foolish  con- 
fidence in  his  own  heart  and  its  changeful  feelings,  thoughts, 
imaginations,  delusions.  One  who  thoughtlessly  boasts,  who 
vainly  dreams  of  victory  before  the  time,  is  such  a  person  ;  but 
confidence  in  one's  own  heart  takes  also  a  hundred  other  forms. 
Essentially  similar  to  this  proverb  are  the  words  of  Jer.  ix.  22  f., 
for  the  wisdom  meant  in  2G6  is  there  defined  at  ver.  23. 

Ver.  27  He  that  giveth  to  the  poor  suifereth  no  want ; 

But  he  that  covereth  his  eyes  meeteth  many  curses. 
In  the  first  line  the  pronoun  \h,  referring  back  to  the  subject 
noun,   is  to  be  supplied,  as  at  xxvii.  7  n?.     He  who  gives  to 
the  poor  has  no  want  ("liBTO),  for  God's  blessing  reimburses 

1  We  take  the  opportunity  of  remarking  that  the  tendency  to  form  to- 
gether certain  proverbs  after  one  catchword  is  found  also  in  German  books 
of  proverbs ;  vid.  Paul,  Ueber  die  urspr.  Anord.  von  FreiJanks  Bescheiden- 
heit (1870),  p.  12. 


240  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

him  richly  for  what  he  bestows.  He,  on  the  other  hand,  who 
veils  (DvV'?j  cf.  the  Hithpa.,  Isa.  Iviii.  7)  his  eyes  so  as  not  to  see 
the  misery  which  calls  forth  compassion,  or  as  if  he  did  not  see 
the  misery  which  has  a  claim  on  his  compassion  ;  he  is  (becomes) 
rich  in  curses,  i.e.  is  laden  with  the  curses  of  those  whose  wants 
he  cared  not  for ;  curses  which,  because  they  are  deserved, 
change  by  virtue  of  a  divine  requital  {yid.  Sir.  iv.  5f. ;  Tob. 
iv.  7)  into  all  kinds  of  misfortunes  {opp.  niann-m.,  20a).  nnsp 
is  constructed  after  the  form  niittj  iripD  from  "»"iN, 

The  following  proverb  resembles  the  beginnings  xxviii.  2, 
12.  The  proverbs  xxviii.  28,  xxix.  1,  2,  3,  form  a  beautiful 
square  grasp,  in  which  the  first  and  third,  and  the  second  and 
fourth,  correspond  to  one  another. 

Ver.  28  When  the  godless  rise  up,  men  hide  themselves ; 
And  when  they  perish,  the  righteous  increase. 
Line  first  is  a  variation  of  12/;.  Since  they  who  hide  them- 
selves are  merely  called  men,  people,  the  meaning  of  12T  is 
probably  not  this,  that  the  righteous  then  from  all  sides  come  out 
into  the  foreground  (Hitzig),  but  that  they  prosper,  multiply, 
and  increase  as  do  plants,  when  the  worms,  caterpillars,  and 
the  like  are  destroyed  (Fleischer)  ;  Löwenstein  glosses  ^^T.  by 
'h'\Ti  they  become  great  =  powerful,  but  that  would  be  Elihu's 
style,  Job  xxxiii.  12,  which  is  not  in  common  use  ;  the  names 
of  masters  and  of  those  in  authority,  3"!,  ''3"i,  }3"i,  nijan,  are  all 
derived  from  32"!,  not  from  nan.  The  increase  is  to  be  under- 
stood of  the  prosperous  growth  (to  become  great  =  to  increase, 
as  perhaps  also  Gen.  xxi.  10)  of  the  congregation  of  the 
righteous,  which  gains  in  the  overthrow  of  the  godless  an 
accession  to  its  numbers;  cf.  xxix.  2,  and  especially  16. 
xxix.  1.  A  general  ethical  proverb  here  follows  : 

A  man  often  corrected  who  hardeneth  his  neck, 

Shall  suddenly  go  to  ruin  without  remedy. 
Line  second  =  vi.  Ibh.  The  connection  riinain  c''»«  must  make 
the  nearest  impression  on  a  reader  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs 
that  they  mean  a  censurer  (reprehender),  but  which  is  set  aside 
by  what  follows,  for  the  genit.  after  ^^^  is,  xvi.  29,  xxvi.  21, 
xxix.  10,  xiii.  20,  the  designation  of  that  which  proceeds  from 
the  subject  treated.  And  since  riinain,  Ps.  xxxvii.  15,  Job 
xxiii.  4,  denotes  counter  evidence,  and  generally  rejoinders,  thus 


CHAP.  XXIX.  2.  241 

in  the  first  line  a  reasoner  is  designated  who  lets  nothing  be  said 
to  him,  and  nothing  be  shown  to  him,  but  contradicts  all  and 
every  one.  Thus  e.g.  Fleischer:  vir  qui  correptus  contradicit  et 
cervicem  ohdurat.  But  this  interpolated  correptus  gives  involun- 
tary testimony  of  this,  that  the  nearest  lying  impression  of 
the  'in  &^  suffers  a  change  by  K}^  n'j'pn :  if  we  read  n'j'pn  (ih) 
?liy  with  'in,  the  latter  then  designates  the  correptio,  over 
against  which  is  placed  obstinate  boldness  (Syr.,  Targ.,  Jerome, 
Luther),  and  'in  shows  itself  thus  to  be  gen.  ohjecti,  and  we  have 
to  compare  the  gen.  connection  of  &ü,  as  at  xviii.  23,  xxi.  17, 
or  rather  at  1  Kings  xx.  42  and  Jer.  xv.  10.  But  it  is  unneces- 
sary, with  Hitzig,  to  limit  'in  to  divine  infliction  of  punishment, 
and  after  Hos.  v.  9,  Isa.  xxxvii.  3,  to  read  mn^in  [punishment], 
which  occurs,  Ps.  cxlix.  7,  in  the  sense  of  punishment  inflicted 
by  man.^  Besides,  we  must  think  first  not  of  actual  punishment, 
but  of  chastening,  reproving  words ;  and  the  man  to  whom  are 
spoken  the  reproving  words  is  one  whose  conduct  merits  more 
and  more  severe  censure,  and  continually  receives  correction 
from  those  who  are  concerned  for  his  welfare.  Hitzig  regards 
the  first  line  as  a  conditional  clause :  "  Is  a  man  of  punish- 
ment stiff-necked?"  .  .  .  This  is  syntactically  impossible.  Only 
f]iy  nc'ptt  could  have  such  force  :  a  man  of  punishment,  if  he  .  .  . 
But  why  then  did  not  the  author  rather  write  the  words  Nim 
fl"iy  T]\ypj:i  ?  Why  then  could  not  F)-iy  n\:}p'a  be  a  co-ordinated 
further  description  of  the  man?  CL  e.g.  Ex.  xvii.  21.  The 
door  of  penitence,  to  which  earnest,  well-meant  admonition  calls 
a  man,  does  not  always  remain  open.  He  who  with  stiff-necked 
persistence  in  sin  and  in  self-delusion  sets  himself  in  opposition 
to  all  endeavours  to  save  his  soul,  shall  one  day  suddenly,  and 
without  the  prospect  and  possibility  of  restoration  (cf.  Jer. 
xix.  11),  become  a  wreck.  Audi  doctrinam  si  vis  rdtare  ruinam. 
The  general  ethical  proverb  is  here  followed  by  one  that  is 
political : 

Ver.  2  When  the  righteous  increase,  the  people  rejoice  ; 

And  when  a  godless  man  ruleth,  the  people  mourn. 

Regarding  ''^V  ^i^l?  (Aquila  rightly,  ev  tm  '7T\r]6vvai  Bifcaiov(>}y 
vid.  at  xxviii.  28.     If  the  righteous  form  the  majority,  or  are 

1  Vid.  Zunz,  "  Regarding  the  Idea  and  the  Use  of  ToJcliccha,'''  in  Stein- 
schneider's  Heb.  Bihliographia,  entitled  ■l"'3IDn,  1871,  p.  70  f. 
VOL.  II.  Q 


242  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVERES. 

in  such  numbers  that  they  are  the  party  that  give  the  tone,  that 
form  the  predominant  power  among  the  people  (Fleischer,  cum 
mcrementa  capiimt  justi)^  then  the  condition  of  the  people  is  a 
happy  one,  and  their  voice  joyful  (xi.  10)  ;  if,  on  the  contrary, 
a  godless  man  or  (after  xxviii.  1)  godless  men  rule,  the  people 
are  made  to  sigh  (DJJ  n^xi,  with  the  Gaja,  according  to  rule). 
"  There  is  reason,"  as  Hitzig  remarks,  "  why  Dy  should  be 
placed  first  with,  and  then  without,  the  article."  In  the  first 
case  it  denotes  the  people  as  those  among  whom  there  is  such 
an  increase  of  the  righteous ;  in  the  second  case,  the  article  is 
wanting,  because  it  is  not  generally  used  in  poetry ;  and,  besides, 
its  absence  makes  the  second  line  consist  of  nine  syllables,  like 
the  first.  This  political  proverb  is  now  followed  by  one  of 
general  ethics : 

Ver.  3  A  man  wlio  lovetli  wisdom  deligliteth  his  father ; 

And  he  who  keepeth  company  with  harlots  spendeth  his 
substance. 

Line  first  is  a  variation  of  x.  1.  nns't^'^X  has,  according  to  rule, 
the  Metheg,  cf.  9a.  t^'''^^  is  man,  without  distinction  of  age, 
from  childhood  (Gen.  iv.  1)  up  to  ripe  old  age  (Isa.  Ixvi.  13) ; 
love  and  dutiful  relation  towards  father  and  mother  never  cease. 
Line  second  reminds  of  xxviii.  7  (cf.  xiii.  20). 

A  series  of  six  proverbs  follows,  beginning  with  a  proverb  of 
the  king : 

Ver.  4  A  king  by  righteousness  bringeth  the  land  to  a  good  condition  ; 
But  a  man  of  taxes  bringeth  it  down. 

The  Hlph.  'T'^yn  signifies  to  make  it  so  that  a  person  or  matter 
comes  to  stand  erect  and  stand  fast  {e.g.  1  Kings  xv.  4)  ;  D"in, 
to  tear  down,  is  the  contrary  of  building  up  and  extending 
(Ps.  xxviii.  5),  cf.  Dnnj,  opp.  tir\,  of  the  state,  xi.  11.  By 
'in  C^\S  is  meant  the  king,  or  a  man  of  this  kind ;  but  it  is 
questionable  whether  as  a  man  of  gifts,  i.e.  one  who  lets  gifts 
be  made  to  him  (Grotius,  Fleischer,  Ewald,  Bertheau,  Zöckler), 
or  as  a  man  of  taxes,  i.e.  who  imposes  them  (Midrash,  Aben 
Ezra,  Ealbag,  Rosenmüller,  Hitzig).  Both  interpretations  are 
possible,  for  'in  means  tax  (lifting,  raising  =  dedicating),  free- 
will offerings,  as  well  as  gifts  that  are  obligatory  and  required 
by  the  laws  of  nature.     Since  the  word,  in  the  only  other  place 


CHAP.  XXIX.  5,  6.  243 

where  it  occurs,  Ezek.  xlv.  13-16,  is  used  of  the  relation  of  the 
people  to  the  prince,  and  denotes  a  legally-imposed  tax,  so  it 
appears  also  here,  in  passing  over  from  the  religious  sphere  to 
the  secular,  to  be  meant  of  taxes,  and  that  according  to  its 
fundamental  conception  of  gifts,  i.e.  such  taxes  as  are  given  on 
account  of  anything,  such  as  the  produce  of  the  soil,  manu- 
factures, heritages.  Thus  also  is  to  be  understood  Aquila's  and 
Theodotion's  ävi]p  äj)aipe^arwv,  and  the  rendering  also  of  the 
Venet.  ipdvcov.  A  man  on  the  throne,  covetous  of  such  gifts, 
brings  the  land  to  ruin  by  exacting  contributions;  on  the 
contrary,  a  king  helps  the  land  to  a  good  position,  and  an 
enduring  prosperity,  by  the  exercise  of  right,  and  that  in  ap- 
pointing a  well-proportioned  and  fit  measure  of  taxation. 
Ver.  5  A  man  who  flattereth  his  neighbour 
Spreadeth  a  net  for  his  steps. 

Fleischer,  as  Bertheau :  vir  qui  alterum  hlanditiis  circumvenit ; 
but  in  the  ?y  there  does  not  lie  in  itself  a  hostile  tendency,  an 
intention  to  do  injury  ;  it  interchanges  with  aS',  Ps.  xxxvi.  3, 
and  what  is  expressed  in  line  second  happens  also,  without  any 
intention  on  the  part  of  the  flatterer  :  the  web  of  the  flatterer 
before  the  eyes  of  a  neighbour  becomes,  if  he  is  caught  thereby, 
a  net  for  him  in  which  he  is  entangled  to  his  own  destruction 
(Hitzig).  Pvnri  signifies  also,  without  any  external  object, 
xxviii.  23,  ii.  16,  as  internally  transitive :  to  utter  that  which  is 
smooth,  i.e.  flattering.  VOysi  is,  as  Ps.  Ivii.  7  =  Ivi^,  for  which 
it  is  the  usual  Phoenician  word. 

Yer.  6  In  the  transgression  of  the  wicked  man  lies  a  snare ; 
But  the  righteous  rejoiceth  \_julelt\  and  is  glad. 

Thus  the  first  line  is  to  be  translated  according  to  the  sequence 
of  the  accents,  Mahpach,  Munach,  Miinach,  Athnach,  for  the 
second  Munach  is  the  transformation  of  Dechi;  V]  ü''i^  thus, 
like  Vyt;'^^,  xxviii.  5,  go  together,  although  the  connection  is 
not,  like  this,  genitival,  but  adjectival.  But  there  is  also  this 
sequence  of  the  accents,  Munach,  Dechi,  Munach,  Athnach, 
which  separates  V]  and  C'^X.  According  to  this,  Ewald  trans- 
lates :  "  in  the  transgression  of  one  lies  an  evil  snare ; "  but  in 
that  case  the  word  ought  to  have  been  Vi  c'pID,  as  at  xii.  13 ; 
for  although  the  numeral  D^2"i  sometimes  precedes  its  substan- 
tive, yet  no  other  adjective  ever  does ;  passages  such  as  Isa. 


244  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

xxviii.  21  and  x.  30  do  not  sliow  the  possibility  of  this  position 
of  the  words.  In  this  sequence  of  accents  the  explanation 
must  be  :  in  the  wickedness  of  a  man  is  the  evil  of  a  snare,  i.e. 
evil  is  the  snare  laid  therein  (Böttcher)  ;  but  a  reason  why  the 
author  did  not  write  yt  C'pIO  would  also  not  be  seen  there,  and 
thus  we  must  abide  by  the  accentuation  V  ti'''X.  The  righteous 
also  may  fall,  yet  he  is  again  raised  by  means  of  repentance 
and  pardon ;  but  in  the  wickedness  of  a  bad  man  lies  a  snare 
into  which  having  once  fallen,  he  cannot  again  release  himself 
from  it,  xxiv.  16.  In  the  second  line,  the  form  ]T\\^  for  j'l^,  is 
defended  by  the  same  metaplastic  forms  as  l^t:^',  Ps.  xci.  6 ; 
n">|J,  Isa.  xlii.  4  ;  and  also  that  the  order  of  the  words  is  not 
|ni  T\'d^\  (LXX.  iv  %«/3a  Kol  iv  €v(J3pocrvvr} ;  Luther :  freicet 
sich  vnd  hat  loonne  [rejoices  and  has  pleasure]),  is  supported  by 
the  same  sequence  of  ideas,  Zech.  ii.  14,  cf.  Jer.  xxxi.  7  :  the 
Juheln  is  the  momentary  outburst  of  gladness ;  the  Freude 
[gladness],  however,  is  a  continuous  feeling  of  happiness.  To 
the  question  as  to  what  the  righteous  rejoiceth  over  \_juhelt\  and 
is  glad  \_freuet\  because  of,  the  answer  is  not :  because  of  his 
happy  release  from  danger  (Zockler),  but :  because  of  the 
prosperity  which  his  virtue  procures  for  him  (Fleischer).  But 
the  contrast  between  the  first  and  second  lines  is  not  clear  and 
strong.  One  misses  the  expression  of  the  object  or  ground  of 
the  joy.  Cocceius  introduces  into  the  second  line  a  si  lapsus 
fuerit.  Schultens  translates,  Justus  vel  succumhens  triwnphabit, 
after  the  Arab,  ran  f.  o.,  which,  however,  does  not  mean  succum- 
here^  but  subigere  {via.  under  Ps.  Ixxviii.  Qb).  Hitzig  compares 
Arab,  raym  f.  i.,  discedere^  relinquere,  and  translates :  "  but  the 
riyhteous  passeth  through  and  rejoiceth."  Böttcher  is  inclined 
to  read  noi^l  nx"}";,  he  sees  it  (what?)  and  rejoiceth.  All  these 
devices,  however,  stand  in  the  background  compared  with 
Pinsker's  proposal  {Bahylon.-Heh.  Punktationssi/stem,  p.  156)  : 

"  On  the  footsteps  of  the  wicked  man  lie  snares, 
But  the  righteous  runneth  and  is  glad," 
i.e.  he  runneth  joyfully  (like  the  sun,  Ps.  xix.  6)  on  the  divinely- 
appointed  way  (Ps.  cxix.  132),  on  which  he  knows  himself 
threatened  by  no  danger.  The  change  of  yjrD3  into  j;b'S3  has 
xii.  13  against  it ;  but  pi""  may  be  regarded,  after  iv.  12,  cf. 
xviii.  10,  as  the  original  from  which  IIT*  is  corrupted. 


CHAP.  XXIX.  7-9.  245 

Ver.  7  The  rigliteous  knoweth  the  cause  of  the  poor, 
But  the  godless  uuderstandeth  no  knowledge. 

The  righteous  knoweth  and  recogniseth  the  righteous  claims  of 
people  of  low  estate,  i.e.  what  is  due  to  them  as  men,  and  in 
particular  cases ;  but  the  godless  has  no  knowledge  from  which 
such  recognition  may  go  forth  (cf.  as  to  the  expression,  xix.  25). 
The  proverb  begins  like  xii.  10,  which  commends  the  just 
man's  compassion  to  his  cattle ;  this  commends  his  sympathy 
with  those  who  are  often  treated  as  cattle,  and  worse  even 
than  cattle.  The  LXX.  translates  7b  twice :  the  second  time 
reading  U'\  instead  of  yc"),  it  makes  nonsense  of  it. 

Ver.  8  Men  of  derision  set  the  city  in  an  uproar, 
But  wise  men  allay  anger. 
Isa.  xxviii.  shows  what  we  are  to  understand  by  |i^'^  '•ü'JX! : 
men  to  whom  nothing  is  holy,  and  who  despise  all  authority. 
The  Hiphil  ^n''SJ  does  not  signify  irretiunt,  from  nna  (  VeneL 
7rayiS(,ovcrc,  after  Kimchi,  Aben  Ezra,  and  others),  but  sufflant, 
from  niD  (Rashi :  U^■^!''')  :  they  stir  up  or  excite  the  city,  i.e.  its 
inhabitants,  so  that  they  begin  to  burn  as  with  flames,  i.e.  by 
the  dissolution  of  the  bonds  of  mutual  respect  and  of  piety,  by 
the  letting  loose  of  passion,  they  disturb  the  peace  and  excite 
the  classes  of  the  community  and  individuals  against  each 
other ;  but  the  wise  bring  it  about  that  the  breathings  of  anger 
that  has  broken  forth,  or  is  in  the  act  of  breaking  forth,  are 
allayed.  The  anger  is  not  that  of  God,  as  it  is  rendered  by 
Jerome  and  Luther,  and  as  "irT'S"'  freely  translated  might  mean. 
The  Aram,  err  in  regard  to  IIT'S''  in  passages  such  as  vi.  ]  9. 

Ver.  9  If  a  wise  man  has  to  contend  with  a  fool, 

He  [the  fool]  rageth  and  laugheth,  and  hath  no  rest. 

Among  the  old  translators,  Jerome  and  Luther  take  the  "  wise 
man  "  as  subject  even  of  the  second  line,  and  that  in  all  its 
three  members:  vir  sapiens  si  cum  stulto  contenderit,  sive  iras- 
catur  sive  rideat,  noii  inveniet  requiem.  Thus  Schultens,  C.  B. 
Michaelis,  Umbreit,  Ewald,  Elster,  and  also  Fleischer :  "  The 
doubled  Vav  is  correlative,  as  at  Ex.  xxi.  16,  Lev.  v.  3,  and 
expresses  the  perfect  sameness  in  respect  of  the  effect,  here  of 
the  want  of  effect.  If  the  wise  man,  when  he  disputes  with  a 
fool,  becomes  angry,  or  jests,  he  will  have  no  rest,  i.e.  he  will 
never  bring  it  to  pass  that  the  fool  shall  cease  to  reply ;  he  yields 


246  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

the  right  to  him,  and  thus  makes  it  possible  for  him  to  end  the 
strife."  But  the  angry  passion,  and  the  bursts  of  laughter 
alternating  therewith,  are  not  appropriate  to  the  wise  man 
affirming  his  right ;  and  since,  after  Eccles.  ix.  17,  the  words  of 
the  wise  are  heard  nnjii,  the  riTO  psil  [and  there  is  no  rest]  will 
cause  us  to  think  of  the  fool  as  the  logical  subject.  So  far 
correctly,  but  in  other  respects  inappropriately,  the  LXX.  av7]p 
(TO(f)o<i  Kpivel  edvrj  (after  the  expression  DJ?,  i.e.  DJ?,  instead  of 
nx),  avy-jp  he  (j}av\o';  (which  b'')ü  Ü'ü  does  not  mean)  op^yc^cfievo'^ 
KarayeXarai  koX  ov  KaraTrr/jaaeL  (as  if  the  words  were  riH''  X?1).^ 
The  syntactical  relation  would  be  simpler  if  t^S^J  in  9«  were 
vocalized  as  a  hypothetical  perfect.  But  we  read  for  it  the 
past  t3Btt'3.  Ewald  designates  9a  as  a  conditional  clause,  and 
Hitzig  remarks  that  the  Lat.  viro  sapiente  disceptante  cum  siulto 
corresponds  therewith.  It  marks,  like  1  Sam.  ii.  13,  Job  i.  16, 
the  situation  from  which  there  is  a  departure  then  with  perf. 
consec. :  if  a  wise  man  in  the  right  is  in  contact  with  a  fool,  he 
starts  up,  and  laughs,  and  keeps  not  quiet  (supply  r?  as  at 
xxviii.  27),  or  (without  1^)  :  there  is  no  keeping  quiet,  there  is 
no  rest.  The  figure  is  in  accordance  with  experience.  If  a 
wise  man  has  any  controversy  with  a  fool,  Avhich  is  to  be  decided 
by  reasonable  and  moral  arguments,  then  he  becomes  boisterous 
and  laughs,  and  shows  himself  incapable  of  quietly  listening  to 
his  opponent,  and  of  appreciating  his  arguments. 

We  now  group  together  vers.  10-14.  Of  these,  vers.  10 
and  11  are  alike  in  respect  of  the  tense  used ;  vers.  12-14 
have  in  common  the  pronoun  pointing  back  to  the  first 
member. 

Ver.  10  Älen  of  blood  hate  the  guiltless 

And  the  upright ;  they  attempt  the  life  of  such 

The  nearest  lying  translation  of  the  second  line  would  certainly 
be  :  the  upright  seek  his  soul  (that  of  the  guiltless).  In  ac- 
cordance with  the  contrasted  IW'k^'',  the  Aram,  understand  the 
seeking  of  earnest  benevolent  seeking,  but  disregarding  the  t'DJ 

'  According  to  this  the  Targum  i^Rno  üb)  (lie  remains  obstinate), 
according  to  which  the  I^DnriD  nSi  (he  does  not  lose  his  wits)  of  the 
Peshito  is  perhaps  to  be  corrected.  The  distribution  of  the  subjects  is 
obscure. 


CHAP.  XXIX.  10.  247 

in  1^23^  ;^  Symmachus  (i7n(^i]Tt]aovcn),  Jerome  (qnamint),  and 
Luther  thus  also  understand  the  sentence  ;  and  Rashi  remarks 
that  the  phrase  is  here  nnn  \):yb,  for  he  rests  ;  but  mistrusting 
himself,  refers  to  1  Sam.xxi.  23.  Ahron  b.  Josef  glosses :  to  enter 
into  friendship  with  him.  Thus,  on  account  of  the  contrast, 
most  moderns,  interpreting  the  phrase  se7isu  bono,  also  Fleischer: 
probi  aufem  vitani  ejus  conservare  student.  The  thought  is,  as 
xii.  6  shows,  correct ;  but  the  itsiis  loq.  protests  against  this 
rendering,  which  can  rest  only  on  Ps.  cxlii.  5,  where,  however, 
the  poet  does  not  say  "'l^'03  tJ>nn  px,  but,  as  here  also  the  usus 
loq.  requires,  ""'^'SJ?.  There  are  only  three  possible  explanations 
which  Aben  Ezra  enumerates :  (1)  they  seek  his,  the  bloody 
man's,  soul,  i.e.  they  attempt  his  life,  to  take  vengeance  against 
him,  according  to  the  meaning  of  the  expressions  as  generally 
elsewhere  used,  e.g.  at  Ps.  Ixiii.  10 ;  (2)  they  revenge  his,  the 
guiltless  man's,  life  (LXX.  eK^Tjr^crova-Lv),  which  has  fallen  a 
victim,  after  the  meaning  in  which  elsewhere  only  D"^  t:'i?n  and  ti'l'^ 
t/'Qi,  Gen.  ix.  5,  occur.  This  second  meaning  also  is  thus  not 
in  accordance  with  the  usage  of  the  words,  and  against  both 
meanings  it  is  to  be  said  that  it  is  not  in  the  spirit  of  the  Book 
of  Proverbs  to  think  of  the  nnii'''  [the  upright,  righteous]  as 
executors  of  the  sentences  of  the  penal  judicature.  There  thus 
remains^  the  interpretation  (3)  :  the  upright — they  (the  bloody 
men)  seek  the  soul  of  such  an  one.  The  transition  from  the  plur. 
to  the  sing,  is  individualizing,  and  thus  the  arrangement  of  the 
words  is  like  Gen.  xlvii.  21 :  "  And  the  people  (as  regards  them), 
he  removed  them  to  the  cities,"  Gesen.  §  145.  2.  This  last 
explanation  recommends  itself  by  the  consideration  that  DD  and 
D''"iü''  are  cognate  as  to  the  ideas  they  represent, — let  one  call  to 
mind  the  common  expression  "^^l)  Dri  [perfect  and  upright,  e.g. 
Job  i.  1,  8,  ii.  3], — that  the  same  persons  are  meant  thereby, 
and  it  is  rendered  necessary  by  this,  that  the  thought,  "  bloody 
men  hate  the  guiltless,"  is  incomplete  ;  for  the  same  thing  may 
also  be  said  of  the  godless  in  general.  One  expects  to  hear 
that  just  against  the  guiltless,  i.e.  men  walking  in  their  inno- 

1  The  Targum  translates  DD,  guiltlessness,  and  the  Venet.  (fnaovj/) 
yvuarj,  turning  to  i.  22. 

^  For  evdiU  06  avvct^ovatu  (will  bring  away  ?)  rviv  t^vx'^v  uvtuv,  under- 
stood after  Jer.  xlv.  5,  lies  linguistically  yet  further  off. 


248  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

cence,  the  bloody-mindedness  of  such  men  is  specially  directed, 
and  10b  says  the  same  thing;  this  second  clause  first  brings  the 
contrast  to  the  point  aimed  at.     Lutz  is  right  in  seeking  to 
confute  Hitzig,  but  he  does  so  on  striking  grounds. 
Ver.  11  All  his  wrath  the  fool  poureth  out ; 

But  the  wise  man  husheth  it  up  in  the  background. 
That  inn  is  not  meant  here  of  his  spirit  (Luther)  in  the  sense 
of  qucecunque  in  mente  habet  (thus  e.g.  Fleischer)  the  contrast 
shows,  for  '"'^Oi'^':  *^oes  not  signify  cohibet,  for  which  n33^'n'; 
(LXX.  ra/xLeverai,)  would  be  the  proper  word  :  nn  thus  is  not 
here  used  of  passionate  emotion,  such  as  at  xvi.  31  ;  Isa.  xxv.  4, 
xxxiii.  11.  nziK'  is  not  here  equivalent  to  Arab,  sabbah,  alvelv 
(Imman.,  Venet.,  and  Heidenheim),  which  does  not  supply  an 
admissible  sense,  but  is  equivalent  to  Arab,  sahbakh,  to  quiet 
(Ahron  b.  Josef :  ps''SUp  =  KaraTraveiv),  the  former  going  iDack 
to  the  root-idea  of  extending  (amj)Ußcare),  the  latter  to  that  of 
going  to  a  distance,  putting  away:  sabbakh, procul  recessit,  distitit, 
hence  n?'^,  Vs.  Ixxxix.  10,  and  here  properly  to  drive  off  into 
the  background,  synon.  ^''t^'H  (Fleischer).  But  "iinN3  (only  here 
with  a)  is  ambiguous.  One  might  with  Kashi  explain :  but  the 
wise  man  finally,  or  afterwards  (Symmachus,e7r'  eV^areoz/;  Venet. 
KaröiTiv  =  KaroTTicrOe),  appeaseth  the  anger  which  the  fool  lets 
loose;  i.e.,  if  the  latter  gives  vent  to  his  anger,  the  former 
appeases,  subdues,  mitigates  it  (cf.  Hnnsn^inx!?,  Isa.  xlii.  23). 
But  it  lies  still  nearer  to  refer  the  antithesis  to  the  anger  of  the 
wise  man  himself ;  he  does  not  give  to  it  unbridled  course,  but 
husheth  it  in  the  background,  viz.  in  his  heart.  Thus  Syr.  and 
Targ.  reading  ^'^JV^S,  the  former,  besides  nant^ri';  (repufat  earn), 
so  also  Aben  Ezra :  in  the  heart  as  the  background  of  the 
organ  of  speech.  Others  explain:  in  the  background,  after- 
ward, retrorsum,  e.g.  Nolde,  but  to  which  compescit  would  be 
more  appropriate  than  sedat.  Hitzig's  objection,  that  in  other 
cases  the  expression  would  be  i3")i?3,  is  answered  by  this,  that 
with  ninsn  the  idea  of  pressing  back  (of  ">^nx)  is  connected. 
The  order  of  the  words  also  is  in  favour  of  the  meaning  in  re- 
cessu  (cordis).  Tree  dilatio  mentis  pacatio  (according  to  an  old 
proverb). 

Ver.  12  A  ruler  who  listens  to  deceitful  words, 
All  his  servants  are  godless. 


CHAP.  XXIX.  13.  249 

They  are  so  because  they  deceive  him,  and  they  become  so  ;  for 
instead  of  saying  the  truth  which  the  ruler  does  not  wish  to 
hear,  they  seek  to  gain  his  favour  by  deceitful  flatteries,  mis- 
representations, exaggerations,  falsehoods.  Audiat  7'ex  quceprce- 
cipit  lex.  He  does  not  do  this,  as  the  saying  is,  sicut  rex  ita  grex 
(Sir.  X.  2),  in  the  sense  of  this  proverb  of  Solomon. 

Ver.  13  The  poor  niau  and  the  usurer  meet  together — 
Jahve  lighteneth  the  eyes  of  both. 
A  variation  of  xxii.  2,  according  to  which  the  proverb  is  to  be 
understood  in  both  of  its  parts.  That  Q''3^ri  C'\S*  is  the  contrast 
of  C'"],  is  rightly  supposed  in  Temura  16& ;  but  Rashi,  who  brings 
out  here  a  man  of  moderate  learning,  and  Saadia,  a  man  of  a 
moderate  condition  (thus  also  the  Targ.  N^^J?V^  ^7??)  after  Bux- 
torf,  homo  mediocris  fortiutce),  err  by  connecting  the  word  with 
■^jW.  The  LXX.  Saveiarov  koI  %pew(^eC\.erov  (äXX.i]\oi<i 
(TvvekOövrcov),  which  would  be  more  correct  inverted,  for  K'"''« 
C^33n  is  a  man  who  makes  oppressive  taxes,  high  previous 
payments  of  interest ;  the  verbal  stem  ^3^,  Arab,  tak,  is  a 
secondary  to  R.  wak,  which  has  the  meanings  of  pressing  to- 
gether, and  pressing  firm  (whence  also  the  middle  is  named; 
cf.  Arab,  samym  alaUab,  the  solid  =  the  middle  point  of  the 
heart).  Tin,  with  the  plur.  caan,  scarcely  in  itself  denotes 
interest,  toato?  ;  the  designation  D''33n  C'^N  includes  in  it  a  sensible 
reproach  (Syr.  aßictor),  and  a  rentier  cannot  be  so  called 
(Hitzig).  Luther  :  Reiche  [rich  men],  with  the  marginal  note  : 
"  who  can  practise  usury  as  they  then  generally  all  do  ?"  There- 
fore Löwenstein  understands  the  second  line  after  1  Sam.  ii.  7  : 
God  enlighteneth  their  eyes  by  raising  the  lowly  and  humbling 
the  proud.  But  this  line,  after  xxii.  2b,  only  means  that  the 
poor  as  well  as  the  rich  owe  the  light  of  life  (Ps.  xiii.  4)  to  God, 
the  creator  and  ruler  of  all  things, — a  fact  which  has  also  its 
moral  side  :  both  are  conditioned  by  Him,  stand  under  His 
control,  and  have  to  give  to  Him  an  account;  or  otherwise 
rendered:  God  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  low  and  the  high, 
the  evil  and  the  good  (cf.  Matt.  v.  45) — an  all-embracing  love 
full  of  typical  moral  motive.^ 

*  "l''NO  bas,  by  Löwenstein,  Afehuppach  Legarmeh,  but  incorrectly,  since 
after  Legarmeh  two  conjunctives  cannot  occur.  Also  Norzi  with  Mchup- 
jjach  Merclia  is  irregular,  since  Ben-Asher  recognises  only  two  examples  of 


250  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVEEBS. 

Ver.  14  A  king  who  judgeth  the  poor  with  truth, 
His  throne  shall  stand  for  ever. 
noxn,  as  at  Isa.  xvi.  5  (synon.  n:"iOJ«3,  D''-iC'''m,  niC'^Dl),  is  equi- 
valent to  fidelity  to  duty,  or  a  complete,  full  accomplisliment  of 
his  duty  as  a  ruler  with  reference  to  the  dispensing  of  justice;  in 
other  words :  after  the  norm  of  actual  fact,  and  of  the  law,  and 
of  his  duty  proceeding  from  both  together.  '^IP?^  has  in  Codd., 
e.g.  Jaman.,  and  in  the  Venetian  1517,  21,  rightly  Rehia.  In 
that  which  follows,  riDXa  üSItr  are  more  closely  related  than  T\12^1 
ti'h^^  for  of  two  conjunctives  standing  together  the  first  always 
connects  more  than  the  second.  D^^T  riO>«3  t^SI^J'  1^0  is  the 
truest  representation  of  the  logical  grammatical  relation.  To 
146  compare  the  proverb  of  the  king,  xvi.  12,  xxv.  5. 

A  proverb  with  t33tr,  ver.  15,  is  placed  next  one  with  t^Di::*, 
but  it  begins  a  group  of  proverbs  regarding  discipline  in  the 
house  and  among  the  people  : 

Ver.  15  The  rod  and  reproof  give  wisdom  ; 

But  an  undisciplined  son  is  a  shame  to  his  mother. 
With  t23t^  [a  rod],  which  xxii.  15  also  commends  as  salutary, 
nn3in  refers  to  discipline  by  means  of  words,  which  must 
accompany  bodily  discipline,  and  without  them  is  also  necessary  ; 
the  construction  of  the  first  line  follows  in  number  and  gender 
the  scheme  xxvii.  9,  Zech.  vii.  7  ;  Ewald,  §  339c.  In  the  second 
line  the  mother  is  named,  whose  tender  love  often  degenerates 
into  a  fond  indulgence;  such  a  darling,  such  a  mother's  son, 
becomes  a  disgrace  to  his  mother.  Our  "  ausgelassen,'''  by 
which  Hitzig  translates  n^pp,  is  used  of  joyfulness  unbridled 
and  without  self-restraint,  and  is  in  the  passage  before  us  too 
feeble  a  word;  ^/^  is  used  of  animals  pasturing  at  liberty, 
wandering  in  freedom  (Job  xxxix.  5;  Isa.  xvi.  2)  ;  nPt^'D  -\p_  is 
accordingly  a  child  who  is  kept  in  by  no  restraint  and  no 
punishment,  one  left  to  himself,  and  thus  undisciplined  (Luther, 
Gesenius,  Fleischer,  and  others). 

Ver.  16  When  the  godless  increase,  wickedness  iucreaseth  ; 
But  the  righteous  shall  see  their  fall. 

this  double  accentuation  to  which  this  li^O  does  not  belong  ;  vid.  Thorath 
Emeth,  p.  12.  That  the  penuUima  toning  "Ti^O  in  several  editions  is  false 
scarcely  needs  to  be  remarked.  Jablonski  rightly  points  with  Mehuppach 
on  the  ult..,  and  Zlnnorith  on  the  preceding  open  syllable. 


CHAP.  XXIX.  17,  18.  251 

The  LXX,  translation  is  not  bad :  iroXXcov  ovroov  acreßoiv 
iroXkal  <^ivovTai  äjxapTLaL  (yid.  regarding  nn"i,  ver.  2,  xxviii.  28); 
but  in  the  main  it  is  only  a  Binsenwahrheit,  as  they  say  in 
Swabia,  i.e.  a  trivial  saying.  The  proverb  means,  that  if 
among  a  people  the  party  of  the  godless  increases  in  number, 
and  at  the  same  time  in  power,  wickedness,  i.e.  a  falling  away 
into  sins  of  thought  and  conduct,  and  therewith  wickedness, 
prevails.  When  irreligion  and  the  destruction  of  morals  thus 
increase,  the  righteous  are  troubled ;  but  the  conduct  of  the 
godless  carries  the  judgment  in  itself,  and  the  righteous  shall 
with  joy  perceive,  in  the  righteous  retribution  of  God,  that  the 
godless  man  will  be  cast  down  from  his  power  and  influence. 
This  proverb  is  like  a  motto  to  Ps.  xii. 

Ver.  17  Correct  thy  son,  and  he  will  give  thee  delight, 
And  afford  pleasure  to  thy  soul. 

The  LXX.  well  translates  yvi'^'^  by  koX  uvaTravcrev  a-e ;  '■  n^:n 
denotes  rest  properly,  a  breathing  again,  avd-^v^i<; ;  and  then, 
with  an  obliteration  of  the  idea  of  I'estraint  so  far,  generally 
(like  the  Arab,  arah,  compared  by  Fleischer)  to  afford  pleasure 
or  delight.  The  post.-bibl.  language  uses  for  this  the  words 
nn  nm,  and  says  of  the  pious  that  he  makes  nn  nru  to  his 
Creator,  Berachoth  11a;  and  of  God,  that  He  grants  the  same 
to  them  that  fear  Him,  Berach.  295;  in  the  morning  prayer  of 
the  heavenly  spirits,  that  they  hallow  their  Creator  nn  nnJ3 
(with  inward  delight).  Write  with  Codd.  (also  Jaman.)  and 
older  editions  'VTT]i  not  ^0"'^,"! ;  for,  except  in  verbs  n"p,  the 
suffix  of  this  Hijyhil  form  is  not  dageshed,  e.g.  ^^'''^^j  1  Kings 
ii.  26  ;  cf.  also  1  Kings  xxii.  16  and  Ps.  1.  8.  ^V.VP  the  LXX. 
understands,  after  2  Sam.  i.  24  (D'^Jiyoy,  /tera  Koafiou),  also 
here,  of  ornament ;  but  the  word  signifies  dainty  dishes — here, 
high  spiritual  enjoyment.  As  in  vers.  15  and  16  a  transition 
was  made  from  the  house  to  the  people,  so  there  now  follows 
tlie  proverb  of  the  discipline  of  children,  a  proverb  of  the 
education  of  the  people : 

Ver.  18  Without  a  revelation  a  people  becomes  ungovernable  ; 
But  he  that  keepeth  the  law,  happy  is  he. 

1  Their  translation  of  vers.  17  and  18  here  is  found,  in  a  marred 
and  mutilated  form,  after  xxviii.  17.  At  that  place  the  words  are  xal 
d-/ct7s-'/j(jei  ai. 


252  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Regarding  the  importance  of  tliis  proverb  for  estimating  the 
relation  of  the  Chohma  to  prophecy,  vid.  vol.  i.  p.  41.  |iTn  is, 
according  to  the  sense,  equivalent  to  '""^^^^j  the  prophetic  reve- 
lation in  itself,  and  as  the  contents  of  that  which  is  proclaimed. 
Without  spiritual  preaching,  proceeding  from  spiritual  experi- 
ence, a  people  is  unrestrained  (yy^^  vid.  regarding  the  punctua- 
tion at  xxvlii.  25,  and  regarding  the  fundamental  meaning,  at 
i.  25)  ;  it  becomes  J^'^3,  disorderly,  Ex.  xxxii.  25 ;  loild  vnd  loiist, 
as  Luther  translates.  But  in  the  second  line,  according  to  the 
unity  of  the  antithesis,  the  words  are  spoken  of  the  people,  not 
of  individuals.  It  is  therefore  not  to  be  explained,  with  Hitzig: 
but  whoever,  in  such  a  time,  nevertheless  holds  to  the  law,  it  is 
well  with  him  !  Without  doubt  this  proverb  was  coined  at  a  time 
when  the  preaching  of  the  prophets  was  in  vogue  ;  and  there- 
fore this,  "  but  whoever,  notwithstanding,"  is  untenable ;  such 
a  thought  at  that  time  could  not  at  all  arise ;  and  besides  this, 
min  is  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  a  moveable  conception,  which 
is  covered  at  least  by  the  law  in  contradistinction  to  prophecy. 
7üm  denotes  divine  teaching,  the  word  of  God  ;  whether  that 
of  the  Sinaitic  or  that  of  the  prophetic  law  (2  Chron.  xv.  3,  cf. 
e.g.  Isa.  i.  10).  While,  on  the  one  hand,  a  people  is  in  a  disso- 
lute condition  when  the  voice  of  the  preacher,  speaking  from 
divine  revelation,  and  enlightening  their  actions  and  sufferings 
by  God's  word,  is  silent  amongst  them  (Ps.  Ixxiv.  9,  cf.  Amos 
viii.  12) ;  on  the  other  hand,  that  same  people  are  to  be  praised 
as  happy  when  they  show  due  reverence  and  fidelity  to  the 
word  of  God,  both  as  written  and  as  preached.  That  the 
word  of  God  is  preached  among  a  people  belongs  to  their  con- 
dition of  life;  and  they  are  only  truly  happy  when  they 
earnestly  and  willingly  subordinate  themselves  to  the  word  of 
God  which  they  possess  and  have  the  opportunity  of  hearing. 
^htl:'«  (defective  for  ^nn^^s)  is  the  older,  and  here  the  poetic 
kindred  form  to  Vnt^'N,  xiv.  21,  xvi.  20.  From  the  discipline 
of  the  people  this  series  of  proverbs  again  returns  to  the  dis- 
cipline of  home: 

Ver.  19  With  words  a  servant  will  not  let  himself  be  bettered ; 

For  he  understandeth  them,  but  conformeth  not  thereto. 

The  Niph.  "ipiJ  becomes  a  so-called  tolerative,  for  it  connects 
with   the   idea  of  happening  that  of  reaching  its  object :  to 


CHAP.  XXIX  20.  253 

become  truly  bettered  (taught  in  wisdom,  corrected),  and  thus 
to  let  himself  be  bettered.  With  mere  words  this  is  not 
reached;  the  unreasonable  servant  needs,  in  order  to  be  set 
right,  a  more  radical  means  of  deliverance.  This  assertion  de- 
mands confirmation ;  therefore  is  the  view  of  von  Hofmann 
{Schriftheio.  ii.  2.  404)  improbable,  that  196  has  in  view  a 
better-disposed  servant :  supposing  that  he  is  intelligent,  in 
which  case  he  is  admonished  without  cause,  then  the  words 
are  also  lost :  he  will  let  them  pass  over  him  in  silence  without 
any  reply.  This  attempted  explanation  is  occasioned  by  this, 
that  n3yo  can  signify  nothing  else  than  a  response  in  words. 
If  this  were  correct,  then  without  doubt  its  fundamental 
meaning  would  correspond  with  "'S ;  for  one  explains,  with 
Löwenstein,  "  for  he  perceives  it,  and  may  not  answer,"  i.e. 
this,  that  a  reply  cut  off  frustrates  the  moral  impression.  Or 
also :  for  he  understands  it,  but  is  silent, — in  pra'fractum  se 
silentium  configit  (Schultens)  ;  and  thus  it  is  with  the  ancients 
(Rashi).  But  why  should  not  n^yo  psi  itself  be  the  expression 
of  this  want  of  any  consequences?  njyo  cannot  certainly  mean 
humiliation^  (Meiri,  after  Ex.  x.  3,  7\v:i':iT]),  but  why  as  an 
answer  in  words  and  not  also  a  response  by  act  (Stuart :  a 
practical  answer)  ?  Thus  the  LXX.  eav  jap  koX  voi^arj,  a)OC 
ovx  viraKovaeraL,  according  to  which  Luther :  for  although  he 
at  once  understands  it,  he  does  not  yet  take  it  to  himself. 
That  njyo  may  mean  obedience,  the  Aram,  so  understood,  also 
at  xvi.  4.  It  denoted  a  reply  in  the  most  comprehensive 
meaning  of  the  word,  vid.  at  xvi.  1.  The  thought,  besides,  is 
the  same  as  if  one  were  to  explain :  for  he  understands  it,  and 
is  silent,  i.e.  lets  thee  speak ;  or  :  he  understands  it,  but  that 
which  he  perceives  finds  no  practical  echo. 

Ver.  20  Seest  thou  a  man  hasty  in  his  words? 
The  fool  hath  more  hope  than  he. 
Cf.  xxvi.  12.  Such  an  one  has  blocked  up  against  himself  the 
path  to  wisdom,  which  to  the  fool,  i.e.  to  the  ingenuous,  stands 
open  ;  the  former  is  perfect,  of  the  latter  something  may  yet 
be  made.  In  this  passage  the  contrast  is  yet  more  precise,  for 
the  fool  is  thought  of  as  the  dull,  which  is  the  proper  meaning 

^  The  Syr.  and  Targ.  also  think  on  T\'iVi  for  they  translate:  "for  he 
knows  that  he  receives  no  strokes." 


2  54  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

of  ?''p3,  vid.  under  xvii.  24.  There  is  more  hope  for  the  fool 
than  for  him,  although  he  may  be  no  fool  in  himself,  who  over- 
throws himself  by  his  words.  "  The  TrpoTrerr/s«  ev  Xoycp  avrov 
(Sir.  ix.  18)  has,  in  the  existing  case,  already  overleaped  the 
thought ;  the  !'^D3  has  it  still  before  him,  and  comes  at  length, 
perhaps  with  his  slow  conception,  to  it "  (Hitzig)  ;  for  the  ass, 
according  to  the  fable,  comes  at  last  farther  than  the  grey- 
hound. Hence,  in  words  as  well  as  in  acts,  the  proverb  holds 
good,  "Eile  mit  Weile^'  \_^ festina  lente].  Every  word,  as 
well  as  act,  can  only  be  matured  by  being  thought  out,  and 
thought  over.  Fi'om  this  proverb,  which  finds  its  practical 
application  to  the  affairs  of  a  house,  and  particularly  also  to  the 
relation  to  domestics,  the  group  returns  to  the  subject  of  in- 
struction, which  is  its  ground-tone. 

Ver.  21  If  one  pampers  his  servant  from  youth  up, 
He  will  finally  reach  the  place  of  a  child. 
The  LXX.  had  no  answer  to  the  question  as  to  the  meaning  of 
}1JD.  On  the  other  hand,  for  P3S,  the  meaning  to  fondle, 
delicaiius  enutrire,  is  perfectly  warranted  by  the  Aram,  and 
Arab.  The  Talmud,  Succa  52b,  resorts  to  the  alphabet  nn"t3X 
in  order  to  reach  a  meaning  for  |1]0.  How  the  Targ.  comes  to 
translate  the  word  by  nDJO  (outrooted)  is  not  clear;  the  ren- 
dering of  Jerome  :  postea  sendet  eum  contumacem,  is  perhaps 
mediated  by  the  earrat  fyo'y'yva-/x6<;  of  Symmachus,  who  com- 
bines pj  with  ])7,  Niph.  ryoyjv^eiv.  The  odvvrjOrjaerat  of  the 
LXX.,  with  the  Syr.,  von  Hofmann  has  sought  to  justify 
{Schrifthew.  ii.  2.  404),  for  he  derives  )i:D  =  pinja  from  r]n\ 
We  must  then  punctuate  P^O ;  but  perhaps  the  LXX.  derived 
the  word  from  i^^  =  P^^^,  whether  they  pronounced  it  lii^  (cf. 
n^bn  =::  nnbxo)  or  p30.  To  follow  them  is  not  wise,  for  the 
formation  of  the  word  is  precarious ;  one  does  not  see  what  the 
speaker  of  this  proverb,  to  whom  the  language  presented  a 
fulness  of  synonyms  for  the  idea  of  complaint,  meant  by 
using  this  peculiar  word.  Linguistically  these  meanings  are 
impossible  :  of  Jerome,  dominus  =  nspn  (Ahron  b.  Josef,  Meiri, 
and  others)  ;  or :  the  oppressed  =  n^iD^  from  nj^  (Johlson)  ;  or : 
one  who  is  sick  =  HiiD  (Euchel).  And  Ewald's  "  undankbar  " 
[unthankful],  derived  from  the  Arabic,  is  a  mere  fancy,  since 
(Arab.)  manuioan  does  not  mean  one  who  is  unthankful,  but, 


CHAP.  XXIX.  21.  255 

on  the  contrary,  one  who  upbraids  good  deeds  shown.^  The 
ancients  are  in  the  right  track,  who  explain  )130  after  the 
verb  jo,  Ps.  Ixxli.  17  =  p  =  i? ;  the  Venet.,  herein  following 
Kimchi,  also  adopts  the  nominal  form,  for  it  translates  (but 
without  perceptible  meaning)  <yövwaL<;.  Luther's  translation  is 
fortunate : 

"  If  a  servant  is  tenderly  treated  from  youth  up, 
He  will  accordingly  become  a  Junker  [squire]." 
The  ideas  represented  in  modern  Jewish  translations :  that  of  a 
son  {e.g.  Solomon :  he  will  at  last  be  the  son)  and  that  of  a 
master  (Zunz),  are  here  united.  But  how  the  idea  of  a  son  (from 
the  verb  pj),  at  the  same  time  that  of  a  master,  may  arise,  is  not 
to  be  perceived  in  the  same  way  as  with  Junher  and  the  Spanish 
infante  and  hidalgo;  rather  with  pjo,  as  the  ironical  naming 
of  the  son  (little  son),  the  idea  of  a  weakling  (de  Wette)  may 
be  connected.  The  state  of  the  matter  appears  as  follows : — 
The  verb  p:  has  the  meanings  of  luxuriant  growth,  numerous 
propagation ;  the  fish  has  from  this  the  Aram,  name  of  pJ,  like 
the  Heb.  J"^,  from  nj^,  which  also  means  luxuriant,  exuberant 
increase  {vid.  at  Ps.  Ixxii.  17).  From  this  is  derived  PJ,  which 
designates  the  offspring  as  a  component  part  of  a  kindred,  as 
well  as  )iJOj  which,  according  as  the  D  is  interpreted  infin.  or 
local,  means  either  this,  that  it  sprouts  up  luxuriantly,  the 
abundant  growth,  or  also  the  place  of  luxuriant  sprouting, 
wanton  growing,  abundant  and  quick  multiplication :  thus  the 
place  of  hatching,  spawning.  The  subject  in  ^'^J}^  might  be  the 
fondled  one;  but  it  lies  nearer,  however,  to  take  him  who 
fondles  as  the  subject,  as  in  21a.  innnx  is  either  adv.  accus, 
for  innnxn,  or,  as  we  preferred  at  xxiii.  32,  it  is  the  subj.  in- 

^  In  Jalirh.  xi.  p,  10  f.  Ewald  compares,  in  an  expressive  way,  the 
Ethiopic  manncma  (Piel)  to  scorn  ;  mcmin,  a  reprobate ;  and  mannam,  one 
who  is  despised ;  according  to  which  pjD  could  certainly  designate  "  a  man 
despising  scornfully  his  own  benefactors,  or  an  unthankful  man."  But  this 
verbal  stem  is  peculiarly  Ethiop.,  and  is  certainly  not  once  found  in  Arab. 
For  minnat  (which  Ewald  compares)  denotes  benefaction,  and  the  duty 
laid  on  one  thereby,  the  dependence  thereby  produced.  The  verb  (Arab.) 
minn  (=  jj)d)  signifies  to  divide  ;  and  particularly,  partly  to  confer  bene- 
faction, partly  to  attribute  benefaction,  reckon  to,  enumerate,  and  thereby 
to  bring  out  the  sense  of  obligation.  Thus  nothing  is  to  be  derived  from 
this  verbal  stem  for  pjD. 


256  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

troducing,  after  the  manner  of  a  substantival  clause,  the 
following  sentence  as  its  virtual  predicate :  "  one  has  fondled 
his  servant  from  his  youth  up,  and  his  (that  of  the  one  wlio 
fondles)  end  is :  he  will  become  a  place  of  increase."  The 
master  of  the  house  is  thought  of  along  with  his  house ;  and 
the  servant  as  one  who,  having  become  a  man,  presents  his 
master  with  r\]'2  "^yb]^  who  are  spoilt  scapegraces,  as  he  himself 
has  become  by  the  pampering  of  his  master.  There  was 
used  in  the  language  of  the  people,  T?  for  I^i,  in  the  sense  in 
which  we  name  a  degenerate  son  a  "  Schönes  Früchtchen " 
[pretty  little  fruit] ;  and  P^ö  ^^  ^  place  (house)  where  many 
D''J''3  are;  and  a  man  (master  of  a  house)  who  has  many  of 
them  is  one  whose  family  has  increased  over  his  head.  One 
reaches  the  same  meaning  if  P3ö  is  rendered  more  immediately 
as  the  place  or  state  of  growing,  increasing,  luxuriating.  The 
sense  is  in  any  case  :  he  will  not  be  able,  in  the  end,  any  more 
to  defend  himself  against  the  crowd  which  grows  up  to  him 
from  this  his  darling,  but  will  be  merely  a  passive  part  of  it. 

The  following  group  begins  with  a  proverb  which  rhymes  by 
pnD,  with  pjo  of  the  foregoing,  and  extends  on  to  the  end  of 
this  Hezekiah  collection : 

Ver.  22  A  man  of  anger  stirreth  up  strife ; 

And  a  passionate  man  aboundeth  in  trangression. 
Line  first  is  a  variation  of  xv.  18a  and  xxviii.  2öa.  ti'''X  and 
7^3  as  here,  but  in  the  reverse  order  at  xxii.  24}  ^^  here 
means  anger,  not  the  nose,  viz.  the  expanded  nostrils  (Schultens). 
In  V^B-2-\_  the  J/li'D  is,  after  xiv.  29,  xxviii.  16,  xx.  27,  the 
governed  genitive ;  Hitzig  construes  it  in  the  sense  of  1")  J/'ti'D, 
Ps.  xix.  2,  with  mr,  but  one  does  not  say  V'^^  nna ;  and  that 
which  is  true  of  I3''3"i,  that,  after  the  manner  of  a  numeral,  it 
can  precede  its  substantive  (vid.  under  Ps.  vii.  26,  Ixxxix.  51), 
cannot  be  said  of  ^1.  Much  (great)  in  wickedness  denotes 
one  who  heaps  up  many  wicked  actions,  and  burdens  himself 
with  greater  guilt  (cf.  y'l^'D,  ver.  16).  The  wrathful  man  stir- 
reth up  (vid.  under  xv.  18)  strife,  for  he  breaks  through  the 
mutual   relations  of  men,  which  rest  on   mutual  esteem  and 

^  For  PiX-c'^X  (Löwenstein  after  Norzi)  is  to  be  written,  with  Baer 
{Tkorath  Emeth,  p.  19),  FjX  t'^'H-     Thus  also  in  Cod.  Jaman. 


CHAP.  XXIX.  23,  24.  257 

love,  and  by  means  of  his  passionate  conduct  he  makes  enemies 
of  those  against  whom  he  thinks  that  he  has  reason  for  being 
angry ;  that  on  account  of  which  he  is  angry  can  be  settled 
without  producing  such  hostility,  but  passion  impels  him  on, 
and  misrepresents  the  matter ;  it  embitters  heart.s,  and  tears 
them  asunder.  The  LXX.  has,  instead  of  31,  i^wpv^ev,  of 
dreaming,  n"i3  (xvi.  27). 

Ver.  23  passes  from  anger  to  haughtiness : 

A  man's  pride  will  bring  him  low ; 
But  the  lowly  attaineth  to  honour. 

Thus  we  translate  Ii32  Tjbnri  (Lat.  honorem  ohtinet)  in  accord 
with  xi.  16,  and  nn"72l^  with  xvi.  19,  where,  however,  ^'^  is 
not  adj.  as  here,  but  inf.  The  haughty  man  obscures  the 
honour  which  he  has  by  this,  that  he  boasts  immeasurably  of 
it,  and  aspires  yet  more  after  it ;  the  lowly  man,  on  the  other 
hand,  obtains  honour  without  his  seeking  it,  honour  before  God 
and  before  men,  which  would  be  of  no  worth  were  it  not  con- 
nected with  the  honour  before  God.  The  LXX. :  rov^  Se 
rairetvoippova';  ipeiSet  Bo^rj  KvpLo<i.  This  Kvpto<i  is  indeed  not 
contrary  to  the  sense,  but  it  is  opposed  to  the  style.  Why  the 
24th  verse  should  now  follow  is,  as  regards  the  contents  and 
the  expression,  hard  to  say  ;  but  one  observes  that  vers.  22-27 
follow  each  other,  beginning  with  the  successive  letters  of  the 
alphabet  s  (n), :,  n,  n,  -I,  n  (n). 

Ver.  24  He  that  taketh  part  with  a  thief  hateth  himself ; 
He  heareth  the  oath  and  confesseth  not. 

Hitzig  renders  the  first  member  as  the  pred.  of  the  second : 
"  he  who  does  not  bring  to  light  such  sins  as  require  an  atone- 
ment (Lev.  v.  1  ff.),  but  shares  the  secret  of  them  with  the 
sinner,  is  not  better  than  one  who  is  a  partner  with  a  thief,  who 
hateth  himself."  The  construction  of  the  verse,  he  remarks, 
is  not  understood  by  any  interpreter.  It  is  not,  however, 
so  cross, — for,  understood  as  Hitzig  thinks  it  ought  to  be, 
the  author  should  have  expressed  the  subject  by  npx  VJ^\y 
n^r  ab)^ — but  is  simple  as  the  order  of  the  words  and  the  verbal 
form  require  it.  The  oath  is,  after  Lev.  v.  1,  that  of  the  judge 
who  adjures  the  partner  of  the  thief  by  God  to  tell  the  truth ; 
but  he  conceals  it,  and  burdens  his  soul  with  a  crime  worthy  of 

VOL.  II.  R 


258  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

death,  for  from  a  concealer  he  becomes  in  addition  a  perjured 
man. 

Ver.  25  Fear  of  man  bringeth  a  snare  with  it ; 

But  he  that  trusteth  iu  Jahve  is  advanced. 

It  sounds  strange,  Hitzig  remarks,  that  here  in  the  Book  of  an 
Oriental  author  one  should  be  warned  against  the  fear  of  man. 
It  is  enough,  in  reply  to  this,  to  point  to  Isa.  li.  12  f.  One  of 
the  two  translations  in  the  LXX.  (cf.  Jerome  and  Luther) 
has  found  this  "strange"  thought  not  so  strange  as  not  to 
render  it,  and  that  in  the  gnomic  aorist :  <f)oßr}6evre<;  Kai  ala')(yv- 
6evTe<i  dvOpcoirov;  v7reaKe\lo-07](Tav.  And  why  should  not  n"n"in 
D^ijl  be  able  to  mean  the  fear  of  man  (cowardice)  ?  Perhaps 
not  so  that  DIN  is  the  gen.  objecti,  but  so  that  D^X  min  means 
to  frighten  men,  as  in  1  Sam.  xiv.  15.  D'-n^x  min,  a  trembling 
of  God ;  cf .  Ps.  Ixiv.  2  ;  n"'N  ins,  the  fear  occasioned  by  the 
enemy,  although  this  connection,  after  Dent.  ii.  25,  can  also 
mean  fear  of  the  enemy  {gen.  ohjecti).  To  iril,  occasioned  = 
brings  as  a  consequence  with  it,  cf.  x.  10,  xiii.  15  ;  the  Synal- 
lage generis  is  as  at  xii.  25a ;  it  is  at  least  strange  with  fern, 
infinit,  and  infinitival  nouns,  xvn.  1 6,  xxv.  14  ;  Ps.  Ixxiii.  28;  but 
•"■IID  (trembling)  is  such  a  nom.  aciionis,  Ewald,  §  238a.  Re- 
garding 33"^*^.  (for  which  the  LXX.^  aco6r]aeTai,  and  LXX.^ 
eucjipavOricreraL  =  nob'''),  vid.  at  xviii.  10.  He  who  is  put  into 
a  terror  by  a  danger  with  which  men  threaten  him,  so  as  to  do 
from  the  fear  of  man  what  is  wrong,  and  to  conceal  the  truth, 
falls  thereby  into  a  snare  laid  by  himself — it  does  not  help  him 
that  by  this  means  he  has  delivered  himself  from  the  danger, 
for  he  brands  himself  as  a  coward,  and  sins  against  God,  and 
falls  into  an  agony  of  conscience  (reproach  and  anguish  of 
heart)  which  is  yet  worse  to  bear  than  the  evil  wherewith  he 
was  threatened.  It  is  only  confidence  in  God  that  truly  saves. 
The  fear  of  man  plunges  him  into  yet  greater  suffering  than 
that  from  which  he  would  escape ;  confidence  in  God,  on  the 
other  hand,  lifts  a  man  internally,  and  at  last  externally,  above 
all  his  troubles. 

Ver.  26.  A  similar  gen.  connection  to  that  between  ülü  min 
exists  between  C>\S-DD:i'0 : 

Many  seek  the  countenance  of  the  ruler ; 
Yet  from  Jahve  cometh  the  judgment  of  men. 


CHAP.  XXIX.  27.  259 

Line  first  is  a  variation  of  xix.  Ga,  cf.  1  Kings  x.  24.  It  lies 
near  to  interpret  tJ^'K  as  gen.  obj. :  the  judgment  regarding  any 
one,  i.e.  the  estimating  of  the  man,  the  decision  regarding  him ; 
and  it  is  also  possible,  for  V^^V)  Ps.  xvii.  2,  may  be  understood 
of  the  judgment  which  I  have,  as  well  as  of  the  judgment  pro- 
nounced regarding  n^e  (cf.  Lam.  iii.  59).  But  the  usage 
appears  to  think  of  the  genit.  after  t2S'J'0  always  as  subjective, 
e.g.  xvi.  33,  of  the  decision  which  the  lot  brings.  Job  xxxvi.  6, 
the  right  to  which  the  poor  have  a  claim  ;  so  that  thus  in  the 
passage  before  us  C'''N"US:^•D  means  the  right  of  a  man,  as  that 
which  is  proper  or  fitting  to  him,  the  judgment  of  a  man,  as 
that  to  which  as  appropriate  he  has  a  claim  (LXX.  rb  SUaiov 
dvSpi).  Whether  the  genit.  be  rendered  in  the  one  way  or  the 
other,  the  meaning  remains  the  same  :  it  is  not  the  ruler  who 
finally  decides  the  fate  and  determines  the  worth  of  a  man,  as 
they  appear  to  think  who  with  eye-service  court  his  favour  and 
fawn  upon  him. 

Ver.  27  An  abomination  to  a  righteous  man  is  a  villanous  man  ; 

And  an  abomination  to  the  godless  is  he  who  walketh  uprightly. 

In  all  the  other  proverbs  which  begin  with  ri3i)in,  e.g.  xi.  20, 
mn^  follows  as  genit.,  here  D''i?''^V,  whose  judgment  is  like  that 
of  God.  ?}y  ti^''N  is  an  abhorrence  to  them,  not  as  a  man, 
but  just  as  of  such  a  character ;  ?}V  is  the  direct  contrast  to 
"i*i^'\  The  righteous  sees  in  the  villanous  man,  who  boldly  does 
that  which  is  opposed  to  morality  and  to  honour,  an  adversary 
of  his  God  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  godless  sees  in  the  man  that 
walketh  uprightly  (^'i'.'^'iti'^.,  as  at  Ps.  xxxvii.  14)  his  adversary, 
and  the  condemnation  of  himself. 

With  this  doubled  n  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  prepared  by  the 
men  of  Hezekiah,  comes  to  an  end.  It  closes,  in  accordance 
with  its  intention  announced  at  the  beginning,  with  a  proverb 
concerning  the  king,  and  a  proverb  of  the  great  moral  contrasts 
which  are  found  in  all  circles  of  society  up  to  the  very  throne 
itself. 


260  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 


FIRST  APPENDIX  TO  THE  SECOND  SOLOMONIC  COLLECTION 
OF  PROVERBS.— CHAP.  XXX. 

The  title  of  this  first  appendix,  according  to  the  text  lyiag 
before  us,  is : 

"  The  words  of  Agur  the  sou  of  Jakeh,  the  utterance." 

This  title  of  the  following  collection  of  proverbs  is  limited 
by  Oleicejored;  and  i^f^\!,  separated  from  the  author's  name  by 
JRehiuj  is  interpreted  as  a  second  inscription,  standing  on  one 
line  with  ''■?.?'l,  as  particularizing  that  first.  The  old  synagogue 
tradition  which,  on  the  ground  of  the  general  title  i.  1,  regarded 
the  whole  Book  of  Proverbs  as  the  work  of  Solomon,  inter- 
preted the  words,  "  Agur  the  son  of  Jakeh,"  as  an  allegorical 
designation  of  Solomon,  who  appropriated  the  words  of  the 
Tora  to  the  king,  Deut.  xvii.  17,  and  again  rejected  them,  for 
he  said :  God  is  with  me,  and  I  shall  not  do  it  (viz.  take  many 
wives,  without  thereby  suifering  injury),  Scliemoth  rabba,  c.  6. 
The  translation  of  Jerome :  Verba  congregantis  filii  Vomentis, 
is  the  echo  of  this  Jewish  interpretation.  One  would  sup- 
pose that  if  *'  Agur"  were  Solomon's  name,  "  Jakeh"  must  be 
that  of  David;  but  another  interpretation  in  Midrash  Mishle 
renders  p  ("  son  ")  as  the  designation  of  the  bearer  of  a  quality, 
and  sees  in  "  Agur"  one  w^ho  girded  (")3S  =  ijn)  his  loins  for 
wisdom;  and  in  "son  of  Jakeh"  one  free  from  sin  (bsö  ''pj 
iiy")  {<Dn).  In  the  Middle  Ages  this  mode  of  interpretation,  which 
is  historically  and  linguistically  absurd,  first  began  to  prevail ; 
for  then  the  view  was  expressed  by  several  (Aben  Ezra,  and 
Meiri  the  Spaniard)  that  Agur  ben  Jakeh  was  a  wise  man  of 
the  time  of  Solomon.  That  of  Solomon's  time,  they  thence  con- 
clude (blind  to  XXV.  1)  that  Solomon  collected  together  these 
proverbs  of  the  otherwise  unknown  wise  man.  In  truth,  the  age 
of  the  man  must  remain  undecided ;  and  at  all  events,  the  time 
of  Hezekiah  is  the  fixed  period  from  which,  where  possible,  it 
is  to  be  sought.  The  name  "  Agur  "  means  the  gathered  (vi.  8, 
X.  5),  or,  after  the  predominant  meaning  of  the  Arab,  ajar,  the 
bribed,  mercede  conductum;  also  the  collector  (cf.  t^'ipj,  fowler)  ; 
or  the  word  might  mean,  perhaps,  industrious  in  collecting  (cf. 
''alwakj  attached  to,  and  other  examples  in  Mühlau,  p.  36). 


CHAP.  XXX.  261 

Eegarding  13  =:  Unj  (usual  in  113"13),  and  its  relation  to  the 
Arab,  ibn^  vid.  Genesis^  p.  555.  The  name  Jakeh  is  more 
transparent.  The  noun  T\r^\>^.^  xxx.  17,  Gen.  xlix.  10,  means 
the  obedient,  from  the  verb  njp^ ;  but,  formed  from  this  verbal 
stem,  the  form  of  the  word  would  be  ^?,\  (not  ni^^).  The  form 
7\?l  is  the  participial  adj.  from  nj?^,  like  ns^  from  naj ;  and  the 
Arab,  wakay^  corresponding  to  this  ni^j^  viii.  ittakay,  to  be  on 
one's  guard,  particularly  before  God ;  the  usual  word  for  piety 
regarded  as  evkdßeia.  !Mühlau  (p.  37)  rightly  sees  in  the 
proper  names  EUekeh  [Josh.  xix.  44]  and  Eltekon  [Josh.  xv. 
59]  the  secondary  verbal  stem  Hi^n,  which,  like  e.g.  nin  (nxri), 
3{<^,  iny^  has  originated  from  the  reflexive,  which  in  these  proper 
names,  supposing  that  b^  is  subj.,  means  to  take  under  protec- 
tion ;  not :  to  give  heed  =  cavere.  All  these  meanings  are 
closely  connected.  In  all  these  three  forms — npj,  r\p^^  r\\m — 
the  verb  is  a  synonym  of  lOü' ;  so  that  ^\>\  denotes^  the  pious, 
either  as  taking  care,  evXaßi]<;,  or  as  keeping,  i.e.  observing, 
viz.  that  which  is  commanded  by  God. 

In  consequence  of  the  accentuation,  ^^"^^  is  the  second 
designation  of  this  string  of  proverbs,  and  is  parallel  with  nm. 
But  that  is  absolutely  impossible.  i^^'O  (from  t5b'3,  to  raise, 
viz.  the  voice,  to  begin  to  express)  denotes  the  utterance,  and 
according  to  the  usage  of  the  words  before  us,  the  divine  utter- 
ance, the  message  of  God  revealed  to  the  prophet  and 
announced  by  him,  for  the  most  part,  if  not  always  {vid.  at 
Isa.  xiii.  1),  the  message  of  God  as  the  avenger.  Accordingly 
Jewish  interpreters  {e.g.  Meiri  and  Arama)  remark  that  Nb»» 
designates  what  follows,  as  ''^5:^^33  "lai,  i.e.  an  utterance  of  the 
prophetic  spirit.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  what  follows  begins 
with  the  confession  of  human  weakness  and  short-sightedness; 
and,  moreover,  we  read  proverbs  not  of  a  divine  but  altogether 

1  According  to  the  Lex.  'Gezerl  (from  the  Mesopotamian  town  of  'Geziret 
ihn  'Amr),  the  word  wakihon  is,  iu  the  Mesopotamian  language,  "  the  over- 
seer of  the  house  in  which  is  the  cross  of  the  Christians  ;  "  and  accordingly, 
in  Muhammed's  letter  to  the  Christians  of  Negran,  after  they  became  subject 
to  him,  "  a  monk  shall  not  be  removed  from  his  monastery,  nor  a  pres- 
byter from  his  presbyterate,  (ivakCtJUah)  wala  watah  wakahyttah^^  (this 
will  be  the  correct  phrase),  "  nor  an  overseer  from  his  office."  The  verbal 
stem  loak-ali  (;q[5>)  is,  as  it  appears,  Northern  Semitic  ;  the  South  Arabian 
lexicographer  Ncshwan  ignores  it  (Wetzstein  in  Mühlau). 


262  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

of  a  human  and  even  of  a  decaying  spiritual  stamp,  besides 
distinguished  from  the  Solomonic  proverbs  by  this,  that  the  / 
of  the  poet,  which  remains  in  the  background,  here  comes  to 
the  front.  This  N'^o  of  proplietic  utterances  does  not  at  all 
harmonize  with  the  following  string  of  proverbs.  It  does  not 
so  harmonize  on  this  account,  because  one  theme  does  not  run 
through  these  proverbs  which  the  sing,  ^itro  requires.  It  comes 
to  this,  that  Sbo  never  occurs  by  itself  in  the  sense  of  a  divine,  a 
solemn  utterance,  without  having  some  more  clearly  defining 
addition,  though  it  should  be  only  a  demonstrative  i^l,^  (Isa.  xiv. 
28).  But  what  author,  whether  poet  or  prophet,  would  give  to 
his  work  the  title  of  N^D,  which  in  itself  means  everything,  and 
thus  nothing  !  And  now  :  the  utterance — what  can  the  article 
at  all  mean  here  ?  This  question  has  remained  unanswered 
by  every  interpreter.  Ewald  also  sees  himself  constrained  to 
clothe  the  naked  word ;  he  does  it  by  reading  together  Nb'Dn 
25?53,  and  translating  the  "  sublime  saying  which  he  spoke."  But 
apart  from  the  consideration  that  Jer.  xxiii.  ol  proves  nothing 
for  the  use  of  this  use  of  DXJ,  the  form  ("injn)  QX3  is  supported 
by  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1  (cf.  ver.  5  with  2  Sam.  xxii.  31) ;  and  besides, 
the  omission  of  the  15^'S,  and  in  addition  of  the  relative  pronoun 
(iöW),  would  be  an  inaccuracy  not  at  all  to  be  expected  on  the 
brow  of  this  gnomology  {vid.  Hitzig).  If  we  leave  the  alto- 
gether unsuspected  Q5<3  undisturbed,  xb'ün  will  be  a  nearer  defi- 
nition of  the  name  of  the  author.  The  ]Midrash  has  a  right 
suspicion,  for  it  takes  together  Hamassa  and  Agur  hen  Jakeh, 
and  explains  :  of  Agur  the  son  of  Jakeh,  who  took  upon  him- 
self the  yoke  of  the  most  blessed.  The  Gnpcus  Venetus  comes 
nearer  what  is  correct,  for  it  translates  :  \ö<yoL  ^Ayovpov  vleo)^ 
'Ia/cea)9  tov  Macrdov.  We  connect  xxxi.  1,  where  ^^^  ^^^^)', 
"  Lemuel  (the)  king,"  is  a  linguistic  impossibility,  and  thus,  ac- 
cording to  the  accentuation  lying  before  us,  i^f^  ^?0  also  are 
to  be  connected  together ;  thus  it  appears  that  sb'D  must  be  the 
name  of  a  country  and  a  people.  It  was  Hitzig  who  first  made 
this  Columbus-egg  to  stand.  But  this  is  the  case  only  so  far 
as  he  recognised  in  k'j^d  i?J2  ^xio^  a  Lemuel,  the  king  of 
Massa,  and  recognised  this  Massa  also  in  xxx.  1  (vid.  his  dis- 
sertation :  Das  Königreich  Massa  [the  kingdom  of  ^Massa],  in 
Zeller's  Theolog.  Jahrbb.  1844,  and  his  Comm.),  viz.  the  Israel- 


CHAP.  XXX.  263 

itish  Massa  named  in  Geu.  xxv.  14  (r=l  Cliron.  i.  30)  along 
with  Dumah  and  Tema.  But  he  proceeds  in  a  hair-splitting 
way,  and  with  ingenious  hypothesis,  without  any  valid  founda- 
lion.  That  this  Dumah  is  the  Dumat  el-jendel  (cf.  under  Isa. 
xxi.  11)  lying  in  the  north  of  Nejed,  near  the  southern  fron- 
tiers of  Syria,  the  name  and  the  founding  of  which  is  referred 
by  the  Arabians  to  Dum  the  son  of  Ishmael,  must  be  regarded 
as  possible,  and  consequently  Massa  is  certainly  to  be  sought 
in  Northern  Arabia.  But  if,  on  the  ground  of  1  Chron.  iv. 
42  f.,  he  finds  there  a  Simeonitic  kingdom,  and  finds  its  origin 
in  this,  that  the  tribe  of  Simeon  originally  belonging  to  the  ten 
tribes,  and  thus  coming  from  the  north  settled  in  the  south  of 
Judah,  and  from  thence  in  the  days  of  Hezekiah,  fleeing  before 
the  Assyrians,  were  driven  farther  and  farther  in  a  south-east 
direction  towards  Northern  Arabia  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  has  been 
showm  by  Graf  (The  Tribe  of  Simeon,  a  contribution  to  the 
history  of  Israel,  1866)  that  Simeon  never  settled  in  the  north 
of  the  Holy  Land,  and  according  to  existing  evidences  ex- 
tended their  settlement  from  Negeb  partly  into  the  Idumean 
highlands,  but  not  into  the  highlands  of  North  Arabia.  Hitzig 
thinks  that  there  are  found  traces  of  the  Massa  of  Agnr  and 
Lemuel  in  the  Jewish  town^  of  DSöi'"'L:,  of  Benjamin  of  Tudela, 
lying  three  days'  journey  from  Chebar,  and  in  the  proper  name 
(Arab.)  Malsd  (smooth),  which  is  given  to  a  rock  between  Tema 
and  Wady  el-Kora  {yid.  Kosegarten's  Chrestom.  p.  143) ;  but 
how  notched  his  ingenuity  here  is  need  scarcely  be  shown.  By 
means  of  more  cautious  combinations  ^liihlau  has  placed  the 
residence  of  Agur  and  Lemuel  in  the  Hauran  mountain  range, 
near  which  there  is  a  Dumah,  likewise  a  Tema;  and  in  the  name  of 
the  town  Mismtje,  lying  in  the  Leja^is  probably  found  the  Mishma 
which  is  named  along  with  Massa,  Gen.  xxv.  14;  and  from  this 
that  is  related  in  1  Chron.  v.  9  f.,  18-22,  of  warlike  expeditions 
on  the  part  of  the  tribes  lying  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan  against 
the  Hagarenes  and  their  allies  Jetur,  Nephish,  and  Nodah^  it 

»  Cf.  Blau's  Arab,  im  sechsten  JahrJi.  in  the  Deutsch.  Morrjl.  Zeits.  xxxiii. 
590,  and  also  p.  573  of  tlie  same,  regarding  a  family  of  proselytes  among 
the  Jews  in  Taima. 

2  Mühlau  combines  Noddb  with  Nudebe  to  the  south-east  of  Bosra ; 
Blau  (Dent.  Morg.  Zeit.  xxv.  5G6),  with  the  l<ixßox7oi  of  Eupolemos  named 
along  with  the  'NxßuTcchi.    The  Kamüs  has  Nadab  as  the  name  of  a  tribe. 


264  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVERBS. 

is  with  certainty  concluded  that  in  the  Hauran,  and  in  the  wikler- 
ness  which  stretches  behind  the  Euphrates  towards  it,  Israehtish 
tribes  have  had  their  abode,  whose  territory  had  been  early  seized 
by  the  trans- Jordanic  tribes,  and  was  held  "  until  the  captivity," 
1  Chron.  V.  22,  i.e.  till  the  Assyrian  deportation.  This  desig- 
nation of  time  is  almost  as  unfavourable  to  ^liihlau's  theory  of 
a  Massa  in  the  Hauran,  inhabited  by  Israelitish  tribes  from  the 
other  side,  as  the  expression  "^o  Mount  Seir  "  (1  Chron.  iv.  42)  is 
to  Hitzig's  North  Arabian  Massa  inhabited  by  Simeonites.  We 
must  leave  it  undecided  whether  Dumah  and  Tema,  which  the 
Toledoth  of  Ismael  name  in  the  neighbourhood  of  3fassa,  are 
the  east  Hauran  districts  now  existing;  or  as  Blau  (Beut.  Morgl. 
Zeit.  XXV.  539),  with  Hitzig,  supposes,  North  Arabian  districts 
(cf.  Genesis,  p.  377,  4th  ed.).^  "  Be  it  as  it  may,  the  contents 
and  the  language  of  this  difficult  piece  almost  necessarily  point 
to  a  region  bordering  on  the  Syro-Arabian  waste.  Ziegler's 
view  {Neue  Uebers.  der  Denhpräclie  Salomons,  1791,  p.  29), 
that  Lemuel  was  probably  an  emir  of  an  Arabian  tribe  in  the 
east  of  Jordan,  and  that  a  wise  Hebrew  translated  those  pro- 
verbs of  the  emir  into  Hebrew,  is  certainly  untenable,  but  does 
not  depart  so  far  from  the  end  as  may  appear  at  the  first 
glance"  (Miihlau).^  If  the  text-punctuation  lying  before  us 
rests  on  the  false  supposition  that  Massa,  xxx.  1,  xxxi.  1,  is  a 
generic  name,  and  not  a  proper  name,  then  certainly  the 
question  arises  whether  xb^D  should  not  be  used  instead  of  N'I'O, 
much  more  ^<■^*"P,  which  is  suggested  as  possible  in  the  article 
"Sprüche,"  in  Herzoges  Enci/cl.  xiv.  694.  Were  i^f^,  Gen.  x.  30, 
the  region  Meaijv)],  on  the  northern  border  of  the  Persian  Gulf, 
in  which  Apamea  lay,  then  it  might  be  said  in  favour  of  this, 
that  as  the  histories  of  Muhammed  and  of  Benjamin  of  Tudela 
prove  the  existence  of  an  old  Jewish  occupation  of  North  Arabia, 
but  without  anything  being  heard  of  a  ^^'^,  the  Talmud 
bears  testimony^  to  a  Jewish  occupation  of  Mesene,  and  par- 
ticularly of  Apamea;  and  by  the  mother  of   Lemuel,  the  king 

^  Dozy  (Israeliten  in  Mecca,  p.  89  f.)  couuects  Massa  Avith  Mansdh,  a 
pretended  old  name  of  Mecca. 

2  These  German  quotations  with  the  name  of  Jliihlau  are  taken  from  the 
additions  to  his  book,  -which  he  placed  at  my  disposal. 

2   Vid.  Neubauer's  La  Geographie  du  Talmud,  pp.  325,  329,  382. 


CETAP.  XXX.  u  265 

of  3Ies7ia,  one  may  think^  of  Helena,  celebrated  in  Jewish 
writings,  queen  of  Adiabene,  the  mother  of  Monabaz  and 
Izates.  But  the  identity  of  the  Meslia  of  the  catalogue  of 
nations  with  Meaypij  is  uncertain,  and  the  Jewish  population  of 
that  place  dates  at  least  from  the  time  of  the  Sassanides  to  the 
]-)eriod  of  the  Babylonian  exile.  We  therefore  hold  by  the 
Ishmaelite  Massa,  whether  North  Arabian  or  Hauranian  ;  but 
we  by  no  means  subscribe  Miihlau's  non  possumus  non  negare^ 
Agurum  et  Lennielem  proselytos  e  paganis,  non  Israelitas  fuisse. 
The  religion  of  the  tribes  descended  from  Abraham,  so  far  as  it 
had  not  degenerated,  was  not  to  be  regarded  as  idolatrous.  It 
was  the  religion  which  exists  to  the  present  day  among  the  great 
Ishmaelite  tribes  of  the  Syrian  desert  as  the  true  tradition  of 
their  fathers  under  the  name  of  Din  Ibrdlum  (Abraham's  reli- 
gion) ;  which,  as  from  \yetzstein,  we  have  noted  in  the  Com- 
mentary/ on  Job  (p.  387  and  elsewhere),  continues  along  with 
Mosaism  among  the  nomadic  tribes  of  the  wilderness ;  which 
shortly  before  the  appearance  of  Christianity  in  the  country 
beyond  the  Jordan,  produced  doctrines  coming  into  contact 
with  the  teachings  of  the  gospel ;  which  at  that  very  time, 
according  to  historic  evidences  {e.g.  Mejasini's  chronicles  of 
the  Kabe),  was  dominant  even  in  the  towns  of  Higaz;  and  in 
the  second  century  after  Christ,  was  for  the  first  time  during 
the  repeated  migration  of  the  South  Arabians  again  oppressed 
by  Greek  idolatry,  and  was  confined  to  the  wilderness  ;  which 
gave  the  mightiest  impulse  to  the  rise  of  Islam,  and  furnished 
its  best  component  part ;  and  which  towards  the  end  of  the 
last  century,  in  the  country  of  Neged,  pressed  to  a  reform  of 
Islam,  and  had  as  a  result  the  Wahabite  doctrine.  If  wo 
except  XXX.  5  f.,  the  proverbs  of  Agur  and  Lemuel  contain 
nothing  which  may  not  be  conceived  from  a  non-Israelitish 
standpoint  on  which  the  author  of  the  Book  of  Job  placed 
himself.  Even  xxx.  5  f.  is  not  there  (cf.  Job  vi.  10,  xxiii.  12) 
without  parallels.  When  one  compares  Deut.  iv.  2,  xili.  1,  and 
2  Sam.  xxii.  31  =  Ps.  xviii.  31  (from  which  ver.  5  of  the 
proverbs  of  Agur  is  derived,  with  the  change  of  mn"»  into 
i^vf^.),  Agur  certainly  appears  as  one  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  revealed  religion  of  Israel,  and  with  their  literature.  But 
•-  Derenbourg's  Essai  stir  Vllist.  et  la  Geog.  de  la  Palestine,  i.  p.  22-i. 


266  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVERBS. 

must  we  take  the  two  Massites  therefore,  with  Hitzig,  Mühlau, 
and  Zöckler,  as  born  Israehtes  ?  Since  the  Bible  history  knows 
no  Israelitish  king  outside  of  the  Holy  Land,  we  regard  it  as 
more  probable  that  King  Lemuel  and  his  countryman  Agur  were 
Ishmaelites  who  had  raised  themselves  above  the  religion  of 
Abraham,  and  recognised  the  religion  of  Israel  as  its  completion. 
If  we  now  return  to  the  words  of  xxx.  la,  Hitzig  makes 
Agur  Lemuel's  brother,  for  he  vocalizes  i^^^  i^vii^ri?  "'''^?,  i'ß- 
Agur  the  son  of  her  whom  Massa  obeys.  Eipa  and  Björck 
of  Sweden,  and  Stuart  of  America,  adopt  this  view.  But 
supposing  that  ^\>1  is  connected  with  the  accusative  of  him  who 
is  obeyed,  p,  as  the  representative  of  such  an  attributive  clause, 
as  of  its  virtual  genitive,  is  elsewhere  without  example;  and 
besides,  it  is  unadvisable  to  explain  away  the  proper  name  HiT, 
which  speaks  for  itself.  There  are  two  other  possibilities  of 
comprehending  J^i^in,  without  the  change,  or  with  the  change 
of  a  single  letter.  Wetzstein,  on  xxxi.  1,  has  said  regarding 
]\Iühlau's  translation  "  King  of  Massa : "  "I  would  more 
cautiously  translate, '  King  of  the  Massans,'  since  this  interpreta- 
tion is  unobjectionable ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  this  is  not  terra 
Massa,  nor  urbs  Massa.  It  is  true  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Massa  w^ere  not  pure  nomads,  after  xxx.  and  xxxi.,  but  pro- 
bably, like  the  other  tribes  of  Israel,  they  were  half  nomads, 
who  possessed  no  great  land  as  exclusive  property,  and  whose 
chief  place  did  not  perhaps  bear  their  name.  The  latter  may 
then  have  been  as  rare  in  ancient  times  as  it  is  in  the  present 
day.  Neither  the  Sammar,  the  Harh,  the  Muntefik,  nor  other 
half  nomads  whom  I  know  in  the  southern  parts  of  the  Syrian 
desert,  have  any  place  which  bears  their  name.  So  also,  it 
appears,  the  people  of  Uz  (I'ly),  which  we  were  constrained  to 
think  of  as  a  dominant,  firmly-settled  race,  since  it  had  so  great 
a  husbandman  as  Job,  possessed  no  P^  ^!"]i?.  Only  in  certain 
cases,  where  a  tribe  resided  for  many  centuries  in  and  around 
a  place,  does  the  name  of  this  tribe  appear  to  have  remained 
attached  to  it.  Thus  from  no^T  fi^ij,  '  the  low-country  of  the 
Dumahns,'  or  n^n  nnip,  '  the  city  of  Dumahns,'  as  also  from 
NO^Pi  nni?,  <■  the  city  of  the  Temans,'  gradually  there  arose  (pro- 
bably not  till  the  decline  and  fall  of  this  tribe)  a  city  of  Dumali, 
Si  haven  of  Midian,  and  the  like,  so  that  the  primary  meaning  of 


cnAP.  sxs.  1.  267 

tlie  name  came  to  be  lost."  It  is  clear  that,  from  the  existence 
of  an  Ishmaelite  tribe  ^5^o,  there  does  not  necessarily  follow  a 
similar  name  given  to  a  region.  The  conj.  K'^ID,  for  Ntyen 
{vid.  Herzog's  Encycl.  xiv.  702),  has  this  against  it,  that  although 
it  is  good  Heb.,  it  directly  leads  to  this  conclusion  {e.g.  2  Sam. 
xxiii.  20,  29,  cf.  1  Kings  xvii.  1).  Less  objectionable  is  Bun- 
sen's  and  Böttcher's  ''N'^'ön,  But  perhaps  Nb'ön  may  also  have 
the  same  signification  ;  far  rather  at  least  this  than  that  which 
Malbim,  after  ^V^^  n^n^  1  Chron.  xv.  27,  introduced  with  the 
LXX.  äp')(wv  t6)v  (phoiv:  "We  ought  tlien  to  compare  2  Sam. 
xxiii.  24,  on?  n''3  nn,  a  connection  in  which,  after  the  analogy 
of  such  Arabic  connections  as  Jcaysu  'aylana,  Kais  of  the  tribe 
of  ^Ailan  {Ihn  Coteiba,  13  and  83),  or  Ma'nu  layyin,  ^Ma'n  of 
the  tribe  of  Tay,  i.e.  Ma'n  belonging  to  this  tribe,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  other  men  and  families  of  this  name  {Scliol. 
Hamasce  144.  3),  nrb  n^2  is  thought  of  as  genit."^  (Mühlau). 
That  nrh  JT'a  (instead  of  ^pn^i]  n''2)  is  easily  changed,  with 
Thenius  and  Wellhausen,  after  1  Chron.  xi.  26,  into  Dn^  ^''3», 
and  in  itself  it  is  not  altogether  homogeneous,  because  without 
the  article.  Yet  it  may  be  supposed  that  instead  of  Xb'ö,  on 
account  of  the  appellat.  of  the  proper  name  (the  lifting  up, 
elatio),  the  word  Nb'DH  might  be  also  employed.  And  since 
np"'-p,  along  with  "IIJX,  forms,  as  it  were,  one  compositum,  and 
does  not  at  all  destroy  ^  the  regulating  force  of  niJJs,  the  ex- 
pression is  certainly,  after  the  Arabic  tisus  log.,  to  be  thus 
explained :  The  words  of  Agur  the  sou  of  Jakeh,  of  the  tribe 
(the  country)  of  Massa. 

The  second  line  of  this  verse,  as  it  is  punctuated,  is-to  be 
rendered  : 

The  saying  of  the  man  to  Ithiel,  to  Ithiel  and  Uchal, 
not  Uklal ;  for,  since  Athias  and  van  der  Hooght,  the  incorrect 
form  ?3X1  has  become  current.     J.  H.  Michaelis  has  the  right 
form  of  the  word  basi.     Thus,  with  3  oxqohatum,  it  is  to  be 
read  after  the  Masora,  for  it  adds  to  this  word  the  remark  n"'5> 

■*  In  'l31  Dyn,  Jer.  viii.  5,  'ü^'n^  is  thought  of  as  genit.,  although  it  may 
be  also  nom.,  after  the  scheme  of  apposition  instead  of  annexion.  That  it 
is  genit.,  cf.  Philippi's  St.  Const,  pp.  192-195. 

2  We  say,  in  Arab.,  without  any  anomaly,  e.g.  Aliju-hiu-Muhammadin 
Tajjiin,  i.e.  the  Ali  son  of  Muhammed,  of  the  tribe  (from  the  tribe)  of  Tay ; 
cf.  Josh.  iii.  11  :  Isa.  xxviii.  1,  Ixiii.  11 :  and  Deut.  iii.  13. 


2  GS  TUE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

"loni,  and  counts  it  among  tlie  forty-eight  words  sometimes 
written  defectively  witliout]  1  (vid.  tliis  list  in  the  Masorafinalis, 
21b,  Col.  4);  and  since  it  only  remarks  the  absence  of  the 
letter  lengthening  the  word  where  no  dagesh  follows  the  vocal, 
it  thus  supposes  that  the  3  has  no  dagesh,  as  it  is  also  found  in 
Codd.  (also  Jaman.)  written  with  the  liajyhe.  7J<''n''Np  is  doubly 
accentuated ;  the  Tarcha  represents  the  Metheg,  after  the  rule 
Tliorath  Ernetli,  p.  11.  The  P  after  D5<3  is,  in  the  sense  of  the 
punctuation,  the  same  dat.  as  in  ''?"'X^,  Ps.  ex.  1,  and  has  an 
apparent  right  in  him  who  asks  V^n  ""S  in  the  4th  verse.  Ithiel 
and  Uchal  must  be,  after  an  old  opinion,  sons,  or  disciples,  or 
contemporaries,  of  Agur.  Thus,  e.g.,  Gesenius,  in  his  Lex. 
under  '^i?^ri"'S,  where  as  yet  his  reference  to  Neh.  xi.  7  is  wanting. 
7S"'n"'i<  is  rendered  by  Jefet  and  other  Karaites,  "  there  is  a 
God  "  =  ^X  'n'N  ;  but  it  is  perhaps  equivalent  to  ^^  ^nx,  "■  God 
is  with  me ; "  as  for  "ris,  the  form  ''Jn''X  is  also  found.  ?9^ 
(^35^)  nowhere  occurs  as  a  proper  name;  but  in  the  region  of 
proper  names,  everything,  or  almost  everything,  is  possible.^ 
Ewald  sees  in  15-14  a  dialogue  :  in  vers.  2-4  the  "133^',  i.e.  as 
the  word  appears  to  him,  the  rich,  haughty  mocker,  who  has 
worn  out  his  life,  speaks;  and  in  5-14  the  '•'•  Mitmirgott'''' 
[=  God  with  me],  or,  more  fully,  "  Miimirgott-sohiniclistarh " 
[=  God  with  me,  so  am  I  strong],  i.e.  the  pious,  humble  man 
answers.  "  The  whole,"  he  remarks,  "  is  nothing  but  poetical ; 
and  it  is  poetical  also  that  this  discourse  of  mockery  is  called 
an  elevated  strain."  But  (1)  "i33  is  a  harmless  word ;  and  in 
lain  DXJ,  Num.  xxiv.  3,  15,  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1,  it  is  a  solemn, 
earnest  one ;  (2)  a  proper  name,  consisting  of  two  clauses  con- 
nected by  Vav,  no  matter  whether  it  be  an  actual  or  a  symbolical 
name,  is  not  capable  of  being  authenticated ;  E^vald,  §  2745, 
recognises  in  'lil  ''^?1?,  1  Chron.  xxv.  4,  the  naming,  not  of  one 
son  of  Heman,  but  of  two ;  and  (3)  it  would  be  a  very  forced, 
inferior  poetry  if  the  poet  placed  one  half  of  the  name  in  one 
line,  and  then,  as  if  constrained  to  take  a  new  breath,  gave  the 
other  half  of  it  in  a  second  line.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  that 
^N"'n''X  and  ?3X  are  the  names  of  two  different  persons,  to  whom 
the  address  of  the  man  is  directed,  is  attested  by  the,  in  this 

1  Vid.  Wctzsteiu's  Inschriften  aus  den  Tradionen  und  dem  Hauranyehirge 
(186i),  p.  SSCf. 


CHAP.  XXX.  1.  269 

case  aimless,  anadiplosis,  the  here  unpoetlcal  paralleHsm  with 
reservation.  The  repetition,  as  Fleischer  remarks,  of  the 
name  Ithiel,  which  may  rank  with  Uchal,  as  the  son  or  disciple 
of  Agur,  has  probably  its  reason  only  in  this,  that  one  placed  a 
second  more  extended  phrase  simply  along  with  the  shorter.  The 
case  is  different ;  but  Fleischer's  supposition,  that  the  poet  him- 
self cannot  have  thus  written,  is  correct.  We  must  not  strike  out 
either  of  the  two  ^XTT'Nb ;  but  the  supposed  proper  names  must 
be  changed  as  to  their  vocalization  into  a  declaratory  clause. 
A  principal  argument  lies  in  ver.  2,  beginning  with  "'S  :  this 
-2  supposes  a  clause  which  it  established  ;  for,  with  right. 
Mühlau  maintains  that  '•3,  in  the  affirmative  sense,  which,  by 
means  of  aposiopesis,  proceeds  from  the  confirmative,  may  open 
the  conclusion  and  enter  as  confirmatory  into  the  middle  of  the 
discourse  {e.g.  Isa.  xxxii.  13),  but  cannot  stand  abruptly  at  the 
commencement  of  a  discourse  (cf.  under  Isa.  xv.  1  and  vii.  9). 
But  if  we  now  ask  how  it  is  to  be  vocalized,  there  comes  at  the 
same  time  into  the  sphere  of  investigation  the  striking  phrase 
")22n  DS3.  This  phrase  all  the  Greek  interpreters  attest  by  their 
rendering,  raSe  \e<yei  6  dvr/p  {Venet.  (prjcrlv  avqp)  ;  besides,  this 
is  to  be  brought  forward  from  the  wilderness  of  the  old  at- 
tempts at  a  translation,  that  the  feeling  of  the  translators  strives 
against  the  recognition  in  73S1  of  a  second  personal  name  :  the 
Peshito  omits  it ;  the  Targ.  translates  it,  after  the  Midrash,  by 
731X1  (I  may  do  it)  ;  as  Tiieodotion,  koX  Zwrjcrofxat^  which  is 
probably  also  meant  by  the  Kal  o-wrlao/mat  (from  avvtevac,  to  be 
acquainted  with)  of  the  Venet. ;  the  LXX.  with  koI  iraiiofiai ; 
and  Aquila,  koL  reXeaov  (both  from  the  verb  n^3).  As  an  ob- 
jection to  -i33n  DN3  is  this,  that  it  is  so  bald  without  being 
followed,  as  at  Num.  xxiv.  3,  15,  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1,  with  the 
attributive  description  of  the  man.  Luther  was  determined 
thereby  to  translate  :  discourse  of  the  man  Leithiel  .  .  .  And 
why  could  not  ''5<''n''Np  be  a  proper-name  connection  like  ^SW^'J' 
(7X''ri7kr)  ?  Interpreted  in  the  sense  of  "  I  am  troubled  con- 
cerning God,"  it  might  be  a  symbolical  name  of  the  ^fXocro^o?, 
as  of  one  who  strives  after  the  .knowledge  of  divine  things  with 
all  his  strength.  But  (1)  nx?,  with  the  accus,  obj.,  is  not 
established,  and  one  is  rather  inclined  to  think  of  a  name  such  as 
^^"'^''r'T',  after  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  3;  (2)  moreover,  ^x*n\s^  cannot  be  at  one 


270  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVERBS. 

time  a  personal  name,  and  at  another  time  a  declarative  sentence 
— one  must  both  times  transform  it  into  ?^  ''T}^i<^ ;  but  ?x  has  to  be 
taken  as  a  vocative,  not  as  accus.,  as  is  done  by  J.  D.  Michaelis, 
Hitzig,  Bunsen,  Zöckler,  and  others,  thus :  I  have  wearied 
myself,  O  God  !  .  .  .  The  nakedness  of  "i3Jn  is  accordingly  not 
covered  by  the  first  Leithiel.  Mühlau,  in  his  work,  seeks  to  in- 
troduce sb'nn  changed  into  NiJ'Dö  :  "  The  man  from  Massa,"  and 
prefers  to  interpret  nnin  generically:^  "proverb  (confession) 
of  the  man  (i.e.  the  man  must  confess)  :  I  have  wearied  my- 
self, O  God !  .  .  ."  Nothing  else  in  reality  remains.  The 
article  may  also  be  retrospective:  the  man  just  now  named, 
whose  "words"  are  announced,  viz.  Agur.  But  why  was  not 
the  expression  nijx  DW  then  used  ?  Because  it  is  not  poetical 
to  say :  "  the  (previously  named)  man."  On  the  other  hand, 
what  follows  applies  so  that  one  may  understand,  under  lajn, 
any  man  you  choose.  There  are  certainly  among  men  more 
than  too  many  who  inquire  not  after  God  (Ps.  xiv.  2  f.).  But 
there  are  also  not  wanting  those  who  feel  sorrowfully  the 
distance  between  them  and  God.  Agur  introduces  such  a  man 
as  speaking,  for  he  generalizes  his  own  experience.  Ps.  xxxvi. 
2  (vid.  under  this  passsge)  shows  that  a  proper  name  does  not 
necessarily  follow  DSJ.  With  lajn  DN3  Agur  then  introduces 
what  the  man  has  to  confess — viz.  a  man  earnestly  devoted  to 
God ;  for  with  ns3  the  ideas  of  that  which  comes  from  the 
heart  and  the  solemnly  earnest  are  connected.  If  Agur  so  far 
generalizes  his  own  experience,  the  passionate  anadiplosis  does 
not  disturb  this.  After  long  contemplation  of  the  man,  he 
must  finally  confess  :  I  have  troubled  myself,  O  God  !  I  have 
troubled  myself,  O  God !  .  .  .  That  the  trouble  was  directed 
toward  God  is  perhaps  denoted  by  the  alliteration  of  "TT'K?  with 
f)«.  But  wdiat  now,  further  ?  i'3X1  is  read  as  i'^N'i,  ^3«),  ^3N1, 
^3X1,  ^3X1j  and  it  has  also  been  read  as  ^3SJ.  The  reading 
^3SJ  no  one  advocates;  this  that  follows  says  the  direct  con- 
trary, et  potui  {pollui).  Geiger  {Urschrift^  p.  61)  supports  the 
reading  ^^^<'!,  for  he  renders  it  interrogatively  :  "  I  wearied  my- 

^  Thus,  viz.,  that  injn  denotes,  not  the  man  as  he  ought  to  be,  but  the 
man  as  he  usually  is  (the  article,  as  the  Arabic  grammarians  say,  "  not 
for  the  exhaustion  of  the  characteristic  marks  of  the  genus,"  but  for  the 
expression  of  "  the  quality  maliije  of  the  genus  "). 


CHAP.  XXX.  1.  271 

self  in  vain  about  God,  I  wearied  myself  in  vain  about  God ; 
why  should  I  be  able  to  do  it  ?  "  But  since  one  may  twist  any 
affirmative  clause  in  this  way,  and  from  a  yes  make  a  no,  one 
should  only,  in  cases  of  extreme  necessity,  consent  to  such  a  ques- 
tion in  the  absence  of  an  interrogative  word.  Böttcher's  ^N  '^^''^^. 
I  have  wearied  myself  out  in  vain,  is  not  Hebrew.  But  at  any 
rate  the  expression  might  be  ?3S"7S,  if  only  the  Vav  did  not 
stand  between  the  words !  If  one  might  transpose  the  letters, 
then  we  might  gain  P^N  N?l,  according  to  which  the  LXX. 
translates :  oii  Bvvi^aofxai.  At  all  events,  this  despairing  as  to 
the  consequence  of  further  trouble,  "  I  shall  be  able  to  do 
nothing  (shall  bring  it  to  nothing),"  would  be  better  than  ?^i^] 
(and  I  shall  withdraw — become  faint),  for  which,  besides,  ^(.^^] 
should  be  used  (cf.  xxii.  8  with  Job  xxxiii.  21).  One  expects, 
after  wsb,  the  expression  of  that  which  is  the  consequence  of 
earnest  and  long-continued  endeavour.  Accordingly  Hitzig 
reads  ?2Sij  and  I  have  become  dull — suitable  to  the  sense,  but 
unsatisfactory  on  this  account,  because  ??3,  in  the  sense  of  the 
Arab,  kail,  hebescere,  is  foreign  to  the  Heb.  usus  loq.  Thus  73X1 
will  be  a  fut.  consec.  of  nb.  J.  D.  Michaelis,  and  finally 
Böttcher,  read  it  as  fut.  consec.  Fiel  ?3>f^l  or  73X1  {vid.  regarding 
this  form  in  pause  under  xxv.  9),  "  and  I  have  made  an  end  ; " 
but  it  is  not  appropriate  to  the  inquirer  here  complaining, 
when  dissatisfaction  with  his  results  had  determined  him  to 
abandon  his  research,  and  let  himself  be  no  more  troubled. 
We  therefore  prefer  to  read  with  Daliler,  and,  finally,  with 
Mühlau  and  Zöckler,  ^^^\,  and  I  have  withdrawn.  The  form 
understood  by  Hitzig  as  a  pausal  form  is,  in  the  unchangeable- 
ness  of  its  vocals,  as  accordant  with  rule  as  those  of  "in^^,  xxvii. 
17,  which  lengthen  the  —  of  their  first  syllables  in  pause.  And 
if  Hitzig  objects  that  too  much  is  said,  for  one  of  such  meditation 
does  not  depart,  we  answer,  that  if  the  inquiry  of  the  man  who 
speaks  here  has  completed  itself  by  the  longing  of  his  spirit  and 
his  soul  (Ps.  Ixxxiv.  3,  cxhii.  7),  he  might  also  say  of  himself, 
in  person,  W^^  or  73X1.  An  inquiry  proceeding  not  merely 
from  intellectual,  but,  before  all,  from  practical  necessity,  is 
meant — the  doubled  TT'i«^  means  that  he  applied  thereto  the 
whole  strength  of  his  inner  and  his  outer  man ;  and  i'DXI,  that 
he  nevertheless  did  not  reach  his  end,  but  wearied  himself  in 


272  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

vain.     By  this  explanation  which  we  give  to  la,  no  change  of 
its  accents  is  required;  but  lb  has  to  be  written  : 

ft-        •     j-r         vv-i         J-: 

Vers.  2,  3.  The  "»a  now  following  confirms  the  fruitlessness 
of  the  long  zealous  search  : 

For  I  am  without  reason  for  a  man, 

And  a  man's  understanding  I  have  not. 
3  And  I  have  not  learned  -wisdom, 

That  I  may  possess  the  knowledge  of  the  All-IIoTy. 
He  who  cannot  come  to  any  fixed  state  of  consecration,  inas- 
much as  he  is  always  driven  more  and  more  back  from  the 
goal  he  aims  at,  thereby  brings  guilt  upon  himself  as  a  sinner 
so  great,  that  every  other  man  stands  above  him,  and  he  is 
deep  under  them  all.  So  here  Agur  finds  the  reason  why  in 
divine  things  he  has  failed  to  attain  unto  satisfying  intelligence, 
not  in  the  ignorance  and  inability  common  to  all  men — he 
appears  to  himself  as  not  a  man  at  all,  but  as  an  irrational 
beast,  and  he  misses  in  himself  the  understanding  which  a 
man  properly  might  have  and  ought  to  have.  The  IP  of 
t^"'NO  is  not  the  partitive,  like  Isa.  xliv.  11,  not  the  usual  com- 
jjarative  :  than  any  one  (Böttcher),  which  ought  to  be  expressed 
by  t^'ii^"?!!»,  but  it  is  the  negative,  as  Isa.  lii.  14 ;  Fleischer : 
riidior  ego  sum  quam  ut  homo  appeller,  or :  hrutas  ego^  hominis 
lion  similis.  Eegarding  1^2,  vid.  under  xii.  1.^  Ver.  3  now 
says  that  he  went  into  no  school  of  wisdom,  and  for  that  reason 
in  his  wrestling  after  knowledge  could  attain  to  nothing,  be- 
cause the  necessary  conditions  to  this  were  wanting  to  him. 
But  then  the  question  arises:  Why  this  complaint?  He  must 
first  go  to  school  in  order  to  obtain,  according  to  the  word 
"  To  him  who  hath  is  given,"  that  for  which  he  strove. 
Thus  ""JJilo^  refers  to  learning  in  the  midst  of  wrestling ;  but 

1  The  Munacli  is  the  transformation  of  Mtigrash,  and  this  sequence  of 
accents — Tarcha,  Munach,  Silluk — remains  the  same,  whether  we  regard 
^S  as  the  accusative  or  as  the  vocative. 

2  According  to  the  Arab,  i^ya  is  not  a  beast  as  grazing,  but  as  dropping 
stei-cus  (haW,  camel's  or  sheep's  droppings)  ;  to  the  R.  -|2i  Mühlau  rightly 
gives  the  meanings  of  separating,  whence  are  derived  the  meanings  of 
grazing  as  well  as  of  removing  (cleansing)  (cf.  Pers.  tliak  karadu,  to  make 
clean  =  to  make  clean  bouse,  tahtila  rasa). 


CHAP.  XXX.  4  273 

lüb,  spiritually  understood,  signifies  the  acquiring  of  a  hennens 
[knowledge]  or  konnens  [knowledge  =  ability]  :  he  has  not 
brought  it  out  from  the  deep  point  of  his  condition  of  know- 
ledge to  make  wisdom  his  own,  so  that  he  cannot  adjudge  to 
liimself  knowledge  of  the  all-holy  God  (for  this  knowledge  is 
the  kernel  and  the  star  of  true  wisdom).  If  we  read  ob  y'^^?  iO, 
this  would  be  synchronistic,  nescieham,  with  "•mo?  standing  on 
the  same  line.  On  the  contrary,  the  positive  yix  subordinates 
itself  to  ''mo^'X^I,  as  the  Arab,  fda'  lama,  in  the  sense  of  (ita) 
ut  scirem  scieniiam  Sanctissinii,  thus  of  a  conclusion,  like  Lam. 
i.  19,  a  clause  expressive  of  the  intention,  Ewald,  §  347«. 
Ü^pli)  is,  as  at  ix.  10,  the  name  of  God  in  a  superlative  sense, 
like  the  Arab,  el-kuddus. 

Ver.  4  Who  hath  ascended  to  the  heavens  and  descended  ? 

"Who  hath  grasped  the  wind  in  his  fists  ? 

"WTio  hath  bound  up  the  waters  in  a  garment  ? 

Who  hath  set  right  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  ? 

What  is  his  name,  and  what  his  sou's  name,  if  thou  knowest  ? 

The  first  question  here,  'l31  'P,  is  limited  by  Pazer  ;  U^^^'rhv 
has  Metheg  in  the  third  syllable  before  the  tone.  The  second 
question  is  at  least  shut  off  by  Pazer,  but,  contrary  to  the  rule, 
that  Pazer  does  not  repeat  itself  in   a  verse ;  Cod.  Erfurt.  2, 

and  several  older  editions,  have  for  Visnn  more  correctly  n^na 
with  liehia.  So  much  for  the  interpunction.  2';3Dn  are  pro- 
perly not  the  two  fists,  for  the  fist — that  is,  the  hand  gathered 
into  a  ball,  pugnus — is  called  ^I'l^S ;  while,  on  the  contrary, 
)2n  (in  all  the  three  dialects)  denotes  the  palm  of  the  hand,  vola 
(fit/.  Lev.  X vi.  12) ;  yet  here  the  hands  are  represented  after 
they  have  seized  the  thing  as  shut,  and  thus  certainly  as  fists. 
The  dual  points  to  the  dualism  of  the  streams  of  air  produced 
by  the  disturbance  of  the  equilibrium ;  he  who  rules  this  move- 
ment has,  as  it  were,  the  north  or  east  wind  in  one  fist,  and  the 
south  or  west  wind  in  the  other,  to  let  it  forth  according  to  his 
pleasure  from  this  prison  (Isa.  xxiv.  22).  The  third  question 
is  explained  by  Job  xxvi.  8 ;  the  npob'  (from  ^nb',  comprelien- 
dere)  is  a  figure  of  the  clouds  which  contain  the  upper  waters, 
as  Job  xxxviii.  37,  the  bottles  of  heaven.  ''  All  the  ends  of 
the  earth  "  are  as  at  five  other  places,  e.g.  Ps.  xxii.  28,  the  most 
distant,  most  remote  parts  of  the  earth  ;  the  setting  up  of  all 

VOL.    II,  S 


274  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVECDS. 

these  most  remote  boundaries  (marglnes)  of  the  earth  is  equi- 
valent to  the  making  fast  and  forming  the  limits  to  which  the 
earth  extends  (Ps.  Ixxiv.  17),  the  determining  of  the  compass  of 
the  earth  and  the  form  of  its  figures.  V^ri  ''3  is  in  symphony 
with  Job  xxxviii.  5,  cf.  18.  The  question  is  here  formed  as  it 
is  there,  when  Jahve  brings  home  to  the  consciousness  of  Job 
human  weakness  and  ignorance.  But  there  are  here  two  pos- 
sible significations  of  the  fourfold  question.  Either  it  aims  at 
the  answer  :  No  man,  but  a  Being  highly  exalted  above  all 
creatures,  so  that  the  question  i^^'"no  [what  his  name'?]  refers 
to  the  name  of  this  Being.  Or  the  question  is  primarily  meant 
of  men  :  What  man  has  the  ability  ? — if  there  is  one,  then  name 
him  !     In  both  cases  rbv  ""D  is  not  meant,  after  xxiv.  28,  in  the 

modal  sense,  quis  ascendent,  but  as  the  following  T}1|i  requires,  in 

the  nearest  indicative  sense,  qiiis  ascendit.  But  the  choice 
between  these  two  possible  interpretations  is  very  difficult.  The 
first  question  is  historical :  Who  has  gone  to  heaven  and  (as  a 
consequence,  then)  come  down  from  it  again  ?  It  lies  nearest 
thus  to  interpret  it  according  to  the  consecutio  temporiun.  By 
this  interpretation,  and  this  representation  of  the  going  up 
before  the  descending  again,  the  interrogator  does  not  appear 
to  think  of  God,  but  in  contrast  to  himself,  to  whom  the  divine 
is  transcendent,  of  some  other  man  of  whom  the  contrary  is 
true.  Is  there  at  all,  he  asks,  a  man  who  can  comprehend  and 
penetrate  by  his  power  and  his  knowledge  the  heavens  and 
the  earth,  the  air  and  the  water,  i.e.  the  nature  and  the  inner 
condition  of  the  visible  and  invisible  world,  the  quantity  and 
extent  of  the  elements,  and  the  like?  Name  to  me  this  man,  if 
thou  knowest  one,  by  his  name,  and  designate  him  to  me  exactly 
by  his  family — I  would  turn  to  hiin  to  learn  from  him  what  I 
have  hitherto  striven  in  vain  to  find.  But  there  is  no  such  an 
one.  Thus  :  as  I  feel  myself  limited  in  my  knowledge,  so  there 
is  not  at  all  any  man  who  can  claim  limitless  Jcönnen  and  kennen 
[ability  and  knowledge].  Thus  casually  Aben  Ezra  explains, 
and  also  Rashi,  Arama,  and  others,  but  without  holding  fast  to 
this  in  its  purity;  for  in  the  interpretation  of  the  question,  "Who 
hath  ascended?  "  the  reference  to  Moses  is  mixed  up  with  it, 
after  the  Midrash  and  Sohar  (Parasha,  br]\)%  to  Ex.  xxxv.  1), 


CHAP.  XXX.  4.  275 

to  pass  by  other  obscurities  and  difficulties  Introduced.  Among 
the  moderns,  this  explanation,  according  to  which  all  alms  at 
the  answer,  "  there  is  no  man  to  whom  this  appertains,"  has 
no  exponent  worth  naming.  And,  indeed,  as  favourable  as 
is  the  qiiis  ciscendit  in  ccelos  ac  rursiis  descendit,  so  unfavour- 
able is  the  quis  constliidt  omnes  terminos  terrce,  for  this 
question  appears  not  as  implying  that  it  asks  after  the  man  who 
has  accomplished  this;  but  the  thought,  according  to  all  ap- 
pearance, underlies  it,  that  such  an  one  must  be  a  being  without 
an  equal,  after  whose  name  inquiry  is  made.  One  will  then 
have  to  judge  rhv  and  TTil  after  Gen.  xxvlli.  12  ;  the  ascending 
and  descending  are  compared  to  our  German  '•^  auf  und  nieder'"' 
[up  and  down],  for  which  we  do  not  use  the  phrase  "  nieder 
tind  auf"  and  Is  the  expression  of  free,  expanded,  unrestrained 
presence  in  both  regions ;  perhaps,  since  1"i"'1  Is  historical,  as  Ps. 
xviii.  10,  the  speaker  has  the  traditional  origin  of  the  creation 
in  mind,  according  to  which  the  earth  arose  into  being  earlier 
than  the  starry  heavens  above. 

Thus  the  four  questions  refer  (as  e.g.  also  Isa.  xl.  12)  to  Him 
who  has  done  and  who  does  all  that,  to  Him  who  is  not  Plim- 
self  to  be  comprehended  as  His  works  are,  and  as  He  shows 
Himself  in  the  greatness  and  wonderfulness  of  these,  must  be 
exalted  above  them  all,  and  mysterious.  If  the  inhabitant  of 
the  earth  looks  up  to  the  blue  heavens  streaming  in  the  golden 
sunlight,  or  sown  with  the  stars  of  night ;  If  he  considers  the 
interchange  of  the  seasons,  and  feels  the  sudden  rising  of  the 
wind ;  if  he  sees  the  upper  waters  clothed  In  fleecy  clouds,  and 
yet  held  fast  within  them  floating  over  him;  if  he  lets  his 
eye  sweep  the  horizon  all  around  him  to  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
built  up  upon  nothing  in  the  open  world-space  (Job  xxvl.  7) : 
the  conclusion  comes  to  him  that  he  has  before  him  in  the 
whole  the  work  of  an  everywhere  present  Being,  of  an  all-wise 
omnipotent  Worker — It  is  the  Being  whom  he  has  just  named 
as  b^,  the  absolute  Power,  and  as  the  Q"'^1p,  exalted  above  all 
created  beings,  with  their  troubles  and  limitations;  but  this  know- 
ledge gained  via  causalitalis,  via  eminentiw,  and  via  negationis, 
does  not  satisfy  yet  his  spirit,  and  does  not  bring  him  so  near  to 
this  Being  as  is  to  him  a  personal  necessity,  so  that  if  he  can 
in  some  measure   answer  the  fourfold   ""D,  yet   there   always 


276  TUE  BOOK  OF  PEOVERBS. 

presses  upon  him  the  question  inC'Tio,  wliat  is  his  name,  i.e.  the 
name  which  dissolves  the  secret  of  this  Being  above  all  beings, 
and  unfolds  the  mystery  of  the  wonder  above  all  wonders.  That 
this  Being  must  be  a  person  the  fourfold  '•O  presupposes ;  but 
the  question,  "  What  is  his  name?"  expresses  the  longing  to 
know  the  name  of  this  supernatural  personality,  not  any  kind  of 
name  which  is  given  to  him  by  men,  but  the  name  which  covers 
him,  which  is  the  appropriate  personal  immediate  expression 
of  his  being.  The  further  question,  "  And  what  the  name  of 
his  son?"  denotes,  according  to  Hitzig,  that  the  inquirer  strives 
after  an  adequate  knowledge,  such  as  one  may  have  of  a  human 
being.  But  he  would  not  have  ventured  this  question  if  he  did 
not  suppose  that  God  was  not  a  monas  [unity]  who  was  without 
manifoldness  in  Himself.  The  LXX.  translates :  r]  rt  ovofia 
Tot?  T6KvoL<;  avTov  (152),  perhaps  not  without  the  influence  of  the 
old  synagogue  reference  testified  to  in  the  Midrash  and  Sohar 
of  132  to  Israel,  God's  first-born  ;  but  this  interpretation  is 
opposed  to  the  spirit  of  this  nT-n  (intricate  speech,  enigma). 
Also  in  general  the  interrogator  cannot  seek  to  know  what  man 
stands  in  this  relation  of  a  son  to  the  Creator  of  all  things,  for 
that  would  be  an  ethical  question  which  does  not  accord  with  this 
metaphysical  one.  Geier  has  combined  this  I3n-D"^""nö1  with  viii. ; 
and  that  the  interrogator,  if  he  meant  the  n?D3n,  ought  to  have 
used  the  phrase  in2"DK'"nnij  rays  nothing  against  this,  for  also 
in  jiOiji,  viii.  30,  whether  it  means  foster-child  or  artifex,  work- 
master,  the  feminine  determination  disappears.  Not  Ewald 
alone  finds  here  the  idea  of  the  Logos,  as  the  first-born  Son  of 
God,  revealing  itself,  on  which  at  a  later  time  the  Palestinian 
doctrine  of  ninn  N^p''n  imprinted  itself  in  Alexandria;^  but 
also  J.  D.  Michaelis  felt  himself  constrained  to  recognise  here 
the  N.  T.  doctrine  of  the  Son  of  God  announcing  itself  from  afar. 
And  why  might  not  this  be  possible  ?  The  Rig- Veda  contains 
two  similar  questions,  x.  81, 4  :  "  Which  was  the  primeval  forest, 
or  what  the  tree  from  which  one  framed  the  heavens  and  the 
earth?  Surely,  ye  wise  men,  ye  ought  in  your  souls  to  make 
inquiry  whereon  he  stood  when  he  raised  the  wind ! "  And  i. 
164,  4:  "  Who  has  seen  the  first-born?  Where  was  the  life, 
the  blood,  the  soul  of  the  world  ?  Who  came  thither  to  ask 
'   Vid.  Apologetik  (1S69),  p.  432  ff. 


CHAP.  XXX.  1.  277 

this  from  any  one  who  knew  it  ?  '"  ^  Jewish  interpreters  also 
interpret  ^:2  of  the  causa  media  of  the  creation  of  the  world. 
Arama,  in  his  work  pn^*i  mpv,  sect,  xvi.,  suggests  that  by  133  we 
are  to  understand  the  primordial  element,  as  the  Sankhya- 
philosophy  understands  by  the  first-born  there  in  the  Rig,  the 
Prakriti,  i.e.  the  primeval  material.  R.  Levi  b.  Gerson  (Ralbag) 
comes  nearer  to  the  truth  when  he  explains  132  as  meaning  the 
cause  caused  by  the  supreme  cause,  in  other  words :  the  prin- 
cipium  principiatum  of  the  creation  of  the  world.  We  say  :  the 
inquirer  meant  the  demiurgic  might  which  went  forth  from  God, 
and  which  waited  on  the  Son  of  God  as  a  servant  in  the  creation 
of  the  world ;  the  same  might  which  in  chap.  viii.  is  called 
Wisdom,  and  is  described  as  God's  beloved  Son.  But  with  the 
name  after  which  inquiry  is  made,  the  relation  is  as  with  the 
''more  excellent  name  than  the  angels,"  Heb.  i.  4.^  It  is  mani- 
festly not  the  name  p,  since  the  inquiry  is  made  after  the  name 
of  the  p  ;  but  the  same  is  the  case  also  with  the  name  nösn,  or, 
since  this  does  not  harmonize,  according  to  its  grammatical 
gender,  with  the  form  of  the  question,  the  name  "im  p^''^)  ;  but 
it  is  the  name  which  belongs  to  the  first  and  only-begotten  Son 
of  God,  not  merely  according  to  creative  analogies,  but  accord- 
ing to  His  true  being.  The  inquirer  would  know  God,  the 
creator  of  the  world,  and  His  Son,  the  mediator  in  the  creation 
of  the  world,  according  to  their  natures.  If  thou  knowest,  says 
he,  turning  himself  to  man,  his  equal,  what  the  essential  names 
of  both  are,  tell  them  to  me  !  Bat  who  can  name  them  !  The 
nature  of  the  Godhead  is  hidden,  as  from  the  inquirer,  so  from 
every  one  else.  On  this  side  of  eternity  it  is  beyond  the  reach 
of  human  knowledge. 

The  solemn   confession    introduced  by  DX3    is   now   closed. 

1  Cited  by  Lyra  in  Beiceis  des  Glaubens  Jahrg.  1869,  p.  230.  The 
second  of  these  passages  is  thus  translated  by  Wilson  {Rig-  Veda-Scnihitu, 
London,  1854,  vol.  ii.  p.  127)  :  "  "Who  has  seen  the  primeval  (being)  at  the 
time  of  his  being  born?  What  is  that  endowed  with  substance  which  the 
unsubstantial  sustains  ?  From  earth  are  the  breath  and  blood,  but  where 
is  the  soul?    Who  may  repair  to  the  säge  to  ask  this?  " 

2  The  Comm.  there  remarks  :  It  is  the  heavenly  whole  name  of  the  highly 
exalted  One,  the  K'liaon  D^,  nomen  explicitum,  which  here  on  this  side  has 
entered  into  no  human  heart,  and  can  be  uttered  by  no  human  tongue,  the 
(ii/ofix  0  oi/Oil;  oloi'j  it  fivj  6  uvTo;,  Rev.  xix.  12. 


278  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Ewald  sees  herein  the  discourse  of  a  sceptical  mocker  at  religion ; 
and  Elster,  the  discourse  of  a  meditating  doubter ;  in  ver.  5, 
and  on,  the  answer  ought  then  to  follow,  which  is  given  to 
one  thus  speaking :  his  withdrawal  from  the  standpoint  of  faith 
in  the  revelation  of  God,  and  the  challenge  to  subordinate  his 
own  speculative  thinking  to  the  authority  of  the  word  of  God. 
But  this  interpretation  of  the  statement  depends  on  the  sym- 
bolical rendering  of  the  supposed  personal  names  ksTl^N  and 
b^a,  and,  besides,  the  dialogue  is  indicated  by  nothing ;  the  be- 
ginning of  the  answer  ought  to  have  been  marked,  like  the 
beginning  of  that  to  which  it  is  a  reply.  The  confession, 
li-4,  is  not  that  of  a  man  who  does  not  find  himself  in  the 
right  condition,  but  such  as  one  who  is  thirsting  after  God 
must  renounce  :  the  thought  of  a  man  does  not  penetrate  to  the 
essence  of  God  (Job  xi.  7-9) ;  even  the  ways  of  God  remain 
inscrutable  to  man  (Sir.  xviii.  3 ;  Eom.  xi.  33)  ;  the  Godhead 
remains,  for  our  thought,  in  immeasurable  height  and  depth  ; 
and  though  a  relative  knowledge  of  God  is  possible,  yet  the 
dogmatic  thesis,  Deum  quiclem  cognoscimus,  sed  non  compre- 
hendimus,  i.e.  non  perfecte  cognoscimus  quia  est  infinitus^  even 
over  against  the  positive  revelation,  remains  unchanged.  Thus 
nothing  is  wanting  to  make  1-4  a  complete  whole ;  and  what 
follows  does  not  belong  to  that  section  as  an  organic  part 
of  it. 

Ver.  5  Every  word  of  Eloah  is  pure  ; 

A  shield  is  He  for  those  who  hide  themselves  in  Him. 
6  Add  thou  not  to  His  words, 
Lest  He  convict  thee  and  thou  becomest  a  liar. 

Although  the  tetrastich  is  an  independent  proverb,  yet  it  is 
connected  to  the  foregoing  N^mn  [utterance,  ver.  1].  The 
more  limited  a  man  is  in  his  knowledge  of  God, — viz.  in  that 
which  presents  itself  to  him  lumine  naturce, — so  much  the  more 
thankful  must  he  be  that  God  has  revealed  Himself  in  history, 
and  so  much  the  more  firmly  has  he  to  hold  fast  by  the  pure 
word  of  the  divine  revelation.  In  the  dependent  relation  of 
ver.  5  to  Ps.  xviii.  31  (2  Sam.  xxii.  31),  and  of  ver.  6  to  Deut. 
iv.  2,  there  is  no  doubt  the  self-testimony  of  God  given  to  Israel, 
and  recorded  in  the  book  of  the  Tora,  is  here  meant.  rinpK-!?3 
^  Vid.  Luthardt's  Kompendium  der  Dogmatik,  §  27. 


CHAP.  XX5.  5,  6.  279 

is  to  he  judged  after  -Traaa  7pa0>;,  2  Tim.  iii.  16,  not :  every 
declaration  of  God,  wherever  promulgated,  but :  every  declara- 
tion within  the  revelation  lying  before  us.  The  primary 
passage  [Ps.  xviii.  31]  has  not  ^D  here,  but,  instead  of  it, 
Cphn  73?^  and  instead  of  i^vX  mox  it  has  niiT'  'dx  ;  his  change 
of  the  name  of  Jahve  is  also  not  favourable  to  the  opinion  that 
ver.  5  f.  is  a  part  of  the  N^um,  viz.  that  it  is  the  answer  thereto. 
The  proverb  in  this  contains  traces  of  the  Book  of  Job,  with 
which  in  many  respects  that  N^um  harmonizes ;  in  the  Book 
of  Job,  l!iiP^5  (with  ''^"^)  is  the  prevailing  name  of  God ;  whereas 
in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  it  occurs  only  in  the  passage  before 
us.  Mühlau,  p.  41,  notes  it  as  an  Arabism.  ^liy  (Arab,  saraf, 
to  turn,  to  cliange)  is  the  usutil  word  for  the  changing  process 
of  smelting  ;  ^l^i^  signifies  solid,  pure,  i.e.  purified  by  separating: 
God's  word  is,  without  exception,  like  pure,  massive  gold.  Re- 
garding nipn^  to  hide  oneself,  vid.  under  Ps.  ii.  12  :  God  is  a 
shield  for  those  who  make  Him,  as  revealed  in  Plis  word,  their 
refuge.  The  part,  nnh  occurs,  according  to  the  Masora,  three 
times  written  defectively, — xiv.  32 ;  2  Sam.  xxii.  31  ;  Neh.  i. 
7  ;  in  the  passage  before  us  it  is  to  be  written  D''pinp  ;  the  pro- 
verbs of  Agur  and  Lemuel  have  frequently  the  plena  scriptio 
of  i\\e  part.  act.  Kal,  as  well  as  of  the  fut.  Kal,  common  to  the 
Book  of  Job  (vid.  Mühlau,  p.  65). 

In  6a,  after  Aben  Ezra's  Moznajim  2b  (lib  of  Heiden- 
lieim's  edition),  and  Zachoth  53a  (cf.  Lipmanii's  ed.),  and 
other  witnesses  (vid.  Norzi),  t  sp  (the  f\  with  dagesh)  is  to  be 
written, — the  Cod.  Jaman.  and  others  defect,  without  1, — not 
tdsf ;  for,  since  ^IDW  (Ex.  x.  28)  is  yet  further  abbreviated  in 
this  way,  it  necessarily  loses^  the  aspiration  of  the  tenuis,  as  in  T\'-\y' 
( =  TTO;).  The  words  of  God  are  the  announcements  of  His  holy 
will,  measured  by  His  wisdom ;  they  are  then  to  be  accepted  as 
they  are,  and  to  be  recognised  and  obeyed.  He  who  adds  any- 
thing to  them,  either  by  an  overstraining  of  them  or  by  repress- 
ing them,  will  not  escape  the  righteous  judgment  of  God :  God 
will  convict  him  of  falsifying  His  word  (n'Sin^  P^;.  1.  21 ;   only 

^  That  both  Shevas  in  to.^p  are  quicsc,  vid.  Kimchi,  MicJdul  155  a  h,  who 
is  finally  decided  as  to  this.  That  the  word  should  be  read  toxp^'al  is  the 
opinion  of  Chajug  in  nun  'd  (regarding  the  quiesc.  letters),  p.  G  of  the 
Ed.  by  Dukes-Ewald. 


280  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

here  with  3  of  the  obj.),  and  expose  him  as  a  liar — viz.  by  the 
dispensations  which  unmask  the  falsifier  as  such,  and  make 
manifest  the  falsehood  of  his  doctrines  as  dangerous  to  souls 
and  destructive  to  society.  An  example  of  this  is  found  in  the 
kingdom  of  Israel,  in  the  destruction  of  which  the  curse  of  the 
human  institution  of  its  state  religion,  set  up  by  Jeroboam,  had 
no  little  share.  Also  the  Jewish  traditional  law,  although  in 
itself  necessary  for  the  carrying  over  of  the  law  into  the 
praxis  of  private  and  public  life,  falls  under  the  Deuteron,  pro- 
hibition,— which  the  poet  here  repeats, — so  far  as  it  claimed  for 
itself  the  same  divine  authority  as  that  of  the  written  law,  and 
so  far  as  it  hindered  obedience  to  the  law — by  the  straining-at- 
a-gnat  policy — and  was  hostile  to  piety.  Or,  to  adduce  an 
example  of  an  addition  more  dogmatic  than  legal,  what  a 
fearful  impulse  was  given  to  fleshly  security  by  that  over- 
straining of  the  promises  in  Gen.  xvii.,  which  were  connected 
with  circumcision  by  tiie  tradition,  "  the  circumcised  come  not 
into  hell,"  or  by  the  overstraining  of  the  prerogative  attributed 
by  Paul,  Rom.  ix.  4  f.,  to  his  people  according  to  the  Scriptures, 
in  the  principle,  "  All  Israelites  have  a  part  in  the  future 
world ! "  Regarding  the  accentuation  of  the  perf.  consec.  after 
JS),  vid.  at  Ps.  xxviii.  1.  The  penultima  accent  is  always  in 
pausa  (cf.  vers.  9  and  10). 

In  what  now  follows,  the  key-note  struck  in  ver.  1  is  con- 
tinued. There  follows  a  prayer  to  be  kept  in  the  truth,  and 
to  be  preserved  in  the  middle  state,  between  poverty  and  riches. 
It  is  a  Mashal-ode,  vid.  vol.  i.  p.  12.  By  the  first  prayer, 
"  vanity  and  lies  keep  far  from  me,"  it  is  connected  with  the 
warning  of  ver.  6. 

Ver.  7  Two  things  I  entreat  from  Thee, 

Eefuse  them  not  to  me  before  I  die. 

8  Vanity  and  lies  keep  far  away  from  me 
Poverty  and  riches  give  me  not : 

Cause  me  to  eat  the  bread  which  is  allotted  to  me, 

9  Lest  in  satiety  I  deny, 
And  say  :  Who  is  Jahve  ? 

And  lest,  in  becoming  poor,  I  steal, 
And  profane  the  name  of  my  God. 

We  begin  with  the  settlement  and  explanation  of  the  traditional 
punctuation.     A  monosyllable  like  Niji'  receives,  if  Legarmeh, 


CHAP.  XXX.  7-9.  281 

always  Mehuppach  Legarmeh^  while,  on  the  contrary,  the  poly- 
syllable V2\y^  has  Asia  Legarmeh.  ''^7\^'^'^%  with  double 
Mahkeph  and  with  Gaja  in  the  third  syllable  before  the  tone 
(after  the  Metheg- Setzung,  §  28),  is  Ben-Asher's  ;  whereas  Ben- 
Naphtali  prefers  the  punctuation  v  )Jiri"pX  (vid.  Baer's  Genesis, 
p.  79,  note  3).  Also  ^W^  ^^as  (cf.  ^^f:\%  xxxi.  5)  Mahkeph, 
and  on  the  antepenultima  Gaja  (vid.  Thorath  Emeth,  p.  32). 

The  per/,  consec.  ""n'^npi  has  on  the  ult  the  disjunctive  Zinnor 
(Sarka),  which  always  stands  over  the  final  letter;  but  that  the 
ult.  is  also  to  be  accented,  is  shown  by  the  counter-tone  Metheg, 
which  is  to  be  given  to  the  first  syllable.  Also  ''JjilOXI  has  in 
correct  Codd.,  e.g.  Cod.  1294,  the  correct  ultima  toning  of  a 
perf.  consec. ;  Kimchi  in  the  Michlol  Q>b,  as  well  as  Aben  Ezra 
in  both  of  his  Grammars^  quotes  only  ''iii'y'Sni  '•ri^^il  as  toned  on 
the  penult.  That  ''^3331  cannot  be  otherwise  toned  on  account 
of  the  pausal  accent,  has  been  already  remarked  under  &b  ;  the 
word,  besides,  belongs  to  the  P)D"s<3  pnns,  i.e.  to  tliose  which  pre- 
serve their  PaiAac/i  unlengthened  by  one  of  the  greater  disjunc- 
tives; the  Athnach  has  certainly  in  the  three  so-called  metrical 
books  only  the  disjunctive  form  of  the  Zakeph  of  the  prose 
books.      So  much  as  to  the  form  of  the  test. 

As  to  its  artistic  form,  this  prayer  presents  itself  to  us  as  the 
first  of  the  numerical  proverbs,  under  the  "Words"  of  Agur,  who 
delighted  in  this  form  of  proverb.  The  numerical  proverb  is 
a  brief  discourse,  having  a  didactic  end  complete  in  itself,  which 
by  means  of  numerals  gives  prominence  to  that  which  it  seeks 
to  bring  forward.  There  are  two  kinds  of  these.  The  more 
simple  form  places  in  the  first  place  only  one  numeral,  which  is 
the  sum  of  that  which  is  to  be  brought  forth  separately  :  the 
numerical  proverb  of  one  cipher ;  to  this  class  belong,  keeping 
out  of  view  the  above  prayer,  which  if  it  did  not  commence  a 
series  of  numerical  proverbs  does  not  deserve  this  technical  name 
on  account  of  the  low  ciphers  :  vers.  24-28,  with  the  cipher  4 ; 
Sir.  XXV.  1  and  2,  with  the  cipher  3.  Similar  to  the  above 
prayer  are  Job  xiii.  20  f.,  Isa.  li.  19 ;  but  these  are  not  numeri- 
cal proverbs,  for  they  are  not  proverbs.  The  more  artistic 
kind  of  numerical  proverb  has  two  ciphers :  the  two-ciphered 
numerical  proverb  we   call  the  sharpened  (pointed)  proverb. 


282  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Of  such  two  -  ciphered  numerical  proverbs  the  "  words "  of 
Agur  contain  four,  and  the  whole  Book  of  Proverbs,  reckon- 
ing vi.  16-19,  five — this  ascending  numerical  character  belongs 
to  the  popular  saying,  2  Kings  ix.  32,  Job  xxxiii.  29,  Isa. 
xvi.  6,  and  is  found  bearing  the  stamp  of  the  artistic  distich 
outside  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  Ps.  Ixii.  12,  Job  xxxiii.  14, 
xl.  5 ;  Job  v.  19,  and  particularly  Amos  i.  3-ii.  6.  According 
to  this  scheme,  the  introduction  of  Agur's  prayer  should  be : 

n^DX  DnDa  "»aDO  yjpn-^x  D^rii^'i 

and  it  could  take  this  form,  for  the  prayer  expresses  two  re- 
quests, but  dwells  exclusively  on  the  second.  A  twofold 
request  he  presents  to  God,  these  tw^o  things  he  wishes  to  be 
assured  of  on  this  side  of  death  ;  for  of  tliese  he  stands  in  need, 
so  as  to  be  able  when  he  dies  to  look  back  on  the  life  he  lias 
spent,  without  the  reproaches  of  an  accusing  conscience.  The 
first  thing  he  asks  is  that  God  would  keep  far  from  him  vanity 
and  Ij  ing  words.  Niti'  (=  J<]ü^,  from  KiK'  =  !^^J!'f ,  to  be  waste,  after 
the  form  nio)  is  either  that  which  is  confused,  worthless,  untrue, 
which  comes  to  us  from  without  (e.g.  Job  xxxi.  5),  or  dissolute- 
ness, hollowness,  untruthfulness  of  disposition  (e.g.  Ps.  xxvi.  4)  ; 
it  is  not  to  be  decided  whether  the  suppliant  is  influenced  by 
the  conception  thus  from  within  or  from  without,  since  3T3'"i3T 
[a  word  of  falsehood]  may  be  said  by  himself  as  well  as  to  him, 
a  falsehood  can  intrude  itself  upon  him.  It  is  almost  more 
probable  that  by  NIC'  he  thought  of  the  misleading  power  of 
God-estranged,  idolatrous  thought  and  action ;  and  by  aD"nm, 
of  lying  words,  with  which  he  might  be  brought  into  sympathy, 
and  by  which  he  might  ruin  himself  and  others.  The  second 
petition  is  that  God  would  give  him  neither  poverty  (K'^?.,  vid. 
X.  4)  nor  riches,  but  grant  him  for  his  sustenance  only  the 
bread  of  the  portion  destined  for  liim.  The  HipJi.  fi"'19n  (from 
Pj^D,  to  grind,  viz.  the  bread  with  the  teeth)  means  to  give^ 
anything,  as  ^'}1^,  with  which,  xxxi.  15,  pn  jnj  is  parallel :  to 
present  a  fixed  piece,  a  definite  portion  of  sustenance,  ph, 
Gen.  xlvii.  22,  the  portion  assigned  as  nourishment ;  of.  Job 
^  The  Venet.  translates,  according  to  Villoison,  dipipou  fis ;  but  the  MS. 
has,  according  to  Gebhardt,  öpiipou. 


CHAP.  XXX.  10.  ■  283 

xxili.  14  ■'ü'n,  the  decree  determined  regarding  me.  Accord- 
ingly, ''ipn  on?  does  not  mean  the  bread  appropriately  measured 
out  for  me  (like  äpTO<;  i7rLoiicrco<i^  that  which  is  required  for 
ovala,  subsistence),  but  the  bread  appropriate  for  me,  deter- 
mined for  me  according  to  the  divine  plan.  Fleischer  compares 
(Arab.)  ratab  and  marsaum^  which  both  in  a  simihir  way  desig- 
nate a  fixed  susteutation  portion.  And  why  does  he  wish  to 
be  neither  poor  nor  rich  ?  Because  in  both  extremes  lie  moral 
dangers  :  in  riches,  the  temptation  to  deny  God  (which  'n3  D'n3 
signifies,  in  the  later  Heb.  "li^ys  "iS3,  to  deny  the  fundamental 
truth ;  cf.  (Arab.)  kafar,  unbelieving),  whom  one  flowing  in 
superabundance  forgets,  and  of  whom  one  in  his  self-indul- 
gence desires  to  know  nothing  (Job  xxi.  14-16,  xxii.  16  f.)  ;  in 
poverty,  the  temptation  is  to  steal  and  to  blaspheme  the  name 
of  God,  viz.  by  murmuring  and  disputing,  or  even  by  words  of 
blasphemy  ;  for  one  who  is  in  despair  directs  the  outbreaks  of 
his  anger  against  God  (Isa.  viii.  21),  and  curses  Him  as  the 
cause  of  His  misfortune  (Rev.  xvi.  11,  21).  The  question  of 
godless  haughtiness,  nin""  '•pj  the  LXX.  improperly  change  into 
nxi''  '"O^  Ti9  fxe  opa.  Regarding  tJ'liJ,  to  grow  poor,  or  rather, 
since  only  the  fat.  Niph.  occurs  in  this  sense,  regarding  5inv, 
vid.  at  XX.  13. 

That  the  author  here,  by  blaspheming  (grasping  at)  the  name 
of  God,  especially  thinks  on  that  which  the  Tora  calls  "  cursing 
\h^)  God,"  and  particularly  "  blaspheming  the  name  of  the 
Lord,"  Lev.  xxiv.  15,  16,  is  to  be  concluded  from  the  two 
following  proverbs,  which  begin  with  the  catchword  ^^p : 
Ver.  10  Calumniate  not  a  servant  -with  his  master, 

Lest  he  curse  thee,  and  thou  must  atone  for  it. 
Incorrectly  Ewald  :  entice  not  a  servant  to  slander  against  his 
master  ;  and  Hitzig :  "  Make  not  a  servant  tattle  regarding  his 
master."  It  is  true  that  the  Foel  V^r?  (to  pierce  with  the 
tongue,  lingua  petere)  occurs  twice  in  the  sense  of  to  calumniate; 
but  that  pw'Sn  means  nothing  else,  is  attested  by  the  post.-bibl. 
Hebrew  ;  the  proverb  regarding  schismatics  (Q"'?'''?!?  ^i?"!?)  in  the 
Jewish  Scliemone-Esre  (prayer  of  the  eighteen  benedictions)  began 
with  D"':''C^?Dh,  "and  to  the  calumniators"  (delatorihus).  Also 
in  the  Arab,  dlsana  signifies  pertulit  verba  aliciijus  ad  alleramj 
to  make  a  babbler,  rapporteur  (Fleischer).     That  the  word  also 


284  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

here  is  not  to  be  otherwise  interpreted,  is  to  be  concluded  from 
?X  with  the  causative  rendering.  Rightly  Symmachus,  fxr] 
SiaßaXrj'i ;  Theodotioti,  fMrj  KaTdkaXrjay^  ;  and  according  to  the 
sense  also,  Jerome,  ne  accuses ;  the  Venet.  fir]  Karafji,rjvvcrrj<i 
(give  not  him)  ;  on  the  contrary,  Luther,  verrate  nicht  [betray 
not],  renders  pc'iri  with  the  LXX.,  Syr.  in  the  sense  of  the  Aram. 
Q^C'N  and  the  Arab,  dslam  (tradere,  prodere).  One  should  not 
secretly  accuse  (Ps.  ci.  5)  a  servant  with  his  master,  and  in  that 
lies  the  character  of  slander  Qjy}  pti'?)  when  one  puts  suspicion 
upon  him,  or  exaggerates  the  actual  facts,  and  generally  makes  the 
person  suspected — one  thereby  makes  a  man,  whose  lot  in  itself 
is  not  a  happy  one,  at  length  and  perhaps  for  ever  unhappy, 
and  thereby  he  brings  a  curse  on  himself.  But  it  is  no  matter 
of  indifference  to  be  the  object  of  the  curse  of  a  man  whom  one 
has  unrighteously  and  unjustly  overwhelmed  in  misery:  such 
a  curse  is  not  without  its  influence,  for  it  does  not  fruitlessly 
invoke  the  righteous  retribution  of  God,  and  thus  one  has 
sorrowfully  to  atone  for  the  wanton  sins  of  the  tongue  {ve- 
aschdmta,  for  ve-ascliamtd  as  it  is  would  be  without  pause). 

There  now  follows  a  Priamel^  the  first  line  of  which  is,  by  hh'p^ 
connected  with  the  'jh\>''  of  the  preceding  distich  : 

Ver.  IIA  generation  that  curseth  their  father, 
And  doth  not  bless  tlicir  mother ; 

12  A  generation  pure  in  their  own  eyes, 
And  yet  not  washed  from  their  filthiness; 

13  A  generation — how  haughty  their  eyes, 
And  their  eyehds  lift  themselves  up  ; 

14  A  generation  whose  teeth  are  swords  and  their  jaw  teeth 

knives 
To  devour  the  poor  from  the  earth  and  the  needy  from 
the  midst  of  men. 

Ewald  translates  :  O  generation  !  but  that  would  have  required 
the  word,  13a,  ~nn  (Jer.  ii.  31),  and  one  would  have  expected 

^  [Cf.  vol.  i.  p.  13.  The  name  (from  prxanibuluin)  given  to  a  peculiar 
form  of  popular  gnomic  poetry  which  prevailed  in  Germany  from  the  12th 
{e.g.  the  ^leistersinger  or  Minstrel  Sparvogel)  to  the  16th  century,  but  was 
especially  cultivated  during  the  14th  and  15th  centuries.  Its  peculiarity 
consisted  in  this,  that  after  a  series  of  antecedents  or  subjects,  a  briefly- 
expressed  consequent  or  predicate  was  introduced  as  the  epigrammatic  point 
applicable  to  all  these  antecedents  together.  Vid.  Erschenburg's  Denk- 
mälern altdeutscher  Dichtkunst,  Bremen  1799.] 


CHAP.  XXX.  11-1-i.  285 

to  have  found  something  mentioned  which  the  generation  ad- 
dressed were  to  take  heed  to  ;  but  it  is  not  so.  But  if  "  O 
generation  1"  should  be  equivalent  to  "  O  regarding  the  genera- 
tion ! "  then  ""in  ought  to  have  introduced  the  sentence.  And  if 
we  translate,  with  Luther:  There  is  a  generation,  etc.,  then  ^^, 
is  supplied,  which  might  drop  out,  but  could  not  be  omitted. 
The  LXX.  inserts  after  ckjovov  the  word  kukov,  and  then 
renders  what  follows  as  pred. — a  simple  expedient,  but  worthless. 
The  Venet.  does  not  need  this  expedient,  for  it  renders  ryevea 
TOP  warepa  avrov  ßXaa^7]fjbi]cr€t ;  but  then  the  order  of  the 
words  in  11a  would  have  been  vax  bbp''  in  ;  and  in  12a,  after 
the  manner  of  a  subst.  clause,  Nin  vryi  ^l^tJ  "ill,  one  sees  dis- 
tinctly, from  13  and  14,  that  what  follows  in  is  to  be  under- 
stood, not  as  a  pred.,  but  as  an  attributive  clause.  As  little  can 
we  interpret  ver.  14,  with  Löwenstein,  as  pred.  of  the  three 
subj.,  "  it  is  a  generation  whose  teeth  are  swords ; "  that  would 
at  least  have  required  the  words  Nin  "in ;  but  ver.  14  is  not  at 
all  a  judgment  valid  for  all  the  three  subjects.  The  Targ. 
and  Jerome  translate  correctly,  as  we  above  ;  ^  but  by  this 
rendering  there  are  four  subjects  in  the  preamble,  and  the 
whole  appears,  since  the  common  pred.  is  wanting,  as  a  muti- 
lated Priamel.  Perhaps  the  author  meant  to  say :  it  is  such 
a  generation  that  encompasses  us ;  or  :  such  is  an  abomination 
to  Jahve;  for  "in  is  a  Gesamtheit  =  totality,  generation  of  men 
who  are  bound  together  by  contemporary  existence,  or  homo- 
geneity, or  by  both,  but  always  a  totality ;  so  that  these  verses, 
11-14,  might  describe  quatuor  detestahilia  genera  Jiominum  (C. 
B.  Michaelis),  and  yet  one  generatio,  which  divide  among 
themselves  these  four  vices,  of  blackest  ingratitude,  loathsome 
self-righteousness,  arrogant  presumption,  and  unmerciful  covet- 
ousness.  Similar  is  the  description  given  in  the  Mishna  Sota 
ix.  lA,  of  the  character  of  the  age  in  which  the  Messiah  ap- 
peared. "  The  appearance  of  this  age,"  thus  it  concludes,  "  is 
like  the  appearance  of  a  dog;  a  son  is  not  ashamed  before  his 
father ;  to  whom  will  we  then  look  for  help  1  To  our  Father 
in  heaven!"^     The  undutifulness  of   a  child  is  here  placed 

^  The  Syr.  begins  11a  as  if  *in  were  to  be  supplied. 
2  Cf.  also  Ali  b.  Abi  Täleb's  dark  description,  beginning  -with  hadhn 
alzman  (this  age),  Zur  allg.  Char,  der  arah.  Poesie  (1870),  p.  54  f 


286  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

first.  To  curse  one's  parents  is,  after  Ex.  xxi.  17,  cf.  Prov. 
XX.  10,  a  crime  worthy  of  death ;  "  not  to  bless,"  is  here,  per 
litoten,  of  the  same  force  as  ??i?  [to  curse].  The  second  charac- 
teristic, ver.  12,  is  wicked  blindness  as  to  one's  judgment  of 
himself.  The  LXX.  coarsely,  but  not  bad :  ir]v  S'  e^ohov 
auTov  ovK  aTrevt^lrev.  Of  such  darkness  one  says :  sordes  siias 
putat  olere  cinnama.  Y^"}  is  not  the  abbreviated  part.  (Stuart), 
as  e.g.  Ex.  iii.  2,  but  the  finite,  as  e.g.  IIos.  i.  6. 

In  loa  the  attributive  clause  forms  itself,  so  as  to  express 
the  astonishing  height  of  arrogance,  into  an  exclamation  :  a 
generation,  how  lofty  are  their  eyes  (cf.  e.g.  vi.  17,  niOT  D^i""!?)  ! 
to  which,  as  usual,  it  is  simply  added :  and  his  eyelids  (palpe- 
brce)  lift  themselves  up ;  in  Lat.,  the  lifting  up  of  the  eye- 
brow as  an  expression  of  haughtiness  is  described  by  elatum 
(^siqjerhum)  siiperciliitm. 

The  fourth  characteristic  is  insatiable  covetousness,  which 
does  not  spare  even  the  poor,  and  preys  upon  them,  the  help- 
less and  the  defenceless :  they  devour  them  as  one  eats  bread, 
Ps.  xiv.  4.  The  teeth,  as  the  instruments  of  eating,  are  com- 
pared to  swords  and  knives,  as  at  Ps.  Ivii.  4  to  spears  and 
arrows.      With  VSt^'  there  is  interchanged,  as  at  Job  xxix.  17, 

Jonah  i.  6,  vnypHD  (not  'rio,  as  Norzi  writes,  contrary  to  Metheg- 

Setzung,  §  37,  according  to  which  Gcija,  with  the  servant  going 
before,  is  inadmissible),  transposed  from  vriyripö,  Ps.  Iviii.  7, 
from  Vri7,  to  strike,  pierce,  bite.  The  designation  of  place, 
n^^j  "  from  the  earth  "  (which  also,  in  paiisa,  is  not  modified 
into  P'^''?),  and  D'iND,  "  from  the  midst  of  men,"  do  not  belong 
to  the  obj. :  those  who  belong  to  the  earth,  to  mankind  (yid. 
Ps.  X.  18),  for  thus  interpreted  they  would  be  useless ;  but  to 
the  word  of  action :  from  the  earth,  out  from  the  midst  of  men 
away,  so  that  they  disappear  from  thence  (Amos  viii.  4).  By 
means  of  fine  but  cobweb  combinations.  Hitzig  finds  Amalek 
in  this  fourfold  proverb.  But  it  is  a  portrait  of  the  times, 
like  Ps.  xiv.,  and  certainly  without  any  national  stamp. 

With  the  characteristic  of  insatiableness  it  closes,  and  there 
follows  an  apopldhegma  de  quatuor  insaiiahilihus  qnce  ideo  com- 
parantur  cum  sanguisuga  (C.  B.  Michaelis).  We  translate  the 
text  here  as  it  lies  before  us : 


CHAP.  XXX.  1.5,  16.  287 

Ver.  15  The  'AWca  hath  two  daughters  :  Give  I  Give! 
Three  of  these  are  never  satisfied  ; 
Four  say  not :  Enough  ! 
16  The  under-world  and  the  closing  of  the  womb ; 
The  earth  is  not  satisfied  with  water ; 
And  the  fire  saith  not :  Enough  ! 

We  begin  with  Masoretic  externalities.  The  first  2  in  '2T\  is 
Beth  minus culum ;  probably  it  had  accidentally  this  diminutive 
form  in  the  original  MSS.,  to  which  the  Midrash  (cf.  Sepher 
Tagliin  ed.  Barges,  1866,  p.  47)  has  added  absurd  conceits. 
This  first  i^n  has  Pasek  after  it,  which  in  this  case  is  servant 
to  the  Olewejored  going  before,  according  to  the  rule  Thorath 
Emeth,  p.  24,  here,  as  at  Ps.  Ixxxv.  9,  Mehiippach.  The  second 
an,  which  of  itself  alone  is  the  representative  of  Olewejored,  has 
in  Plutter,  as  in  the  Cod.  Erfurt  2,  and  Cod.  2  of  the  Leipzig 
Public  Library,  the  pausal  punctuation  sn  (cf.  Hi^^  1  Sam.  xxi. 
10),  but  which  is  not  sufficiently  attested.  Instead  of  1"ipX"N7, 
15^  'nox  N^"  and  instead  of  nnnx-^^^,  166,  nnox  S  are  to  be 
written ;  the  Zinnorith  removes  the  Makkeph,  according  to 
Thorath  Emeth,  p.  9,  Accentuationssystem,  iv.  §  2.  Instead  of 
2^0,  16a,  only  Jablonski,  as  Mühlau  remarks,  has  D^ö;  but  in- 
correctly, since  Athnach,  after  Olewejored,  has  no  pausal  force 
{vid.  Thorath  Emeth,  p.  37).  All  that  is  without  any  weight 
as  to  the  import  of  the  words.  But  the  punctuation  affords 
some  little  service  for  the  setting  aside  of  a  view  of  Rabbenu 
Tam  (yid.  Tosaphoth  to  Aboda  zara  IIa,  and  Eriibin  19a), 
which  has  been  lately  advocated  by  Lövvenstein.  That  view 
is,  that  'Aluka  is  the  name  of  a  wise  man,  not  Solomon's, 
because  the  Pesikta  does  not  reckon  this  among  the  names  of 
Solomon,  nor  yet  a  name  of  hell,  because  it  is  not,  in  the 
Gemara,   numbered   among  the  names  of   Gehinnom.     Thus 

I  rii^vv?  would  be  a  superscription,  like  "Dlb  and  r\J:h'J?,  Ps.  xxvi. 
1,  Ixxii.  1,  provided  with  Asia  Legarmeh.  But  this  is  not 
possible,  for  the  Asia  Legarmeh,  at  Ps.  xxvi.  1  and  Ixxii.  1,  is 
the  transformation  of  Olewejored,  inadmissible  on  the  first  word 
of  the  verse  (Accentttationssi/stem,  xix.  §  1)  ;  but  no  Olewejored 
can  follow  such  an  Asia  Legarmeh,  which  has  the  force  of  an 
Olewejored,  as  after  this  npl^j?!',  which  the  accentuation  then  does 
not  regard  as  the  author's  name  given  as  a  superscription. 


288  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

ni5w  is  not  the  name  of  a  person,  and  generally  not  a  proper 
name,  but  a  generic  name  of  certain  traditional  signification. 
"One  must  drink  no  water" — says  the  Gemara  Ahoda  zara 
V2h — "out  of  a  river  or  pond,  nor  (immediately)  with  his 
mouth,  nor  by  means  of  his  hand ;  he  who,  nevertheless,  does 
it,  his  blood  comes  on  his  own  head,  because  of  the  danger. 
What  danger  ?  npvj?  ri33p,"  i.e.  the  danger  of  swallowing  a 
leech.  The  Aram,  also  designates  a  leech  by  Ni^vJ?  (cf.  e.g. 
Targ.  Ps.  xii.  9  :  hence  tlie  godless  walk  about  like  theleech, 
which  sucks  the  blood  of  men),  and  the  Arab,  by  'alah  (n.  unit. 
^alakat),Si3  the  word  is  also  rendered  here  by  the  Aram,  and  Arab, 
translators.  Accordingly,  all  the  Greeks  render  it  by  ßSeWr] ; 
Jerome,  by  sanguisuga  (Rashi,  sangsue)  \  also  Luther's  Eigel 
is  not  the  Igel  erinaceus  [hedgehog],  but  the  Egel,  i.e.,  as  we 
now  designate  it,  the  Blutegel  [leech],  or  (less  correctly)  Blutigel. 
*^\>pV  is  the  fem.  of  the  adj.  pvj?,  attached  to,  which  meaning,  to- 
gether with  the  whole  verbal  stem,  the  Arab,  has  preserved  (yid. 
Miihlau's  Mittheilung  des  Art.  'aluka  aus  dem  Ramus,  p.  42 ).'^ 
But  if,  now,  the  'Aluka  is  the  leech,^  which  are  then  its  two 
daughters,  to  which  is  here  given  the  name  in  an,  and  which  at 
the  same  time  have  this  cry  of  desire  in  their  mouths  ?  Grotius 
and  others  understand,  by  the  two  daughters  of  the  leech, 
the  two  branches  of  its  tongue ;  more  correctly :  the  double- 
membered  overlip  of  its  sucker.  C.  B.  Michaelis  thinks  thiU 
the  greedy  cry,  "  Give  !  Give ! "  is  personified :  voces  istcB  con- 
cipiuntur  ut  hirudinis  film,  quas  ex  se  gignat  et  velut  mater 
sobolem  vnpense  diligat.  But  since  this  does  not  satisfy,  sym- 
bolical interpretations  oi' Aluka  have  been  resorted  to.  The 
Talmud,  Ahoda  zara  17a,  regards  it  as  a  name  of  hell.  In 
this  sense  it  is  used  in  the  language  of  the  Pijut  (synagogue 

^  Nöldeke  has  remarked,  with  reference  to  Miihlau's  Monographie,  that 
'aluka,  in  the  sense  of  tenacious  (tenax),  is  also  found  in  Syr.  (Geopou. 
xiii.  9,  xli.  26),  and  that  generally  the  stem  p^y,  to  cleave,  to  adhere,  is 
more  common  in  Aram,  than  one  would  suppose.  But  this,  however 
common  in  Arab.,  is  by  no  means  so  in  Syr. ;  and  one  may  affirm  that, 
among  other  Arabisms  foimd  in  the  Proverbs  of  Agur,  the  word  'Aluka 
has  decidedly  an  Arab,  sound. 

2  In  Sanscrit  the  leech  is  called  galaukas  (masc.)  or  galauka  (fem.),  i.e. 
the  inhabitant  of  the  water  (from  gala,  water,  and  okas,  dwelling).  Ewald 
regards  this  as  a  transformation  of  the  Semitic  name. 


CHAP.  XXX.  15,  IC.  2S9 

poetry).^  IVAIüM  is  hell,  then  fancy  has  the  ■wldesL  room  for 
finding  an  answer  to  the  question,  What  are  the  two  daugliters  ? 
The  Tahnud  supposes  that  nVl^'^  (the  worklly  domination)  and 
m^D  (heresy)  are  meant.  The  Church-fathers  also,  under- 
standing by  'Älül-a  the  power  of  the  devil,  expatiated  in  such 
interpretations.  Of  the  same  character  are  Calmet's  interpre- 
tation, that  sanguisxiga  is  a  figure  of  the  mala  cupiditas,  and  its 
twin-daughters  are  avaritia  and  amhitio.  The  truth  lying  in 
all  these  is  this,  that  here  there  must  be  some  kind  of  symbol. 
But  if  the  poet  meant,  by  the  two  daughters  of  the  'Aluka,  two 
beings  or  things  which  he  does  not  name,  then  he  kept  the 
best  of  his  symbol  to  himself.  And  could  he  use  'Alaka,  this 
common  name  for  the  leech,  without  further  intimation,  in  any 
kind  of  symbolical  sense?  The  most  of  modern  interpreters 
do  nothing  to  promote  the  understanding  of  the  word,  for 
they  suppose  that  'Älüica,  from  its  nearest  signification,  denotes 
a  demoniacal  spirit  of  the  character  of  a  vampire,  like  the 
Jlahini  of  the  Indians,  which  nourish  themselves  on  human 
flesh  ;  the  ghouls  of  the  Arabs  and  Persians,  which  inhabit 
graveyards,  and  kill  and  eat  men,  particularly  wanderers  in  the 
desert;  in  regard  to  which  it  is  to  be  remarked,  that  (Arab.) 
'axolah  is  indeed  a  name  for  a  demon,  and  that  aValuwah,  accord- 
ing to  the  Kamus,  is  used  in  the  sense  of  algJiical.  Thus 
Dathe,  Doderlein,  Ziegler,  Umbreit ;  thus  also  Hitzig,  Ewald, 
and  others.  Mühlau,  while  he  concurs  in  this  understanding 
of  the  -word,  and  now  throwing  open  the  question,  Which, 
then,  are  the  two  daughters  of  the  demoness  'Aliika?  finds  no 
answer  to  it  in  the  proverb  itself,  and  therefore  accepts  of  the 
view  of  Ewald,  since  15b-16,  taken  by  themselves,  form  a  fully 
completed  whole,  that  the  line  'iJi  np'hv^  is  the  beginning  of  a 
numerical  proverb,  the  end  of  which  is  wanting.  We  acknow- 
ledge, because  of  the  obscurity — not  possibly  aimed  at  by  the 
author  himself — in  which  the  two  daughters  remain,  the  frag- 
mentary characters  of  the  proverb  of  the  'Alfika;  Stuart  also 
does  this,  for  he  regards  it  as  brought  out  of  a  connection  in 
which  it  was  intelligible, — but  we  believe  that  the  line  '1:1  C'^b^ 

^  So  says  e.g.  Salomo  ha-Babli,  in  a  Zidath  of  the  first  Chamdka-Sahhats 
(beginning  fj^n  I^V  px) :  p^y  ''?n?'!'?  '''^i?^  ^^^7  ^"^°  ^^^^  ^"^"^  flames  of 
hell. 

VOL.   II.  T 


290  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVERCS. 

is  an  original  formal  part  of  this  proverb.  For  the  proverb 
forming,  according  to  Mühlau's  judgment,  a  whole  rounded 
off: 

n3j?3K'n  i6  Hin  ^i/'h^ 
Dm  "ivyi  ^ixB' 

i\'\:^  mos  ah  c'i^i 

contains  a  mark  which  makes  the  original  combination  of  these 
five  lines  improbable.  Always  where  the  third  is  exceeded  by 
the  fourth,  the  step  from  the  third  to  the  fourth  is  taken  by 
the  connecting  Vav :  ver.  18,  y^nsi ;  21,  yms  nnni ;  29,  ny^nsi. 
We  therefore  conclude  that  'iJi  iS  yaix  is  the  original  com- 
mencement of  independent  proverb.     This  proverb  is : 

Four  things  say  not :  Enough ! 

The  uniler-world  and  the  closing  of  the  womb  [i.e.  unfruitful 

•womb] — 
The  earth  is  not  satisfied  -with  water, 
And  the  fire  saj^s  not ;  Enough ! 

a  tetrastich  more  acceptable  and  appropriate  than  the  Arab, 
proverb  (Freytag,  Prow.  iii.  p.  61,  No.  347)  :  ''  three  things 
are  not  satisfied  by  three  :  the  womb,  and  wood  by  fire,  and 
the  earth  by  rain  ; "  and,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  remarkable  to 
find  it  thus  clothed  in  the  Indian  language,^  as  given  in  the 
Hitopadesa  (p.  67  of  Lassen's  ed.),  and  in  Pantschatantra, 
i.  153  (ed.  of  Kosegarten)  : 

nagnis  trpjati  Tcäshtliänän  näpagänän  maliodadliih 
nCintakak  sarvdbTiütänän  va  punsCin  vumalo'canali. 

Fire  is  not  sated  with  wood,  nor  the  ocean  with  the  streams, 
Nor  death  with  all  the  living,  nor  the  beautiful-eyed  with  men. 

As  in  the  proverb  of  Agur  the  4  falls  into  2  +  2,  so  also  in  this 
Indian  sloka.  In  botli,fire  and  the  realm  of  death  {antaha  is  death 
as  the  personified  ''end-maker")  correspond;  and  as  there  the 

^  That  not  only  natural  productions,  but  also  ideas  and  literary  produc- 
tions (words,  proverbs,  knowledge),  were  conveyed  from  the  Indians  to  the 
Semites,  and  from  the  Semites  to  the  Indians,  on  the  great  highways  by  sea 
and  laud,  is  a  fact  abundantly  verified.  There  is  not  in  this,  however,  any 
means  of  determining  the  situation  of  Massa. 


CHAP.  XXX.  13,  16.  291 

womb  and  the  earth,  so  here  feminarium  cupidltas  and  the  ocean. 
The  parallehzing  of  px  and  am  is  after  passages  such  as  Ps. 
cxxxix.  15,  Job  i.  21  (cf.  also  Prov.  v.  16;  Num.  xxiv.  7;  Isa. 
xlviii.  1);  that  of  hs'i^  and  v^^  is  to  be  judged  of  ^  after  passages 
such  as  Deut.  xxxii.  22,  Isa.  Ivi.  24.  That  {in  nöS  N^  repeats 
itself  in  pn  mnx  ^  is  now,  as  we  render  the  proverb  indepen- 
dently, much  more  satisfactory  than  if  it  began  with  'iji  C'lb'k^ : 
it  rounds  itself  off,  for  the  end  returns  into  the  beginning. 
Eegardiag  Jin,  viel.  i.  13.  From  pn,  to  be  light,  it  signifies 
living  lightly;  ease,  superabundance,  in  that  Avhich  renders  life 
light  or  easy.  "  Used  accusatively,  and  as  an  exclamation,  it  is 
equivalent  to  plenty!  enough!  It  is  used  in  the  same  sense 
in  the  North  African  Arab,  hrrakat  (spreading  out,  fulness). 
Wetzstein  remarks  that  in  Damascus  lalwn,  i.e.  hitherto,  is  used 
in  the  sense  of  hajah,  enough  ;  and  that,  accordingly,  we  may 
attempt  to  explain  pn  of  our  [Heb.]  language  in  the  sense  of 
(Arab.)  haion  haddah,  i.e.  here  the  end  of  it !  "      (Miihlau.) 

But  what  do  we  now  make  of  the  two  remaining  lines  of  the 
proverb  of  the  'Aluka  f  The  proverb  also  in  this  division  of  two 
lines  is  a  fragment.  Ewald  completes  it,  for  to  the  one  line,  of 
which,  according  to  his  view,  the  fragment  consists,  he  adds  two : 

The  bloodsucker  has  two  daughters,  "  Hither !  hither !  " 

Three  saying,  "  Hither,  hither,  hither  the  blood, 

The  blood  of  the  wicked  child." 
A  proverb  of  this  kind  may  stand  in  the  O.  T.  alone :  it  sounds 
as  if  quoted  from  Grimm's  Mährchen,  and  is  a  side-piece  to 
Zappert's  altdeutsch.  Schlummerliede.  Cannot  the  mutilation  of 
the  proverb  be  rectified  in  a  less  violent  way  without  any  self- 
made  addition  ?  If  this  is  the  case,  that  in  vers.  15  and  16,  which 
now  form  one  proverb,  there  are  two  melted  together,  only  the 
fii;st  of  which  lies  before  us  in  a  confused  form,  then  this 
phenomenon  is  explained  by  supposing  that  the  proverb  of  the 
^ Aluka  originally  stood  in  this  form  : 

The  'Aluka  has  two  daughters  :  Give  !  give ! — 
The  under- world  and  the  closing  of  the  womb  ; 
There  are  three  that  are  never  satisfied. 

Thus  completed,  this  tristich  presents  itself  as  the  original  side- 

1  The  parallelizing  of  dm  andisiXw',  Beraclotli  15&,  is  not  directly  aimed 
at  by  the  poet. 


292  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

piece  of  the  lost  tetrastich,  beginning  with  ynii«.  One  might 
suppose  that  if  ^iX'kJ^  and  Dm  "ivy  have  to  be  regarded  as  the 
daughters  of  the  'Aluka,  which  Hitzig  and  also  Zöckler  have 
recognised,  then  there  exists  no  reason  for  dividing  the  one 
proverb  into  two.  Yet  the  taking  of  them  as  separate  is  neces- 
sary, for  this  reason,  because  in  the  fourth,  into  which  it 
expands,  the  'Aluka  is  altogether  left  out  of  account.  But  in 
the  above  tristich  it  is  taken  into  account,  as  was  to  be  expected, 
as  the  mother  with  her  children.  This,  that  sheol  (?iS'^  is  for 
the  most  part  fern.),  and  the  womb  (Dn*i  =Dn"!,  which  is  fem., 
Jer.  XX.  17)  to  which  conception  is  denied,  are  called,  on  account 
of  their  greediness,  the  daughters  of  i\\Q'Alüha,  is  to  be  under- 
stood in  the  same  way  as  when  a  mountain  height  is  called, 
Isa.  V.  1,  a  horn  of  the  son  of  oil.  In  the  Arab.,  which  is 
inexhaustibly  rich  in  such  figurative  names,  a  man  is  called 
"  a  son  of  the  clay  (limi)  ;"  a  thief,  "  a  son  of  the  night ;  "  a 
nettle,  "  the  daughter  of  fire."  The  under-world  and  a  closed 
womb  have  the  ' AluJca  nature;  they  are  insatiable,  like  the 
leech.  It  is  unnecessary  to  interpret,  as  Zöckler  at  last  does, 
'Aluka  as  the  name  of  a  female  demon,  and  the  077, 
"  daughters,"  as  her  companions.  It  may  be  adduced  in  favour 
of  this  view  that  nj^w^  is  without  the  article,  after  the  manner 
of  a  proper  name.  But  is  it  really  without  the  article?  Such 
a  doubtful  case  we  had  before  us  at  xxvii.  23.  As  yet  only 
Böttcher,  §  394,  has  entered  on  this  difficulty  of  punctuation. 
We  compare  Gen.  xxix.  27,  mbj;3  ;  1  Kings  xii.  32,  uh^vb ;  1 
Chron.  xiii.  7,  "^^^i!^  ;  and  consequently  also  Ps.  cxlvi.  7,  D''pVki'i;?  ; 
thus  the  assimilating  force  of  the  Chateph  appears  here  to  have 
changed  the  syntactically  required  b  and  3  into  f_  and  3.  But 
also  supposing  that  nj^-ipy  in  Hi^^pyp  is  treated  as  a  proper  name, 
this  is  explained  from  the  circumstance  that  the  leech  is  not 
meant  here  in  the  natural  history  sense  of  the  word,  but  as 
embodied  greediness,  and  is  made  a  person,  one  individual 
being.  Also  the  symbol  of  the  two  daughters  is  opposed  to  the 
mythological  character  of  the  'Aluka.  The  imper.  2n,  from  2n'', 
occurs  only  here  and  at  Dan.  vii.  17  {=\^),  and  in  the  bibl. 
Heb.  only  with  the  intentional  i^—,  and  in  inflection  forms. 
The  insatiableness  of  sheol  (xxvii.  20«)  is  described  by  Isaiah, 
V.  14  ;  and  Kachel,  Gen.  xxx.  1,  with  her  "  Give  me  children," 


CHAP.  XXX.  17.  293 

is  an  example  of  the  greediness  of  the  "  closed-up  womb " 
(Gen.  XX.  18).  The  womb  of  a  childless  wife  is  meant,  which, 
because  she  would  have  children,  the  nupiice  never  satisfy;  or 
also  of  one  who,  because  she  does  not  fear  to  become  pregnant, 
invites  to  her  many  men,  and  always  burns  anew  with  lust. 
"  la  Arab,  ^aluwak  means  not  only  one  fast  bound  to  her 
husband,  but,  according  to  Wetzstein,  in  the  whole  of  Syria 
and  Palestine,  the  prostitute,  as  well  as  the  KivaiSot,  are  called 
^ulak  (plur.  \dwak),  because  they  obtrude  themselves  and  hold 
fast  to  their  victim"  (Mühlau).  In  the  third  line,  the  three  : 
the  leech,  hell,  and  the  shut  womb,  are  summarized :  t7ia  sunt 
quce  non  satiantur.  Thus  it  is  to  be  translated  with  Fleischer, 
not  with  ^liihlau  and  others,  tria  licec  non  satiantur.  "  These 
three  "  is  expressed  in  Heb.  by  n^x^^?^,  Ex.  xxi.  11,  or  ri*^?^ 
'"'?^(0)j  2  Sam.  xxi.  22  ;  nan  (which,  besides,  does  not  signify 
hcec,  but  ilia)  is  here,  taken  correctly,  the  pred.,  and  represents 
in  general  the  verb  of  being  (Isa.  li.  19),  vid.  at  vi.  16. 
Zöckler  finds  the  point  of  the  proverb  in  the  greediness  of  the 
unfruitful  womb,  and  is  of  opinion  that  the  poet  purposely 
somewhat  concealed  this  point,  and  gave  to  his  proverb  thereby 
the  enhanced  attraction  of  the  ingenious.  But  the  tetrastich 
'1J1  yaiX  shows  that  hell,  which  is  compared  to  fire,  and  the  un- 
fruitful womb,  to  which  the  parched  and  thirsty  earth  is  com- 
pared, were  placed  by  the  poet  on  one  and  the  same  line  ;  it  is 
otherwise  with  vers.  18—20,  but  where  that  point  is  nothing  less 
than  concealed. 

The  proverb  of  the  'Aluka  is  the  first  of  the  proverbs 
founded  on  the  figure  of  an  animal  among  the  "  words "  of 
Agur.     It  is  now  followed  by  another  of  a  similar  character : 

Ver.  17  An  eye  that  mocketh  at  Iiis  father, 

And  despiseth  obedience  to  his  mother : 
The  ravens  of  the  brook  shall  pluck  it  out, 
And  the  young  eagles  shall  eat  it. 

If  "  an  eye,"  and  not  "  eyes,"  are  spoken  of  here,  this  is 
accounted  for  by  the  consideration  that  the  duality  of  the 
organ  falls  back  against  the  unity  of  the  mental  activity  and 
mental  expression  which  it  serves  (cf.  Psychol,  p.  234).  As 
haughtiness  reveals  itself  (ver.  13)  in  the  action  of  the  eyes,  so 
is  the  eye  also  the  mirror  of  humble  subordination,  and  also  of 


294  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

malicious  scorn  which  refuses  reverence  and  subjection  to 
father  and  mother.  As  in  German  the  verbs  \yerspotten, 
spotten^  höhnen,  hohnsprechen']  signifying  to  mock  at  or  scorn 
may  be  used  with  the  accus.,  genit.,  or  dat.,  so  also  iv?  [to 
deride]  and  ti3  [to  despise]  may  be  connected  at  pleasure  with 
either  an  accusative  object  or  a  dative  object.  Ben-Chajim, 
Athias,  van  der  Hooght,  and  others  write  ^vbn ;  Jablonski, 
Michaelis,  Löwenstein,  wn ;  Mühlau,  with  Norzi,  accurately, 
WP},  with  Munach,  like  ^j^^rij  Ps.  Ixv.  5 ;  the  writing  of  Ben- 
Asher  ^  is  W^,  with  Gaja,  Chateph,  and  Munach.  The  punctua- 
tion of  nnp^^  is  more  fluctuating.  The  word  T\V!p7  (e.g.  Cod. 
Jaman.)  may  remain  out  of  view,  for  the  Dag.  dirimens  in  p 
stands  here  as  firmly  as  at  Gen.  xlix.  10,  cf.  Ps.  xlv.  10.  But 
it  is  a  question  whether  one  has  to  write  nni^y  with  Yod  quies, 
(regarding  this  form  of  writing,  preferred  by  Ben-Naph- 
tali,  the  P sahnen- Comm.  under  Ps.  xlv.  10,  in  both  Edd.; 
Luzzatto's  Gramm.  §  193  ;  Baer's  Genesis,  p.  84,  note  2  ;  and 
Heidenheim's  Pentateuch,  with  the  text-crit.  Comm.  of  Jekuthiel 
ha-Nakdans,  under  Gen.  xlvii.  17,  xlix.  10),  as  it  is  found  in 
Kimchi,  Mlchlol  45a,  and  under  np"»,  and  as  also  Norzi  requires, 
or  rinip^p  (as  e.g.  Cod.  Erfurt  1),  wdiich  appears  to  be  the  form 
adopted  by  Ben-Asher,  for  it  is  attested^  as  such  by  Jekuthiel 
under  Gen.  xlix.  10,  and  also  expressly  as  such  by  an  old 
Masora-Cod.  of  the  Erfurt  Library.  Löwenstein  translates, 
"  the  weakness  of  the  mother."  Thus  after  Kashi,  who  refers 
the  word  to  ^^T}?,  to  draw  together,  and  explains  it,  Gen.  xlix.  10, 
"  collection ; "  but  in  the  passage  before  us,  understands  it  of 
the  wrinkles  on  the  countenance  of  the  aged  mother.  Nach- 
mani  (Ramban)  goes  still  further,  giving  to  the  word,  at  Gen. 
xlix.  10,  everywhere  the  meaning  of  weakness  and  frailty. 
Aben  Ezra  also,  and  Gersuni  (Ealbag),  do  not  go  beyond  the 
meaning  of  a  drawing  together;    and  the  LXX.,  with  the 

1  The  Gaja  has  its  reason  in  the  Zinnor  that  follows,  and  the  Munach  in 
the  syllable  beginning  with  a  moveable  Sheva ;  jyi^n  with  Sclieva  quiesc. 
must,  according  to  rule,  receive  MercJia,  vid.  TJioratli  Emeth,  p.  26. 

2  Kimchi  is  here  no  authority,  for  he  contradicts  himself  regarding  such 
word-forms.  Thus,  regarding  rhb''),  Jer.  xxv.  36,  in  Michlol  87b,  and 
under  ^^\  The  form  also  wavers. between  }hn''3  and  (i"iri^_2,  Eccles.  ii.  13. 
The  Cod.  Jaman.  has  here  the  Joel  always  quiesc. 


en  AP.  XXX  18-20.  295 

Aram.,  who  all  translate  the  word  by  senectiis,  have  also  nn;5  In 
the  sense  of  to  become  dull,  infirm  (certainly  not  the  -<^thiopic 
Ulfka^  to  become  old,  w^eak  through  old  age).  But  Kimchi, 
whom  the  Venet.  and  Luther^  follow,  is  informed  by  Abul- 
walid,  skilled  in  the  Arab.,  of  a  better :  nn|5>  (or  r\r^^\,  cf .  rr\p, 
Ps.  cxli.  3)  is  the  Arab.  waMiat,  obedience  (vid.  above  np^^ 
under  la).  If  now  it  is  said  of  such  a  haughty,  insolent  eye, 
that  the  ravens  of  the  brook  (cf.  1  Kings  xvii.  4)  will  pluck  it 
out,  and  the  ""^'^r'.-?-?  ^^^  it,  they,  the  eagle's  children,  the  unchild- 
like  human  eye :  it  is  only  the  description  of  the  fate  that  is 
before  such  an  one,  to  die  a  violent  death,  and  to  become  a  prey 
to  the  fowls  of  heaven  (cf.  e.g.  Jer.  xvi.  3  f.,  and  Passow's  Lex. 
under  Kopa^) ;  and  if  this  threatening  is  not  always  thus  literally 
fulfilled,  yet  one  has  not  on  that  account  to  render  the  future 
optatively,  with  Hitzig ;  this  is  a  false  conclusion,  from  a  too 
literal  interpretation,  for  the  threatening  is  only  to  be  under- 
stood after  its  spirit,  viz.  that  a  fearful  and  a  dishonourable 
end  will  come  to  such  an  one.  Instead  of  *}'^'^^\,  as  Mühlau 
reads  from  the  Leipzig  Cod.,  ^1■]P^  with  Mercha  (Athias  and 
Nissel  have  it  with  Tarcha),  is  to  be  read,  for  a  word  between 
Oleioejored  and  Athnach  must  always  contain  a  conjunctive 
accent  (Thorath  Emelh,  p.  51;  Accentuationssiisterriy  xviii.  §  9). 
^n3"'a"iy  is  also  irregular,  and  instead  of  it  i'nj"''l")y  is  to  be 
written,  for  the  reason  given  above  under  ver.  16  (D^'?). 

The  following  proverb,   again  a  numerical  proverb,  begins 
with  the  eagle,  mentioned  in  the  last  line  of  the  foregoing : 

Ver.  18  Three  things  He  beyond  me, 
And  four  I  understand  not : 

19  The  way  of  the  eagle  in  the  heavens, 
The  way  of  a  serpent  over  a  rock, 
The  way  of  a  ship  on  the  high  sea, 
And  the  way  of  a  man  with  a  maid. 

20  Thus  is  the  way  of  the  adulterous  woman  : 
She  eateth  and  wipeth  her  mouth,  and  saith  : 
I  have  done  no  iniquity. 


^  Jerome  translates,  et  qui  despicit  jjcirtum  jnatris  suk.  To  partus  there 
separates  itself  to  him  here  the  signification  expectatio,  Gen.  xlix.  10, 
resting  on  a  false  combination  with  mp.  To  think  oi  pareo,  parui,  paritum 
(.Mühlau),  was  not  yet  granted  to  him. 


296  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS, 

"•sap  -it^PDJ,  as  relative  clause,  like  15b  (where  Aquila,  Sym- 
niaclius,  Tlieodotion  rightly  :  TpLu  Be  iariv  a  ov  ifXrjaQrjcreraL), 
is  joined  to  ^'(^\}  ^Y^'^.  On  the  other  hand,  j;mi<  (ricraapa,  for 
which  the  Ken,  conforming  to  18a,  ^J'^"}^,  Tecraapa<;)  has  to  be 
interpreted  as  object,  accus.  The  introduction  of  four  things 
that  are  not  known  is  in  expressions  like  Job  xlii.  3 ;  cf.  Ps. 
cxxxix.  6.  The  turning-point  lies  in  the  fourth  ;  to  that  point 
the  other  three  expressions  gravitate,  which  have  not  an  object 
in  themselves,  but  are  only  as  fo lie  to  the  fourth.  The  articles 
wanting  after  "lt^'3l^ :  they  would  be  only  the  marks  of  the 
gender,  and  are  therefore  unnecessary  ;  cf .  under  xxix.  2.  And 
while  ^]^^^,  in  the  heavens,  and  ö^"^??,  in  the  sea,  are  the 
expressions  used,  1^^'  y2  is  used  for  on  the  rock,  because  here 
"on"  is  not  at  the  same  time  "in,"  "within,"  as  the  eagle 
cleaves  the  air  and  the  ship  the  waves.  For  this  same  reason 
the  expression,  "  the  way  of  a  man  n^Pyiij"  is  not  to  be  under- 
stood of  love  unsought,  suddenly  taking  possession  of  and 
captivating  a  man  toward  this  or  that  maid,  so  that  the  principal 
thought  of  the  proverb  may  be  compared  to  the  saying,  "  mar- 
riages are  made  in  heaven ;"  but,  as  in  Kidduscldn  2b,  with  refer- 
ence to  this  passage,  is  said  coiius  via  oppellatiir.  The  3  refers 
to  copula  carnalis.  But  in  what  respect  did  his  understanding 
not  reach  to  this  ?  "  Wonderful,"  thus  Hitzig  explains  as  the 
best  interpreter  of  this  opinion  elsewhere  (cf.  Psychol,  p.  115) 
propounded,  "  appeared  to  him  the  flying,  and  that  how  a  large 
and  thus  heavy  bird  could  raise  itself  so  high  in  the  air  (Job 
xxxix.  27) ;  then  how,  over  the  smooth  rock,  which  offers  no 
hold,  the  serpent  pushes  itself  along ;  finally,  how  the  ship  on 
the  trackless  waves,  which  present  nothing  to  the  eye  as  a 
guide,  nevertheless  finds  its  way.  These  three  things  have  at 
the  same  time  this  in  common,  that  they  leave  no  trace  of  their 
pathway  behind  them.  But  of  the  fourth  way  that  cannot  be 
said ;  for  the  trace  is  left  on  the  substrat,  which  the  man  ^'^'n, 
and  it  becomes  manifest,  possibly  as  pregnancy,  keeping  out  of 
view  that  the  nio^y  may  yet  be  n^na.  Tiiat  which  is  wonderful 
is  consequently  only  the  coition  itself,  its  mystical  act  and  its 
incomprehensible  consequences."  But  does  not  this  interpre- 
tation carry  in  itself  its  own  refutation?  To  the  three 
wonderful  ways  which   leave  no   traces   behind   them,  there 


CHAP.  XXX.  18-20.  297 

cannot  be  compared  a  fourth,  the  consequences  of  which  are 
not  only  not  trackless,  but,  on  the  contrary,  become  manifest  as 
proceeding  from  the  act  in  an  incomprehensible  way.  The 
point  of  comparison  is  either  the  wonderful ness  of  the  event  or 
the  tracklessness  of  its  consequences.  But  now  "  the  way  of  a 
man  r6)T]2  "  is  altogether  inappropriate  to  designate  the  wonder- 
ful event  of  the  origin  of  a  human  being.  How  altogether 
differently  the  Chohna  expresses  itself  on  this  matter  is  seen 
from  Job  x.  8-12  ;  Eccles.  xi.  5  (cf.  Psycliol.  p.  210).  That 
"way  of  a  man  with  a  maid"  denotes  only  the  act  of  coition,  which 
physiologically  differs  in  nothing  from  that  of  the  lower  animals, 
aud  which  in  itself,  in  the  externality  of  its  accomplishment, 
the  poet  cannot  possibly  call  something  transcendent.  And  why 
did  he  use  the  word  no^yn,  and  not  rather  napJn  [with  a  female] 
or  Hü'xn  [j.d^  ?  For  this  reason,  because  he  meant  the  act  of 
coition,  not  as  a  physiological  event,  but  as  a  historical  occur- 
rence, as  it  takes  place  particularly  in  youth  as  the  goal  of  love, 
not  always  reached  in  the  divinely-appointed  way.  The  point 
of  comparison  hence  is  not  the  secret  of  conception,  but  the 
tracelessness  of  the  carnal  intercourse.  Now  it  is  also  clear 
why  the  way  of  the  serpent  "il^*  vj;  was  in  his  eye  ;  among  grass, 
and  still  more  in  sand,  the  trace  of  the  serpent's  path  would 
perhaps  be  visible,  but  not  on  a  hard  stone,  over  which  it  has 
glided.  And  it  is  clear  why  it  is  said  of  the  ship  n''~3^1  [in  the 
heart  of  the  sea  ]  :  while  the  ship  is  still  in  sight  from  the  land, 
one  knows  the  track  it  follows;  but  who  can  in  the  heart  of  the 
sea,  i.e.  on  the  high  sea,  say  that  here  or  there  a  ship  has  ploughed 
the  water,  since  the  water-furrows  have  long  ago  disappeared  ? 
Looking  to  the  heavens,  one  cannot  say  that  an  eagle  has 
passed  there ;  to  the  rock,  that  a  serpent  has  wound  its  way 
over  it ;  to  the  high  sea,  that  a  ship  has  been  steered  through  it ; 
to  the  maid,  that  a  man  has  had  carnal  intercourse  with  her. 
That  the  fact  might  appear  on  nearer  investigation,  although 
this  will  not  always  guide  to  a  certain  conclusion,  is  not  kept  in 
view  ;  only  the  outward  appearance  is  spoken  of,  the  intentional 
concealment  (Rashi)  being  in  this  case  added  thereto.  Sins 
against  the  sixth  [=rthe  seventh]  commandment  remain  con- 
cealed from  human  knowledge,  and  are  distinguished  from 
others  by  this,  that  they  shun  human  cognition  (as  the  proverb 


293  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

says :  nviy!?  DiailD^SN  ps*,  there  is  for  sins  of  the  flesh  no  eVt- 
rpoTTO?) — unchastity  can  mask  itself,  the  marks  of  chastity  are 
deceitful,  here  only  the  All-seeing  Eye  (^b  nj^n  ]\V,  Ahotli  ii.  1) 
perceives  that  which  is  clone.  Yet  it  is  not  maintained  that 
"  the  way  of  a  man  with  a  maid  "  refers  exclusively  to  external 
intei'course ;  but  altogether  on  this  side  the  proverb  gains 
ethical  significance.  Regarding  ^^^V  (from  D^y,  pubes  esse  et 
cceundi  cujndus,  not  from  thv,  to  conceal,  and  not,  as  Schultens 
derives  it,  from  th]},  signare,  to  seal)  as  distinguished  from 
n?in3,  vid.  under  Isa.  vii.  14.  The  mark  of  maidenhood  belongs 
to  nrhv  not  in  the  same  way  as  to  nhm  (cf.  Gen.  xxiv.  43 
with  16),  but  only  the  marks  of  puberty  and  youth;  the  wife  nU'X 
(viz.  ti'"'i^  nti'Xi)  cannot  as  such  be  called  HD^y.  Ralbag's  gloss 
nSiyn  J^'TIL*'  nni'j;  is  incorrect,  and  in  Arama's  explanation  {Akeda, 
Abschn.  9)  :  the  time  is  not  to  be  determined  when  the  sexual 
love  of  the  husband  to  his  wife  flames  out,  ought  to  have  been  Till 
Wt^X3  C"''«.  One  has  therefore  to  suppose  that  ver.  20  explains 
what  is  meant  by  "  the  way  of  a  man  with  a  maid  "  by  a  strong 
example  (for  ''  the  adulterous  woman  "  can  mean  only  an  old 
adulteress),  there  not  inclusive,  for  the  tracklessness  of  sins  of 
the  flesh  in  their  consequences. 

This  20th  verse  does  not  appear  to  have  been  an  original  part 
of  the  numerical  proverb,  but  is  an  appendix  thereto  (Hitzig). 
If  we  assume  that  |3  points  forwards  :  thus  as  follows  is  it  with 
the  .  .  .  (Fleischer),  then  we  should  hold  this  verse  as  an  in- 
dependent cognate  proverb;  but  where  is  there  a  proverb 
(except  xi.  19)  that  begins  with  i?  ?  p,  which  may  mean 
eodem  modo  (for  one  does  not  say  D?  13)  as  well  as  eo  modo, 
here  points  backwards  in  the  former  sense.  Instead  of  <^'}Ü^^ 
n''S  (not  n^ö ;  for  the  attraction  of  that  which  follows,  brought 
about  by  the  retrogression  of  the  tone  of  the  first  word,  requires 
dageshing,  Tliorath  JEmeth,  p.  30)  the  LXX.  has  merely  airovi- 
'ylrafxevr],  i.e.  as  Immanuel  explains:  novy  nnppp,  ahstergens  semet 
ijysam,  with  Grotius,  who  to  tergens  os  smim  adds  the  remark : 
(7€fjivo\o<yLa  (Jionesta  elocutio).  But  eating  is  just  a  figure,  like 
the  "  secret  bread,"  ix.  17,  and  the  wiping  of  tlie  mouth  belongs 
to  this  figure.  This  appendix,  with  its  )3,  confirms  it,  that  the 
intention  of  the  four  ways  refers  to  the  tracklessness  of  the 
consequences. 


CHAP.  XXX.  21-23.  299 

It  is  now  not  at  all  necessary  to  rack  one's  brains  over  the 
grounds  or  the  reasons  of  the  arrangement  of  the  following 
proverb  (vid.  Hitzig).  There  are,  up  to  this  point,  two 
numerical  proverbs  which  begin  with  Q^^y',  ver.  7,  and  ''^f^  ver. 
15 ;  after  the  cipher  2  there  then,  ver.  18,  followed  the  cipher 
3,  which  is  now  here  continued  : 

Ver.  21  Under  three  things  doth  the  earth  tremhle, 
And  under  four  can  it  not  stand  : 

22  Under  a  servant  when  he  becomes  king, 
And  a  profligate  -when  he  has  bread  enough  ; 

23  Under  an  unloved  woman  when  she  is  married, 
And  a  maid-servant  when  she  becomes  heiress  to  her 

mistress. 

We  cannot  say  here  that  the  4  falls  into  3  +  1 ;  but  the  four 
consists  of  four  ones  standing  beside  one  another.  Y"}^  is  here 
without  pausal  change,  although  the  Athnach  iiere,  as  at  ver. 
24,  where  the  modification  of  sound  occurs,  divides  the  verse 
into  two ;  P^^,  145  (cf.  Ps.  xxxv.  2),  remains,  on  the  other 
hand,  correctly  unchanged.  The  "  earth  "  stands  here,  as  fre- 
quently, instead  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  It  trembles 
when  one  of  the  four  persons  named  above  comes  and  gains 
free  space  for  acting  ;  it  feels  itself  oppressed  as  by  an  insuffer- 
able burden  (an  expression  similar  to  Amos  vii.  10) ; — the  ar- 
rangement of  society  is  shattered;  an  oppressive  closeness  of 
the  air,  as  it  were,  settles  over  all  minds.  The  first  case  is 
already  designated,  xix.  10,  as  improper :  under  a  slave,  when 
he  comes  to  reign  (qiium  rex  ßt)  ;  for  suppose  that  such  an  one 
has  reached  the  place  of  government,  not  by  the  murder  of  the 
king  and  by  the  robbery  of  the  crown,  but,  as  is  possible  in  an 
elective  monarchy,  by  means  of  the  dominant  party  of  the 
people,  he  will,  as  a  rule,  seek  to  indemnify  himself  in  his 
present  highness  for  his  former  lowliness,  and  in  the  measure 
of  his  rule  show  himself  unable  to  rise  above  his  servile  habits, 
and  to  pass  out  of  the  limited  circle  of  his  earlier  state.  The 
second  case  is  this :  a  ^23,  one  whose  mind  is  perverted  and 
whose  conduct  is  profligate, — in  short,  a  low  man  (viel.  xvii.  17), 
— Dn^"J?3b'';  (cf.  Metheg- Setzung,  §  28),  i.e.  has  enough  to  eat  (cf. 
to  the  expression  xxviii.  19,  Jer.  xliv.  17) ;  for  this  undeserved 
living  without  care  and  without  want  makes  him  only  so  much 


300  THE  BOOK  OF  PIJOVERBS. 

the  more  arrogant,  and  troublesome,  and  dangerous.  The 
nxiJ^j  in  the  second  case,  is  not  thought  of  as  a  spouse,  and 
that,  as  in  supposed  polygamy,  Gen.  xxix.  31,  Deut.  xxi.  15-17, 
as  fallen  into  disfavour,  but  who  again  comes  to  favour  and 
honour  (Dathe,  Eosenmiiller)  ;  for  she  can  be  ^^?^3b>  without 
her  own  fault,  and  as  such  she  is  yet  no  ^^^'na ;  and  it  is  not 
to  be  perceived  why  the  re-assumption  of  such  an  cue  should 
shatter  social  order.  Eightly  Hitzig,  and,  after  his  example, 
Zockler  :  an  unmarried  lady,  an  old  spinster,  is  meant,  whom  no 
one  desired  because  she  had  nothing  attractive,  and  was  only 
repulsive  (cf.  Grimm,  under  Sir.  vii.  261^).  If  such  an  one,  as 
pysn  ""D  says,  at  length,  however,  finds  her  husband  and  enters 
into  the  married  relation,  then  she  carries  her  head  so  much 
the  higher ;  for  she  gives  vent  to  ill-humour,  strengthened  by 
long  restraint,  against  her  subordinates ;  then  she  richly  re- 
quites her  earlier  and  happily  married  companions  for  their 
depreciation  of  her,  among  whom  she  had  to  suffer,  as  able  to 
find  no  one  who  would  love  her.  In  the  last  case  it  is  asked 
whether  &'"}''n""'3  is  meant  of  inheriting  as  an  heiress  (Aquila, 
Symmachus,  Theodotion,  the  Targ.,  Jerome,  the  VeiieL,  and 
Luther),  or  supplanting  (Euchel,  Gesenius,  Hitzig),  i.e.  an 
entering  into  the  inheritance  of  the  dead,  or  an  entering  into 
the  place  of  a  living  mistress.  Since  C^'V,  with  the  accus,  of 
the  person.  Gen.  xv.  3,  4,  signifies  to  be  the  heir  of  one,  and 
only  with  the  accus,  of  peoples  and  lands  signifies,  "  to  take 
into  possession  (to  seize)  by  supplanting,"  the  former  is  to  be 
preferred ;  the  LXX.  (Syr.),  otuv  eKßakrj,  appear  to  have  read 
tJnjn-'S.  This  K'^.a  would  certainly  be,  after  Gen.  xxi.  10,  a 
piece  of  the  world  turned  upside  down ;  but  also  the  entering, 
as  heiress,  into  the  inheritance,  makes  the  maid-servant  the 
reverse  of  that  which  she  was  before,  and  brings  with  it  the 
danger  that  the  heiress,  notwithstanding  her  want  of  culture 
and  dignity,  demean  herself  also  as  heiress  of  the  rank. 
Although  the  old  Israelltish  law  knew  only  intestate  succession 
to  an  inheritance,  yet  there  also  the  case  might  arise,  that  where 
there  were  no  natural  or  legal  heirs,  the  bequest  of  a  wife  of 
rank  passed  over  to  her  servants  and  nurses. 

Vers.  24-28.  Another  proverb  with  the  cipher  4,  its  first  line 
terminating  in  pS : 


CHAP.  XXX.  24-28.  SOI 

Ver.  24  Four  are  tlie  little  things  of  the  earth, 
And  yet  they  are  quick  of  wit — wise : 

25  The  ants — a  people  not  strong, 

And  yet  they  prepare  in  summer  their  food  ; 

26  Conies — a  people  not  mighty, 

And  yet  set  their  dwelling  on  the  rocks  ; 

27  No  king  have  the  locusts, 

And  yet  they  go  forth  in  rank  and  file,  all  of  them  together  ; 
2S  The  lizard  thou  canst  catch  with  the  hands, 
And  yet  it  is  in  the  king's  palaces. 

By  the  disjunctive  accent,  ^J'^1^?,  in  spite  of  the  following  word 
toned  on  the  beginning,  retains  its  iiUima-ton'm^,  18a;  but  here, 
by  the  conjunctive  accent,  the  tone  retrogrades  to  the  penult., 
which  does  not  elsewhere  occur  with  this  word.  The  connec- 
tion pX"''i)np  is  not  superlat.  (for  it  is  impossible  that  the  author 
could  reckon  the  D'jac',  conies,  among  the  smallest  of  beasts), 
but,  as  in  the  expression  pS-'''i3D:j  the  honoured  of  the  earth, 
Isa.  xxiii.  8.  In  246,  the  LXX.,  Syr.,  Jerome,  and  Luther 
see  in  ö  the  comparative:  aocfxjorepa  twv  (rocpayv  (D''p3nö),  but 
in  this  connection  of  words  it  could  only  be  partitive  (wise, 
reckoning  among  the  wise) ;  the 2oart.  Paul  Q''p3no  (Theodotion, 
the  Venet.  aeao(f)tafjieva)  was  in  use  after  Ps.  Iviii.  6,  and  signified, 
like  •'^^9  '"'?J  ^^'  ^^^'  ^'  boiled  well ;  thus  D''03nD  D^D3n,  taught 
wit,  wise,  cunning,  prudent  (cf.  Ps.  Ixiv.  7,  a  planned  plan  =  a 
cunningly  wrought  out  plan;  Isa.  xxviii.  16,  and  Vitringa 
thereto:  grounded  =  firm,  grounding),  Ewald,  §  Side.  The 
reckoning  moves  in  the  contrasts  of  littleness  to  power,  and  of 
greatness  to  prudence.  The  unfolding  of  the  nj?2"is  [four] 
begins  with  the  Q y^?!!  [the  ants]  and  D"'|3ü^  [conies],  subject  con- 
ceptions with  apposit.  joined;  26a,  at  least  in  the  indetermina- 
tion  of  the  subject,  cannot  be  a  declaration.  Regarding  the  fut. 
consec.  as  the  expression,  not  of  a  causal,  but  of  a  contrasted 
connection,  vid.  Ewald,  §  342,  la.  The  ants  are  called  n^j  and 
they  deserve  this  name,  for  they  truly  form  communities  with 
well-ordered  economy;  but,  besides,  the  ancients  took  delight  in 
speaking  of  the  various  classes  of  animals  as  peoples  and  states.^ 
That  which  is  said,  2öb,  as  also  vi.  8,  is  not  to  be  understood  of 
stores  laid  np  for  the  winter.  For  the  ants  are  torpid  for  the 
most  part  in  winter ;  but  certainly  the  summer  is  their  time 
^  Vid.  Walter  von  der  Vugehceide,  edited  by  Lachmann,  p.  8f. 


302  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVERBS. 

for  labour,  when  the  labourers  gather  together  food,  and  feed 
in  a  truly  motherly  way  the  helpless.  |SC^,  translated  arbitrarily 
in  the  Venet.  by  i'^ivot,  in  the  LXX.  by  '^oLpoypvXkioi,  by 
the  Syr.  and  Targ.  here  and  at  Ps.  civ.  by  Din^  and  by 
Jerome  by  lepuscidus  (of.  XaylSiov),  both  of  which  names,  here 
to  be  understood  after  a  prevailing  Jewish  opinion,  denote  the 
Caninichen^  (Luther),  Latin  cuniculus  (kovlkXo'?),  is  not  the 
haninchen  [rabbit],  nor  the  marmot,  '^otpoypvXkio'i  (C.  B. 
Michaelis,  Ziegler,  and  others)  ;  this  is  called  in  Arab,  yarhuw'' ; 
but  JDB'  is  the  wahr^  which  in  South  Arab,  is  called  thiifun,  or 
rather  tliafan^  viz.  the  kUppdachs  (Jiyrax  syriacus)^  like  the 
marmot,  which  lives  in  societies  and  dwells  in  the  clefts  of  the 
mountains,  e.g.  at  the  Kedron,  the  Dead  Sea,  and  at  Sinai  (yid. 
Knobel  on  Lev.  xi.  5;  cf.  Brehm's  Thierlehen,  ii.  p.  721  ff.,  the 
Illustrirte  Zeitung,  1868,  Nr.  1290).  The  Jdippdachs  are  a 
weak  little  people,  and  yet  with  their  weakness  they  unite  the 
wisdom  that  they  establish  themselves  among  the  rocks.  The 
ants  show  their  w^'sdom  in  the  organization  of  labour,  here  in 
the  arranging  of  inaccessible  dwellings. 

Ver.  27.  Thirdly,  the  locusts  belong  to  the  class  of  the  wise 
little  folk :  these  have  no  king,  but  notvvithstanding  that,  there 
is  not  wanting  to  them  guidance;  by  the  power  and  foresight  of 
one  sovereign  will  they  march  out  as  a  body,  Hn,  dividing,  viz. 
themselves,  not  the  booty  (Schultens) ;  thus :  dividing  them- 
selves into  companies,  ordine  disposita',  from  KV^,  to  divide,  to 
fall  into  two  (cogn.  nyn,  e.g.  Gen.  sxxii.  7)  or  more  parts ; 
Mühlau,  p.  59-64,  has  thoroughly  investigated  this  whole  wide 
range  of  roots.  What  this  ^n  denotes  is  described  in  Joel  ii.  7: 
"  Like  mighty  men  they  hunt ;  like  men  of  war  they  climb  the 
walls ;  they  march  forward  every  one  on  his  appointed  w'ay, 
and  change  not  their  paths."  Jerome  narrates  from  his  own 
observation :  tanto  ordine  ex  dispositione  jubentis  (LXX.  at 
this  passage  before  us  :  a^'  ei/o?  KeXeva/Maro'i  evrdicT(oi)  voUtant, 
let  instar  tesserulariim,  qiice  in pavimentis  artificis  figimtur  manu, 

^  The  Jcaninchen  as  well  as  the  JclippdacJis  [cliff -badgers]  may  be  meant, 
Lev.  xi.  5  (Deut.  xiv.  7)  ;  neither  of  these  belong  to  the  hlsuka,  nor  yet, 
it  is  true,  to  the  ruminants,  though  to  the  ancients  (as  was  the  case  also 
with  hares)  they  seemed  to  do.  The  klippdach  is  still,  in  Egypt  and  Syria, 
regarded  as  unclean. 


CHAP.  XXX,  2S.  803 

sintm  locum  teneant  et  ne  "puncto  quidem  et  ut  ita  dicam  ungue 
transverso  decUnent  ad  alterum.  Aben  Ezra  and  others  find  in 
Y^n  the  idea  of  gathering  together  in  a  body,  and  in  troops, 
according  to  which  also  the  Syr.,  Targ.,  Jerome,  and  Luther 
translate  ;  Kimclii  and  Meiri  gloss  }*i:n  by  inin  and  miD,  and 
understand  it  of  the  cutting  off,  i.e.  the  eating  up,  of  plants  and 
trees,  which  the  Venet.  renders  by  eKTefxvovcra. 

Ver.  28.  In  this  verse  the  expression  wavers  in  a  way  that  is 
with  difficulty  determinable  between  nvprpu'  and  ^'^^^'^.  The 
Edd.  of  Opitz  Jablonski  and  Vi.n  der  Hooght  have  '^±',  but  the 
most,  from  the  Venetian  1521  to  Nissel,  have  '^^  (rüZMühlau, 
p.  69).  The  Codd.  also  differ  as  to  the  reading  of  the  word  ; 
thus  the  Codd.  Erfurt  2  and  3  have  'rob',  but  Cod.  1294  has 
'l2^.  Isaak  Tschelebi  and  Moses  Algazi,  in  their  writings 
regarding  words  with  ti»  and  b'  (Constant.  1723  and  1799), 
prefer  'Db>,  and  so  also  do  Mordecai  Nathan  in  his  Concordance 
(1563-4),  David  de  Pomis  (1587),  and  Norzi.  An  important 
evidence  is  the  writing  n^DDD,  Scliahbath  lib,  but  it  is  as  little 
decisive  as  IV'^.p  [coat  of  mail],  used  by  Jeremiah  [xlvi.  4],  is 
decisive  against  the  older  expression  |i''")y'.  But  what  kind  of  a 
beast  is  meant  hereis  a  question.  The  swallow  is  at  once  tobe 
set  aside,  as  the  Venet.  translates  (-^eXtSoov)  after  Kimchi,  who 
explains  after  Abulwalid,  but  not  without  including  himself, 
that  the  Heb.  word  for  (Arab.)  khuttaf  (which  is  still  the  name 
given  to  the  swallow  from  its  quickness  of  motion),  according 
to  Haja's  testimony,  is  much  rather  n"'3^3Dj  a  name  for  the 
swallow ;  which  also  the  Arab.  (Freytag,  ii.  p.  368)  and  the 
modern  Syriac  confirm  ;  besides,  in  old  Heb.  it  has  the  name 
of  DID  or  D"'p  (from  Arab.  sJiash,  to  fly  confusedly  hither  and 
thither).  In  like  manner  the  ape  (Aben  Ezra,  Meiri,  Im- 
manuel) is  to  be  set  aside,  for  this  is  called  f\\p  (Indian  kapi, 
kajy,  kamp,  to  move  inconstantly  and  quickly  up  and  down),^ 
and  appears  here  admissible  only  on  the  ground  that  from 
b'Dnn  an^a  they  read  that  the  beast  had  a  resemblance  to  man. 
There  remains  now  only  the  lizard  (LXX.  Jerome)  and  the 
spider  (Luther)  to  be  considered.  The  Talmud,  Schahbath  lib, 
reckons  five  instances  in  which  fear  of  the  weaker  pursues  the 
stronger :  one  of  these  instances  is  nt^^jn  hv  JT'J'iJD  riD''«,  another 
1  Vid.  A.  Weber's  Indische  Studien,  i.  pp.  217,  313. 


S04  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

nipj?n  hv  n"'i;rDD  n?3\S'.  The  swallow,  thus  Kashi  explains,  creeps 
under  the  wings  of  .the  eagle  and  hinders  it  from  spreading 
them  out  in  its  flight ;  and  the  spider  (araigne)  creeps  into  the 
ear  of  the  scorpion  ;  or  also  :  a  braised  spider  applied  heals 
the  scorpion's  sting.  A  second  time  the  word  occurs,  Sanhedrin 
1036,  where  it  is  said  of  King  Amon  that  he  burnt  the  Tora, 
and  that  over  the  altar  came  a  IT'oDtJ'  (here  with  t^),  which  Eashi 
explains  of  the  spider  (a  spider's  web).  But  Aruch  testifies 
that  in  these  two  places  of  the  Talmud  the  explanation  is 
divided  between  ragnatelo  (spider)  and  (Ital.)  lucerta  (lizard). 
For  the  latter,  he  refers  to  Lev.  xi.  30,  where  ni^ü':>  (also 
explained  by  Rashi  by  Uzard)  in  the  Jerus.  Targ.  is  rendered  ^ 
by  NrT'DD^i'  (the  writing  here  also  varies  between  ti*  and  ti'  or  D). 
Accordingly,  and  after  the  LXX.  and  Jerome,  it  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  confirmed  tradition  that  n'^OOlJ*  means  not  the  spider, 
for  which  the  name  ^'''^'^V  is  coined,  but  the  lizard,  and  par- 
ticularly the  stellion  (spotted  lizard).  Thus  the  later  language 
used  it  as  a  word  still  living  (plur.  rii'?pop,  Sifre^  under  Deut. 
xxxiii.  19).  The  Arab,  also  confirms  this  name  as  applicable 
to  the  lizard.^  "  To  this  day  in  Syria  and  in  the  Desert  it  is 
called  samawiyyat,  probably  not  from  poison,  but  from  samawah 
—  n»OL^,  the  wilderness,  because  the  beast  is  found  only  in  the 
stony  heaps  of  the  Kharab"  (Mühlau  after  Wetzstein).  If  this 
derivation  is  correct,  then  JT'OOü'  is  to  be  regarded  as  an  original 
Heb.  expression  ;  but  the  lizard's  name,  samm,  wliich,  without 
doubt,  designates  the  animal  as  poisonous  (cf.  np,  samam,  samm^ 
vapour,  poisonous  breath,  poison),  favours  Schultens'  view  : 
IT'XDöü'  =  (Arab.)  samamyyat^  aßiatn  interficiens,  or  generally 
venenosa.  In  the  expression  ti'Qriri  D';l^^3,  Schultens,  Gesenius, 
Ewald,  Hitzig,  Geier,  and  others,  understand  n''T'  of  the  two 
fore-feet  of  the  lizard  :  "  the  lizard  feels  (or :  seizes)  with  its  two 
hands ;"  but  granting  that  Dn''  is  used  of  the  fifteen  feet  of  the 
stellio,  or  of  the  climbing  feet  of  any  other  animal  (LXX.  KoXa- 

^  The  Samaritan  has,  Lev.  xi.  30,  n"'?2üü>  for  np3S,  and  the  Syr.  trans- 
lates the  latter  word  by  NHpOX,  which  is  used  in  the  passage  before  us 
(cf.  Geiger's  Urschi/t,  p.  68  f.)  for  n''COti' ;  omakto  (Targ.  akmetha)  appears 
there  to  mean,  not  a  spider,  but  a  lizard. 

2  Perhaps  also  the  modern  Greek,  axfuu^uiv^os  ((Tctf<,i»y.tlo;,  uct^iot- 
ftthioif),  which  Grotius  compares. 


CHAP.  XXX.  29-51.  305 

ßcoTT}';  =  ä(TKa\aß(oTr]<;),  yet  it  is  opposed  by  this  explanation, 
that  in  line  first  of  this  fourth  distich  an  expression  regarding 
the  smallness  or  the  weakness  of  the  beast  is  to  be  expected,  as 
at  25a,  26«,  and  27a.  And  since,  besides,  ti>Dn  with  T'a  or  f[22 
always  means  "to  catch"  or  "seize"  (Ezek.  xxi.  16,  xxix.  7; 
.Ter.  xxxviii.  23),  so  the  sense  according  to  that  explanation  is  : 
the  lizard  thou  canst  catch  with  the  hand,  and  yet  it  is  in  kings' 
palaces,  i.e.  it  is  a  little  beast,  which  one  can  grasp  with  his 
hand,  and  yet  it  knows  how  to  gain  an  entrance  into  palaces, 
by  which  in  its  nimbleness  and  cunning  this  is  to  be  thought  of, 
tliat  it  can  scale  the  walls  even  to  the  summit  (Aristoph.  Nuhes 
170).  To  read  '^'^T^^  with  Miihlau,  after  Böttcher,  recommends 
itself  by  this,  that  in  t^^anri  one  misses  the  suff.  pointing  back 
(nab'snri)  ;  also  why  the  intensive  of  t:>sn  is  used,  is  not  rightly 
comprehended.  Besides,  tlie  address  makes  the  expression 
more  animated ;  cf.  Isa.  vii.  25,  t^un.  In  the  LXX.  as  it 
lies  before  us,  the  two  explanations  spoken  of  are  mingled 
together  :  koI  KaXaßciiTT]^  (=  ä(TKa\aßcoTT]<;)  '^epalv  epetZoiievo'i 
Kol  evd\(OTo<;  wv  .  .  .  Tliis  evaXcoro'i  oiv  (Symmachus,  -^epalv 
iX\a/jLßav6fx,6vo'i)  hits  the  sense  of  28a.  In  '^^p  V3''n,  "^^o  is  not 
the  genit.  of  possession,  as  at  Ps.  xlv.  9,  but  of  description 
(Hitzig),  as  at  Amos  vii.  13. 

Vers.  29-31.  Another  numerical  proverb  with  the  cipher 
4  =  3+1: 

Three  things  are  of  stately  walk, 
And  four  of  stately  going  : 

30  The  lion,  the  hero  among  beasts, 

And  that  turneth  back  before  nothing ; 

31  The  swift-loiued,  also  the  goat ; 

And  a  king  with  whom  is  the  calling  out  of  the  host. 

Regarding  ^''P'T'  with  inf.  following  (the  segolated  72.  actionis 
tyy  is  of  equal  force  with  an  inf.),  vid.  under  xv.  2}  The 
relation  of  the  members  of  the  sentence  in  30a  is  like  that  in 
25a  and  26a  :  subj.  and  apposit.,  which  there,  as  here,  is  con- 
tinued in  a  verbal  clause  which  appears  to  us  as  relative.  It 
deserves  to  be  here  remarked  that   tJ'v,  as   the   name  for   a 

^  In  29a,  after  Norzi,  ^n''D"'0,  and  in  296,  *aü''D,  is  to  be  written,  and 
this  is  required  by  the  little  Masora  to  1  Sara.  xxv.  31,  the  great,  to  Ezek. 
xxxiii.  33,  and  also  the  Erfurt  little  Masora  to  the  passage  before  us. 

VOL.    II.  U 


306  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

lion,  occurs  only  here  and  at  Job  iv.  11,  and  in  the  description 
of  the  Sinai  wilderness,  Isa.  xxx.  6  ;  in  Arab.it  is  layih^  Aram. 
Dvj  and  belongs  to  the  Arameo-Arab.  dialect  of  this  language  ; 
the  LXX.  and  Syr.  translate  it  "  the  young  lion  ;"  the  Venet. 
excellently,  by  the  epic  A.t9.  nipnsii  has  the  article  only  to 
denote  the  genus,  viz.  of  the  beasts,  and  particularly  the  four- 
footed  beasts.  What  is  said  in  306  (cf.  with  the  expression. 
Job  xxxix.  22)  is  described  in  Isa.  xxx.  4.  The  two  other 
beasts  which  distinguish  themselves  by  their  stately  going  are 
in  31a  only  briefly  named.  But  we  are  not  in  the  condition  of 
the  readers  of  this  Book  of  Proverbs,  who  needed  only  to  hear 
the  designation  Q^^riD  T'nT  at  once  to  know  what  beast  was  meant. 
Certainly  "'■'pT^  as  the  name  for  a  beast,  is  not  altogether  un- 
known in  the  post-bibl.  Heb.  "  In  the  days  of  Eabbi  Chija 
(the  great  teacher  who  came  from  Babylon  to  the  Academy  of 
Sepphoris),  as  is  narrated  in  Bereschifh  rabha,  sect.  65,  a  zarzir 
flew  to  the  land  of  Israel,  and  it  was  brought  to  him  with  the 
question  whether  it  were  eatable.  Go,  said  he,  place  it  on  the 
roof !  Then  came  an  Egyptian  raven  and  lighted  down  beside 
it.  See,  said  Chija,  it  is  unclean,  for  it  belongs  to  the  genus  of 
the  ravens,  which  is  unclean  (Lev.  xi.  15).  From  this  circum- 
stance there  arose  the  proverb :  The  raven  goes  to  the  zarzir 
because  it  belongs  to  his  own  tribe."  ^  Also  the  Jer.  Rosch  ha- 
schane,  Halacha  3  :  "It  is  the  manner  of  the  world  that  one  seeks 
to  assist  his  zarzir,  and  another  his  zarzir,  to  obtain  the  victory  ;" 
and  Midrash  Eclia  v.  1,  according  to  which  it  is  the  custom  of 
the  world,  that  one  Avho  has  a  large  and  a  little  zarzir  in  his 
house,  is  wont  to  treat  the  little  one  sparingly,  so  that  in  the  case 
of  the  large  one  being  killed,  he  might  not  need  to  buy  another. 
According  to  this,  the  zarzir  is  a  pugnacious  animal,  which  also 
the  proverb  BerescJiifh  rabha,  c.  75,  confirms  :  two  zarzir  do 
not  sleep  on  one  board ;  and  one  makes  use  of  his  for  contests 
like  cock-fights.  According  to  this,  the  Tipf  is  a  bird,  and  that 
of  the  species  of  the  raven  ;  after  Rashi,  the  etourneau,  the 
starling,  which  is  confirmed  by  the  Arab,  zurzur  (vulgar  Arab. 

1  This  "  like  draws  to  like  "  in  the  form  :  "  not  in  vain  goes  the  raven  to 
the  zarzir,  it  belongs  just  to  its  own  tribe,"  came  to  be  often  employed, 
ChulUn  65a,  Baba  Kamma  92b.  Plantavitius  has  it,  Tendlau  more  at  large, 
Sprichwörter,  u.s.u\,  Nr.  577. 


CHAP,  XXX.  29-Sl.  307 

zar-iir),  the  common  name  of  starlings  (cf.  Syr.  zarzizo, 
under  zrz  of  CastelH).  But  for  the  passage  before  us, 
we  cannot  regard  this  as  important,  for  why  is  the  starhng 
fully  named  D^^riD  nniTt  To  this  question  Kimchi  has 
already  remarked  that  he  knows  no  answer  for  it.  Only, 
perhaps,  the  grave  magpie  (corvus  pica),  strutting  Avith  up- 
raised tail,  might  be  called  succinctits  lamhos,  if  D''jno  can  at 
all  be  used  here  of  a  bird.  At  the  earliest,  this  might  possibly 
be  used  of  a  cock,  which  the  later  Heb.  named  directly  133, 
because  of  its  manly  demeanour  ;  most  old  translators  so  under- 
stand it.  The  LXX.  translates,  omitting  the  loins,  by  aXeKTcop 
ifjLTrepLTraTcbv  drjXeiai^  ev-^v')(o<;,  according  to  which  the  Syr. 
and  Targ. :  like  the  cock  which  struts  about  proudly  among 
the  hens  ;^  Aquila  and  Theodotion  :  aXeKroyp  (uXeicTpvüiv) 
vcoTov ;  the  Quinta :  oXeKTcop  oaj)vo<; ;  Jerome  :  (/alius  suc- 
cinctus  Iwnhos.  Sarsar  (not  sirsir,  as  Hitzig  vocalizes)  is  in 
Arab,  a  name  for  a  cock,  from  sarsara,  to  crow,  an  onomato- 
poeia. But  the  Heb.  "i"'nT,  as  the  name  of  a  bird,  signifies,  as 
the  Talmud  proves  on  the  ground  of  that  history,  not  a  cock, 
but  a  bird  of  the  raven  order,  whether  a  starling,  a  crow,  or  a 
magpie.  And  if  this  name  of  a  corviniis  is  formed  from  the 
onomatopoaia  IPT,  the  weaker  form  of  that  (Arab.)  sarsar,  then 
D''JnD,  which,  for  T'DT,  requires  the  verbal  root  nr,  to  girdle,  is 
not  wholly  appropriate ;  and  how  strangely  would  the  three 
animals  be  mingled  together,  if  between  K'v  and  ^''J),  the  two 
four-footed  animals,  a  bird  were  placed !  If,  as  is  to  be  ex- 
pected, the  "  Lendeminig artete^'  [the  one  girded  about  the 
loins  =:  ^'l^J}'^  T'nT]  be  a  four-footed  animal,  then  it  lies  near, 
with  C.  B.  Michaelis  and  Ziegler,  after  Ludolf's^  example,  to 

^  Eegarding  the  Targum  Text,  vid..  Levy  under  K33S  and  ^snf.  The 
expression  TTqp^  (who  is  girded,  and  shows  himself  as  such)  is  not  un- 
suitable. 

2  Ludolf  gave,  in  his  Hist,  ^tliiop.  i.  10,  and  Commentariux,  p.  150,  only 
a  description  of  the  Zecora,  without  combining  therewith  'T'nT ;  but  vid. 
Job.  Dietr.  Winckler's  Tlieol  u.  Pliilol.  AhJiand.  i.  (1755)  p.  33  ff. :  "A 
nearer  explanation  of  what  is  to  be  understood  by  D'^jno  "IVIT,  Prov.  xxx. 
31,  along  with  a  statement  from  a  hitherto  unpublished  correspondence 
between  the  learned  philologists  Iliob  Ludolf  and  Matthai  Leydecker,  a 
Reformed  preacher  in  Batavia."  With  Ludolf,  Job.  Simonis  also,  in  the 
Arcanum  Formarum  (1735),  p.  G87  sq.,  decides  in  favour  of  the  zebra. 


308  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

think  of  the  zebra,  the  South  African  wild  ass.  But  this 
animal  lay  beyond  the  sphere  of  the  author's  observation,  and 
perhaps  also  of  his  knowledge,  and  at  the  same  time  of  that  of 
the  Israelitish  readers  of  this  Book  of  Proverbs ;  and  the  dark- 
brown  cross  stripes  on  a  white  ground,  by  which  the  zebra  is 
distinguished,  extend  not  merely  to  its  limbs,  but  over  the 
whole  body,  and  particularly  over  the  front  of  the  body.  It 
would  be  more  tenable  to  think  of  the  leopard,  with  its  black 
round  spots,  or  the  tiger,  with  dark  stripes  ;  but  the  name  TPT 
D''3nö  scarcely  refers  to  the  colour  of  the  hair,  since  one  has  to 
understand  it  after  the  Aram.  .•^^^■)n  PT  =  Vjno  Dl^,  1  Kings 
xviii.  46,  or  V^'Pn  ITK,  Job  xxxviii.  3,  and  thus  of  an  activity, 
i.e.  strength  and  swiftness,  depending  on  the  condition  of  the 
loins.  Those  who,  with  Kimchi,  think  that  the  1^3  [leopard] 
is  thus  named,  ground  their  view,  not  on  this,  that  it  has 
rings  or  stripes  round  its  legs,  but  on  this,  that  it  prm  D^JJID  pT 
V3n»2.  But  this  beast  has  certainly  its  definite  name  ;  but  a 
fundamental  supposition  entering  into  every  attempt  at  an  ex- 
planation is  this,  that  D'JDD  TPT,  as  well  as  ^''h  and  K'Tl,  is  the 
proper  name  of  a  beast,  not  a  descriptive  attribute.  Therefore 
the  opinion  of  Rosse,  which  Bochart  has  skilfully  established 
in  the  Hierozoicon,  does  not  recommend  itself,  for  he  only 
suggests,  for  choice,  to  understand  the  name,  "  the  girded 
about  the  loins,"  in  the  proper  sense  of  straps  and  clasps 
around  and  on  the  loins  (thus  e.g.  Gesenius,  Fleischer,  Hitzig), 
or  of  strength,  in  the  sense  of  the  Arab,  hahuwk,  the  firmly- 
bound  =  compact,  or  samm  alslab,  the  girded  loin  (thus  e.g. 
Muntinghe).  Schultens  connects  together  both  references : 
Utrumque  jungas  licet.  That  the  by-name  fits  the  horse, 
particularly  the  war-horse,  is  undeniable  ;  one  would  have  to 
refer  it,  with  Mühlau,  to  the  slender  structure,  the  thin  flanks, 
which  are  reckoned  among  the  requisites  of  a  beautiful  horse.^ 
But  if  succinctus  liimhos  were  a  by-name  of  a  horse,  why  did 
not  the  author  at  once  say  D''3nD  TPT  DID  ?  We  shall  give  the 
preference  to  the  opinion,  according  to  which  the  expression, 
'*  girt  about  the  loins  "  =  "  with  strong  loins,"  or  "  with  slender 
limbs,"  is  not  the  by-name,  but  the  proper  name  of  the  animal. 

'^  Vid.  Ahlwardt,  Chalef  ela'hmar''s  Qasside  (1859),  and  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  description  of  the  horse  contained  therein,  p.  201  ff. 


CHAP.  XXX.  29-31.  309 

This  may  be  said  of  the  hunting-hound,  levrier  (according  to 
which  the  Venet.y  incorrectly  translating  D'^jno :  XayaoKvcov 
■^^roioiv)^  which  Kimchi  ranks  in  the  first  place.  Luther,  by 
his  translation,  Ein  Wind  =  Windhimd  [greyhound],  of  good 
limbs,  has  given  the  right  direction  to  this  opinion.  Melanch- 
thon,  Lavater,  Mercier,  Geier,  and  others,  follow  him  ;  and, 
among  the  moderns,  so  also  do  Ewald  and  Böttcher  (also 
Bertheau  and  Stuart),  which  latter  supposes  that  before  TpT 
□••jno  there  originally  stood  373,  which  afterwards  disappeared. 
But  why  should  the  greyhound  not  at  once  be  called  imT 
D''jnö  ?  We  call  the  smaller  variety  of  this  dog  the  Windspiel 
[greyhound]  ;  and  by  this  name  we  think  on  a  hound,  without 
saying  Windspielhund.  The  name  D'^^DD  "iTT  (Symmachus 
excellently  :  7repc€ac})i,<yiJiivo';,  not  7repLea(j)pa'yicr/xevo<;,  ri]v  oa^vv, 
i.e.  strongly  bound  in  the  limbs)  is  fitted  at  once  to  suggest  to 
us  this  almost  restless,  slender  animal,  with  its  high,  thin, 
nimble  limbs.  The  verbal  stem  llj^  (Arab.)  zaj^r,  signifies  to 
press  together,  to  knit  together ;  the  reduplicative  form  iPTj  to 
bind  firmly  together,  whence  l''nt,  firmly  bound  together,  re- 
ferred to  the  limbs  as  designating  a  natural  property  (Ewald, 
§  158a)  :  of  straight  and  easily-moveable  legs.^  The  hunting- 
hound  {salaki  or  saluhi^  i.e.  coming  from  Seleucia)  is  celebrated 
by  the  Arab,  poets  as  much  as  the  hunting-horse.^  The 
name  3^3,  though  not  superfluous,  the  author  ought  certainly 
to  have  avoided,  because  it  does  not  sound  well  in  the  Heb. 
collocation  of  words. 

There  now  follows  K^^n,  a  goat,  and  that  not  the  ram  (Jerome, 
Luther),  which  is  called  y^,  but  the  he-goat,  which  bears  this 
name,  as  Schultens  has  already  recognised,  from  its  pushing,  as 
it  is  also  called  iwy^  as  paratus  ad  pugnam  ;  the  two  names 
appear  to  be  only  provincially  different ;  "'''i''^,  on  the  contrary, 
is  the  old  he-goat,  as  shaggy ;  and  "i"'Sy  also  perhaps  denotes  it, 
as  Schultens  supposes,  with  twisted,  i.e.  curled  hair  (tortipilus). 

^  Thus  reads  Schleusner,  Opusc.  Crit.  p.  318,  aud  refers  it  to  the  horse : 
nam  solebant  equos  ficjuris  quihusdam  notare  et  quasi  svjlllare. 

2  The  Aram,  pf  is  shortened  from  ipT,  as  Tjis  from  -13-13  ;  the  particip. 
adj.  pit  signifies  nimble,  swift,  eager,  e.g.  Pesachim  4a :  "  the  zealous  obey 
the  commandment — as  soon  as  possible  hasten  to  fulfil  it." 

'  Vid.  Ahlwardt,  Chalef  elahmar's  Qasside,  p.  205  f. 


310  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

In  Arab,  tays  denotes  the  he-goat  as  well  as  the  roebuck  and 
the  gazelle,  and  that  at  full  growth.  The  LXX.  (the  Syr. 
and  Targ.,  which  is  to  be  emended  after  the  Syr.)  is  certainly- 
right,  for  it  understands  the  leading  goat :  KoXrpd'^o'i  rjyovjjievo'i 
alirdXlov.  The  text,  however,  has  not  ^^7\\  but  ^\T\  ii{,  y^ 
Tpa709  (Aquila,  Theodotion,  Quinta,  and  the  Venet.).  Böttcher 
is  astonished  that  Hitzig  did  not  take  hold  of  this  ix,  and  con- 
jectures c'^ri'ixrij  which  should  mean  a  "  gazelle-goat "  (Mühlau: 
dorcas  mas).  But  it  is  too  bold  to  introduce  here  iXJii  (i^in),  which 
is  only  twice  named  in  the  O.  T,,  and  ti'Tinxn  for  I^T  ixn  is  not 
the  Heb.  style;  and  besides,  the  setting  aside  of  IS  has  a  harsh 
asyndeton  for  its  consequence,  which  bears  evidence  to  the  ap- 
pearance that  ixn  and  ^^D  are  two  different  animals.  And  is 
the  IN  then  so  objectionable  ?  More  wonderful  still  must  Song 
ii.  9  appear  to  us.  If  the  author  enumerated  the  four  of  stately 
going  on  his  fingers,  he  would  certainly  have  said  ^''T\].  By 
"IN  he  communicates  to  the  hearer,  setting  before  him  another 
figure,  how  there  in  the  Song  Sulamith's  fancy  passed  from 
one  object  to  another. 

To  the  lion,  the  kin£f  of  the  animal  world,  the  kinfr  S^V  DIpPN 
corresponds.  This  Dip?«  Hitzig  regards  as  mutilated  from 
K)*Thü  (which  was  both  written  and  pronounced  as  D'^p^X  by  the 
Jews,  so  as  to  conceal  the  true  sound  of  the  name  of  God), — 
which  is  untenable,  for  this  reason,  that  this  religious  conclusion 
["  A  king  with  whom  God  is  "]  accords  badly  with  the  secular 
character  of  this  proverb.  Geiger  [Urschrift,  p.  62  ff.)  trans- 
lates :  "  and  King  Alkimos  corresponding  to  it  (the  lustful  and 
daring  goat)  " — he  makes  the  harmless  proverb  into  a  ludibrium 
from  the  time  of  the  Maccabeo-Syrian  war.  The  LXX.,  which 
the  Syr.  and  Targ.  follow,  translates  koX  ßacn\ev<i  SrjjxTjjopcou 
iv  edvei ;  it  appears  to  have  changed  1»y  Dipbx  into  iny  ^s  Dp 
(standing  with  his  people  and  haranguing  them),  like  the 
Quinta  :  koX  ßaa.  ävaarm  (o?  ävearrj)  iv  tm  Xaaj  avrov. 
Ziegler  and  Böttcher  also,  reading  isy  and  ?X  without  any 
transposition,  get  i^y  D^p"7N  IPOIj  which  the  former  translates : 
"  a  king  with  the  presence  of  his  people ;"  the  latter,  "  a  king 
with  the  setting  up  of  his  people," — not  accordant  with  the 
thought,  for  the  king  should  be  brought  forward  as  HD?  yu^'ü. 
For  the  same  reason,  Kimchi's  explanation  is  not  suitable :  a 


CHAP,  XXX.  29-31.  311 

king  with  whom  is  no  resistance,  i.e.  against  whom  no  one  can 
rank  himself  (thus  e.g.  also  Immanuel) ;  or  more  specially,  but 
not  better :  who  has  no  successor  of  his  race  (according  to 
which  the  Venet.  aStaSe/cro?  ^i/v  eavTo»).  Eather  this  expla- 
nation commends  itself:  a  king  with  whom  {i.e.  in  war  with 
whom)  is  no  resistance.  Thus  Jerome  and  Luther  :  against 
whom  no  one  dare  place  himself ;  thus  Rashi,  Aben  Ezra, 
Ralbag  (yov  noipn  |''Xt^'),  Ahron  b.  Josef  (Dip  =  avrl<7Taat<;), 
Arama,  and  others  ;  thus  also  Schultens,  Fleischer  {adversus 
quem  nemo  consistere  audet)^  Ewald,  Bertheau,  Elster,  Stuart, 
and  others.  But  this  connection  of  p^  with  the  infin.  is  not 
Heb. ;  and  if  the  Chokma,  xii.  28,  has  coined  the  expression 
n}0~7t«  for  the  idea  of  "  immortality,"  then  certainly  it  does  not 
express  the  idea  of  resistlessness  by  so  bold  a  quasi  compositum. 
But  this  boldness  is  also  there  mitigated,  for  ''[}\  is  supplied  after 
pi<,  which  is  not  here  practicable  with  Dip,  which  is  not  a  subst. 
like  ITIO.  Pocock  in  the  Spec,  histoiice  Arahum,  and  Castellus 
in  the  Lex.  Heptaglotton  (not  Castellio,  as  the  word  is  printed 
by  Zöckler),  have  recognised  in  D1p!?X  the  Arab,  dlkaiom; 
Schultens  gives  the  LXX.  the  honour  of  this  recognition,  for 
he  regards  their  translation  as  a  paraphrase  of  o  hrjfxo'i  [xer 
avTOv.  Bertheau  thinks  that  it  ought  to  be  in  Arab,  kaiomuhu, 
but  lay  n'\pbii  =  dlkaivJiu  jua'ahu  is  perfectly  correct,  alkaivliu  is 
the  summons  or  the  Heerbann  =^  arriere-han  ;^  in  North  Africa 
they  speak  in  their  language  in  the  same  sense  of  the  Gums.  This 
explanation  of  DIp^X,  from  the  Arab.  Dachselt  (rex  cum  satellitio 
suo),  Diedrichs  in  his  Arab.-Syr.  Spicilegium  (1777),  Umbreit, 
Gesenius,  and  Vaihinger,  have  recognised,  and  Mühlau  has 
anew  confirmed  it  at  length.  Hitzig,  on  the  contrary,  remarks 
that  if  Agur  wrote  on  Arab,  territory,  we  could  be  contented 
with  the  Arab,  appellative,  but  not  with  the  article,  which  in 
words  like  t^''^3p>?  and  D''2?ppx  is  no  longer  of  force  as  an  art.,  but 
is  an  integ.  component  part  of  the  word.  We  think  that  it  is 
with  Dip!'«  exactly  as  with  other  words  descriptive  of  lordship, 
and  the  many  similar  that  have  passed  over  into  the  Spanish 

^  Wetzsteia's  Ausgewalilte  Inschriften,  p.  355  :  "The  word  kaiom  signifies 
people,  not  in  the  sense  of  populus,  but  in  the  sense  of  the  Heb.  D''p 
(Job  xxiv.  17)  =  mukawim  ahrajul,  he  who  breaks  with  or  against  any- 
one."    Incorrect  in  Gesenius-Dietrich's  Heb.  Wörterbuch. 


312  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

language  ;  the  word  is  taken  over  along  with  the  article,  with- 
out requiring  the  Heb.  listener  to  take  the  art.  as  such,  although 
he  certainly  felt  it  better  than  we  do,  when  we  say  "  das  Al- 
horan^^  [the  Alcoran],  "  das  Alcohol^^  and  the  like.  Blau  also, 
in  his  Gesch.  der  Arab.  Substantiv- Determ.^  regards  it  as  certain 
that  Agur  borrowed  this  Dlpi?«  from  the  idiom  of  the  Arabians, 
among  whom  he  lived,  and  heard  it  constantly  spoken.  By 
this  explanation  we  first  reach  a  correspondence  between  what 
is  announced  in  lines  first  and  second  and  line  sixth.  A  king 
as  such  is  certainly  not  "  comely  in  going;"  he  can  sit  upon  his 
throne,  and  especially  as  Srjfirjyopcbv  will  he  sit  (Acts  xii.  21) 
and  not  stand.  But  the  majesty  of  his  going  shows  itself 
when  he  marches  at  the  head  of  those  who  have  risen  up  at  his 
summons  to  war.  Then  he  is  for  the  army  what  the  B'TI  [he- 
goat]  is  for  the  flock.  The  IN,  preferred  to  "i,  draws  close 
together  the  tJ'^D  and  the  king  (cf.  e.g.  Isa.  xiv.  9). 

Vers.  .32,  33.  Another  proverb,  the  last  of  Agur's  "  Words  " 
which  exhorts  to  thoughtful,  discreet  demeanour,  here  follows 
the  proverb  of  self-conscious,  grave  deportment : 

If  thou  art  foolish  in  that  thou  exaltest  thyself, 
Or  in  devising, — put  thy  hand  to  thy  mouth  ! 
S3  For  the  pressure  on  milk  bringeth  forth  butter, 
And  pressure  on  the  nose  bringeth  forth  blood, 
And  pressure  on  sensibility  bringeth  forth  altercation. 

Löwenstein  translates  ver.  32  : 

Art  thou  despicable,  it  is  by  boasting  ; 

Art  thou  prudent,  then  hold  thy  hand  on  thy  mouth. 

But  if  nor  denotes  reflection  and  deliberation,  then  ?23,  as  its 
opposite,  denotes  unreflecting,  foolish  conduct.  Then  i<^^nn3 
[by  boasting]  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  consequent  (thus  it 
happens  by  lifting  thyself  up ;  or  :  it  is  connected  with  boast- 
ing) ;  by  this  construction  also,  np33"Di;?  must  be  accented  with 
DecJdy  not  with  Tarcha.      Otherwise  Euchel  : 

Hast  thou  become  offensive  through  pride, 

Or  seems  it  so  to  thee, — lay  thy  hand  to  thy  mouth. 


^  In  the  "  Alt-arab.    Sjn-achstudien,^^  Deutsch.  Morgenl.  Zeitschr.  xxv. 
539  f. 


CHAP.  XXX.  32,  33.  313 

The  thought  is  appropriate/  but  J^f?3  for  ri^BJ  is  more  than  im- 
probable ;  ?3Jj  thus  absolutely  taken  in  an  ethical  connection,  is 
certainly  related  to  ?3Jj  as  ?D3,  Jer.  x.  8,  to  ^''i?3.  The  prevail- 
ing mode  of  explanation  is  adopted  by  Fleischer  :  si  stulta 
arrogantia  elatus  fueris  et  si  quid  diirius  (in  alios)  mente  con- 
ceperis,  manum  ori  impone ;  i.e.,  if  thou  arrogantly,  and  with 
offensive  words,  wilt  strive  with  others,  then  keep  thyself  back, 
and  say  not  what  thou  hast  in  thy  mind.  But  while  nrsro  and 
niQTO  denote  intrigues,  xiv.  17,  as  well  as  plans  and  considera- 
tions, 20T  has  never  by  itself  alone  the  sense  of  meditari  mala  ; 
at  Ps.  xxxvii.  12,  also  with  h  of  the  object  at  which  the  evil 
devices  aim.  Then  for  ONI  ,  .  .  DN  (Arab,  an  .  .  .  wCai)  there 
is  the  supposition  of  a  correlative  relation,  as  e.g.  1  Kings  xx. 
18,  Eccles.  xi.  3,  by  which  at  the  same  time  riiST  is  obviously 
thought  of  as  a  contrast  to  ri^33.  This  contrast  excludes^  for 
moi  not  only  the  sense  of  mala  moliri  (thus  eg.  also  Mühlau), 
but  also  the  sense  of  the  Arab,  zamm,  superhire  (Schultens). 
Plitzig  has  the  right  determination  of  the  relation  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  sentence  and  the  ideas  :  if  thou  art  irrational  in 
ebullition  of  temper  and  in  thought — thy  hand  to  thy  mouth  ! 
But  ^^'^'^'^  has  neither  here  nor  elsewhere  the  meaning  of 
n5J?nn  (to  be  out  of  oneself  with  anger)  ;  it  signifies  everywhere 
to  elevate  or  exalt  oneself,  i.e.  rightly  or  wrongly  to  make  much 
of  oneself.  There  are  cases  where  a  man,  who  raises  himself 
above  others,  appears  as  a  fool,  and  indeed  acts  foolishly ;  but 
there  are  also  other  cases,  when  the  despised  has  a  reason  and  an 
object  for  vindicating  his  superiority,  his  repute,  his  just  claim  : 
when,  as  we  say,  he  places  himself  in  his  right  position,  and 
assumes  importance ;  the  poet  here  recommends,  to  the  one  as 
well  as  to  the  other,  silence.  The  rule  that  silence  is  gold  has 
its  exceptions,  but  here  also  it  is  held  valid  as  a  rule.  Luther 
and  othei's  interpret  the  perfecta  as  looking  back  :  "  hast  thou  be- 

^  Yet  the  Talmud,  Nidda  27a,  derives  another  moral  rule  from  this  pro- 
verb, for  it  interprets  Dof  in  the  sense  of  DOf  =  DDPI,  to  tie  up,  to  bridle, 
to  shut  up,  but  n?33  DS  in  the  sense  of  "  if  thou  hast  made  thyself 
despicable,"  as  Löwenstein  has  done. 

2  The  Arab,  signification,  to  become  proud,  is  a  nuance  of  the  primary 
signification,  to  hold  erect — viz.  the  head, — as  when  the  rider  draws  up 
the  head  of  a  camel  by  means  of  the  halter  (Arab,  zamain). 


314  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

come  a  fool  and  ascended  too  high  and  intended  evil,  then  lay  thy 
hand  on  thy  mouth."  But  the  reason  in  ver.  33  does  not  accord 
with  this  rendering,  for  when  that  has  been  done,  the  occasion 
for  hatred  is  already  given ;  but  the  proverb  designs  to  warn 
against  the  stirring  up  of  hatred  by  the  reclaiming  of  personal 
pretensions.  The  perfecta,  therefore,  are  to  be  interpreted  as 
at  Deut.  xxxii.  29,  Job  ix.  15,  as  the  expression  of  the  abstract 
present;  or  better,  as  at  Job  ix.  16,  as  the  expression  of  the 
f ut.  exactum :  if  thou  wouldest  have  acted  foolishly,  since  thou 
walkest  proudly,  or  if  thou  hadst  (before)  thought  of  it  (Aquila, 
Theodotion ;  koi  iav  ivvo7]6f]<i) — the  hand  on  thy  mouth,  i.e. 
let  it  alone,  be  silent  rather  (expression  as  xi.  24  ;  Judg.  xviii. 
19;  Job  xl.  4).  The  Venet.  best:  ec'Trep  i/jicopava<i  ev  roj  iirai- 
peaOac  kol  ecTrep  iXojiacOj  '^elp  tu>  aro/jiaTt.  When  we  have 
now  interpreted  Nb'jnn,  not  of  the  rising  up  of  anger,  we  do  not 
also,  with  Hitzig,  interpret  the  dual  of  tlie  two  snorting  noses — 
viz.  of  the  double  anger,  that  of  him  who  provokes  to  anger,  and 
that  of  him  who  is  made  angry, — but  D^.SX  denotes  the  two  nostrils 
of  one  and  the  same  person,  and,  figuratively,  snorting  or  anger. 
Pressure  against  the  nose  is  designated  ^i^TP?  eKfirj^ijai^  {eKiri- 
eaii)  /jLVKTTjpo^  (write  fli^T^''?  with  Melheg,  with  the  long  tone, 
after  Metheg- Setzung,  §  11,  9,  12),  and  Q^SX  YV,  eKixv^r^ai^ 
Oufiov  (Theodotion),  with  reference  to  the  proper  meaning  of 
Q"'ax,  pressure  to  anger,  i.e.  to  the  stirring  up  and  strengthening 
of  anger.  The  nose  of  him  who  raises  himself  up  comes  into 
view,  in  so  far  as,  with  such  self-estimation,  sneering,  snuffling 
scorn  (/MVKT7]pi^eLv)  easily  connects  itself ;  but  this  view  of 
a.\y:nD  is  not  here  spoken  of. 


SECOND  APPENDIX  TO  THE  SECOND  SOLOMONIC  COLLECTION 
OF  PROVERBS.— XXXI.  1-9. 

Superscription  : 

Ver.  1  Words  of  Lemuel  the  ting, 

The  utterance  wherewith  his  mother  warned  him. 

Such  would  be  the  superscription  if  the  interpunction  of  the 
text  as  it  lies  before  us  were  correct.     But  it  is  not  possibly 


CUAP,  XXXI.  1.  315 

light.  For,  notwithstanding  the  assurance  of  Ewald,  §  277^;, 
■JPO  7S1D7,  nevertheless,  as  it  would  be  here  used,  remains  an 
impossibility.  Certainly  under  circumstances  an  indeterminate 
apposition  can  follow  a  proper  name.  That  on  coins  we  read 
^nj  jna  nTino  or  lO'^p  jn:  is  nothing  strange ;  in  this  case  we  also 
use  the  words  "  Nero,  emperor,"  and  that  we  altogether  omit 
the  article  shows  that  the  case  is  singular:  the  apposition 
wavers  between  the  force  of  a  generic  and  of  a  proper  name. 
A  similar  case  is  the  naming  of  the  proper  name  with  the 
general  specification  of  the  class  to  which  this  or  that  one  bearing 
the  name  belongs  in  lists  of  persons,  as  e.g.  1  Kings  iv.  2-6,  or 
in  such  expressions  as,  e.g.^  "  Damascus,  a  town,"  or  "  Tel  Ham, 
a  castle,"  and  the  like ;  here  we  have  the  indefinite  article, 
because  the  apposition  is  a  simple  declaration  of  the  class.^  But 
would  the  expression,  "  The  poem  of  Oscar,  a  king,"  be  proper 
as  the  title  of  a  book  ?  Proportionally  more  so  than  "  Oscar, 
king;"  but  also  that  form  of  indeterminate  apposition  is  contrary 
to  the  usus  loq.,  especially  with  a  king  with  whom  the  apposition 
is  not  a  generic  name,  but  a  name  of  honour.  We  assume 
that  "Lemuel"  is  a  symbolical  name,  like  "Jareb"  in  "Kino- 
Jareb,"  Hos.  v.  13,  x.  6  ;  so  we  would  expect  the  phrase  to  be 
^XID^J  1^o(n)  rather  than  "j^a  ^i^io!?.  The  phrase  "  Lemuel, 
king,"  here  in  the  title  of  this  section  of  the  book,  sounds  like 
a  double  name,  after  the  manner  of  ^|?0  l^j;  in  the  book  of 
Jeremiah.  In  the  Greek  version  also  the  phrase  Aejjbovekov 
ßacriXeco^;  (^Venet.)  is  not  used  as  syntactically  correct  without 
liaving  joined  to  the  ßacrL\eo3<i  a  dependent  genitive  such  as  tcov 
Apdßcov,  while  none  of  the  old  translators,  except  Jerome,  take 
the  words  1^0  bn^lDb  together  in  the  sense  of  Lamuelis  regis. 
Thus  i^I'D  ^?9  ^^'6  ^o  be  taken  together,  with  Hitzig,  Bertheau, 
Zöckler,  Mühlau,  and  Dächsei,  against  Ewald  and  Kamphausen; 
Nb>0,  whether  it  be  a  name  of  a  tribe  or  a  country,  or  of  both 

1  Thus  it  is  also  with  the  examples  of  indeterminate  gcntilicia,  which 
Riehm  makes  valid  for  "j^D  ^SIO^  (for  he  translates  ^XID^  symbolically, 
which,  however,  syntactically  makes  no  difference):  "As  analogous  to 
'  Lemuel,  a  king,'  one  may  adduce  '  Jeroboam,  son  of  Nebat,  an  Ephra- 
thite,'  1  Kings  xi.  26,  instead  of  the  usual  form  '  the  Ephrathite  ; '  "  and 
''J''0''"p,  Ps.  vii.  1,  for  lyoTI  p;  on  the  contrary,  jna,  1  Kings  iv.  5,  does 
not  belong  to  the  subject,  but  is  the  pred. 


316  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

at  the  same  time,  is  the  region  ruled  over  by  Lemuel,  and  since 
this  proper  name  throws  back  the  determination  which  it  has  in 
itself  on  "l^O,  the  phrase  is  to  be  translated  :  "  Words  of  Lemuel 
the  king  of  Massa"  (vid.  under  xxx.  1).  If  Aquila  renders 
this  proper  name  by  Ae^fjiovv,  Symmachus  by  'Ia/u,ovi]\,  Theo- 
dotion  by  Peßov^X,  the  same  arbitrariness  prevails  with  refer- 
ence to  the  initial  and  terminal  sound  of  the  word,  as  in  the 
case  of  tiie  words  ^  A/jLßaKov/ji,  BeeX^eßovX,  BeXlap.  The  name 
kx^ö^  sounds  like  the  name  of  Simeon's  first-born,  ^^'^\y  Gen. 
xlvi.  10,  written  in  Num.  xxvi.  12  and  1  Chron.  iv.  24  as  bi<V2^ ; 
^Ni''  also  appears,  1  Chron.  iv.  35,  as  a  Simeonite  name,  which 
Hitzig  adduces  in  favour  of  his  view  that  Nb»»  was  a  North 
Arab.  Simeonite  colony.  The  interchange  of  the  names  ^xilD" 
and  baV2:  is  intelligible  if  it  is  supposed  that  ^sin''  (from  nn^  = 
ii^])  designates  the  sworn  (sworn  to)  of  God,  and  ^i^iroj  (from 
D3  Mishnic  =  OW)  ^  the  expressed  (addressed)  of  God ;  here  the 
reference  of  ID''  and  "1D3  to  verbal  stems  is  at  least  possible,  but  a 
verb  n?p7  is  found  only  in  the  Arab.,  and  with  significations  inus. 
But  there  are  two  other  derivations  of  the  name  :  (1)  The  verb 
(Arab.)  icaala  signifies  to  hasten  (with  the  infin.  of  the  onoma- 
top.  verbs  waniyal,  like  raliyal,  walking,  because  motion,  espe- 
cially that  which  is  tumultuous,  proceeds  with  a  noise),  whence 
maumil,  the  place  to  which  one  flees,  retreat.  Hence  -'If^lö?  or 
7NiDp,  which  is  in  this  case  to  be  assumed  as  the  ground-form, 
might  be  formed  from  ^i?iö  ^N,  God  is  a  refuge,  with  the  rejec- 
tion of  the  N.  This  is  the  opinion  of  Fleischer,  which  Mühlau 
adopts  and  has  established,  p.  38-41  ;  for  he  shows  that  the 
initial  N  is  not  only  often  rejected  where  it  is  without  the  sup- 
port of  a  full  vocal,  e.g.  'liTO  =  =i3n3N,  lalah  =  ilalah  {Deus),  but 
that  this  aphaeresis  not  seldom  also  occurs  where  the  initial 
has  a  full  vocal,  e.g.  "iJVr  =  "^l^-^j  lahmaru  =  allahmaru  {ruber), 
la/isd  =  al-lalisd  (the  name  of  a  town);  cf.  also  Blau  in  Deutsch. 
Morgenl.  Zeitschr.  xxv.  580.  But  this  view  is  thus  acceptable 
and  tenable ;  a  derivation  which  spares  us  by  a  like  certainty 
the  supposition  of  such  an  abbreviation  established  only  by  the 
late  Palestinian  "iTy^,  Adi^apo'i,  might  well  desire  the  preference. 
(2)  Fleischer  himself  suggests  another  derivation  :  "  The  signi- 

^  In  the  Midrash  KoJieleth  to  i.  1,  the  name  Lemuel  (as  a  name  of 
Solomon)  is  explained  :  he  who  has  spoken  to  God  in  his  heart. 


CHAP   XXXI.  2.  317 

fication  of  the  name  is  Deo  consecratus^  i^?,  poetic  for  ?,  as 
also  in  ver.  4  it  is  to  be  vocalized  p^^'^?  after  the  Masora."  The 
form  ^i<iö?  is  certainly  not  less  favourable  to  that  first  derivation 
than  to  this  second  ;  the  ü  is  in  both  cases  an  obscuration  of 
the  original  .  But  that  "  Lemuel"  may  be  explained  in  this 
second  way  is  shown  by  "  Lael,"  Num.  iii.  24  (Olshausen, 
§  277c?).^  It  is  a  beautiful  sign  for  King  Lemuel,  and  a  veri- 
fication of  his  name,  that  it  is  he  himself  by  whom  we  receive 
the  admonition  with  which  his  mother  in  her  care  counselled 
him  when  he  attained  to  independent  government,  "iti'^  con- 
nects itself  with  nai,  after  we  have  connected  Nb'O  with  pn;  it 
is  accus,  of  the  manner  to  IJ^IS"!  =  ^i^^"!!?" ;  cf.  W^n^  vii.  21,  with 
inn^na,  xxxi.  12  :  wherewith  (with  which  words)  she  earnestly 
and  impressively  admonished  him.  The  Syr.  translates : 
words  of  Muel,  as  if  h  were  that  of  the  author.  "  Others  as 
inconsistently :  words  to  Lemuel — they  are  words  which  he 
himself  ought  to  carry  in  his  mouth  as  received  from  his 
mother"  (Fleischer). 

The  name  "  Massa,"  if  it  here  means  effatnm,  would  be  pro- 
portionally more  appropriate  for  these  "  Words"  of  Lemuel 
than  for  the  "  Words"  of  Agur,  for  the  maternal  counsels  form 
an  inwardly  connected  compact  whole.  They  begin  with  a 
question  which  maternal  love  puts  to  itself  with  regard  to  the 
beloved  son  whom  she  would  advise  : 

Ver.  2  What,  my  sou  ?  and  what  the  son  of  my  womb  ? 
And  what,  0  son  of  my  vows  ?  ! 
The  thrice  repeated  no  is  completed  by  nb'i|ri  (cf.  Köhler  under 
Mai.  ii.  15),  and  that  so  that  the  question  is  put  for  the  purpose 
of  exciting  attention  :  Consider  well,  my  son,  what  thou  wilt  do 
as  ruler,  and  listen  attentively  to  my  counsel  (Fleischer).  But 
the  passionate  repetition  of  Ho  would  be  only  affectation  if  thus 
interpreted ;  the  underlying  thought  must  be  of  a  subjective 
nature:  what  shall  I  say,  1?"!^^.  {yid.  under  Isa.  xxxviii.  15),  what 
advise  thee  to  do  ?  The  question,  which  is  at  the  same  time  a 
call,  is  like  a  deep  sigh  from  the  heart  of  the  mother  concerned 
for  the  welfare  of  her  son,  who  would  say  to  him  what  is  bene- 
ficial, and  say  it  in  words  which   strike  and  remain  fixed.     He 

1  Simonis  has  also  compared  ^thiopic  proper  names,  such  as  Zakrestos, 
Zaiasus.  ZamikatL  Zamariam. 


318  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

is  indeed  her  dear  son,  the  son  whom  she  carries  in  lier  heart, 
the  son  for  whom  with  vows  of  tlianksgiving  she  prayed  to 
God  ;  and  as  he  was  given  her  by  God,  so  to  His  care  she  com- 
mits him.  The  name  "Lemuel "  is,  as  we  interpret  it,  like  the 
anagram  of  the  fulfihTient  of  the  vows  of  his  mother.  "•'JB  bears 
the  Aramaic  shade  in  the  Arameo-Arab.  colouring  of  these 
proverbs  from  Massa ;  3''']3  is  common  in  the  Aram.,  and 
particularly  in  the  Talmudic,  but  it  can  scarcely  be  adduced  in 
support  of  "'■13.  n»^  belongs  to  the  24,  n?Oj  with  n  or  J?  not  fol- 
lowing ;  vid.  the  Masora  to  Ex.  xxxii.  1,  and  its  correction  by 
Norzi  at  Deut.  xxix.  23.  We  do  not  write  "i^-nni ;  n»,  with 
Mahhepli  and  with  3Ietheg,  exclude  one  another. 

Ver.  3.  The  first  admonition  is  a  warning  against  effeminat- 
ing  sensuality : 

Give  not  thy  strength  to  women, 
Nor  thy  ways  to  them  that  destroy  kings. 
The  punctuation  T\)nu?  sees  in  this  form  a  syncopated  m?/. 
Hiph.  =  ninonp  (vid.  at  xxiv.  17),  according  to  which  we  are 
to  translate :  viasque  tuas  ad  perdendos  reges  {ne  dirige),  by 
which,  as  Fleischer  formulates  the  twofold  possibility,  it  may 
either  be  said  :  direct  not  thy  effort  to  this  result,  to  destroy 
neighbouring  kings, — viz.  by  wars  of  invasion  (properly,  to 
wipe  them  away  from  the  table  of  existence,  as  the  Arabs  say), 
— or :  do  not  that  by  which  kings  are  overthrown  ;  i.e.,  with 
special  reference  to  Lemuel,  act  not  so  that  thou  thyself  must 
thereby  be  brought  to  ruin.  But  the  warning  against  vengeful, 
rapacious,  and  covetous  propensity  to  war  (thus  Jerome,  so  the 
Veiiet.  after  Kimchi :  dTTOfidrreiv  ßa(Tikea<i,  C.  B.  Michaelis, 
and  earlier,  Gesenius)  does  not  stand  well  as  parallel  with  the 
warning  against  giving  his  bodily  and  mental  strength  to 
women,  i.e.  expending  it  on  them.  But  another  explana- 
tion :  direct  not  thy  ways  to  the  destruction  of  kings,  i.e. 
toward  that  which  destroys  kings  (Elster) ;  or,  as  Luther 
translates :  go  not  in  the  way  wherein  kings  destroy  them- 
selves,— puts  into  the  words  a  sense  which  the  author  cannot 
have  had  in  view  ;  for  the  individualizing  expression  would 
then  be  generalized  in  the  most  ambiguous  way.  Thus  niriDb 
p!5ö  will  be  a  name  for  women,  parallel  to  Q^K'Sp.  So  far  the 
translation  of  the  Targum  :  P^^^  T\y2h^  ßUahus  (HTO^^P?)  regum^ 


CHAP.  XXXI  3.  319 

lies  under  a  right  supposition.  But  the  designation  is  not  thus 
general.  Schultens  explains  catapiiltis  regum  after  Ezek.  xxvi. 
9  ;  but,  inasmuch  as  he  takes  this  as  a  figure  of  those  who  lay 
siege  to  the  hearts  of  men,  he  translates :  expwjnatricihus 
reginrij  for  he  regards  nino  as  the  plur.  of  nno,  a  particip.  noun, 
which  he  translates  by  deletor.  Tlie  connecting  form  of  the 
fem.  plur.  of  this  nno  might  certainly  be  riino  (cf.  ''To,  from 
HTO),  but  pa^ö  mno^  ought  to  be  changed  into  'i^l  '^^  ;  for  one 
will  not  appeal  to  anomalies,  such  as  'op,  xvi.  4  ;  'j?,  Isa.  xxiv. 
2  ;  ''oh,  Lam.  i.  19  ;  or  '131  'nn,  1  Kings  xiv.  24,  to  save  the 
Pathach  of  nino^,  which,  as  we  saw,  proceeds  from  on  alto- 
gether different  understanding  of  the  word.  But  if  '^y?  is  to 
be  changed  into  'pp,  then  one  must  go  further,  since  for 
nriD  not  an  active  but  a  conditional  meaning  is  to  be  assumed, 
and  we  must  write  ninbp,  in  favour  of  which  Fleischer  as  well 
as  Gesenius  decides :  et  ne  committe  eonsilia  factaque  tua  Us 
quce  reges  perdunt,  regum  pestibiis.  Ewald  also  favours  the 
change  riinbpj  for  he  renders  nriD  as  a  denom.  of  nb,  marrow  : 
those  who  enfeeble  kings,  in  which  Kamphausen  follows  him. 
Mühlau  goes  further ;  he  gives  the  privative  signification,  to 
enfeeble,  to  the  Fiel  HTO  =  makliakha  (cf.  Herzog's  Recd- 
Wörterb.  xiv.  712),  which  is  much  more  probable,  and  proposes 
ninoipp :  Us  quce  vires  enervant  regum.  But  we  can  appro- 
priately, with  Nöldeke,  adhere  to  riinbp,  deletricihus  {perditrici 
bus),  for  by  this  change  the  parallelism  is  satisfied ;  and  that 
nno  may  be  used,  with  immediate  reference  to  men,  of  entire 
and  total  destruction,  is  sufiiciently  established  by  such  passages 
as  Gen.  vi.  7,  Judg.  xxi.  17,  if  any  proof  is  at  all  needed  for 
it.  Eegarding  the  LXX.  and  those  misled  by  it,  who,  by  ]':ihü 
and  D'3^D,  4a,  think  on  the  Aram.  T?^»,  ßovXal,  vid.  Mühlau, 
p.  53.-^  But  the  Syr.  has  an  idea  worthy  of  the  discourse,  who 
translates  epulis  regum  without  our  needing,  with  Mühlau,  to 
charge  him  with  dreaming  of  On^  in  T\'\n]:h.  Perhaps  that  is 
true ;  but  perhaps  by  ninob  he  thought  of  riin»^  (from  no,  the 
particip.  adj.  of  nno)  :  do  not  direct  thy  ways  to  rich  food 
(morsels),  such  as  kings  love  and  can  have.     By  this  reading, 

^  Also  Hitzig's  Blinzlerinnen  [women  who  ogle  or  leer  =  seductive 
courtesans]  and  Böttcher's  Streichlerinnen  [caressers,  viz.  of  kings]  are 
there  rejected,  as  they  deserve  to  be. 


320  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

3^  would  mediate  the  transition  to  ver.  4;  and  that  the  mother 
refers  to  the  immorality,  the  unseemliness,  and  the  dangers  of  a 
large  harem,  only  in  one  brief  word  (3a),  cannot  seem  strange, 
much  rather  it  may  be  regarded  as  a  sign  of  delicacy.  But  so 
much  the  more  badly  does  T'3"J"tl  accord  with  Hi  nop.  Certainly 
one  goes  to  a  banquet,  for  one  finds  leisure  for  it ;  but  of  one 
Mdio  himself  is  a  king,  it  is  not  said  that  he  should  not  direct 
his  ways  to  a  king's  dainties.  But  if  ninbp  refers  to  the  whole 
conduct  of  the  king,  the  warning  is,  that  he  should  not  regulate 
his  conduct  in  dependence  on  the  love  and  the  government  of 
women.  But  whoever  will  place  himself  amid  the  revelry  of 
lust,  is  wont  to  intoxicate  himself  with  ardent  spirits  ;  and  he 
who  is  thus  intoxicated,  is  in  danger  of  giving  reins  to  the 
beast  within  him.  Hence  there  now  follows  a  warning  against 
drunkenness,  not  unmediated  by  the  reading  riinbp  : 

Ver.  4  It  is  not  for  kings,  0  Lemuel, 
Not  for  kings  to  drink  wine, 
Not  for  rulers  to  ask  for  intoxicating  drink  ; 
5  Lest  he  drink,  and  forget  what  is  prescribed, 
And  pervert  the  right  of  all  the  children  of  want. 

The  usual  translation  of  4a  is :  non  decet  reges  ...  (as  e.g.  also 
Mühlau)  ;  but  in  this  ^s  is  not  rightly  rendered,  which  indeed 
is  at  times  only  an  ov,  spoken  with  close  interest,  but  yet  first 
of  all,  especially  in  such  parasnetic  connection  as  here,  it  is  a 
dissuasive  firj.  But  now  ninc'  D^r^D^  üb  or  nin^i?  D^3^0^  i6, 
after  2  Chron.  xxvi.  18,  Mic.  iii.  1,  signifies :  it  is  not  the 
])art  of  kings,  it  does  not  become  them  to  drink,  which  may  also 
be  turned  into  a  dissuasive  form  :  let  it  not  be  the  part  of  kings 
to  drink,  let  them  not  have  any  business  therewith,  as  if  it  be- 
longed to  their  calling  ;  according  to  which  Fleischer  renders  : 
Absit  a  rcgibus,  Lemuel,  ahsit  a  regibus  potare  vinvm.  The 
clearer  expression  ^siD^,  instead  of  ^XiD^J,  is,  after  Böttcher, 
occasioned  by  this,  that  the  name  is  here  in  the  vocative ;  per- 
haps rather  by  this,  that  the  meaning  of  the  name  :  consecrated 
to  God,  belonging  to  God,  must  be  placed  in  contrast  to  the 
descending  to  low,  sensual  lust.  Both  times  we  write  ^""^^fr  - 
with  the  orthophonic  Dagesh  ^  in  the  h  following  b,  and  with- 
^  Vid.  Luih.  Zeitschrift,  1863,  p.  413.  It  is  the  rule,  according  to 
which,  with  Ben-Asher,  it  is  to  be  written  p3"j3 


CHAP.  XXXI.  i,  5.  821 

out  the  recompensative  Dagesh,  the  want  of  wlilcli  is  in  a  certain 
measure  covered  by  the  Metheg  {viel.  Norzi).  Regarding  the 
inf.  consir.  \T\f  (cf,  nJi^^  xvi.  16),  vid.  Gesen.  §  75,  Anm.  2  ; 
and  regarding  the  sequence  of  accents  here  necessary,  '^''^^^P?  ^^. 
11^ "in'^'  (not  Mercha,  Dechi,  Athnacli,  for  Dechi  would  be  here 
contrary  to  rule),-  vid.  Thorath  Eineth,  p.  22  §  6,  p.  43  §  7. 
In  4cb  nothing  is  to  be  gained  from  the  Chetldb  IS.  There  is 
not  a  substantive  1^^,  desire,  the  consir.  of  which  would  here 
have  to  be  read,  not  is  (Umbrelt,  Gesenius),  but  IS,  after  the 
form  1i5  (Maurer)  ;  and  why  did  the  author  not  write  "^^^  riixri  ? 
But  the  particle  IS  does  not  here  also  fall  in  with  the  connec- 
tion ;  for  if  "I3t^  is  connect  itself  with  )"•'•  (Hitzig,  Ewald,  and 
others),  then  it  would  drag  disagreeably,  and  we  would  have 
here  a  spiritless  classification  of  things  unadvisable  for  kings. 
Böttcher  therefore  sees  in  this  IS  the  remains  of  the  obli- 
terated Si3D ;  a  corrector  must  then  have  transformed  the  si 
which  remained  into  IS.  But  before  one  ventures  on  such 
conjectures,  the  Keri  "'S  [where  ?]  must  be  tried.  Is  it  the 
abbreviated  P'^  (Herzog's  Real-Wörterhucli,  xiv.  712)?  Cer- 
tainly not,  because  I3t^  ps  CiTilpl  would  mean :  and  the  princes, 
or  rulers  (vid.  regarding  D''Jn"i  at  viii.  15),  have  no  mead, 
which  is  inconsistent.  But  p^  does  not  abbreviate  itself  into 
■'S,  but  into  "'S.  Not  "'S,  but  "'S,  is  in  Heb.,  as  well  as  in  Ethiop., 
the  word  with  which  negative  adjectives  such  as  ""pJ  'S^  not 
innocent,  Job  xxii.  30,  and  in  later  Heb.  also,  negative  sen- 
tences, such  as  l^?S  ''S :  it  is  not  possible,  are  formed.* 
Therefore  Mühlau  vocalizes  ""Sj  and  thinks  that  the  author  used 
this  word  for  7S,  so  as  not  to  repeat  this  word  for  the  thii'd 
time.  But  how  is  that  possible  ?  13'^  ''^*  signifies  either  :  not 
mead,  or :  there  is  not  mead ;  and  both  afford,  for  the  passage 
before  us,  no  meaning.  Is,  then,  the  Keri  "'S  truly  so  unsuit- 
able ?  Indeed,  to  explain :  how  came  intoxicating  drink  to 
rulers !  is  inadmissible,  since  "'S  always  means  only  uhi  (e.g. 
Gen.  iv.  9)  ;  not,  like  the  Ethiop.  aite,  also  quomodo.     But  the 

1  The  author  of  the  Comm.  c^pr  müV  to  the  W^n  ms,  c.  6,  Geiger  and 
others  would  read  is,  because  is  is  abbreviated  from  pS-  But  why  not 
from  ps,  1  Sam.  xxi.  9  ?  The  traditional  expression  is  "'S  ;  and  Elias 
Levita  in  the  Tishbl,  as  also  Baer  in  the  Siddur  Ahodath  Jisrael,  are  right 
in  defending  it  against  that  innovation. 

VOL.  II.  X 


322  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

question  ubi  temetum,  as  a  question  of  desire,  fits  the  connec- 
tion, whether  the  sentence  means :  non  decet  principlbus  dicere 
(Ahron  b.  Josef  supplies  "nöS''5J')  uhi  temetum^  or:  absit  a 
princijnbus  qucerere  ubi  temetum  (Fleischer),  which,  from  our 
view  of  4a,  we  prefer.  There  is  in  reality  nothing  to  be  sup- 
plied; but  as  4a  says  that  the  drinking  of  wine  ought  not  to 
characterize  kings,  so  A.b,  that  "Where  is  mead?"  {i.e.  this 
eager  inquiry  after  mead)  ought  not  to  characterize  rulers.^ 
Why  not?  ver.  5  says.  That  the  prince,  being  a  slave  to 
drink,  may  not  forget  the  Pi^n^,  i.e.  that  which  has  been  made 
and  has  become  \>n^  thus  that  which  is  lawfully  right,  and  may 
not  alter  tlie  righteous  cause  of  the  miserable,  who  cry  against 
their  oppressors,  i.e.  may  not  handle  falsely  the  facts  of  the 
case,  and  give  judgment  contrary  to  them.  H  n^^  (Aquila, 
Theodotion,  Quinta,  äWoiovv  Kplcnv)  is  elsewhere  equivalent 
to  DSt^'b  ntzin  (n'lj;).  VV"''^?  ^^^  those  who  are,  as  it  were,  born 
to  oppression  and  suffering.  This  mode  of  expression  is  a 
Semitism  (Fleischer),  but  it  here  heightens  the  impression  of 
the  Arab,  colouring.  In  73  {Venet.  oivnvovv)  it  is  indicated 
that,  not  merely  with  reference  to  individual  poor  men,  but  in 
general  to  the  whole  class  of  the  poorer  people,  suffering 
humanity,  sympathy  and  a  regard  for  truth  on  the  part  of  a 
prince  given  to  sensuality  are  easily  thrown  aside.  Wine  is 
better  suited  for  those  who  are  in  a  condition  to  be  timeously 
helped  over  which,  is  a  refreshment  to  them. 

Ver.  6  Give  strong  drink  to  him  that  is  perishing, 

And  wine  to  those  whose  soul  is  in  bitter  woe  ; 
7  Let  him  drink  and  forget  his  poverty, 
And  let  him  think  of  his  misery  no  more. 

The  preparation  of  a  potion  for  malefactors  who  were  con- 
demned to  death  was,  on  the  ground  of  these  words  of  the 
proverb,  cared  for  by  noble  women  in  Jerusalem  (niip""  C^'J 
DvC^"n''3E'),  Sanhedrin  43a  ;  Jesus  rejected  it,  because  He  wished, 
without  becoming  insensible  to  His  sorrow,  to  pass  away  from 
the  earthly  life  freely  and  in  full  consciousness,  Mark  xv.  23. 

»  The  translation  of  Jerome,  quia  nullum  sccretum  est  lili  regnat  ehrictas 
(as  if  the  words  were  "ist»»  i^  XH  T\'h),  corresponds  to  the  proverb:  DiD3 
TiD  X^""  p,  when  the  wine  goes  in  the  secret  comes  out ;  or,  which  is  the 
same  thing  :  if  one  adds  p>  (=  70),  TiD  (=  70)  comes  out. 


CHAP.  XXXI.  8,  9,  S23 

The  transition  from  the  plur.  to  the  sing,  of  the  subject  is  in 
ver.  7  less  violent  than  in  ver.  5,  since  in  ver.  6  singular  and 
plur.  already  interchange.  We  write  "i3*^'"=iJri  with  the  counter- 
tone  Metheg  and  Mercha.  *l?iX  designates,  as  at  Job  xxix.  13, 
xxxi.  19,  one  who  goes  to  meet  destruction :  it  combines  the 
present  signification  interiens,  the  fut.  signif.  interilurus,  and 
the  ])erL  perditus  (hopelessly  lost).  5^'S3  ''^D  (those  whose  minds 
are  filled  with  sorrow)  is  also  supported  from  the  Book  of  Job, 
iii.  20,  cf.  xxi.  25,  the  language  and  thought  and  mode  of  writing 
of  which  notably  rests  on  the  Proverbs  of  Agur  and  Lemuel 
(yid.  Mühlau,  pp.  64-66).  The  Venet.  rot'i  iriKpoh  (not  '^v-^pols:) 
rrjv  ^^vx/jv.  ti'''1  (poverty)  is  not,  however,  found  there,  but 
only  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  in  which  this  word-stem  is  more 
at  home  than  elsewhere.  Wine  rejoices  the  heart  of  man,  Ps. 
civ.  15,  and  at  the  same  time  raises  it  for  the  time  above 
oppression  and  want,  and  out  of  anxious  sorrow,  wherefore  it  is 
soonest  granted  to  them,  and  in  sympathizing  love  ought  to  be 
presented  to  them  by  whom  this  its  beneficent  influence  is  to  be 
wished  for.  The  ruined  man  forgets  his  poverty,  the  deeply 
perplexed  his  burden  of  sorrow  ;  the  king,  on  the  contraiy,  is 
in  danger  from  this  cause  of  forgetting  what  the  law  requu'ed 
at  his  hands,  viz.  in  relation  to  those  who  need  help,  to  whom 
especially  his  duty  as  a  ruler  refers. 

Ver.  8  Open  thy  mouth  for  the  dumb, 

For  the  right  of  all  the  children  of  leaving ; 
9  Open  thy  mouth,  judge  righteously, 
And  do  right  to  the  poor  and  needy. 

He  is  called  dumb  who  suffers  the  infirmity  of  dumbness,  as  "i?y 
and  nSQ,  Job  xxix.  15,  is  he  who  suffers  the  infirmity  of  blind- 
ness or  lameness,  not  here  figuratively ;  at  the  same  time,  he 
who,  on  account  of  his  youth,  or  on  account  of  his  ignorance, 
or  from  fear,  cannot  speak  before  the  tribunal  for  himself 
(Fleischer).  With  p  the  dat.  commodi  (LXX.  after  Lagarde, 
fiojiXaXo) ;  Aquila,  Svmmachus,  Theodotion,  aXaXa  ;  the  Venet. 
after  Gebhardt,  ßcoßS)  b^,  of  the  object  aimed  at,  interchanges, 
as  e.g.  1  Kings  xix.  3,  2  Kings  vii.  7,  D^'Srbx,  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  their  life,  or  for  the  sake  of  their  life,  for  it  is  seldom 
that  it  introduces  the  object  so  purely  as  here.  And  that  an 
infin.  such  as  '^V'}.  should  stand  as  a  subst.  occurs  proportionally 


324  TUE  BOOK  OF  PROVERDS. 

seldomer  in  Heb.  (Isa.  Iv.  4 ;  Ps.  xxii.  7  ;  cf.  with  n  of  tlie 
artic,  Num.  iv.  12  ;  Ps.  Ixvi.  9)  than  it  does  in  Arab,  ^li^n  ''33 
in  the  same  way  as  VV~^■??^  ^^j  belongs  to  the  Arab,  complexion 
of  this  proverb,  but  without  its  being  necessary  to  refer  to  the 
Arab,  in  order  to  fix  the  meaning  of  these  two  words.  Hitzior 
explains  after  Ma//,  to  come  after,  which  further  means  "  to 
have  the  disadvantage,"  in  which  Zöckler  follows  him  ;  but  this 
verb  in  Arab,  does  not  mean  varepetv  (ycnepetaOai)^  we  must 
explain  "  sons  of  him  that  remains  behind,"  i.e.  such  as  come 
not  forward,  but  remain  behind  ('aji)  others.  Mühlau  goes 
further,  and  explains,  with  Scliultens  and  Vaihinger :  those 
destitute  of  defence,  after  (Arab.)  hhalafahii  he  is  ranked  next 
to  him,  and  has  become  his  representative — a  use  of  the  word 
foreign  to  the  Heb.  Still  less  is  the  rendering  of  Gesenius 
justified,  "children  of  inheritance"  =  children  left  behind, 
after  hhallafa,  to  leave  behind ;  and  Luther,  ''  for  the  cause  of 
all  who  are  left  behind,"  by  the  phrase  (Arab.)  hliallfaiiy  ^an 
^aiunihj  he  has  placed  me  behind  his  help,  denied  it  to  me,  for 
the  Kal  of  the  verb  cannot  mean  to  abandon,  to  leave.  And 
that  C]i^n  ""33  means  the  opposers  of  the  truth,  or  of  the  poor,  or 
the  litigious  person,  the  quarrelsome,  is  perfectly  inadmissible, 
since  the  Kal  f\)bn  cannot  be  equivalent  to  (Arab.)  kJiilof,  the 
inf.  of  the  od  conj.,  and  besides,  the  gen.  after  H  always 
denotes  those  in  whose  favour,  not  those  against  whom  it  is 
passed ;  the  latter  is  also  valid  against  Ealbag's  "sons  of 
change,"  i.e.  who  say  things  different  from  what  they  think  ; 
and  Ahron  b.  Josef's  "  sons  of  changing,"  viz.  the  truth  into 
lies.  We  must  abide  by  the  meaning  of  the  Heb.  fl^n,  "  to 
follow  after,  to  change  places,  pass  away."  Accordingly, 
Fleischer  understands  by  ^vH,  the  going  aw^ay,  the  dying,  viz. 
of  parents,  and  translates :  eorum  qui  parentibus  orhati  sunt. 
In  another  way  Eashi  reaches  the  same  sense :  orphans  de- 
prived of  their  helper.  But  the  connection  ^bn  ""Jl  requires 
that  we  make  those  who  are  intended  themselves  the  subject  of 
«ll^n.  Rightly  Ewald,  Bertheau,  Kamphausen,  compare  Isa. 
ii.  18  (and  Ps.  xc.  5  f.,  this  with  questionable  right),  and  under- 
stand by  the  sons  of  disappearance  those  whose  inherited  lot, 
whose  proper  fate,  is  to  disappear,  to  die,  to  perish  (Symmachus: 
irdvTcov  vlojv  aTroh^ofievcov,  Jerome:  omnium  filiorum  qui  per- 


CHAP.  XXXI.  10.  325 

transeuni).  It  is  not  men  in  general  as  children  of  frailty  that 
are  meant  (Kimchi,  Meiri,  Immanuel,  Euchel,  and  others), 
after  M'hicli  the  Venet.  rwv  vlwv  tov  [xeraßuXKeiv  {i.e.  those 
Tvho  must  exchange  this  life  for  another),  but  such  as  are  on 
the  brink  of  the  abyss.  p^i  in  P*T[^*"U3Li'  is  not  equivalent  to 
p'^^'3,  but  is  the  accus,  of  the  object,  as  at  Zech.  viii.  16,  decide 
justice,  i.e.  so  that  justice  is  the  result  of  thy  judicial  act;  cf. 
Knobel  on  Deut.  i.  16.  H^  is  imper.,  do  right  to  the  miserable 
and  the  poor ;  cf.  Ps.  liv.  3  with  Jer.  xxii.  16,  v.  28.  That  is 
a  king  of  a  right  sort,  who  directs  his  high  function  as  a  judge, 
so  as  to  be  an  advocate  \jprocurator']  for  the  helpless  of  his 
people. 


THIRD  APPENDIX  TO  THE  SECOND  COLLECTION  OF 
SOLOMONIC  PROVERBS.— XXXI.  10  ff. 

The  admonitions  of  a  faithful  mother  are  followed  by  words 
in  praise  of  a  virtuous  wife ;  the  poet  praises  them  through 
all  the  prcedicamenta,  i.e.  all  the  twenty-two  letters  of  the 
Hebrew  alphabet.  The  artificialness  of  the  order,  says  Hitzig, 
proves  that  the  section  belongs  to  a  proportionally  late  age. 
But  if,  as  he  himself  allows,  even  a  Davidic  psalm,  viz.  Ps. 
ix.-x.,  is  constructed  acrostically,  then  from  this,  that  there  the 
acrostic  design  is  not  so  purely  carried  out  as  it  is  here  in  this 
ode,  no  substantial  proof  can  be  drawn  for  the  more  recent 
origin  of  the  latter.  Yet  we  do  not  deny  that  it  belongs  to  an 
earlier  time  than  the  earliest  of  the  era  of  Hezekiah.  If  Hitzig 
carries  it  back  to  the  times  subsequent  to  Alexander  on  account 
of  the  scripiio  plena,  without  distinctive  accents,  vers.  17,  25,  it 
is,  on  the  other  hand,  to  be  remarked  that  it  has  the  scripiio 
plena  in  common  with  the  "  utterance  from  Massa,"  which  he 
places  forward  in  the  times  of  Hezekiah,  without  being  influ- 
enced to  such  clear  vision  by  writings  such  as  '])bD'',  xxx.  22, 
nniN,  xxxi.  6,  D"":!!"!,  xxxi.  4.  Besides,  the  plene  written  Tiy, 
ver.  25,  is  incorrect,  and  ti^B,  ver.  17,  which  has  its  parallel  in 
"Tiy,  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  6,  is  in  its  form  altogether  dependent  on  the 
Munach,  which  was  added  some  thousand  years  after. 


326  THE   BOOK  OF  PRO  VERBS. 

In  the  LXX.  this  section  forms  the  concluding  section  of 
the  Book  of  Proverbs.  But  it  varies  from  the  Heb.  text  in 
that  the  Q  (aTo/ia)  goes  before  the  j?  (la'^vv).  The  very  same 
sequence  of  letters  is  found  in  the  Heb.  text  of  Ps.  xxxiv.  and 
Lam.  ii.  iii.  and  iv. 

Stier  has  interpreted  allegorically  the  matron  here  com- 
mended. He  understands  thereby  the  Holy  Ghost  in  His 
regenerating  and  sanctifying  influence,  as  the  Midrash  does  the 
Tora;  Ambrosius,  Augustine,  and  others,  the  Church;  Im- 
manuel, the  soul  in  covenant  with  God,  thirsting  after  the  truth. 
As  if  it  were  not  an  invaluable  part  of  Biblical  moral  instruction 
which  is  here  presented  to  us !  Such  a  woman's  mirror  is  no- 
where else  found.  The  housewife  is  depicted  here  as  she  ought 
to  be ;  the  poet  shows  how  she  governs  and  increases  the  wealth 
of  the  house,  and  thereby  also  advances  the  position  of  her 
husband  in  the  common  estimation,  and  he  refers  all  these,  her 
virtues  and  her  prudence,  to  the  fear  of  God  as  their  root  (Von 
Hofmann's  ScJmßbeioeis,  ii.  2.  404  f.).  One  of  the  most 
beautiful  expositions  of  this  section  is  that  of  Luis  de  Leon,  La 
perfecta  casada  (Salamanca,  1582),  which  has  been  revived  in 
a  very  attractive  way  by  Wilkens.^ 

A  wife,  such  as  she  ought  to  be,  is  a  rare  treasure,  a  good 
excelling  all  earthly  possession  : 

Ver.  10  X  A  virtuous  woman,  who  findeth  her! 
She  stands  far  above  pearls  in  worth. 
In  the  connection  <n  nC'X  and  the  like,  the  idea  of  bodily  vigour 
is  spiritualized  to  that  of  capacity,  ability,  and  is  generalized ; 
in  vwtus  the  corresponding  transition  from  manliness,  and  in  the 
originally  Homanic  "  Bravheit,"  valour  to  ability,  is  completed  ; 
we  have  translated  as  at  xii.  4,  but  also  Luther,  "  a  virtuous 
woman,"  is  suitable,  since  Tugend  (virtue)  has  with  Tüchtigkeit 
[ability]  the  same  root-word,  and  according  to  our  linguistic 
[German]  usage  designates  the  property  of  moral  goodness  and 
propriety,  while  for  those  of  former  times,  when  they  spoke 
of  the  tilgend  (tugent)  of  a  woman,  the  word  combined  with 
it  the  idea  of  fine  manners  (cf.  |n,  xi.  16)  and  culture  (cf. 
aiD  b'y^^  xiii.  15).     The  question  N^'ö^  ""jp,  qms  inveniat,  which, 

1  C.  A.  Wilkens'  Fray  Luis  de  Leon.  A  biography  from  the  History  of 
the  Spanish  Inquisition  and  Church  of  the  16th  cent.  (1866),  pp.  322-327. 


CHAP.  XXXI,  11.  327 

Ec'cles.  v'li.  24,  proceeds  from  the  supposition  of  the  impos- 
sibility of  finding,  conveys  here  only  the  idea  of  the  difficulty  of 
finding.  In  ancient  Jerusalem,  when  one  was  married,  they  were 
wont  to  ask :  x:»*id  IX  NVO,  i.e.  has  he  found  ?  thus  as  is  said  at 
Prov.  xviii.  22,  or  at  Eccles.  vii.  26.  A  virtuous  woman  [braves 
WeiJ}]  is  not  found  by  every  one,  she  is  found  by  comparatively 
few.  In  106  there  is  given  to  the  thought  which  underlies  the 
question  a  synonymous  expression.  Ewald,  Elster,  and  Zöckler 
incorrectly  render  the  1  by  "although"  or  "and  yet."  Fleischer 
rightly  :  the  second  clause,  if  not  in  form  yet  in  sense,  runs 
parallel  to  the  first.  13:0  designates  the  price  for  Avhich  such  a 
woman  is  sold,  and  thus  is  purchasable,  not  without  reference 
to  this,  that  in  the  Orient  a  wife  is  obtained  by  means  of  inb. 
"i^Oj  synon.  1''no,  for  which  a  wife  of  the  right  kind  is  gained, 
is  pifTij  placed  further,  i.e.  is  more  difficult  to  be  obtained,  than 
pearls  {yid.  regarding  "pearls"  at  iii.  15),  i.e.  than  the  price  for 
such  precious  things.  The  poet  thereby  means  to  say  that  such 
a  wife  is  a  more  precious  possession  than  all  earthly  things 
which  are  precious,  and  that  he  who  finds  such  an  one  has  to 
speak  of  his  rare  fortune.  The  reason  for  this  is  now  given  : 
Ver.  11  2  The  heart  of  her  husband  doth  trust  her, 
And  he  shall  not  fail  of  gain. 

If  we  interpret  ?^"f ,  after  Eccles.  ix.  8,  as  subject,  then  we  miss 
i^;  it  will  thus  be  object.,  and  the  husband  subj.  to  "isn''  k?:  nee 
Incro  carehit,  as  e.g.  Fleischer  translates  it,  with  the  remark  that 
77t^  denotes  properly  the  spoil  which  one  takes  from  an  enemy, 
but  then  also,  like  the  Arab,  danymat,  can  mean  profit  and  gain 
of  all  kinds  (cf.  Rödiger  in  Gesenius'  Thes.).  Thus  also  in 
our  '^  kriegen  ^^  =  to  come  into  possession,  the  reference  to  war 
disappears.  Hitzig  understands  by  9?'\^,  the  continual  prosperity 
of  the  man  on  account  of  his  fortunate  possession  of  such  a 
wife  ;  but  in  that  case  the  poet  should  have  said  7?^  nnob' ;  for 
9?\^  is  gain,  not  the  feeling  that  is  therewith  connected.  There 
is  here  meant  the  gain,  profit,  which  the  housewife  is  the 
means  of  bringing  in  (cf.  Ps.  Ixviii.  13).  The  heart  of  her 
husband  (^^V?)  can  be  at  rest,  it  can  rest  on  her  whom  it  loves 
— he  goes  after  his  calling,  perhaps  a  calling  which,  though 
weighty  and  honourable,  brings  in  little  or  nothing;  but  the 
wife  keeps  the  family  possessions  scrupulously  together,    and 


328  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

increases  them  by  her  laborious  and  prudent  management,  so  that 
there  is  not  wanthig  to  him  gain,  which  he  properly  did  not 
acquire,  but  which  the  confidence  he  is  justified  in  reposing  in 
his  wife  alone  brings  to  him.  She  is  to  him  a  perpetual  spring 
of  nothing  but  good. 

Ver.  12  J  She  doeth  good  to  him,  and  not  evil, 
All  the  days  of  her  life ; 
or,  as  Luther  translates  : 

"  Sie  thut  jm  liebs  vnd  kein  leids." 
[She  does  him  good,  and  no  harm.] 
She  is  far  from  ever  doing  him  evil,  she  does  him  only  good  all 
her  life  long ;  her  love  is  not  dependent  on  freaks,  it  rests  on 
deep  moral  grounds,  and  hence  derives  its  power  and  purity, 
which  remain  ever  the  same.  ?^a  signifies  to  accomplisli,  to 
perform.  To  the  not  assimilated  form  =innp03,  of.  l^"]?";,  16. 
The  poet  now  describes  how  she  disposes  of  things : 

Ver.  13  T  She  careth  for  wool  and  flax, 

And  worketh  these  with  her  hands'  pleasure. 
The  verb  B'I'n  proceeds,  as  the  Arab,  shows,^  from  the  primary 
mesLnlng  terere ;  but  to  translate  with  reference  thereto :  tractat 
lanam  et  Union  (LXX.,  Schultens,  Dathe,  Rosenmüller, 
Fleischer),  is  inadmissible.  The  Ileb.  t^iT  does  not  mean  tlie 
external  working  at  or  manufacturing  of  a  thing;  but  it 
means,  even  when  it  refers  to  this,  the  intention  of  the  mind 
purposely  directed  thereto.  Thus  wool  and  flax  come  into  view 
as  the  material  of  work  which  she  cares  to  bring  in  ;  and  '^*V^). 
signifies  the  work  itself,  following  the  creation  of  the  need  of 
work.  Hitzig  translates  the  second  line  :  she  works  at  the 
business  of  her  hands.  Certainly  3  after  nb»};  may  denote  the 
sphere  of  activity,  Ex.  xxxi.  4  ;  1  Kings  v.  30,  etc. ;  but  if  ^sn 
had  here  the  weakened  signification  business,  irpä'yiia, — which 
it  gains  in  the  same  way  as  we  say  business,  affaii-,  of  any  object 
of  care, — the  scarcely  established  meaning  presents  itself,  that 
she  shows  herself  active  in  that  which  she  has  made  the  business 
of  her  hands.  How  much  more  beautiful,  on  the  contrary,  is  the 
thought :  she  is  active  with  her  hands'  pleasure  !  J*?^  is,  as 
Schultens  rightly  explains,  inclinatio  flexa  et  propensa  in  aliqiiid, 
audi  2?ulchre  manihus  diUgentissimis  attribnitur  lubentia  cum  oh- 
^  The  inquirer  is  there  called  (Arab.)  dar  as,  as  Ubros  tercns. 


CHAP.  XXXI.  14,  15.  329 

lectatione  et  per  ohiectationem  sese  animmis.  nb'y,  without  obj. 
accus.,  signifies  often:  to  accomplish,  e.g.  Ps.  xxii.  32;  here  it 
stands,  in  a  sense,  complete  in  itself,  and  without  object,  accus., 
as  when  it  means  '■'■handeln"  [arjrerc],  xiii.  16,  and  particularly 
to  act  in  the  service  of  God  =  to  offer  sacrifice,  Ex.  x.  25  ;  it 
means  here,  and  at  Ruth  ii.  19,  Plag.  ii.  4,  to  be  active,  as 
at  Isa.  xix.  15,  to  be  effective ;  '^V^\  is  equivalent  to  ti^'yril 
n3xS?3n  or  nriax^D  b'j?ni  (cf.  under  x.  4).  And  pleasure  and 
love  for  the  work,  j'sn,  can  be  attributed  to  the  hands  w^ith  the 
same  right  as  at  Ps.  Ixxviii.  72,  discretion.  The  disposition 
which  animates  a  man,  especially  his  inner  relation  to  the  work 
devolving  upon  him,  communicates  itself  to  his  hands,  which, 
according  as  he  has  joy  or  aversion  in  regard  to  his  work,  will 
be  nimble  or  clumsy.  The  Syr.  translates :  "  and  her  hands 
are  active  after  the  pleasure  of  her  heart ; "  but  ^'Dnn  is  not 
equivalent  to  !^^*2ri3 ;  also  }*?[???  in  the  sense  of  con  amove 
(Böttcher),  is  not  used.  The  following  proverb  praises  the 
extent  of  her  housewifely  transactions : 

Yer.  14  n  She  is  like  the  ships  of  the  merchant — 
Bringeth  her  food  from  afar. 
She  is  (LXX.  iyevero)  like  merchant  ships  (ni'JX3,  indetermi- 
nate, and  thus  to  be  read  küonijoth),  i.e.  she  has  the  art  of  such 
ships  as  sail  away  and  bring  wares  from  a  distance,  are  equipped, 
sent  out,  and  managed  by  an  enterprising  spirit ;  so  the 
prudent,  calculating  look  of  the  brave  wife,  directed  towards 
the  care  and  the  advancement  of  her  house,  goes  out  beyond 
the  nearest  circle  ;  she  descries  also  distant  opportunities  of 
advantageous  purchase  and  profitable  exchange,  and  brings  in 
from  a  distance  what  is  necessary  for  the  supply  of  her  house, 
or,  mediately,  what  yields  this  supply  (PQ"]^??  Cod.  Jaman. 
pniD»,  cf.  under  Isa.  x.  6),  for  she  finds  that  source  of  gain 
she  has  espied.  With  this  diligence  in  her  duties  slie  is  not 
a  long  sleeper,  who  is  not  awakened  till  the  sun  is  up ;  but 

Ver.  15  ^  She  riseth  up  while  it  is  yet  night, 
And  giveth  food  to  her  house, 
And  the  fixed  portion  to  her  maidens. 

The  fut.  consec.  express,  if  not  a  logical  sequence  of  connection, 
yet  a  close  inner  binding  together  of  the  separate  features  of 
the  character  here  described. 


330  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

such  a  housewife  rises  up,  because  she  places  care  for  lier 
house  above  her  own  comfort ;  or  rather,  because  this  care  is  to 
lier  a  satisfaction  and  a  joy.  Since  now  the  poet  means  with- 
out doubt  to  say  that  she  is  up  before  the  otlier  inmates  of  the 
house,  especially  before  the  children,  though  not  before  the 
maids  :  we  have  not,  in  l^ril,  to  think  that  the  inmates  of 
the  house,  all  in  the  morning  night-watch,  stand  round  about 
her,  and  that  each  receives  from  her  a  portion  for  the  ap- 
proaching day ;  but  that  she  herself,  early,  whilst  yet  the  most 
are  asleep,  gives  out  or  prepares  the  necessary  portions  of  food 
for  the  day  (cf.  \^%  Isa.  liii.  9).  Eegarding  ^l^ü,  food,  from 
^19  0<^  ^^^^  ^"  pieces,  viz.  with  the  teeth),  and  regarding  ph,  a 
portion  decreed,  vid.  at  xxx.  8.  It  is  true  that  ph  also  means 
the  appointed  labour  {penswin),  and  thus  the  day's  work 
(Di''  in'n) ;  but  the  parallelism  brings  it  nearer  to  explain  after 
XXX.  8,  as  is  done  by  Gesenius  and  Hitzig  after  Ex.  v.  14. 
This  industry, — a  pattern  for  the  whole  house, — this  punctu- 
ality in  the  management  of  household  matters,  secures  to  her 
success  in  the  extension  of  her  household  wealth  : 

Ver.  IG  t  She  seeketh  a  field  and  getteth  possession  of  it ; 
Of  the  fruit  of  her  hands  she  planteth  a  vineyard. 
The  field  which  she  considereth,  tow'ards  which  her  wish  and 
her  effort  are  directed,  is  perhaps  not  one  beyond  those  which 
she  already  possesses,  but  one  which  has  hitherto  been  wanting 
to  her  family;  for  the  poet  has,  after  ver.  23,  an  inhabitant  of 
a  town  in  his  eye, — a  woman  whose  husband  is  not  a  landlord, 
but  has  a  business  in  the  city.  The  perf.  '"Tp^T  precedes  and 
gives  circumstantiality  to  the  chief  factum  expressed  by  ^Hi'^^?- 
Kegarding  DOJ,  vid.  xxi.  27.  "  ^\i>  is  the  general  expression 
for  purchasing,  as  jO^,  2W,  for  selling.  Thus  the  Aram,  and 
Arab,  ^nx,  while,  (Arab.)  akhadh  lo'ta,  Turk,  alisch  loerisch 
(from  elmek,  to  take,  and  loirmek,  to  give — viz.  sätün,  in  the 
way  of  selling ;  Lat.  vemmi)^  post.-bibl.  t'^'^''  ^^1^  or  IS'PP^  Hj^ö, 
denotes  giving  and  taking  =  business  in  general"  (Fleischer). 
In  IQh  the  Chetidh  is,  with  Ewald  and  Bertheau,  to  be  read  V^\ 
and,  with  Hitzig,  to  be  made  dependent  on  nnpni,  as  parallel 
obj. :  "of  her  hands'  fruit  (she  gaineth)  a  planting  of  vines." 
But  a  planting  of  vines  would  be  expressed  by  D"i2  VtSD  (Mic. 
i.  6) ;  and  the  Ken  nyL5_3  is  more  acceptable.     The  perf.,  as  a 


CHAP.  XXXI.  17-19.  S31 

fundamental  verbal  form,  is  here  the  expression  of  the  abstract 
jiresent :  she  plants  a  vineyard,  for  she  purchases  vines  from 
the  profit  of  her  industry  (Isa.  vii.  23,  cf.  v.  2).  The  poet  has 
this  augmented  household  wealth  in  his  eye,  for  he  continues  : 

Ver.  17  n  She  girdeth  her  loins  with  strength, 
And  moveth  vigorously  her  arms. 

Streng;th  is  as  the  girdle  which  she  wraps  around  her  body  (Ps. 
xciii.  1).  We  write  TiV^  nnjn  ;  both  words  have  Munach,  and 
the  n  of  Tiy2  is  aspirated.  Thus  girded  with  strength,  out  of 
this  fulness  of  strength  she  makes  firm  or  steels  her  arms  (cf. 
Ps.  Ixxxix.  22).  The  produce  of  the  field  and  vineyard  extend 
far  beyond  the  necessity  of  her  house ;  thus  a  great  portion  is 
brought  to  sale,  and  the  gain  thence  arising  stimulates  the 
industry  and  the  diligence  of  the  unwearied  woman. 

Ver.  18  J3  She  perceiveth  that  her  gain  is  good  ; 
And  her  light  goeth  not  out  at  night. 

The  perf.  and  f ut.  are  related  to  each  other  as  antecedent  and 
consequent,  so  that  18a  can  also  be  rendered  as  an  hypothetical 
antecedent.  She  comes  to  find  (taste)  how  profitable  her 
industry  is  by  the  experience  resulting  from  the  sale  of  its  pro- 
duct :  the  corn,  the  grapes,  and  the  wine  are  found  to  be  good, 
and  thus  her  gain  (cf.  iii.  14)  is  better,  this  opened  new  source 
of  nourishment  productive. 

This  spurs  on  her  active  industry  to  redoubled  effort,  and  at 
times,  when  she  is  not  fully  occupied  by  the  oversight  of  her 
fields  and  vineyard,  she  has  another  employment  over  which 
her  light  goes  not  out  till  far  in  the  night,  ^^y^  is,  as  at  Lam. 
ii.  19,  a  needless  Ken  for  the  poetic  ?1?2  (Isa.  xvi.  3).  What 
other  business  it  is  to  which  she  gives  attention  till  in  the 
night,  is  mentioned  in  the  next  verse. 

Ver.  19  "I  She  putteth  her  hand  to  the  rock  [^Spinnrockenl  ; 
And  her  fingers  lay  hold  ou  the  spindle. 

She  applies  herself  to  the  work  of  spinning,  and  performs  it  with 
skill.  Tlie  phrase  3  T  n?'^  {^T^,  Job  xxviii.  9)  signifies  to  take 
up  an  object  of  work,  and  '^'on^  with  obj.  accus,  (cf.  Amos  i.  5), 
the  handling  of  the  instrument  of  work  necessary  thereto.  D^iai) 
denotes  the  hands  when  the  subject  is  skilful,  successful  work  ; 
we  accordingly  say  D''S3  TT.)  not  CT"  yj"";  cf.  vers.  13  and  lo, 


OÖ2  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVERBS. 

Ps.  Ixxvlii.  72.  What  tips  means  is  shown  by  the  Arab.  falaJcat, 
which,  as  distinguished  from  mighzal,  i.e.  fuseau  (hat.  /usus), 
is  explained  by  bout  arrondi  et  conique  au  has  du  fuseau^  thus : 
the  whorl,  i.e.  the  ring  or  knob  fastened  on  the  spindle  below, 
which  gives  it  its  necessary  weight  and  regulates  its  move- 
ment, Lat.  veriicellus,  post-bibl.  ni^''S!  (which  Bartenora  glosses 
by  the  Ital.  fusajuolo)  or  -Tli^y,  e.g.  Kelim  ix.  6,  ns  j;^3*^  K'n 
miy^'n,  a  spindle  which  holds  the  whorl  hidden  {yid.  Aruch 
under  L'O^  iii.).  But  the  word  then  also  signifies  per  synec- 
docJien  partis  pro  toto,  the  spindle,  i.e.  the  cylindrical  wood  on 
which  the  thread  winds  itself  when  spinning  (cf.  2  Sam.  iii.  29, 
where  it  means  the  staff  on  which  the  infirm  leans)  ;  Homer 
gives  to  Helen  and  the  goddesses  golden  spindles  {^pvarfka- 
Karoi).  Accordingly  it  is  not  probable  that  liti'''3  also  denotes 
the  whorl,  as  Kimchi  explains  the  word  :  "  TiJj»''3  is  that  which 
one  calls  by  the  name  verteil,  viz.  that  which  one  fixes  on  the 
spindle  (l^s)  above  to  regulate  the  spinning  (niDo),"  according 
to  which  the  Venet.  renders  'W&':i  by  crcjiovSvXo^,  whorl,  and 
"ibzi  by  arpaKra,  spindle.  The  old  interpreters  have  not  recog, 
nised  that  T,a'0  denotes  a  thing  belonging  to  the  spinning 
apparatus ;  the  LXX.,  Aquila,  Symmachus,  Theodotion,  Syr., 
and  Jerome  see  therein  an  ethical  idea  (from  1^3,  to  be  capable, 
able)  ;  but  Luther,  not  misled  thereby,  translates  with  unusual 
excellence : 

She  stretches  her  hand  to  the  rock, 

Aud  her  fingers  grasp  the  spindle. 

He  has  in  this  no  predecessors,  except  only  the  Targumists, 
whose  N^t^'JD  (vid.  Levy)  appears  also  to  denote  the  spinning- 
rock.  The  Syriac  and  Talmudic  C^3,  which  is  compared  by 
Gesenius-DIetrich,  is  another  word,  and  denotes,  not  the  rock, 
but  the  spindle.  Immanuel  also,  who  explains  "|^3  as  the  bwD, 
i.e.  the  spindle,  understands  (as  perhaps  also  Parchon)  by  '^)^>2 
the  rock.  And  why  should  not  the  rock  (luocken  =  distaff),  i.e. 
the  stock  to  which  the  tuft  of  flax,  hemp,  or  wool  is  fixed  for 
the  purpose  of  being  spun,  Lat.  coins,  not  be  named  lVt^'''3,  from 
"icb,  to  be  upright  as  a  stick,  upright  in  height,  or  perhaps  more 
correctly  as  "i"'C'3D,  i.e.  as  that  which  prepares  or  makes  fit  the  flax 
for  spinning  ?  Also  in  P3"'>*,  Jer.  xxix.  26,  there  are  united  the 
meanings  of  the  close  and  the  confining  dungeon,  and  i^^'^  =  P?''^ 


CHAP.  XS.XI.  20.  333 

signifies^  the  place  which  yields  rest.  The  spinning-wheel  is  a 
German  invention  of  the  16th  century,  but  the  rock  standing 
on  the  ground,  or  held  also  in  the  hands,  the  spindle  and  the 
whorl,  are  more  ancient.'^  With  the  spindle  nan  stands  in  fit 
relation,  for  it  is  twirled  between  the  fingers,  as  Catullus  says 
of  Fate: 

Lihratum  tereti  versabat  pollice  fusum.^ 

That  which  impels  the  housewife  to  this  labour  is  not  selfishness, 
not  a  narrow-hearted  limitation  of  her  care  to  the  circle  of  what 
is  her  own,  but  love,  which  reaches  out  far  beyond  this  circle : 

Ver.  20  D  She  holdeth  out  her  hand  to  the  unfortunate, 
And  stretcheth  forth  her  hands  to  the  needy. 

With  n"*??,  1%,  is  connected  the  idea  of  artistic  skilfulness  ; 
with  rnB3,  here  that  of  offering  for  counsel  {vid.  at  Isa.  ii.  6)  ; 
with  sympathy  and  readiness  to  help,  she  presents  herself  to 
those  who  are  oppressed  by  the  misfortunes  of  life  as  if  for  an 
alliance,  as  if  saying :  place  confidence  in  me,  I  shall  do  what- 
ever I  can — there  thou  hast  my  hand!  Hitzig  erroneously 
thinks  of  the  open  hand  with  a  gift  lying  in  it :  this  ought  to 
be  named,  for  f[2  in  itself  is  nothing  else  than  the  half-opened 

1  Otherwise,  but  improbably,  Schultcns ;  coZ?<s  a  "icb  =  Icatrkathr,  necii 
in  orhem,  circicmnecti  in  glohum.  In  r(?ß,  whence  Tj^a,  he  rightly  finds  the 
prinaary  meaning  of  circumvolutio  sive  gyratio. 

2  A  view  of  the  ancient  art  of  spinning  is  afforded  by  the  figures  of  the 
12th  Dynasty  (according  to  Lepsius,  2380-2167  b.c.)  in  the  burial  chamber 
of  Beni  Hassan  (270  kilometres  above  Bulak,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Nile). 
M.  J.  Henry,  in  his  work  VEgypte  Pharaonique  (Paris  1816),  Bd.  2, 
p.  431,  mentions  that  there  are  figures  there  which  represent  "  toutes  les 
operations  de  la  fabrication  des  tissus  depnis  leßlagejnsqu  au  tissage."  Then  he 
continues  :  Lexfuseaux  dont  se  servent  les  fileuses  sont  exactement  semblables 
aux  notres,  et  on  voit  vieme  ces  ßlenses  imprimer  le  mouvement  de  rotation  a 
cesfuseaux,  en  enfroissant  le  bout  inferieur  entre  leur  main  et  leur  cuisse. 

3  In  the  "  marriage  of  Peleus  and  Thetis,"  Catullus  describes  the  work  of 
the  Fates  :  "  Their  hands  are  ceaselessly  active  at  their  never-ending  work  ; 
while  the  left  holds  the  rock,  surrounded  with  a  soft  fleece,  the  right 
assiduously  draws  the  thread  and  forms  it  with  raised  fingers ;  then  it 
swiftly  turns  the  spindle,  with  the  thumb  stretched  down,  and  swings  it 
away  in  whirling  circles."  Then  follows  the  refrain  of  the  song  of  the 
Fates: 

Currite  ducentes  subtegmina,  currite,fusL 

(After  Hertzbeug's  Translation.) 


334  THE  BOOK  OF  PKOVEEDS. 

liand.  Also  in  205  we  are  not  to  think  of  alms.  Here  Ilitzig 
rightly :  she  stretches  out  to  him  both  of  her  hands,  that  he 
might  grasp  them,  both  of  them,  or  whichever  he  may.  She 
does  not  throw  to  him  merely  a  gift  from  a  distance,  but  above 
all  she  gives  to  him  to  experience  her  warm  sympathy  (cf.  Ezek. 
xvi.  49).  Here,  as  at  19a,  r]rh\y  is  punctuated  (with  Dagesli)  as 
Fiel.  The  punctuation  supposes  that  the  author  both  times  not 
unintentionally  made  use  of  the  intensive  form.  This  one  verse 
(20)  is  complete  in  itself  as  a  description  of  character ;  and 
the  author  has  done  well  in  choosing  such  strong  expressions, 
for,  without  this  sympathy  with  misery  and  poverty,  she,  so 
good  and  trustworthy  and  industrious,  might  indeed  be  pleasing 
to  her  husband,  but  not  to  God.  One  could  almost  wish  that 
greater  expansion  had  been  given  to  this  one  feature  in  the 
])icture.  But  the  poet  goes  on  to  describe  her  fruitful  activity 
in  the  nearest  sphere  of  her  calling  : 

Ver.  21  7  She  is  not  afraid  of  the  snow  for  her  house  ; 
For  her  whole  house  is  clothed  in  scarlet. 
A  fall  of  snow  in  the  rainy  season  of  winter  is  not  rare  in 
Palestine,  the  Hauran,  and  neighbouring  countries,  and  is 
sometimes  accompanied  with  freezing  cold.^  She  sees  ap- 
proaching the  cold  time  of  the  year  without  any  fear  for  her 
house,  even  though  the  season  bring  intense  cold  ;  for  her  whole 
house,  i.e.  the  whole  of  the  members  of  her  family,  are  ^'"^f  ^'^, 
The  connection  is  accusatival  (  Venet.  ivh£hvfievo<;  ipvOpd),  as  at 
2  Sam.  XV.  32  ;  Ezek.  ix.  2,  3.  'ji'f,  from  r\y^,  to  shine,  glance 
clear,  or  high  red,  and  is  with  or  without  nj;!5in  the  name  of 
the  colour  of  the  Kermes  worm,  crimson  or  scarlet,  perhaps  to 
be  distinguished  from  JO?")^,  the  red-purple  shell  colour,  and 
riparij  the  blue.  D''^t?'  are  clothing  or  material  coloured  with 
such  ''i^  (bright  red)  (yid.  at  Isa.  i.  18).  The  explanation  of 
the  word  by  dihapha  is  inadmissible,  because  the  doubled 
colouring,  wherever  it  is  mentioned,  always  refers  to  the  purple, 
particularly  that  of  Tyre  {dihapha  Tyria),  not  to  the  scarlet.^ 
But  why  does  the  poet  name  scarlet-coloured  clothing?     On 

^  Vid.  regarding  a  fall  of  snow  in  Jerusalem,  the  journal  Saat  auf 
Hoffnung  Jahrg.  3,  Heft  3  ;  and  in  the  Hauran  Comni.  to  Job  xxxviii.  22. 
Vid.  Blümner's  Die  gewcrhliche  ThiUigkeit  der   Völker  des  klassischen 
Altertimms  (1869),  p.  21  f. 


CHAP.  XXXI.  22.  335 

account  of  the  contrast  to  the  white  snow,  says  Hitzig,  he 
clothes  the  family  in  crimson.  But  this  contrast  would  be  a 
meaningless  freak.  Kather  it  is  to  be  supposed  that  there  is 
ascribed  to  the  red  material  a  power  of  retaining  the  heat,  as 
there  is  to  the  white  that  of  keeping  off  the  heat ;  but  evidences 
for  this  are  wanting.  Therefore  Rosenmüller,  Vaihinger, 
and  Böttcher  approve  of  the  translation  dupUcibus  (Jerome, 
Luther)  [=  with  double  clothing],  because  they  read,  with  the 
LXX.,  n):f}  But,  with  right,  the  Syr.,  Targ.  abide  by 
NjTlinr,  scarlet.  The  scarlet  clothing  is  of  wool,  which  as 
such  preserves  warmth,  and,  as  high-coloured,  appears  at  the 
same  time  dignified  (2  Sam.  i.  24).  From  the  protecting,  and 
at  the  same  time  ornamental  clothing  of  the  family,  the  poet 
proceeds  to  speak  of  the  bed-places,  and  of  the  attire  of  the 
housewife : 

Ver.  22  ^  Slie  prepareth  for  herself  pillows  ; 
Linen  and  purple  is  her  raiment. 
Regarding  Q''"^?1^  (with  3  raphatum),  vid.  at  vii.  16.  Thus, 
])illows  or  mattresses  (Aquila,  Theodotion,  'Treptarpcofiara ; 
Jerome,  stragidatam  vestem ;  Luther,  Deche  =  coverlets)  to 
make  the  bed  soft  and  to  adorn  it  (Kimchi :  rilöDn  P]/  HiSv, 
according  to  which  Venet.  Koa-yna) ;  Symmachus  designates  it 
as  dficpLTairov^;,  i.e.  raTrrjTes  (tajjetce,  tapetia^  carpets),  which  are 
hairy  (shaggy)  on  both  sides.^  Only  the  LXX.  makes  out  of 
it  Sicro-a?  yXaLva<i,  lined  overcoats,  for  it  brings  over  D"'i5i\ 
By  d^'T\T\'d>v  it  is  not  meant  that  she  prepares  such  pillows  for 
her  own  bed,  but  that  she  herself  (i.e.  for  the  wants  of  her 
house)  prepares  them.  But  she  also  clothes  herself  in  costly 
attire.  ^"^  (an  Egyptian  word,  not,  as  Heb.,  derived  from  m^, 
cogn.  ^^1,  to  be  white)  is  the  old  name  for  linen,  according  to 
which  the  Aram,  translates  it  by  p3,  the  Greek  by  ßua-ao^,  vid. 
Genesis,  pp.  470,  557,  to  which  the  remark  is  to  be  added,  that 

'  The  LXX.  reads  together  D""*!!"!»  D"']^',  S/o-o-aj  ;<;X«/y«f,  and  brings 
into  vers.  21  (her  husband  remains  without  care  for  the  members  of  the 
family  if  it  does  not  snow  %/oy('^^,  as  it  is  to  be  read  for  xno-jil!^'/))  and  22 
the  husband,  who  appears  to  the  translator  too  much  kept  in  the  back- 
ground. 

2  Vid.  liUmbroso,  Reclicrches  sur  V Economic  politique  de  VEgijpte  sous  les 
Lagides  (Turin,  1870),  p.  Ill ;  des  tapis  de  laine  de  premiere  qualite, 
pourpres,  laineux  des  deux  coles  (ä,«(p/r«-o;). 


336  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

the  linen  [Bjssus],  according  to  a  prevailing  probability,  was 
not  a  fine  cotton  cloth,  but  linen  cloth.  Luther  translates  c'jy, 
here  and  elsewhere,  by  loeisse  Seide  [white  silk]  (a'rjpiKov,  i.e. 
from  the  land  of  the  Xf]pe<;,  Rev.  xviii.  12)  ;  but  the  silk  is  first 
mentioned  by  Ezeklel  under  the  name  of  ''^'0  ;  and  the  ancients 
call  the  country  where  silk -stuff  (hombycina)  was  woven, 
uniformly  Assyria.  i02"ix  (Aram.  |]nx,  derived  by  Benfey, 
with  great  improbability,  from  the  rare  Sanscrit  word  rdga- 
vant,  red-coloured  ;  much  rather  from  DJ"i  =  Djp"!,  as  stuff  of 
variegated  colour)  is  red  purple  ;  the  most  valuable  purple 
garments  were  brought  from  Tyre  and  Sidon. 

Now,  first,  the  description  turns  back  to  the  husband,  of  the 
woman  who  is  commended,  mentioned  in  the  introduction  : 
Ver.  23  j  "Well  known  in  the  gates  is  her  husband, 

Where  he  sitteth  among  the  elders  of  the  land. 
Such  a  wife  is,  according  to  xii.  4,  n?y3  fl^tsy, — she  advances 
the  estimation  and  the  respect  in  which  her  husband  is  held. 
He  has,  in  the  gates  where  the  affairs  of  the  city  are  de- 
liberated upon,  a  well-known,  reputable  name;  for  there  he 
sits,  along  with  the  elders  of  the  land,  who  are  chosen  into  the 
council  of  the  city  as  the  chief  place  of  the  land,  and  has  a 
weighty  voice  among  them.  The  phrase  wavers  between  J^^IJ 
(LXX.  Trept/SXeTTTo?  f^LveraL ;  Venet.  eXvcoarat)  and  P*J13.  The 
old  Venetian  edd.  have  in  this  place  (like  the  Cod.  Jaman.), 
and  at  Ps.  ix.  17,  W^;  on  the  contrary,  Ps.  Ixxvi.  2,  Eccles. 
vi.  10,  y'J'ii,  and  that  is  correct ;  for  the  Masora,  at  this  place 
and  at  Ps.  Ixxvi.  2  (in  the  B'lhlia  rahb.),  is  disfigured.  The 
description,  following  the  order  of  the  letters,  now  directs  at- 
tention to  the  profitable  labour  of  the  housewife : 

Ver.  24  D  She  prepareth  body -linen  and  selleth  it, 

And  girdles  doth  she  give  to  the  Phoenicians. 
It  is  a  question  whether  p'lD  signifies  (tlvBcüv,  cloth  fi'om 
Siridhu,  the  land  of  India  (vid.  at  Isa.  iii.  23)  ;  the  Arab,  sadn 
{sadl),  to  cause  to  hang  down,  to  descend  (for  the  purpose  of 
covering  or  veiling),  offers  an  appropriate  verbal  root.  In  the 
Talmud,  piD  is  the  sleeping  linen,  the  curtain,  the  embroidered 
cloth,  but  particularly  a  light  smock-frock,  as  summer  costume, 
which  was  worn  on  the  bare  body  (cf.  Mark  xiv.  51  f.). 
Kirachi  explains  the  word  by  night-shirt ;  the  Edictum  Diode- 


CHAP.  XXXI.  25.  337 

iiani^  xvlii.  16,  names  (ruvZove^  Kocraplai,  as  the  Papyrus 
Louvre^  odovia  i<yKotfjii]Tpia ;  and  the  connection  in  the  Edict 
shows  that  linen  attire  (e'/c  Xivov)  is  meant,  although — as  with 
i^y^,  SO  also  with  P"ID — with  the  ancients  and  the  moderns, 
sometimes  linen  and  sometimes  cotton  is  spoken  of  without  any 
distinction,  ^thicus  speaks  of  costly  girdles,  Cosmogr.  84, 
as  fabricated  at  Jerusalem  :  haltea  regalia  .  .  .  ex  Hierosolyma 
allata;  Jerusalem  and  Scythopolis  were  in  later  times  the 
chief  places  in  Palestine  for  the  art  of  weaving.  In  Galilee 
also,  where  excellent  flax  grew,  the  art  of  weaving  was  carried 
on ;  and  the  odovai,,  which,  according  to  Clemens  Alex.  Pcedag. 
ii.  10,  p.  239,  were  exported  eV  7»}?  'Eßpaicov,  are  at  least  in 
their  material  certainly  synon.  with  atvSöve'i.  Regarding  1^3, 
syn.  "I3öj  opp.  nip7,  syn.  X^3  =  njj^^  vid.  at  16a.  There  is  no 
reason  to  interpret  ''Jy33  here,  with  the  obliteration  of  the 
ethnographical  meaning,  in  the  general  sense  of  ">rib,  trader, 
merchant ;  for  purple,  22b,  is  a  Phoenician  manufacture,  and 
thus,  as  an  article  of  exchange,  can  be  transferi'ed  to  the  pos- 
session of  the  industrious  wife.  The  description  is  now  more 
inward : 

Ver.  25  ]}  Strength  and  honour  is  her  clothing  ; 
Thus  she  laugheth  at  the  future  day. 

She  is  clothed  with  T'y?  strength,  i.e.  power  over  the  changes  of 
temporal  circumstances,  which  easily  shatter  and  bring  to  ruin 
a  household  resting  on  less  solid  foundations ;  clothed  with 
"""Jt»  g^o'^'J?  ^'•^'  elevation  above  that  which  is  low,  little,  com- 
mon, a  state  in  which  they  remain  who  propose  to  themselves 
no  high  aim  after  which  they  strive  with  all  their  might :  in 
other  words,  her  raiment  is  just  pride,  true  dignity,  with  which 
she  looks  confidently  into  the  future,  and  is  armed  against  all 
sorrow  and  care.  The  connection  of  ideas,  '^'^Tii'i  TJJ  (defectively 
written,  on  the  contrary,  at  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  6,  Masora,  and  only  there 
written  plene,  and  with  Munach),  instead  of  the  frequent  nin 
"nm,  occurs  only  here.  The  expression  2bb  is  like  Job  xxxix. 
7,  Avherefore  Hitzig  rightly  compares  Job  xxiv.  14  to  25a. 
|hnx  DV,  distinguished  from  ^''nnx,  and  incorrectly  interpreted 
(Rashi)  of  the  day  of  death,  is,  as  at  Isa.  xxx.  8,  the  future, 
here  that  which  one  at  a  later  period  may  enter  upon. 

VOL.  II.  Y 


333  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

The  next  verse  presents  one  of  the  most  beautiful  features  in 
the  portrait : 

Ver.  26  a  She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom, 

And  amiable  iustruction  is  oq  her  tongue. 

The  3  of  "^^^nzi  is,  as  also  at  Ps.  xlix.  5,  Ixxviii.  2,  that  of 
means :  when  she  speaks,  then  it  is  wisdom  pressing  itself 
from  her  heart  outward,  by  means  of  which  she  breaks  the 
silence  of  her  mouth.  With  ?y,  in  the  expression  2Qb,  else- 
where rinn  interchanges  :  under  the  tongue,  Ps.  x.  7,  one  has 
that  which  is  ready  to  be  spoken  out,  and  on  the  tongue,  Ps. 
XV.  3,  that  which  is  in  tlie  act  of  being  spoken  out.  ipriTinin 
is  a  genitive  connection  after  the  manner  of  torath  HOX,  Mai,  ii. 
6.  The  gen.  is  not,  as  at  Lev.  vi.  2,  in  torath  ^'^)i'^,  the  gen.  of 
the  object  (thus  e.g.  Fleischer's  institutio  ad  humanitatem),  but 
the  gen.  of  property,  but  not  so  that  IDH  denotes  grace  (Sjm- 
maclms,  v6/xo<i  e7ri'^apL<; ;  Theodotion,  vo/jLo^  ■^dpLTo<;)^  because 
for  this  meaning  there  is  no  example  except  Isa.  xl.  6 ; 
and  since  IDn  in  the  O.  T.  is  the  very  same  as  in  the  N.  T., 
love,  which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  Hos.  vi.  6,  cf.  1  Kings 
XX.  31,^  it  is  supposed  that  the  poet,  since  he  writes  IDH  DilD, 
and  not  in  miD,  means  to  designate  by  IDH  this  property 
without  wliich  her  love  for  her  husband,  her  industry,  her 
high  sentiment,  would  be  no  virtues,  viz.  unselfish,  sympa- 
thizing, gentle  love.  Instruction  which  bears  on  itself  the 
stamp  of  such  amiability,  and  is  also  gracious,  i.e.  awaken- 
ing love,  because  going  forth  from  love  (according  to  which 
Luther,  translating  holdselige  Lere  =  pleasing  instructions,  thus 
undei'stands  it) — such  instruction  she  carries,  as  house-mother 
(i.  8),  in  her  mouth.  Accordingly  the  LXX.  translate  {vid. 
Lngarde  regarding  the  mistakes  of  this  text  before  us)  6ea[io\ 
e\€rj/xoavvr]<i,  and  Jerome  lex  dementias.  ^90  ^^  related  to 
n^nx  as  grace  to  love ;  it  denotes  love  showing  itself  in  kind- 
ness and  gracefulness,  particularly  condescending  love,  proceed- 
ing from  a  compassionate  sympathy  with  the  sufferings  and 
wants  of  men.     Such  graceful  instruction  she  communicates 

1  Immanuel  remarks  that  Torath  IDPI  probably  refers  to  the  Tora,  and 
*lDn  nisiDC',  i.e.  which  is  wholly  love,  which  goes  forth  in  love,  to  the 
Gesetz  =  statute. 


CHAP.  XXXI.  27.  o39 

now  to  this  and  now  to  that  memher  of  her  houseliolcl,  for 
nothing  that  goes  on  in  her  house  escapes  her  observation. 

Ver.  27  >;  She  looketh  well  to  the  ways  of  her  house, 
And  eateth  not  the  bread  of  idleness. 

Although  there  exists  an  inner  relation  between  27a  and  ver. 
26,  yet  27a  is  scarcely  to  be  thought  of  (Hitzig)  as  appos.  to 
the  suffix  in  i^^i*^?.  Participles  with  or  without  determination 
occur  in  descriptions  frequently  as  predicates  of  the  subject 
standing  in  the  discourse  of  the  same  force  as  abstr.  present 
declarations,  e.g.  Isa.  xl.  22  f.,  Ps.  civ.  13  f.  H'Siv  is  connected 
with  the  accus,  of  the  object  of  the  intended  wai'ning,  like 
XV.  3,  and  is  compared  according  to  the  form  with  ^'^^^,  vii.  11. 
•^rVLl  signifies  elsewhere  things  necessary  for  a  journey.  Job 
vi.  19,  and  in  the  plur.  magnißcus  it  denotes  show  (pompa), 
Hab.  iii.  6  :  but  originally  the  walk,  conduct,  Nah.  ii.  6 ;  and 
here  in  the  plur.  walks  =  comings  and  goings,  but  not  these 
separately,  but  in  general,  the  modi  procedendi  (LXX.  hta- 
rpcßat).  The  Chetlnh  has  nia!''":!,  probably  an  error  in  writing, 
but  possibly  also  the  plur.  of  '"'^pHj  thus  found  in  the  post.-bibl. 
Heb.  (after  the  form  riiPIV),  custom,  viz.  appointed  traditional 
law,  but  also  like  the  Aram,  ^i^^  {emph.  xn^pn)^  usage,  manner, 
common  practice.  Hitzig  estimates  this  Chetldh,  understood 
Talmudically,  as  removing  the  section  into  a  late  period  ;  but 
this  Talmudical  signification  is  not  at  all  appropriate  (Hitzig 
translates,  with  an  incorrect  rendering  of  rT'Sli*,  "  for  she  sees 
after  the  ordering  of  the  house "),  and  besides  the  Aram. 
^i?'^-,  e.g.  Targ.  Prov.  xvi.  9,  in  the  first  line,  signifies  only 
the  walk  or  the  manner  and  way  of  going,  and  this  gives  with 
the  Kert  essentially  the  same  signification.  Luther  well :  Sie 
schawet  wie  es  in  jrein  Hause  zugeht  [=she  looks  how  it  goes  in 
her  house].  Her  eyes  are  turned  everywhere;  she  is  at  one 
time  here,  at  another  there,  to  look  after  all  with  her  own  eyes ; 
she  does  not  suffer  the  day's  work,  according  to  the  instructions 
given,  to  be  left  undone,  while  she  folds  her  own  hands  on  her 
bosom  ;  but  she  works,  keeping  an  oversight  on  all  sides,  and 
does  not  eat  the  bread  of  idleness  (nipyy  =  n7yy,  xix.  15),  but 
bread  well  deserved,  for  el  Tt?  ov  diXei  ipya^eaOat,  fjirjBe 
iadteTO),  2  Thess.  iii.  10. 


340  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Now  begins  the  finale  of  this  song  in  praise  of  the  virtuous 
woman  : 

Ver.  28  p  Her  sons  rise  up  and  bless  her, 

Her  husband  (riseth  up)  and  praiseth  her. 

The  Piel  '^'^.^  in  such  a  connection  is  denom.  of  "i^i'X  ('''ü^^). 
Her  children  rise  up  (Dip,  like  e.g.  Jer.  xxvi.  17,  but  here, 
perhaps,  with  the  associated  idea  of  reverential  honour)  and  bless 
her,  that  she  has  on  her  part  brought  the  house  and  them  to 
such  prosperity,  such  a  position  of  respect,  and  to  a  state  where 
love  (ion)  reigns,  and  her  husband  rises  up  and  sings  her 
praise. 

Ver,  29  T  "  Many  are  the  daughters  who  have  done  bravely, 
But  thou  hast  surpassed  them  all  together." 

We  have  already  often  remarked,  last  time  under  xxix.  6,  that 
y\,  not  indeed  in  its  sing.,  but  in  its  plur.  CST  and  riin"!,  can 
precede,  after  the  manner  of  a  numeral,  as  attribute  ;  but  this 
syntactical  licence,  xxviii.  12,  by  no  means  appears,  and  needs 
to  be  assumed  as  little  here  as  at  viii.  26,  although  there  is 
no  reason  that  can  be  adduced  against  it.  ^'^n  \WV  signifies 
here  not  the  gaining  of  riches  (the  LXX.,  Syr,,  Targ.,  Jerome, 
Luther,  Gesenius,  Böttcher,  and  others),  which  here,  where  the 
encomium  comes  to  its  height,  would  give  to  it  a  mercenary 
mammon-worship  note — it  indeed  has  this  signification  only 
when  connected  with  ?  of  the  person  :  Sibi  opes  acquirere,  Deut. 
vi.  17 ;  Ezek.  xxviii.  4 — but :  bravery,  energy,  and,  as  the 
reference  to  ^^n  ntf^'x  demands,  moral  activity,  capacity  for 
activity,  in  accordance  with  one's  calling,  iroLetv  aper^v,  by 
which  the  Venet.  translates  it.  Hin  is,  as  in  the  primary  pas- 
sages, Gen.  Kxx.  13,  Song  vi.  9,  a  more  delicate,  finer  name  of 
■women  than  D^^J :  many  daughters  there  have  always  been 
who  have  unfolded  ability,  but  thou  my  spouse  hast  raised  thy- 
self above  them  all,  i.e.  thou  art  excellent  and  incomparable. 
Instead  of  T\''bv,  there  is  to  be  written,  after  Chajug,  Aben  Ezra 
(Zachoth  7a),  and  Jekuthiel  under  Gen.  xvi.  11,  r^'bv ;  the 
Spanish  Nakdanim  thus  distinguish  the  forms  ^^^9;  *^^°^  ^^^^ 
found,  and  riX^'D,  she  has  found.  nj^S,  for  |b.  Gen.  xlii.  36. 
What  now  follows  is  not  a  continuation  of  the  husband's  words 
of  praise  (Ewald,  Elster,  Löwenstein),  but  an  epiphonema  auctoris 


CHAP.  XXXI.  30,  31.  341 

(Scliultens)  ;  the  poet  confirms  the  praise  of  the  husband  by 
referring  it  to  the  general  ground  of  its  reason : 

Ver.  30  {J>  Grace  is  deceit ;  and  beauty,  vanity — 

A  wife  that  feareth  Jahve,  she  shall  be  praised, 
Grace  is  deceit,  because  he  who  estimates  the  works  of  a  M'ife 
merely  by  the  loveliness  of  her  external  appearance,  is  deceived 
by  it ;  and  beauty  is  vanity,  vanitas,  because  it  is  nothing  that 
remains,  nothing  that  is  real,  but  is  subject  to  the  law  of  all 
material  things — transitoriness.  The  true  value  of  a  wife  is 
measured  only  by  that  which  is  enduring,  according  to  the 
moral  background  of  its  external  appearance  ;  according  to  the 
piety  which  makes  itself  manifest  when  the  beauty  of  bodily 
form  has  faded  away,  in  a  beauty  which  is  attractive.^  nx")'' 
(with  Makkeph  following)^  is  here  the  connective  form  of  nsn"; 
(fem.  of  NT).  The  HitJipa.  ^^lI^O  is  here  manifestly  (xxvii.  2) 
not  reflexive,  but  representative  of  the  passive  (cf.  xii.  8,  and 
the  frequently  occurring  ??![ip,  laudatus  =  laudandus),  nowhere 
occurring  except  in  the  passage  before  us.  In  itself  the  fut. 
may  also  mean  :  she  will  be  praised  =  is  worthy  of  praise,  but 
the  jussive  rendering  (Luther :  Let  her  be  praised)  is  recom- 
mended by  the  verse  which  follows : 

Ver.  31  n  Give  to  her  of  the  fruit  of  her  hands  ; 

And  let  her  works  praise  her  in  the  gates ! 
The  fruit  of  her  hands  is  the  good  which,  by  her  conduct,  she 
has  brought  to  maturity, — the  blessing  which  she  has  secured 
for  others,  but,  according  to  the  promise  (Isa.  iii.  10),  has  also 
secured  for  her  own  enjoyment.  The  first  line  proceeds  on  the 
idea  that,  on  account  of  this  blessing,  she  herself  shall  rejoice. 
np'^jn  (with  Gaja,  after  Metheg- Setzung,  §  37)  is  not  equivalent 
to  give  to  her  honour  because  of  ... ;  for  in  that  case,  in- 
stead of  the  ambiguous  10,  another  preposition — such  e.g.  as  7V 
— would  have  been  used ;  and  so  ^^^,  of  itself,  cannot  be  equi- 

1  Vid.  the  application  of  ver.  30  in  Taanith  26&:  "  Young  man,"  say 
the  maidens,  "  lift  up  thine  eyes  and  behold  that  which  thou  choosest  for 
thyself !  Direct  thine  eyes  not  to  beauty  (113),  direct  thine  eyes  to  the 
family  (nnD^D)  ;  pleasantness  is  a  deception,  etc." 

2  The  writing  -flXI^  is  that  of  Ben  Asher,  nx"l^  that  of  Ben  Naphtali ; 
Norzi,  from  a  misunderstanding,  claims  "riN")"'  (with  Gaja)  as  Ben  Asher's 
manner  of  writing. 


342  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVEOBS. 

valent  to  ^^^  (sing  the  praise  of),  as  Ziegler  would  read,  after 
Judg.  xi.  40.  It  must  stand  with  1133,  or  instead  of  "•^sp  an 
accus,  obj.  is  to  be  thought  of,  as  at  Ps.  Ixviii.  35,  Deut.  xxxii. 
3,  which  the  necessity  of  the  case  brings  with  it, — the  giving, 
as  a  return  in  the  echo  of  the  song  of  praise.  Immanuel  is 
right  in  explaining  nH^n  by  TDH  n^  I^DJn  or  1U31  non  nnv  lb>y, 
cf.  Ps.  xxviii.  4.  The  IP,  as  is  not  otherwise  to  be  expected, 
after  IJn  is  partitive :  give  to  her  something  of  the  fruit  of  her 
hands,  i.e.  recompense  it  to  her,  render  it  thankfully,  by  which 
not  exclusively  a  requital  in  the  form  of  honourable  recogni- 
tion, but  yet  this  specially,  is  to  be  thought  of.  Her  best 
praise  is  her  works  themselves.  In  the  gates,  i.e.  in  the  place 
where  the  representatives  of  the  people  come  together,  and 
where  the  people  are  assembled,  her  works  praise  her  ;  and  the 
poet  desires  that  this  may  be  right  worthily  done,  full  of  cer- 
tainty that  she  merits  it,  and  that  they  honour  themselves  who 
seek  to  praise  the  works  of  such  a  woman,  which  carry  in 
themselves  their  own  commendation. 


NOTE. 

The  Proverbs  peculiar  to  the  Alexandrine  Translation. 

In  the  LXX.  there  are  not  a  few  proverbs  which  are  not 
found  in  the  Heb.  text,  or,  as  we  may  express  it,  are  peculiar 
to  the  Egyptian  Text  Recension,  as  distinguished  from  the 
Palestinean.  The  number  is  not  so  great  as  they  appear  to 
be  on  a  superficial  examination ;  for  many  of  these  apparently 
independent  proverbs  are  duplicate  translations.  In  many  places 
there  follows  the  Greek  translation  of  the  Heb.  proverbs  another 
translation,  e.g.  at  i.  14,  27,  ii.  2,  iii.  15,  iv.  10,  vi.  256,  x.  5, 
xi.  16,  xiv.  22,  xv.  6,  xvi.  26,  xxiii.  31,  xxix.  Ih,  25,  xxxi.  29a. 
These  duplicate  translations  are  found  sometimes  at  different 
places,  e.g.  xvii.  206  is  duplicate  to  xvii.  IM ;  xix.  15  is  dupli- 
cate to  xviii.  8;  xxii.  9c(i  =  xix.  66,  i.  196;  xxix.  17  is 
duplicate  to  xxviii.  lied;  or,  according  to  the  enumeration  of 
the  verses  as  it  lies  before  us,  not  within  the  compass  of  one 
verse  to  which  they  belong :  xxii.  8,  9  is  a  duplicate  transla- 


NOTE.  343 

tlon  of  ver.  Sb  and  9a  of  the  Heb.  text;  xxlv.  23,  xxx.  1,  n 
duplicate  translation  of  xxx.  1 ;  and  xxxi.  26,  21b,  of  xxxi.  26 
of  the  Heb.  text.^  Everywhere,  here,  along  with  the  trans- 
lated proverb  of  our  Heb.  text,  there  is  not  an  independent  one. 
Also  one  has  to  be  on  his  guard  against  seeing  independent 
proverbs  where  the  translator  only,  at  his  own  will,  modified 
one  of  the  Heb.  proverbs  lying  before  us,  as  e.g.  at  x.  10, 
xiii.  23,  xix.  7,  as  he  here  and  there  lets  his  Alexandrine 
exegesis  influence  him,  ii.  16  f.,  v.  5,  ix.  6,  and  adds  explana- 
tory clauses,  ii.  19,  iii.  18,  v.  3,  ix.  12  ;  seldom  fortunate  in 
this,  oftener,  as  at  i.  18,  22,  28,  ix.  12,  xxviii.  10,  showing  by 
these  interpolations  his  want  of  knowledge.  There  are  also, 
in  the  translation,  here  and  there  passages  introduced  from 
some  other  part  of  Scripture,  e.g.:  i.  lab  =  Ps.  cxi.  10,  LXX. ; 
iii.  22ccZ  =  iii.  8  ;  iii.  28c  =  xxvii.  lb,  xiii.  5c,  from  Ps.  cxii.  5, 
of.  xxxvii.  21;  xvi.  1  {oatp  ijLija<;  k.t.\.)  =  Sir.  iii.  18  ;  xxvi. 
llc^  =  Sir.  iv.  21.  A  free  reminiscence,  such  as  xvi.  17,  may 
speak  a  certain  independence,  but  not  those  borrowed  passages. 
Keeping  out  of  view  all  this  only  apparent  independence, 
we  place  together  the  independent  proverbs  contained  in  the 
LXX.,  and,  along  with  them,  we  present  a  translation  of  them 
into  Heb.  Such  a  translation  has  already  been  partly  at- 
tempted by  Ewald,  Hitzig,  and  Lagarde  ;  perhaps  we  have 
been  here  and  there  more  fortunate  in  our  rendering.  It  is 
certainly  doubtful  whether  the  translator  found  all  these  pro- 
verbs existing  in  Heb.  Many  of  them  appear  to  be  originally 
Greek.  But  the  rendering  of  them  into  Hebrew  is  by  no 
means  useless.  It  is  of  essential  importance  in  forming  a 
judgment  regarding  the  original  language.^ 

•  One  must  suppose  that  here  translations  of  other  Greeks,  which  were 
placed  alongside  of  the  LXX.  in  Origen's  Hexapla,  were  taken  up  into  the 
LXX.  B  It  this  is  not  confirmed  :  these  duplicates  were  component  parts 
of  the  LXX.,  which  Origen  and  the  Syiiac  translators  found  already 
existing. 

[2  These  the  translator  has  not  printed,  because,  however  interesting  it 
may  be  to  the  student  of  the  Hebrew  language  as  such,  to  compare 
Delitzsch's  renderings  into  Hebrew  with  the  Greek  original,  as  placed  before 
him,  they  may  be  here  omitted,  inasmuch  as  all  that  is  of  importance  on 
the  subject,  in  an  exegetical  point  of  view,  has  been  already  embodied  in 
the  Commentary.] 


344  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

There  are  a  few  grains  of  wheat,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
much  chaff,  in  these  proverbs  that  are  peculiar  to  the  LXX. 
They  are  not,  in  the  most  remote  way,  fit  to  supply  the  place  of 
the  many  proverbs  of  our  Heb.  text  which  are  wanting  in  the 
LXX.  One  must  also  here  be  cautious  in  examining  them. 
Thus,  e.g.^  xvii.  19  stands  as  a  proverb  of  only  one  line ;  the 
second  forms  a  part  of  ver.  16.  As  true  defects,  we  have 
noticed  the  following  proverbs  and  parts  of  proverbs :  i.  1 6, 
vii.  256,  viii.  32&,  33,  xi.  U,  4,  106,  xviii.  8,  23,  24,  xix. 
1,  2,  15,  xxi.  5,  xxii.  6,  xxiii.  23,  xxv.  20a.  All  these  pro- 
verbs and  parts  of  proverbs  of  the  Heb.  text  are  wanting  in 
the  LXX. 

It  is  difficult  to  solve  the  mystery  of  this  Alexandrine  trans- 
lation, and  to  keep  separate  from  each  other  the  Text  Recension 
which  the  translator  had  before  him,  the  transformations  and 
corrections  which,  of  his  own  authority,  he  made  on  the 
corrnpcions  which  the  text  of  the  translation,  as  it  cam.e  from' 
the  first  translator  and  the  later  revisers  of  it,  has  suffered  in 
the  course  of  time.  They  appear  in  Egypt  to  have  been  as 
arbitrary  as  incompetent  in  handling  the  sacred  Scriptures. 
The  separating  from  each  other  of  the  proverbs  of  Agur  and 
/  Lemuel,  xxx.-xxxi.  9,  has  its  side-piece  in  the  separation  of 

Jeremiah's  prooemiums  of  the  prophecies  concerning  the  people, 
Jer.  XXV. 


INDEXES. 


I.— WORDS  ETYMOLOGICALLY  EXPLAINED. 


nax,  X.  28,  xix.  9. 

••iai«,  xxiii.  29. 

D13X,  xiv.  4. 

I^JSi  pi'-  «.,  XXX.  1. 

D^^ns*,  vii.  17. 

^^X,  xiv.  24. 

n|51N*,  V.  23,  xiv.  24. 

^Tx,  XX.  14. 

)^ÜX,  vii.  16. 

ns-X,  XX.  10. 

)it^'>',  VÜ.  2. 

irris*,  xiii.  15. 

nns,  xvii.  12. 

PjaX,  xvi.  26. 

i?X,  xxii.  7. 

;]1^X,  Ü.  17. 

DIpSiS*,  XXX.  31. 

f)bx,  xxii.  24. 

P]^X,  xiv.  4. 

|iDN*,  viii.  30. 

px,  HipMl,   xxvi.   25, 

wote,  cf.  viii.  30. 
n3X,  xii.  21. 
DDX,  iii.  10. 
•'S  CJX,  xi.  31,  cf.  XV.  11. 
)DX,  XXV.  11. 
^^•X,  VÜ.  8. 
|OpX,  xxxi.  22. 

nm'x,  XV.  17. 


nnx,  iii.  33. 

pti'X,  XX.  20. 
3JÜ'X,  vii.  6. 
-IB'XJ  iv.  14. 

152,  Ü.  19,  xi.  3. 
R.'na,  X.  28,  xix.  9. 
fjna,  xxviii.  22. 

non2,  xii.  1. 

\^):i,  xxix.  26. 

"i^na,  XX.  30. 

}n2,  xvii.  3. 

HDn  (XD3),  xii.  18. 

nD3,  iii.  5. 

|Dn,  xiii.  25,  XX.  27. 

t>  i.  2. 

^2,  xxiv.  23. 

^jjs^a,  vi.  12. 

lj;2,  vi.  25. 

nyzi,  "cva,  xii.  i,  xxx. 

2,  note. 
ni53,  i.  28. 
{^[52,  xi.  27. 
R.  -|2,  XXX.  2,  nofe. 
-12,  xi.  26. 
n''")2,  xviii.  19. 
!1"12',  -jn^,  V.  18,  xi.  23. 
"lb'2,  xiv.  30. 

njX3,  xiv.  3. 
346 


123,  vi.  34. 
Sina,  X.  28. 
nna,  nna,  xvii.  22. 
laj  X.  13. 
••ia,  xiv.  34. 
rhm,  xxvi.  21. 

jj^ja,  xvii.  14. 
Da.  xvii.  15. 
biDa,  xii.  14. 
P|3,  ix.  3. 

ma,  R-  "la,  xv.  18. 
f)ha,  ^73,  xix.  19. 
ina,  xxi.  7. 

n2'n,  XXV.  9. 
n^_,'v.  18. 

Xai,  xxii.  22. 

R.  ^n,  xxvi.  23,  note. 

phi,  id. 

-liT^,  xxvi.  2. 

B^T^,  xi.  27,  xxxi.  13. 

finn,  xiii.  11. 

nan,  R.  an,  xxv.  4. 

Sinn,  X.  3. 

nin,  njn,  x.  3,  xvii.  4. 

IT'Sin,  xxiv.  26,  note. 

|in,  i.,  XXX.  15. 

HM,  X.  3,  Niph.  xiii.  19 


346 


THE  BOOK  OF  PROVELBS. 


Wala   (Arab.),    confu- 

gere,  xxxi.  1. 
-in,  xxi.  8. 
K.  wJc  (Arab.),  xxix.  13. 

Wakiha,wakay{Arixh.}, 

XXX.   1. 

fill,  xi.  2. 

E.'ir,   n3T,    xviii.   11, 

XX.  9. 
■qr,  xvi.  2. 
DDT,  n^T,   i.  4,   X.   23, 

xxi.  27,  XXX.  32,  nofe. 

Dyr,  Dyr,  xxü.  14. 

ji^T,'  XX.  29. 

*lt~lT,  canere,  xxx.  31. 

"intj  cingere,  xxx.  31. 

nh,  xxi.  14. 

m^sn,  XX.  30. 

^nn,  xiii.  13. 

nnn,  xxvU.  17. 
pnn,  XV.  19. 

-nn,  vii.  27,  xviii.  8. 

nin,  D'^nin,  xxvi.  9. 

7in,  xxvii.  3,  note. 
f^n,  V.  16. 
S^tan,  viii.  36. 

nt:n,  vii.  16. 

"IDh,  xiv.  3. 
mTI,  i.  6,  xxii.  21,  ?zoZe. 
b^n,x.  28,  xiü.  22. 
p^n,  pn,  V.  20,  xvi.  33, 

xxi.  14. 
^n,  V.  3. 

ni!5bn,  xxiü.  29. 
Dan,'  no3n,  i.  2,  x.  i. 
K.  hn,  nbn,  xiii.  12, 

xix.  6. 

'<bn,  XXV.  12. 

P)i3n,  xxxi.  8. 

Hon,  XV.  1. 


Don,  iv.  17. 

T|3n,  xxii.  6. 

Pjjn,  xi.  9. 

R.  on,  iii.  3,  xiv.  34. 

non,  nisn,  «vz.,  xxv.  lo. 
jpn,  }ph,  XV.  6. 

|Dn,  XXX.  4. 

^an,  |*ari,  üi.  15,  xviii. 

2,  xxxi.  13, 
"ISn,  xix.  26. 
b'Sn,  ii.  4. 
"Til^n,  xxvii.  25. 
}Vh,  xxi.  14. 

K-  ^n,  }*^n,  f^n,  xx. 

17,  xxx.  27.  '' 
pn,  vid.  p'-n,  v.  20,  xvi. 

33,  xxi.  14. 
E.  ^n,  ipn,  XXV.  27. 
ppn,  viii.  29. 

i«nn,  D''^7n,  xxiv.  3i. 
pnn,  pn,  iu.  14,  x.  4. 
Pl''-in,  XX.  4. 
^nn,  xii.  27. 
P]"lh,  XX.  4. 

pn,  ?;2d  pin, 

t>inn,  iii.  29. 

mn,  c'nnn,  xvii.  28. 

R.  B'n,  xvii.  11. 

nnn,  vi.  27. 

f)rin,  finn,  xxiü.  28. 

aiü,  XV.  13,  xxiv.  13. 
h^ö,  xvi.  33. 
R.  DD,  D\*,  PlV,  ii.  1. 
TiD,  xix.  13. 

J?^,  xxiii.  4. 
j;t,  i.  2. 
"IM",  xxi.  24. 
\^ü\  via.  30. 


IDS  iii.  19. 

n^j;\  V.  19. 

2\)\  iii.  10. 

nipv  pr.  n.,  XXX.  1. 

nnpS  XXX.  17. 

\i})p\  vi.  5. 

-|p%  -Ii5^  i.  13,  xvii.  27. 

^'\  ii.  7.  viii.  21. 

nti'"»,  xi.  24, 

in''(?),  xii.  12,  xiii.  15. 

nri>,  in'',  ü.  21,  xiv.  13, 

xvii.  7, 

133,  XXV.  27. 

):i3,  iii.  19. 

-l!l3,  xvii.  3. 

R.  (Arab.)  kz,  m,  C'p, 

xvii.  11. 
R.  na,  xxiv.  26,  note. 
133,  vi.  25. 
R.  b,  xviii.  14. 
D^3,  neb,    xviii.    13, 

XXV.  8. 
|3,  as  substantive,  xi. 

19,  XV.  7. 
XD3,  vii.  17. 
^>D3,  i.  18,  viii.  5,  xvii. 

21,  xxiii.  9. 
^303,  iii.  26. 
nD3,  xiv.  30. 
r!  na,  vi.  25,  XXV.  26. 
']p3,  xxxi.  19. 
Dri3  (also  Egypt.  Ä;e<em), 

xxv.  12. 
ins,  Hijph,  xiv.  18. 

nfj,  iv.  23,  viii.  5. 

R.  3^,  naj',  XXV.  20. 

D3^,  X.  8.  ■ 

E.  rii5,  nn^,  xxvi.  18. 

Qrh,  xviii.  8. 


nf?,  xxii.  7. 

r6,  Ü.  15. 

n^  iii.  3. 
r^l'h,  i.  9. 

V)b,  V^^,  y^S,    XX.   25, 

xxiii.  2. 
tJ')^,  XXX.  30. 
E.  i!?,  iii.  26. 
fjSio!',  xxxi.  1. 

Vi;^,  'vid.  pii?. 

}>f!,  i.  6,  22,  iü.  34,  xxi. 

"24. 
n^l^,  i.  5. 

|*t>i^,  i7?>A.,  XXX.  10. 
yn^,  XXX.  14. 

NHÜ,  viii.  3. 

nxiD,  V.  16. 
vnio.  vii.  5. 
tmn,  i.  2. 
Iia,  iii.  35. 

nio,  V.  5. 

nsTD,  i.  4,  V.  2. 
K.  ^o,  bbj2,  vi.  13. 
?]S'f)ö,  xiii.  17. 
nonf5)p,  XV.  11,  «o^e. 
Hi'^^D,  i.  6. 


cr«^ 


}30,  xxix.  21,  note. 


Tj?0,  X.  29. 

}yo,  npyo,  xvi.  4. 

tl-l>"0,  xvii.  3. 
■)ipD,  V.  15,  XXV.  26. 
nb,  vii.  17,  note. 
n»a")p,  xxvi.  8. 
irno,  T1D,  xiv.  10. 
>y2',  xvii.  11. 
pnn,  XX.  30. 


INDEXES. 

Nb'O,  XXX.  1. 

ri^3L"0,  xviii.  11,  XXV. 

li.' 
])am,  xxvi.  26. 
T]tra,  xiii.  13. 
f5C'0,  i.  1. 
D2L"0,  i.  3, 

a''oni?rio,  xviii.  8, 

mw,  xxvi.  1. 

f  Xji  V.  12. 

njj,  iv.  25,  viii.  6,  xv. 

ii. 

T-JJ,  viii.  6. 

njj,  iv.    18,   720<(?. 

nn:,  viii.  16,  xix.  6. 

on/,  V.  11. 

2^^  X.  31. 

m:,  iii.  33. 

mj,  xxi.  16,  cf.  xxix.  17, 

^T3,  V.  15. 

DTJ,  XXV.  12. 

nm,  vi.  22. 

pnj,  viii.  21,  note. 

Dm,  V.  11. 

T'J,  13,  xiii.  23,  xxi.  4. 

R.  13,  naj,    xxiv.    2G, 

note. 
nab,  iv.  25,  V.  21. 

n^:,  XX.  11,  xxiv.  23, 

xxvi.  24. 
nPDJ,  vi.  6. 
■?lpJ,'  viii.  23. 
nsb,  V.  3,  xxiv.  13. 
nvJ,  n^J,  xxi.  28. 
ijVJ,  vi.  3. 
3I?3,  xxiv.  24. 
13,  t'^d  Ttj. 
12-13,  xvi.  28. 

R.  n:,  iii.  17,  note. 
HTn:,  i.  15,  iii.  17. 


347 

N'np,  xxiii.  21. 

iniD,  xxvii.  15. 

piD,  xxxi.  23. 

niD,  iii.  32,  xi.  13,  xv. 
22. 

D^D,  D>p,  XXX.  24. 

K.  ^D,  XV.  19. 

«l^p,  «l^p,  xi.  3,  xiii.  6, 

XV.  4,  xix.  3. 
QD,  XXX.  28. 
ino,  vii.  11. 

ny,  viii.  26. 
ny,  xii.  17. 
ny,  X.  29. 
try,  viii.  28. 
I^y,  vid.  py  yn. 
cj^y,  XXV.  25. 
Day,  vii.  22. 

nj^^i^y,  XXX.  15. 

''i'y  =  ^y,  viii.  2. 
HD^y,  XXX.  19. 
^oy,  xvi.  26. 
njy,  vi.  20. 
D-pjy,  i.  9. 
nyy,  V.  lo,  xv.  i. 
nvy,  xvi.  30. 

^yy,  vi.  9,  xxvi.  14. 
ivy,  XXV.  28. 

2i?J?'  2i?.v'  ^^"-  ^• 
any,  iii.  23. 
my,  R.  31,  vi.  1. 

my,  2"iy,  vü.  9. 
Diy,  HD-iy,  i.  4. 
bny,  vii.' 16. 

P^V,  R.  ti'y,  xxviii.  17. 

ny,'xv.  23. 

pny,  pny,  viii.  18. 

nny,  xxvi.  6. 


348 


THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 


p^3,  iii.  13. 

TS,  viii.  19. 

Dna,  xxvi.  21. 

1LD3,  xvii.  14. 

n^a',  xix.  22. 

ihQ,  J^a,  V.  16,  xxi.  1. 

^^3,  xxxi.  19,  note. 

D^a,  iv.  26,  V.  21. 
R.  jQ,  XXV.  11. 
|3,  V.  6,  XXV.  8. 
ü'^y^S,  iii.  15. 

nea,  xxvi.  7. 

K.  pa,  XX.  13. 

j;na,  i.  25. 

Ü>n3,  Ä2>Ä.,  xxiii.  32. 
R.  tJ'a,  xii.  13,  xiii.  3. 
pb>3,  xiii.  3. 
VpB,  i;L*'3,   X.    19.   xii. 
13,  xviii.  19,xxviii.2. 
na,  xxiii.  8. 

DNna,  vi.  15. 
^na',  i.  4. 

hm,  viii.  8. 

|NV,  xxvii.  23. 

••ay,  vi.  5. 

p'j^,  xvi.  13,  xxii.  21. 

'^i)i,  vi.  26. 

T»!?,  xiii.  17,  xxvi.  14. 

nn>>V,  xix.  24,  note. 

R.  DV,  «^zU  R.  DD. 

nay,  xxv.  13. 

J?m,  xi.  2. 

R.  Pl^,^  vi.  5,  xxvi.  23, 

and  vid.  Qtj. 
nSV,  XV.  3. 
nay,  xxvi.  23. 

pay,  XXV.  23. 
niay,  vi.  5,  xxvi.  2. 

|DV,  i.  31,  X.  14. 


I   ''JVsy,  xxiii.  32. 
nnv,  xvi.  27. 
f)nv,  XXV.  4,  XXX.  5. 

^^-*^  (tocrow),xxx,31. 

R.  3p,  xxii.  23,  no/e. 
j;3p,  xxii.  23. 
Flip,  XXX.  28. 
pp,  vi.  7,  xxvi.  1. 
n?p,  xii.  9. 
D-Jitl'bp,  xxiv.  31. 
N^l?,  N3p,  iii.  31. 
nX3p,  xiv.  30. 
nj'p,  viii.  22. 
|i03p,  vii.  17,  note. 
R.  Dp,  DDp,  xvi.  10. 
R.  np  (to  round,  to  dig), 

XXV.  26. 
np,  nnp,  xvii.  27. 
Pi?,  vi'  12. 

R.  B'p,  vi.  5,  xvii.  4, 11. 
2^p^,  i.  24,  ii.  2,  xvii.  4. 
m>p,  xxii.  21. 

niCNI,  xxiv.  7. 
(^Ij,^«^  0.,  xxix.  6. 

R.  21,  iii.  30,  vi.  1,  vii. 

16. 
ini,  vii.  16. 
j;j-i,  xii.  19. 
DT),  X.  5. 
2nn,  vi.  3. 
|in,  xiv.  28. 
Ip,  viii.  15. 
D''pn-|,  xii.  10. 
an,  iii.  30. 
h'pl,  xi.  13. 

nno-i,  X.  4. 

\yi,  i.  21. 

vn,  nyn,  xxvii.  lO. 


nvi  (to  be  considerate), 

XV.  14. 
py  J?-|,  xxiii.  6. 
e]y-i,  iii.  20. 
R.  f)"!'  "^S"!»  vii.  16. 
Sa-J,  xii.  18. 
niai,  xxvii.  21. 
D31,  vi.  3. 

nyn,  xxU.  13. 
3pn,  X.  7. 
R.  B^l,  XX.  13, 

njpB',  iii.  1.5. 
nTK>,  XX.  29. 
n't,  vi.  22,  no<e. 

R.  ^jy  (to  pierce),  xviii. 

11,  xxiii.  1. 
pab»,  xxiii.  1. 

b^tf,  ^3EJ>,  i.  3,   iii.  4, 

X.  öJ  " 
13b'=-|JD,  xxvi.  10. 
nob',  xiii.  9,  xxi.  17. 
n^O^,  XXX.  4. 
n^Öo^,  XXX.  28. 

nsb»,  v.  3. 

b)a^,  V.  6. 
-\a^,  V.  11. 

n3K',  xxix.  11. 

122^,  X.  13. 

^JB',  V.  16. 

1^,  V.  19. 

Tn^',  xix.  26. 

H)^,  XXX.  8. 

pV^,  vii.  8. 

liC',  xiv.  4. 

D^■5n^,  iii.  20,  viii.  28. 

-iriK'j'xiii.  24. 

-iDb»,  vi.  7. 

")3K>,  XX.  1. 


INDEXKS. 


49 


R.  fjü*,  i.  13,  33,  vi.  5, 

xü.  20. 

USb^,  üi-  2,  xü.  10. 

{>;"i^Ji>,  Q''^^,  xxii.  20. 

]rhp,  ix.  2. 

h'?f,  i.  13. 
DK',  xxii.  1. 
n"'pOK',  XXX.  28. 
»JB>,  xxxi.  21. 
"ij?:^,  xxüL  7. 
n^'yv^^'yC',  viii.  30. 


}3Ü?,  XXX.  26. 

njpB/,  viii.  34. 

H^PC',  Üi.  8. 

V\P'^,  Niph.,  vii.  6. 

ppü',  xxviii.  15. 

"1{^,  nn^',  üi.  6. 

^^  (liueii),  xxxi.  22. 

nixn,  xviü.  1. 
^an,  vüi.  26. 
nn,  V.  19. 


niaann,  ü.  12. 
n^n^ri,  x.  28. 

7]in,  xxix.  13. 

niri,  xü.  26. 
n^'Dw,  ü.  7. 
Tjri,  D'':?3n,  xxix.  13. 
J3ri,  xvi.  2. 

R.  ^n,  i.  1. 

mpn,  X.  28. 

Ipri,  xvi.  2. 
ypn,  vi.  1. 
nyitj'n,  xxi.  31. 


IL— SYNONYMS  EXPLAINED. 


f\12Vt,  ^iSti^,  xxvH.  20. 

nonx,  ^ari,  vüi.  26. 

^^1N,  ^"M,  voL  i.  p.  40  ; 

xiv.  3.' 
-lix,  -13,  vi,  23. 
Pl!?«,  liC',  xiv.  4. 
DJK'iil,  |i^n,  vü.  6. 
iNii,  "lia,  V.  15. 
C'ia,  "isn,  xix.  26. 
nr2,  mi2ri,  ü.  2. 
B'ipn,  B^"i"=]/"in^>  xi.  27. 
-lb'3,  ISC',  V.  11. 

^ia.'DNVny,  xiv.  34. 

U^p,  XXX.  31,  «o<e. 

{j>n^,  vid.  K^ipa- 
pnn,  ^''3b'n,  xxi.  29. 
noin,  -iD%  ix.  7. 
Tj;n,pi?n,np:i',viü.34. 

"IT,  naj,  xxvü.  2. 

pipl,  virtus,  dpsTii,  xxxi. 
■'10. 


non,  |n,  xxxi.  26. 
-isn,  vid.  nn. 
IDS  t'iW.  n^^in. 

iV!''iyoS  ^-  24,  cf.  ü. 
20. 

^p\  na^,  vi.  2. 

D''aT3,  IjpjJ',  vi.  17. 
•)^D3,  wtV.  ^x. 
^^p3,  ^33,  xvu.  21. 
^03,  mpn,  iü.  26,  note. 
D''23,  D''T,    xxxi.    19, 
"20. 

n3^  2;iW.  c'i?^ 

D13TXD,  dJ^S,  xvi.  11. 

I^yö,  py,  V.  16. 

pyp,  lipo,  XXV.  26. 

h^6,  pvi5,  iL:b'',  vi.  7. 

bl^',  vid.  ^"•03. 


ns:,  ?J2V/.  -IT- 

C'33,  nil,  xviü.  14,  XX. 

27." 

na,  iJit?.  nix. 

^jti'J,  JTiS-iri,  or  n^S^D, 

xxviii.  2. 
jri3,  npi5  (to  give  and  to 

\ake),  xxxi.  16,  24. 
niv,  br\p^,  V.  14. 
i;y,  t'l't/.  pyo. 
oy,  uij.  lia- 
"layi  ■'ay,  üi.  34,  xiv.  21. 

D''Sny,  D'^ipn'J',  üi.  26. 

D^S,  vid.  n^jTxa. 
nWa,  nxinri,  x.  I6. 
piv,  npnv,  i.  3,  cf.  vol. 

Yp.43. 


350 

rT'^'sn,  n^nri,  ix.  lO. 

mi,  vid.  C'-'SJ. 

•i^yi5>,  vid.  iif>r\. 
^ixK',  vid.  ii^2N. 

"IXB^*,  vid.   -1^2. 

D^HK',  vid.  n^any. 


THE   BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 
-lüb',  vid.  ^{J»ö. 

r\'jur\,  vid.  nj'3. 


^2ri,  vid.  nonx. 

XXX.  31. 

n''3nri,  vid.  tj^'j. 


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accuracy  and  scholarship  of  those  who  have  undertaken  the  laborious  task  of  translation." 
— Christian  Observer. 

'  The  present  translation  reads  smoothly  and  pleasantly,  and  we  have  every  reason  to 
be  satisfied  both  with  the  erudition  and  the  fair  and  sound  judgment  displayed  by  the 
translators  and  the  editor.' — John  Bull. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publications. 


DR.    MURPHY'S  NEW   WORK. 

Just  published,  in  demy  8vo,  700  pages,  price  15s., 

A   CRITICAL  AND    EXEGETICAL   COMMENTARY 

ON  THE 

BOOK  OF   PSALMS, 

WITH    A    NEW    TRANSLATION. 

By  JAMES   G.  MUEPHY,  LL.D.,  T.C.D., 

AUTHOR  OF  COMMENTARIES  ON   THE   BOOKS  OF   GENESIS,    EXODUS,    ETC. 

'  Every  Bible  Student  will  look  upon  this  volume  with  interest,  and  should  give  warm 
thanks  to  the  learned  author  for  the  care  and  erudition  which  have  been  bestowed  upon 
it.  .  .  .  The  introductory  chapters  are  very  valuable,  referring  both  to  the  nature  of 
the  Psalms,  their  themes,  their  autliors,  and  their  arrangements.  The  exegesis  is  admir- 
able, and  the  spirit  is  devout.' — Mtthodlst  Recorder. 


Just  published,  in  Two  Vols.  Svo,  price  21s., 

A      COMMENTARY 

ON  THE 

GOSPEL    OF    ST,    LUKE. 

BY     F.     G  O  D  E  T, 

DOCTOR  AND  PROFESSOR  OF  THEOLOGY,  NEUCHATEL. 

Translated  from  the  Second  French  Edition. 

'  We  are  indebted  to  the  publishers  for  an  English  translation  of  the  admirable  work 
which  stands  at  the  head  of  this  review.  ...  It  is  a  work  of  great  ability,  learning,  and 
research.' — Christian  Obsei-ver. 

'  The  whole  book  is  very  valuable,  and  is  the  work  of  a  critic,  scholar,  and  divine  of 
no  ordinary  attainments,  who  has  devoted  to  it  wonderful  conscientiousness  and  diligent 
care.' — Union  Review. 

'  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  valuable  works  yet  issued  in  the  Foreign 
Theoloo-ical  Library.  Eich  in  learning,  scientific  in  method,  profound  and  luminous  in 
thought  it  is  a  masterpiece  of  exposition,  critical  and  spiritual,  worthy  to  be  placed  side 
by  side  with  the  author's  great  '-Commentary  on  St.  John's  Gospel.  —Dickinsons 
Theological  Quarterlu. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Pudlicatzo7ts. 


In  crown  8vo,  price  4ö'., 

AIDS    TO    THE    STUDY 

OF 

GERMAN     THEOLOGY. 

By  Rev.  GEORGE  MATHESON,  M.A.,  B.D., 

MINISTER   OF   INELLAN. 

1.  Natural  Theology  of  Kant.  2.  Kant's  Interpretation  of  the  Facts  of  Scrip- 
ture. 3.  Transition  to  Schleiermacher.  4.  Thought-Translation  of  the 
System  of  Schleiermacher.  5.  Diversities  in  his  School.  6.  Fichte.  7. 
Introduction  to  tbe  Theology  of  Hegel  and  SchelUng.  8.  Trinity  of  Hegel 
and  ScheUing.  9.  Evolution  of  Hegelian  Trinity  in  Time.  10.  And  in 
the  History  of  the  Church.  11.  The  Right  and  Left.  12.  Mythical 
Theory  of  Strauss.  13.  Breaking  up  of  the  ^lythical  Theory — School  of 
Tübingen.  14.  Signs  of  a  Return  to  the  Old  Rationalism.  15.  '  The  Old 
Faith  and  the  New.'  16.  Parallel  between  the  History  of  English  and 
German  Theology. 

'  The  writer  of  this  treatise  has  formed  to  himself  singularly  clear  conceptions,  and  he 
possesses  in  a  remarkable  degree  the  faculty  of  lucid  exposition.  .  .  .  Besides  serving  as 
an  admirable  introduction  to  the  study  of  German  theology,  this  little  volume  will  be 
valuable  to  the  general  reader,  as  furnishing  an  intelligible  aud  iateresting  account  of  the 
principal  phases  which  theological  speculation  has  assumed  in  Germany  in  modern  times.' 
— Scotsman. 

'  This  little  volume  is  a  valuable  and  instructive  introduction  to  a  department  of  theo- 
logical literature  that  every  student  is  now  compelled  to  examine.' — British  Quarterly 
Review. 

'A  helpful  little  volume:  helpful  to  the  student  of  German  theology,  and  not  less  so 
to  the  careful  observer  of  the  tendencies  of  English  religious  thought.' — Freeman. 

'  The  author  has  a  complete  grasp  of  his  subject,  and  displays  marked  ability  in  his 
searching  analysis  of  the  progress  of  thought  in  Germany.' — Glasgow  News. 

'  The  writer  or  compiler  deserves  high  praise  for  the  clear  manner  in  which  he  has  in 
a  brief  compass  stated  these  opinions.' — Christian  Observer. 

Just  published,  in  demy  8vo,  price  10s.  6d., 

DELIVERY  AND  DEVELOPMENT 

OF 

CHRISTIAN     DOCTRINE. 

CIjc  dTifti)  ^meä  of  tl)t  Cunntngljam  EccturfS. 
By  ROBERT  RAINY,  D.D., 

PROFESSOR   OF  DIVINrTY   A>'D  CHURCH   HISTORY,   NEW   COLLEGE,    EDINBURGH. 

'  We  gladly  acknowledge  their  high  excellence  and  the  extensive  learning  which  they 
all  display.  They  are  able  to  the  last  degree  ;  aud  the  author  has  iu  an  unusual  measure 
the  power  of  acute  and  brilliant  generalization.  He  handles  his  array  of  multifarious 
facts  with  ease  and  elegance;  and  we  must  needs  acknowledge  (and  we  do  it  willingly) 
that  the  Lectures  are  a  real  conti-ibiition  to  the  settlement  of  the  vast  and  obscure  question 
with  which  they  are  occupied.' — Literary  Chiirchman. 

'This  is  an  important  book;  for  it  contains  a  mass  of  powerful  principles,  poured 
forth  by  an  original  mind,  on  a  subject  interesting  to  all  times  and  fascinating  for  our 
ovm.^— Daily  Review. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publications. 


Jmt  published,  in  demy  8vo,  price  12s., 

INTRODUCTION 

TO 

THE    PAULINE    EPISTLES, 

By    PATON    J.    GLOAG,    D.D., 

Author  of  a  '  Critical  and  Exegetical  Commentary  on  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.' 


'  Those  acquainted  •with  the  author's  previous  works  will  be  prepared  for  something 
valuable  in  his  present  work ;  and  it  will  not  disappoint  expectation,  but  rather  exceed  it. 
The  most  recent  literature  of  his  subject  is  before  him,  and  he  handles  it  with  ease  and 
skill.  ...  It  will  be  found  a  trustworthy  guide,  and  raise  its  author's  reputation  in  this 
important  branch  of  biblical  study.' — British  and  Foreign  Evangelical  Reviau. 

'  A  work  of  uncommon  merit.  He  must  be  a  singularly  accomplished  divine  to  whose 
library  this  book  is  not  a  welcome  and  valuable  addition.' —  Watchman. 

'It  will  be  found  of  considerable  value  as  a  handbook  to  St.  Paul's  Epistles.  The 
dissertations  display  great  thought  as  well  as  research.  The  author  is  fair,  learned,  and 
calm,  and  his  book  is  one  of  worth.' — Church  Bells. 

'  A  capital  book,  full,  scholarly,  and  clear.  No  difficulty  is  shirked,  but  dealt  with 
fairly,  and  in  an  evangelical  spirit.  To  ministers  and  theological  students  the  book  will 
be  of  great  value.' — Ecangelical  Magazine. 

'  It  bears  the  stamp  of  study  and  of  calm,  critical  power.  It  is  a  good  defence  of  the 
orthodox  views,  written  in  a  style  which  combines  dignity,  strength,  and  clearness.  It 
may  be  read  with  pleasure  by  any  lover  of  theology,  and  will  be  a  valuable  addition  to 
the  book-shelf  as  a  book  of  reference.' — Glasgow  Herald. 

'  We  honestly  and  heartily  commend  the  work.'—  United  Presbyterian  Magazine. 

'Most  fair,  comprehensive,  critical,  and  effective,  disposing  of  modern  as  well  as 
ancient  difficulties  in  the  most  satisfactory  WAy.'—Bomilist. 

'  This  work  will  commend  itself  to  all  competent  judges,  alike  by  the  candour  and 
earnestness  of  its  spirit,  the  breadth  of  its  learning,  and  the  cogency  of  its  reasoning.'— 
Baptist  Magazine. 

'  We  congratulate  Dr.  Gloag  on  his  production  of  a  work  at  once  creditable  to  our 
sacred  scholarship  and  helpful  to  the  cause  of  truth.  His  aim  is  to  furnish  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  Pauline  Epistles,  each  of  which  he  takes  up  in  the  chronological  order  which 
he  accepts.  .  .  .  The  volume  has  a  real  and  permanent  value,  and  will  take  a  high  place 
in  our  biblical  literature.' — London  Weehbj  Review. 

'  We  recommend  it  as  the  best  text-book  on  the  subject  to  students  of  theology  and  to 
clergymen — as  a  most  reliable  guide,  from  the  orthodox  standpoint,  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
present  position  of  the  historical  criticism  of  the  Pauline  Epistles.'— CoM?-n«<. 

'  It  everywhere  bears  the  marks  of  an  impartial  judgment  and  of  thoi'ough  research.'— 
New  York  Evangelist. 

'  A  safe  and  complete  guide  to  the  i-esults  of  modem  criticism.  At  the  same  time  it 
gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  processes  by  which  those  results  are  arrived  at.' — Liternrij 
Churchman. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Ptiblications. 


Just  published,  Fourth  Edition,  price  6s., 

THE   TRIPARTITE   NATURE   OF   MAN, 

SPIRIT,    SOUL,    AND    BODY, 

Applied  to  Illustrate  and  Explain  the  Doctrines  of  Original  Sin,  the  New  Birth, 
the  Disembodied  State,  and  the  Spiritual  Body. 

By    Rev.   J.    B.    HEARD,   M.A. 

With  an  Appendix  on  the  Fatherhood  of  God. 

'  The  author  has  got  a  striking  and  consistent  theory.  Whether  agreeing  or  disagreeing 
with  that  theory,  it  is  a  book  which  any  student  of  the  Bible  may  read  with  pleasure.' — 
Guardian. 

'  A  valuable  and  interesting  treatise  on  the  "  Tripartite  Nature  of  Man,"  the  first  English 
theological  work  of  any  pretensions  which  has  dealt  with  the  subject  in  a  metliodical 
and  systematic  manner.' — Dean  of  Norwich. 

'  It  is  with  considerable  satisfaction  we  note  the  issue  of  a  fourth  edition  of  this  most 
original  and  valuable  treatise,  which,  without  exaggeration,  may  be  described  as  one  of 
the  ablest  contributions  to  our  theological  literature  which  has  been  published  of  late 
years.' — English  Independent. 


SEaröurtonian  Hccturrs  on  propicrij,  1870  to  t874* 


In  crown  8vo,  price  5s., 

VOICES   OF    THE    PROPHE,TS. 

Twelve  Lectures  Preached  in  the   Chapel   of  Lincoln's   Inn,   in  the  Years 
1870-74,  on  the  Foundation  of  Bishop  Warburton. 

By   EDWARD    HAMILTON    GIFFORD,    D.D. 

'The  author  has  long  ago  attained  high  position  as  a  scholar,  a  man  of  science,  and  a 
theologian,  and  in  the  volume  before  us  he  offers  his  readers  some  of  the  best  fruits  of 
these  varied  accomplishments.' — Standard. 

'  We  have  not  for  many  years  met  with  a  book  dealing  with  the  important  question  of 
prophepy  in  all  respects  so  satisfactory,  so  reverent  in  its  treatment  of  the  written 
word,  so  fair  in  argument,  so  courteous  and  dignified  withal  in  its  replies  to  the  objections 
of  "  science  falsely  so  called." ' — Daily  Eevietv. 

'  This  volume  deals  with  the  subject  of  prophecy  in  a  clear  and  forcible  manner.  The 
objections  to  a  belief  in  prophetic  utterances  are  ably  met,  and  much  light  is  thrown 
upon  the  matter,  which  has  here  been  dealt  with  in  a  scholarly  and  Christian  spirit.' — 
Rock. 


PUBLICATIONS 

OF 

T.  &  T.  CLARK,  38  GEORGE  STREET, 

EDINBURGH. 

LONDON  :  HAMILTON,  ADAMS,  &  CO.     DUBLIN :  ROBERTSON  &  CO. 


CLASSIFICATION   OF   CONTENTS. 


APOLOGETICS. 

Buchanan  —  Christlieb  —  Ebrard 

—  Hengstenberg  —  Hetherington  — 
Lange  —  Luthardt  —  Ullmann  — 
Winer. 

BIBLICAL  CRITICISM  AND  HER- 
MENEUTICS. 

Cremer  —  Davidson  —  Doedes  — 
Fairbairn  —  Forbes — Gardiner— Ro- 
binson —  Steinmeyer — Stier — White 
— Winer. 

BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL. 

Brown —  Bruce — Buchanan — Cre- 
mer—  Delitzsch — Dorner — Fairbairn 
—Heard—  Hengstenberg — Lange  — 
Morgan  —  Muller — Naville — Oehler 
—Owen  —  Rainy — Saisset— Schmid 
—Smeaton— Steward — Wright. 

BIOGRAPHY. 

Calvin — Krummacher — Nettleton 
— Von  Hütten. 

COMMENTARIES— OLD    TESTA- 
MENT. 

Alexander — Delitzsch — Fairbairn 
— Gerlach — Hengstenberg —  Keil  — 
Krummacher  —  Kurtz  —  Lange  — 
Mui-phy — Umbreit. 

COMMENTARIES— NEW   TESTA- 
MENT. 

Adam  —  Augustine —  Baumgarten 
— Bengel — Besser — Billroth  —Bruce 

—  Delitzsch — Eadie — Ebrard — Fair- 
bairn— Forbes — Glasgow  —  Gloag — 
Godet  —  Hengstenberg  —  Lange  — 
Lisco  —  Meyer — Morgan — Neander 


—  Olshausen  —  Owen  —  Steiger  — 
Steinmeyer — Steward — Stier — Tho- 
luck — Witsius. 

DEVOTIONAL     AND     PRACTICAL 
THEOLOGY. 

Augustine — Besser — Buchanan — 
Caspers —  Church  —  Cunningham  — 
Fairbairn — Gotthold — Krummacher 
— Morgan — Oosterzee — Pressense — 
Robinson — Tholuck — Vinet. 


ETHICS. 

Harless  —  Kant- 
tensen — Wuttke. 


■Luthardt — Mar- 


AND 


Foreign  Theological  Library 

Writings  of  St.  Augustine, 

Owen's  {Dr.  John)  Works, 

Calvin's  Works, 

Stier's  Words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  (Cheap 

Lance's  Life  of  Christ,     . 

Bengel's  Gnomon,    . 

Ante-Nicene  Library, 

Lange's  Commentaries, 

Meyer's  Commentary, 


HISTORICAL     THEOLOGY 
CHURCH   HISTORY. 

Bannerman  —  Bungener  —  Couard 
— Cunningham— Dorner- -Edersheim 
—  Gerlach  —  Gieseler  — Guericke — 
Hefele — Kahnis  —  Killen — Kurtz — 
Luthardt — Maclauchlan — Neander — 
Preuss—Scliaff—Shedd— Ullmann. 

INTRODUCTIONS. 

Bleek — Ernesti — Gloag — Haver- 
nick — Keil — Macdonald. 

PHILOSOPHY. 

Ackermann — Chalybaeus — Cousin 
— ^Jouffroy — Kant — Saisset. 

PROPHECY. 

Brown  —  Fairbairn  —  Gifford  — 
Glasgow — Lange — White. 

SYSTEMATIC  THEOLOGY. 

Augustine — Buchanan  —  Calvin — 
Luthardt  —  Martensen  —  Müller  — 
Owen — Shedd — Winer. 

PAGE 

24-26 


Edition), 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publications. 


Ackermann  (Dr.  0.)— THE  CHRISTIAN  ELEMENT  IN  PLATO, 

■•'■      AND  THE  PLATONIC  PHILOSOPHY.     Translated  from  the  German. 
Demy  8vo,  7s.  6d. 

Adam  (John,  D.D.)— AN  EXPOSITION  OF  THE  EPISTLE  OF 

JAMES,  "with  an  Apjjendix  of  Dissertations.     8vo,  9s. 

'A  thoroughly  and  carefully  written  1  thought  and  purpose  which  renders  this 
work,  pointing  out  what  may  reasonably  I  epistle  at  once  so  beautiful  and  so  com- 
be presumed  to   be  the  under-current  of    |    plete.' — Christian  Observer. 

Alexander  (Dr.  J.  A.)~COMMENTAEY  ON  THE  PROPHECIES 

OF  ISAIAH.  By  J.  A.  Alexander,  Princeton.  New  and  Kevised 
Edition,  with  a  Preface  by  John  Eadie,  D.D.,  LL.D.  Two  vols.  8vo, 
17s. 

'  I   regard    Dr.   Joseph  Addison   Alex-    I    man  our  Church  has  ever  produced.' — Dr. 
ander  as  incomparably  the  greatest  man  I       Hodge. 
ever  knew— as  incomparably  the  greatest    | 

Aids  to  the  Study  of  German  Theology.    An  attempt  to  smooth 

the  path  of  the  English  inquirer  by  clothing  the  abstract  ideas  of 
Germany  in  English  parallels,  and  so  rendering  them  accessible  to  the 
English  mind.     Crown  8vo,  4s. 


'A  valuable  and  instructive  introduction 
to  a  department  of  Theological  literature 
which  every  student  is  now  compelled  to 
examine.' — British  Quarterly  Review. 

'  The  student  would    do  well  to   study 


the  study  of  German  Theology,  in  which 
he  will  find  the  whole  subject  conveniently 
mapped  out  and  described  in  language  in- 
telligible to  any  person  of  average  capacity 
and  cultivation.     To  say  (his  much  is  to 


carefully   this    admirable   inti-oduclion    to    '    award  very  high  praise.' — Scotsman. 

Apocryphal  Gospels,  Acts,  and  Revelations;  comprising  all  the 

very  curious  Apocryphal  Writings  of  the  first  three  Centuries.  8vo, 
10s.  6d. 

Apostolic  Fathers,  comprising  Clement's  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians ; 
Polycarp  to  tbe  Ephesians ;  Martyrdom  of  Polycarp ;  Epistle  of  Bar- 
nabas ;  Epistles  of  Ignatius  (longer  and  shorter,  and  also  the  Syriac 
version)  ;  Martyrdom  of  Ignatius ;  Epistle  to  Dioguctus ;  Pastor  of 
Hermas;  Papias;  Spurious  Epistles  of  Ignatius.     In  one  vol.,  10s.  6d. 

Arnobius— WORKS  OF.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

Auberlen   (0.  A.)— THE   DIVINE    REVELATION:    The  Pauline 

Epistles ;  The  Gospels ;  The  Old  Testament ;  The  great  Intellectual 
Conflict  in  the  Christian  World  ;  The  elder  Protestantism  and  Rational- 
ism ;  The  Defeat  of  Rationalism.     In  demy  8vo,  10s.  6d. 

Augustine  (St.)— THE  CITY  OF  GOD.  Translated  by  Marcus 
DoDS,  D.D.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 

. ON  THE  TRINITY.     Translated  by  Rev.  A.  W.  Hadden, 

B.D.,  Hon.  Canon  of  Worcester.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

— ON    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE ;,. THE    ENCHIRIDION; 

ON  CATECHISING ;  AND  ON  FAITH  AND  THE  CREED.     In  one 
vol.,  10s.  6d. 
*V*  For  the  other  Works  of  St.  Augustine,  comprised  in  the  '  St.  Augustine  ' 
Series  of  Translations,  see  page  27. 


T.  and  T.  Clarlis  PuölicaHofis. 


Baanerman  (Professor)— THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST  -.  A  Treatise 

on  the  Niiture,  Powers,  Ordinances,  Discipline,  and  Government  of  tlie 
Christian  Church.     Two  vols.  8vo.  21s. 


'  The  tone  of  the  work  is  dignified, 
earnest,  temperate,  and  devout' — London 
Quarterly  Review. 

'  We  commend  these  learned  and  mas- 
terly vohimes  to  the  careful  study  not  only 


of  the  scientific  divine,  but  of  all  thoughtful 
men  who  would  desire  to  understand  some 
of  the  greatest  and  most  vital  questions  of 
our  time.'— Presbyter iati. 


Baumgarten  (Professor)— APOSTOLIC  HISTORY;  Being  an  Ac- 
count of  the  Development  of  the  Early  Church,  in  the  Form  of  a  Com- 
mentary on  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.     Three  vols.  8vo,  27s. 

'  An  exposition  at  once  -profoundly  scientific  and  sublimely  Christian,  one  of  the  most 
pressing  wants  of  our  times.' — Eclectic  Revieic. 

Bengel  (John  Albert)— GNOMOX  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT; 

with  Original  Notes,  Explanatory  and  Illustrative.  Now  first  translated 
into  English.  The  translation  is  comprised  in  Five  Large  Volumes, 
demy  8vo,  of  (on  an  average)  fully  550  pages  each.  Subscription,  31s. 
6d.  The  very  large  demand  for  Bengel's  Gnomon  enables  the  Pub- 
lishers stul  to  supply  it  at  the  Subscription  Price,  and  in  order  still 
further  to  bring  it  within  the  reach  of  all,  they  issue  it  also,  bound  in 
Three  Volumes,  at  24s.,  which  edition  will  be  supplied,  unless  the  other 
is  specially  ordered.  The  whole  work  is  issued  under  the  Editorship  of 
the  Rev.  Andrew  E.  Fausset,  M.A. 

Besser  (Dr.  Rudolph)— BIBLICAL  STUDIES  ON  ST.  JOHN'S 

GOSPEL.     Translated  from  the  German  by  M.  G.  Huxtable,     Two 

vols,  crown  8vo,  12s. 

'  We  call  attention  to  the  great  merits 

of   this   volume.      The   character   of    this 

Commentary  is  practical   and  devotional. 

There  are  often  very  exquisite  devotional 


passages,  and  a  vein  of  earnest  piety  runs, 
through  the  whole  work.  We  recommend 
the  book  most  warmly  to  all.' — Literary 
Churchman. 


Billroth— COMMENTARY  ON  THE  CORINTHIANS.     Two  vols., 


Bleek— AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.    By 

FiUEDRicii  Bleek,  Professor  of  Theology,  University  of  Bonn.  Trans- 
lated fi-om  the  Second  German  Edition  by  Rev.  W.  UnwiCK,  M.A. 
Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 


inquiries,  combined  with  comprehensive- 
ness and  thoroughness  of  judgment.' — 
Professor  Dornek. 


'  An  extremely  able  and  learned  writer.' 
—  Christian  Observer. 

'  A  pure  and  chaste  perception,  and  love 
of  truth,  guided  Bleek  iu  all  his  scientific 

Bruce  (Rev.  A.  B.)— THE  TRAINING  OF  THE  TWELVE;  or, 

Exposition  of  Passages  in  the  Gospels  exhibiting  the  Twelve  Disciples  of 
Jesus  under  Discipline  for  the  Apostleship.     8vOy  10s.  6d. 


'  Here  we  have  a  really  great  book  on 
an  important,  large,  and  attractive  sub- 
ject ;  a  book  full  of  loving,  wholesome, 
profound  thouirhts  about  tli'i-iuudamentals 
of  Christian  faith  and  practice.' — British 
and  Foreifjn  Ecangelical  Review. 

'  This  volume  is  exceedinglj'  good.  It  is 
not  merely  a  series  of  essays  on  the  methods 
by  which  the  Divine  Eedeemer  combated 


His  disciples'  errors,  trained  them  to  faith 
iu  Himself,  and  pi-epared  them  to  become 
His  apostles  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  It 
is  rather  a  collection  of  discourses  on  the 
Words  of  our  Lord,  as  illut-trating  the 
events  of  His  life  and  unfolding  tht?  pur- 
poses of  His  death.' — London  Quarterly 
Reciew. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Ptiblications. 


Brown  (David,  D.D.)— CHEIST'S  SECOND  COMING;  WiU  it  be 

Pre-Millennial  ?     Sixth  Edition.     Crown  8vo,  7s.  6d. 


'This  is,  in  our  judgment,  one  of  the 
most  able,  comprehensive,  and  conclusive 
of  the  numerous  works  which  the  mille- 


narian    controversy  has    called    forth. 
Watchman. 


Buchanan  (Professor)— THE  DOCTRINE  OF  JUSTIFICATION  : 

An  Outline  of  its  History  in  the  Churcb,  and  of  its  Exposition  from 
Scripture,  with  Special  Reference  to  Recent  Attacks  on  the  Theology  of 
the  Reformation.  (The  Second  Series  of  the  '  Cunningham  Lectures.') 
8vo,  10s.  6d. 


'  The  author  has  furnished  contributions 
to  sound  theology  which  challenge  com- 
petition with  those  furnished  by  any  other 
portion  of  the  Church.     This  work,  in  par- 


ticular, takes  its  place  amongst  the  foremost 
of  those  defences  of  sound  doctrine,  and  as 
such  we  recommend  it  to  the  attention  of 
our  readers.' — Princeton  Review. 


-  ANALOGY,  considered  as  a  Guide  to  Truth,  and  applied  as 
an  Aid  to  Faith.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

-  FAITH  IN  GOD  AND  MODERN  ATHEISM  COMPARED, 

in  their  Essential  Nature,  Theoretical  Groimds,  and  Practical  Influence. 
Two  vols.,  12s. 

-  ON  COMFORT  IN  AFFLICTION.     Crown  8vo,  2s.  6d. 


-ON  IMPROVEMENT  OF  AFFLICTION. 
Crown  8vo,  2s.  6d. 


Ninth   Edition. 


is  a  vein  of  earnestness  running  through 
the  whole  that  cannot  fail  to  render  it 
productive  of  good.' — John  Bull. 


'  Dr.  Buchanan  has  done  well  in  giving 
to  the  world  these  "meditations."  .  .  . 
The  language  throughout  is  refined,  and 
even  elegant,  while,  at  the  same  time,  there 

Bungener    (Felix)— ROME    AND    THE    COUNCIL    IN    THE 

NINETEENTH  CENTURY.     Translated  from  the  French,  with  addi- 
tions by  the  Author.     Crown  8vo,  5s. 
'Admirable  for  its  brief,  compact,  tren-       Popery.  ...  It  is  a  searching,  eloquent, 
chant  logic,  for  its  comprehensiveness   of       and  in  every  way  remarkable  volume.' — 
range,  for  its  profound  and  searching  criti-       London  Quarterly  Revieio. 
cism  of  the  principles  and  developments  of 

Calvin— HIS   LIFE,    LABOURS,    AND    WRITINGS.     By   Felix 
Bdngener.     8vo,  83.  Gd. 

'M.  Bungener's  French  vivacity  has 
admirably  combined  with  critical  care  and 
with  admiring  reverence  to  furnish  what    | 

-= INSTITUTES  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION.     Trans- 
lated by  Henry  Beveridge.     Two  vols.  8vo,  14s. 

INSTITUTIO      CHRISTIANS      RELIGIONIS.       Curavit 

A.  Tholuck.  Two  vols.  8vo,  (Subscription  Price)  14s.  Tholuck's 
edition  of  Calvin  has  been  long  very  scarce,  and  the  Publishers  have, 
with  the  Editor's  consent,  reprinted  it  carefully  and  elegantly.  It  con- 
tains Dr.  Tholuck's  chapter  headings  and  very  complete  indices,  and 
the  text  has  been  carefully  printed  from  the  very  accurate  edition  con- 
tained in  the  Corpus  Rc/unnator urn ;  so  that,  in  point  of  completeness 
and  accuracy,  it  excels  any  previous  edition,  and  it  is  also  exceedingly 
cheap. 


wo  venture  to  think  the  best  portrait  of 
Calvin  hitherto  drawn.' — Patriot. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publications. 


Gaspers  (A.)— THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  CHRIST.  Translated  from 
the  German  by  A.  E.  Eodham.  1.  Christ  for  us;  2.  Christ  in  us;  3. 
Christ  before  us  ;  4.  Christ  through  us.  Handsomely  bound,  crown  8vo, 
7s.  6d. 


a  really, fresh   devotional  volume  to  stop 
here  at  this  one;'— Weekly  Review. 

'  There  is  much  deeplj'  experimental 
truth  aud  precious  spiritual  lore  in  Gaspers' 
book.  I  do  not  always  agree  with  his 
theology,  but  I  own  myself  much  profited 
by  his  devout  utterances.' — The  Eev.  0.  H. 
Spukgeon. 


'The  style  is  full  of  pithiness.  The 
sentences  are  short  and  antithetical,  and 
the  translation  is  so  good  and  ididmatic 
that  you  never  have  occasion  in  reading 
to  remember  that  it  is  a  translation  at  all. 
The  papers  are  short,  but  not  too  short 
for  a  profitable,  devout  meditation  in  the 
closet.  We  close  by  recommending  any 
and  every  reader  who  may  be  in  quest  of 

Chalybaeus— HISTORICAL    DEVELOPMENT     OF    SPECULA- 
TIVE PHILOSOPHY,  from  Kant  to  Hegel.     8vo,  6s. 

Christlieb  (Dr.)— MODERN  DOUBT  AND  CHRISTIAN  BELIEF. 

A  Series  of  Apologetic  Lectures  addressed  to  Earnest  Seekers  after 
Truth.  By  Theodore  Christlieb,  D.D.,  University  Preacher  and  Pro- 
fessor of  Theology,  Bonn.  Translated  by  Rev.  H.  U.  Weitbrecht, 
Ph.D.,  and  Edited  by  Rev.  T.  L.  Kingsbury,  Vicar  of  Easton  Royal. 
8vo,  lOs.  6d. 


carry  the  assault  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
enemy's  camp,  and,  in  our  "judgment,  to 
win  in  that  arena  some  of  his  most  bril- 
liant and  important  ti'opliies.' — Christian 
Observer. 

'  An  armoury  of  weapons — arms  of  pre- 
cision every  one.  We  have  the  very 
highest  admiration  for  the  work,  and 
recommend  it  warmly  to  our  readers.' — 
Literary  Churchman. 


'  We  recommend  the  volume  as  one  of 
the  most  important  among  recent  contri- 
butions to  our  apologetic  literature.  .  .  . 
We  have  a  very  deep  sense  of  the  excel- 
lence of  the  book,  considered  as  a  whole.' 
— Guardian. 

'We  glean  a  few  ears  from  the  rich 
harvest-field,  and  recommend  our  readers 
to  compare  the  sample  with  the  stock.' — 
London  Quarterly  Revieio. 

'  The  author  has  not  scrupled  boldly  to 

Church  (Pharcellus,  D.D.)— SEED  TRUTHS;  or,  Bible  Views  of 
Mind,  Morals,  and.  Religion.     Crown  Svo,  4s.  6d. 

'  As  a  fresh,  vigorous,  and  suggestive  book  on  spiritual  life,  it  is  of  great  interest  and 
value.' — Freeman. 

Clement  of  Alexandria— WORKS  OF.    Two  vols.,  21s. 

HOMILIES:    APOSTOLICAL    CONSTITUTIONS.       8vo, 


10s.  6d. 

Cook— STYLES  OF  WRITS,  FORMS  OF  PROCEDURE,  AND 
PRACTICE  OF  THE  CHURCH  COURTS  OF  SCOTLAND.  Revised 
and  adapted  to  the  Present  State  of  the  Law  of  the  Church,  by  Rev.  J. 
Cook,  D.D.,  Principal  Clerk  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland.     Fourth  Edition.     Svo,  12s. 

Couard— LIFE  OF  CHRISTIANS  DURING  FIRST  THREE 
CENTURIES.     4s. 


Cousin  (Victor)— LECTURES  ON  THE  TRUE,  THE  BEAUTL 
FUL,  AND  THE  GOOD.  Translated  under  the  sanction  of  the 
Author.     Post  Svo,  6s.  6d. 

PHILOSOPHICAL  ESSAYS.     5s. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publicatiotis. 


Cremer    (Professor) -BIBLICO-THEOLOGICAL    LEXICON    OF 

NEW   TESTAMENT   GREEK.     Translated   from   the  Germaa.     New 
Edition  preparing. 

Cuainingham  (Principal)— SERMONS  BY  THE  LATE  WILLIAM 

CUNNINGHAM,   D.D.,   Principal   and   Professor   of   Church  History, 
New  College,  Edinburgh.     8vo,  9s. 

DISCUSSIONS     ON     CHURCH    PRINCIPLES  :    Popish, 


Erastian,  and  Presbyterian.  Chapter  1.  The  Errors  of  Romanism;  2. 
Romanist  Theory  of  Development;  3.  The  Temporal  Sovereignty  of  the 
Pope;  4.  Tile  Temporal  Supremacy  of  the  Pope;  5.  The  Liberties  of 
the  Gallican  Church  ;  6.  Royal  Supremacy  in  Church  of  England  ;  7. 
Relation  between  Church  and  State  ;  8.  The  Westminster  Confession  on 
Relation  between  Church  and  State;  9.  Church  Power;  10.  Principles 
of  the  Free  Church ;  11.  The  Rights  of  the  Christian  People ;  12.  The 
Principle  of  Non-Intrusion  ;  13.  Patronage  and  Popular  Election.  Svo, 
10s.  6d. 

-HISTORICAL  THEOLOGY.  A  Review  of  the  Principal 
Doctrinal  Discussions  in  the  Christian  Church  since  the  Apostolic  Age. 
Second  Edition.  Chapter  1 .  The  Church  ;  2.  The  Council  of  Jerusalem  ; 
3.  The  Apostles'  Creed  ;  4.  The  Apostolical  Fathers ;  5.  Heresies  of  the 
Apostolical  Age ;  6.  The  Fathers  of  the  Second  and  Third  Centuries ; 
7.  The  Church  of  the  Second  and  Third  Centuries ;  8.  The  Constitution 
of  the  Church  ;  9.  The  Doctrine  of  the  Trinity  ;  10.  The  Person  of  Christ ; 
11.  The  Pelagian  Controversy ;  12.  Worship  of  Saints  and  Images ;  13. 
The  Civil  and  Ecclesiastical  Authorities ;  14.  The  Scholastic  Theology  ; 
15.  The  Canon  Law;  16.  Witnesses  for  the  Truth  during  Middle  Ages ; 
17.  The  Church  at  the  Reformation  ;  18.  The  Council  of  Trent ;  19.  The 
Doctrine  of  the  Fall;  20.  Doctrine  of  the  Will;  21.  Justitication  ;  22. 
The  Sacramental  Principle ;  23.  The  Socinian  Controversy  ;  24.  Doctrine 
of  the  Atonement ;  25.  The  Arminian  Controversy  ;  26.  Church  Govern- 
ment ;  27.  The  Erastian  Controversy.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 

-  THE  REFORMERS  AND  THEOLOGY  OF  THE  REFOR- 


MATION.    Demy  8vo,  10s.  6d. 

'This    volume    is   a   most    magnificent    I    present  time  and  to  the  present  state  of 
vindication   of  the   Eeformatiou,   in   both       the  controversy.' — Witness. 
its  men  and  its   doctrines,   suited   to  the    | 

Cyprian,  Novatian,  Minucius  Felix,  etc.    Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 
Davidson  (Professor)— AN  INTRODUCTORY  HEBREW  GRAM- 

MAR.  With  Progressive  Exercises  in  Reading  and  Writing.  By  A.  B. 
Davidson,  M.A.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Hebrew,  etc.,  in  the  New  College, 
Edinburgh.     8vo,  5s.  6d. 


'It  bears  clear  marks  of  careful  pre- 
paration and  extensive  research.  It  is 
comprehensivG  in  its  matter  and  well 
arranged  in  its  form.' — Church  Bells. 

'  This  excellent  little  book  supplies  a 
■want  of  which  all  who  are  interested  in 
the  cultivation  of  Hebrew  studies  by  our 
students  and  ministers  have  long  been 
painfully  conscious As  a  system   of 


Hebrew  accidence,  within  the  proper  limits 
of  the  subject,  the  book  is  characterized  by 
great  completeness  as  well  as  simplicity.' 
— British  and  Foreign  Evangelical  Review. 

'  Simple  and  elementary  in  form,  while 
thoroughly  scientific  in  principle,  it  is  the 
production  of  a  clear  thinker  and  a  sound 
scholar.' — British  Quarterly  Review. 


T.  atid  T.  Claries  Ptiblications. 


Delitzsch  (Professor)— A  SYSTEM  OF  BIBLICAL  PSYCHOLOGY. 

Contents:  —  Prolegomena;  1.  The  Everlasting  Postulates;  2.  The 
Creation  ;  3.  The  Fall ;  4.  The  Natural  Condition  ;  5.  The  Regenera- 
tion ;  6.  Death ;  7.  Eesurrcction  and  Consummation.  Translated  from 
the  last  German  Edition  by  Rev.  Dr.  Wallis.  Second  Edition.  8vo 
12s. 


'  This  admirable  volume  ought  to  be  care- 
fully read  by  every  thinkiug  clergyman. 
There  is  a  growing  guosticiam,  which  re- 
quires to  be  met  by  philosophical  expla- 
nations of  the  Christian  system,  quite  as 
much  as,  and  even  more  than,  by  dogmatic 


statements  of  received  truths;  and  wo 
know  no  work  which  is  better  calculated 
as  a  guide  to  miud.s  already  settled  on  lines 
of  sound  theological  priuciplo  than  the  one 
we  are  about  to  bring  before  the  notice  of 
our  readers.' — Literary  Churchman. 


BIBLICAL    COMMENTARY    ON   THE   BOOK   OF  JOB. 


Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 
'Dr.  Delitzsch  curabiues  thorough  ortho- 
doxy and  spirituality  of  touo  witli  a  large 
and     sympathetic    appreciation     for     the 
raethocis  and  results  of  modern  critical  re- 


search. But  it  has  also  far  stronger  claims 
for  approbation  on  account  of  special  and 
intrinsic  merits.' — Literary  Churchman. 


-BIBLICAL  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS.  Trans- 
lated  from  the  German  (from  the  Second  Edition,  revised  throughout) 
by  the  Rev.  Francis  Bolton,  B.A.     Three  vols.  8vo,  31s.  6d. 


'Learned,  discriminating,  and  devout; 
...  we  commend  this  commentary  as  a 
valuable  aid  to  preachers  an<l  exegetes  iu 
elucidating  the  Psalms,  in  which  the  de- 


vout feelings  of  the  saints  in  all  ages  in 
harmony  meet.  The  translation  appears 
to  be  unusually  well  executed.' — Princeton 
Review. 


BIBLICAL    COMMENTARY    ON   THE   PROVERBS    OF 


SOLOMON.     Translated  by  M.  G.  Easton,  D.D, 

'Delitzsch  is  too  old  a  favourite  with 
many  of  our  readers  to  need  an  introduc- 
tion. He  is  one  of  our  most  accomplished 
Hebrew  scholars,  and  one  of  our  most  able 


Vol.  1,  8vo,  10s.  6d. 
critics.  The  present  volume  is  worthy  of 
his  reputation,  and  is  well  translated.' — 
Church  Bells. 


-  BIBLICAL  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PROPHECIES  OF 
ISAIAH.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 


'Whilst  his  attainments  in  Hebrew  phi- 
lology and  Talraudical  lore  are  of  the 
highest    order,    he    unites   with    these    a 


genuine  appreciation  of  evangelical  truth 
and  godliness.' — Literary  Churchman. 


•  BIBLICAL  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE 

HEBREWS.    Two  vols.  8vo,  21s.    Translated  by  Rev.  T.  L.  Kingsbury. 

Dionysius;  Gregory  Thaumatnrgus ;  Syria,n  Fra,gments.    8vo, 

lOs.  6d. 

Doedes   (Dr.   J.)— MANUAL  OF  HERMENEUTICS   FOR   THE 
NEW  TESTAMENT.     Translated  from  the  Dutch.     Crown  8vo,  3s. 
'A  very  valuable  summary  of  the  history  and  principles  of  sound  exegesis  of  the  New 
Testament.' — British  Quarterly  Review. 

Dorner  (Professor)— HISTORY  OF  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF 

THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST;  with  a  Review  of 
the  Controversies  on  the  subject  in  Britain  since  the  Middle  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Century,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Fairbairn.    Five  vols,  demy  8vo,  £2, 12s.  Gd. 


'We  earnestly  recommend  this  most 
valuable  and  important  work  to  the  atten- 
tion of  all  theological  students.  So  great 
a  mass  of  learning  and  thought  so  ably  set 


forth  has  never  before  been  presented  to 
English  readers,  at  least  on  this  subject' — 
Journal  of  Sacred  Literature. 


Dorner  (Professor)— HISTORY  OF  PROTESTANT  THEOLOGY, 

particularly  in  Germany,  viewed  according  to  its  Fundamental  Move- 
ment, and  in  connection  with  the  Religious,  Moral,  and  Intellectual  Life. 
Translated  from  the  German  of  Dr.  J.  A.  Dorner,  Professor  of  Theology, 
Berlin.  With  a  Preface  to  the  Translation  by  the  Author.  Two  vols, 
demy  8vo,  21s. 


'  This  work,  wliich  may  be  called  a  His- 
tory of  Modern  Tbeology,  is  one  of  the 
most  important«,  interesting,  and  useful  that 
Messrs.  Clark  have  ever  issued.  A  careful 
study  of  it  would  systematize  on  the 
reader's  mind  the  whole  round  of  evan- 
gelical truth.      In  fact  it  is,  in  a  certain 


sense,  a  comprehensive  view  of  Historical 
Theology,  written  on  a  new  plan, — not  in 
the  form  of  the  tabulated  summary,  but  as 
traced  in  the  living  history  of  those  whose 
struggles  won  for  us  the  truth,  and  whose 
scieucu  formulated  it  for  posterity.' — Lon- 
don Quarterly  Review. 


Eadie  (Professor)— COMMENTARY  ON  THE  GREEK  TEXT  OF 
THE  EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  TO  THE  GALATIANS.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 


'Everything  which  lexical  research  and 
grammatical  analysis  can  effect  to  bring 
out  the  most  subtle  and  delicate  shades  of 
thought  contained   in  St.  Paul's  writing. 


has  been  accomplished  by  the  learned  and 
painstaking  professor.  The  high  tone  of 
the  book,  too,  is  equal  to  its  unquestionable 
scholarship.' —  Watchman. 


Ebrard  (Dr.  J.  H.  A.)— THE  GOSPEL  HISTORY :  A  Compendium 

of  Critical  Investigations  in  support  of  the  Historical  Character  of  the 

Four  Gospels.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

'Nothing  could  have  been  more  oppor-       sive  woi-k  on  the  vital  subject  of  the  Gos- 

tune  than  the  republication  in  English  of        pels   should   have   been   presented   to  the 

this  admirable  work.  .  .  .  We  are  heartily       British  ^uhWc.''— British  and  Foreign  Evan- 

glad  that  such  a  thorough  and  comprehen-       gelical  Review. 

—COMMENTARY    ON    THE    EPISTLES    OF    ST.    JOHN. 

Translated  by  the  Eev.  W.  B.  Pope.     Demy  8vo,  10s.  6d. 
'  Dr.  Ebrard  is  one  of  the  finest  of  German    j    hensiveness  of  intellect,  and  is  eminent  for 
evangelical  scholars  in  the  department  of       spiritual  insight  and  theological  depth.' — 
philology  and  criticism.     He  has  compre-    |    Nonconformist. 

COMMENTARY  ON  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS. 

8vo,  10s.  6d. 

Edersheim— HISTORY  OF  THE  JEWISH  NATION  AFTER  THE 
DESTRUCTION  OF  JERUSALEM  UNDER  TITUS.     6s. 

Ernesti— PRINCIPLES  OF  BIBLICAL  INTERPRETATION   OF 
NEW  TESTAMENT.     Translated  by  Bishop  Tehrot.     Two  vols.,  8s. 

Fairbairn    (Principal)  —  THE    TYPOLOGY    OF    SCRIPTURE, 

viewed  in  connection  with  the  whole  series  of  the  Divine  Dispensations. 
Fifth  Edition.     By  Patrick  Fairbairn,  D.D.,  Principal  and  Professor 
of  Theology,  Free  Church  College,  Glasgow.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 
'One  of  the  most  sober,  profound,  and  'I  now  say,  no  Biblical  student  should 

thorough  treatises  which  we  possess  on  a       be  without  Professor  Fairbairn's   "  Typo- 
subject  of  great  importance  in  its  bearing       logy." ' — Dr.    S.  Lee,    in  his  '  Events  and 
on  Christian  doctrine.' — Archdeacon  Den-        Tiines  of  the  Visions  of  Daniel.^ 
ISDN's  Church  and  State  Review. 

THE  REVELATION  OF  LAW  IN  SCRIPTURE,  considered 

with  respect  both  to  its  own  Nature  and  to  its  relative  place  in  Succes- 
sive Dispensations.     (The  Third  Series  of  the  '  Cunningham  Lectures.') 
8vo,  10s.  6d. 
'  The  writing  ff  a  man  who  is  a  laborious    i    will   find   that  they  can  learn  something 

student  of  the  Bible,  and  patient  readers    |    from  him.' — Guardian. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publications. 


Fairbairn  (Principal)— EZEKIEL  AND  THE   BOOK   OF   HIS 

PROPHECY  :  An  Expositiou  ;  with  a  New  Translation.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 
PEOPHECY  VIEWED  IN  ITS  DISTINCTIVE  NATUEE, 


ITS   SPECIAL  FUNCTIONS,   AND   PROPER   INTERPRETATION. 

Second  Edition.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 


'We  would  express  our  conviction  that 
if  tbe  Cbuicli  is  l.li-st  with  the  dawn  of  a 
purer  and  brighter  day,  it  will  be  through 
the  sober   and   well-considered   efforts  of 


such  a  man  as  Dr.  Fairbairn,  and  through 
the  general  acceptance  of  some  such  prin- 
ciples as  are  laid  down  for  our  guidance  in 
this  book.' — Christian  Advocate. 


-  HEEMENEUTICAL  MANUAL  ;  or,  Introduction  to  the 
Exegetical  Study  of  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament.  8vo,  10s.  6d. 
ripeness  of  learning,  which  make  the  work 
one  of  peculiar  freshness  and  interest.  I 
consider  it  a  very  valuable  addition  to  every 
student's  library.' — Eev.  Dr.  MooRE,^«/Äor 
of  the  able  Commentary  on  '  The  Pi-opheis  of 
the  Restoration.^ 


'Dr.  Fairbairn  has  precisely  the  training 
which  would  enable  him  to  give  a  fresh 
and  suggestive  book  on  Hernieneutics. 
Without  going  into  any  tedious  detail,  it 
presents  the  points  that  are  important  to  a 
student.  There  is  a  breadth  of  view,  a 
clearness  and  manliness  of  thought,  and  a 


-  THE  PASTOEAL  EPISTLES.  The  Greek  Text  and  Trans- 
lation. With  Introduction,  Expository  Notes,  and  Dissertations.  Crown 
8vo,  7s.  6d. 


'  The  author  has  done  essential  service 
by  this  very  scholarly  and  able  book,  in 
which  he  deals  vigorously  with  the  critical 
questions  of  our  own  day.' — British  Quar- 
terly Review. 

'Clear  discrimination,  sound  judgment, 
an  extensive  acquaintance  with  the  litera- 


ture of  every  subject  he  treats,  and  un- 
swerving fidelity  to  the  vital  doctrines  of 
the  gospel,  characterize  this  work.' — Me- 
thodist JIayazine. 

'A  most  valuable  addition  to  our  too 
scanty  stock  of  such  works.' — British  and 
Foreign  Evangelical  Revieiv. 


THE    OFFICE    AND    DUTIES    OF    THE    CHEISTIAN 

MINISTRY.  AVith  a  Memoir  of  the  Author  by  Rev.  James  Dodds. 
Crown  8vo,  price  6s. 

Forbes    (Professor)— THE    SYMMETEICAL    STEUCTUEE    OF 

SCRIPTURE  ;  or.  Scripture  Parallelism  Exemplified  in  an  Analysis  of 
the  Decalogue,  the  Sermon  on  the  Moimt,  and  other  Passages  of  the 
Sacred  Writings.     8vo,  8s.  6d. 

ANALYTICAL   COMMENTAEY   ON  THE   EPISTLE  TO 

THE  ROMANS,  tracing  the  Train  of  Thought  by  the  aid  of  Parallelism  ; 
with  Notes  and  Dissertations  on  the  Principal  Difficulties  in  the  Epistle. 
8vo,  10s.  6d. 
'This  work  is  of  the  highest  merit,  as    i    This   alone  suffices  to  place  him  in   the 
elucidating,  with  remarkable  clearness,  the       foremost  rank  of  Biblical  scholars.' — Pro- 
argument    of    this    very   difficult    epistle.    |    fessor  Perowne. 

Gardiner  (F.,  D.D.)— A  HAEMONY  OF  THE  FOUE  GOSPELS 
IN  GREEK,  according  to  the  Text  of  Tischendorf ;  with  a  Collation  of 
the  Textus  Receptus,  and  of  the  Texts  of  Griesbach,  Lachmann,  and 
Tregelles.  Royal  8vo,  10s.  6d. 
*^*  The  '  Harmony'  may  also  be  had  in  English,  according  to  the  Authorized 
Version,  corrected  by  the  above  Texts.     Royal  8vo,  9s. 

Gerlaoh  (Otto  Von)— COMMENTAEY  ON  THE  PENTATEUCH. 

Demy  8vo,  10s.  Gd. 
Gess— ON  THE  EEVELATION  OF  GOD  IN  HIS  WOED.     3.s. 


lO 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  P^iblications. 


Gieseler  (Dr.  J.  0.  L.)— A  COMPENDIUM  OF  ECCLESIASTICAL 
HISTORY.     Five  vols.  8vo,  £2,  12s.  6d. 

Giflford  (Canon)— VOICES  OF  THE  PROPHETS  -.  Twelve  Lectures 
preached  in  the  Chapel  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  in  the  Years  1870-74,  on  the 
Foundation  of  Bishop  Warburton.  By  Edv^ard  Hamilton  Gifford, 
D.D.,  Rector  of  Walgrave,  Honorary  Canon  of  Worcester,  Examining 
Chaplain  to  the  Bishop  of  London.     Crov^n  8vo,  5s. 


'  Wo  liave  not  met  with  a  book  dealing 
with  this  important  subject  iu  all  respects 
so  satisfactory,  so  reverent  in  its  treatment 
of  the  written  word,  so  fair  in  argument, 
so  courteous  and  dignified  withal  in  its 
replies  to  the  otjections  of  science  falsely 
so  called.' — Daily  Eevlew. 

Glasgow  (Professor)— THE  APOCALYPSE  TRANSLATED  AND 
EXPOUNDED.  By  James  Glasgoav,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Oriental 
Languages.     8vo,  14s. 


'  The  author  has  long  ago  attained  high 
position  as  a  scholai-,  a  man  of  science, 
and  a  theologian,  and  in  the  volume  before 
us  he  offers  his  readers  some  of  the  best 
fruits  of  these  varied  accomplishments.' — 
ßtandard. 


'A  book  which  sober  scholars  will  not 
despise,  and  which  intelligent  Christians 
will  highly  value.  ...  It  has  substantial 
merits,  and  cannot  be  read  without  great 
profit.' —  Watchman. 

'  We  have  sincere  pleasure  in  welcoming 
the  work  as  a  really  valuable  contribution 
to  the  exposition  of  a  difRcult  portion  of 
Scripture;  and  if  any  of  our  ministerial 
readers  happen  to  bo  in  want  of  a  tool  to 
help  them  in  opening  up  that  portion  of 
God's  word  to  their  people,  we  are  sure 

Gloag  (Paton  J.,  D.D.)— THE  PRIMEVAL  WORLD :  A  Treatise 

on  the  Relations  of  Geology  to  Theology.     Crown  8vo,  Ss. 

A  CRITICAL  AND   EXECETICAL   COMMENTARY   ON 

THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 


they  will  not  be  disappointed  if  they  add 
to  their  libraries  the  work  of  Dr.  Glasgow.' 
— Preshyterian. 

'  The  book  is  very  able,  and  is  well 
worthy  the  study  of  those  who  are  seeking 
to  know  the  meaning  of  the  word  of  God.' 
— Princeton  Review. 

'  It  will  doubtless  find  its  way  into  the 
library  of  every  student  of  unfulfilled 
prophecy.' — British  and  Foreign  Evangelical 
Review.    ■ 


'  The  Commentary  of  Dr.  Gloag  I  have 
examined  with  special  cai-e.  For  my  pur- 
poses I  have  found  it  unsurpassed  by  any 
similar  work  in  the  English  language.  It 
shows  a  thorough  mastery  of  the  material. 


philology,  history,  and  literature  pertaining 
to  this  range  of  study,  and  a  skill  in  the 
use  of  this  knowledge  which  (if  I  have  any 
right  to  judge)  place  it  in  the  first  class  of 
modern  expositions.' — H.  B.  Hackett,  D.D. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  PAULINE  EPISTLES.    8 vo,  1 2s. 

arrived    at.' — Literary 


'It  would  be  impossible  to  speak  too 
highly  of  the  spirit,  energy,  and  accuracy 
with  which  Dr.  Gloag  has  completed  his 
task.' — British  Quarterly  Review. 

'It  gives  us  pleasure  to  say  that  Dr. 
Gloag's  book  fulfils  its  object.  The  most 
recent  literature  of  his  subject  is  befoi'o 
him,  and  he  handles  it  with  ease  and  skill.' 
— British  and  Foreign  Evangelical  Review. 

'A  safe  and  complete  guide  to  the  results 
of  modern  criticism.  At  the  same  time  it 
gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  processes  by  which 

Godet  (Professor)— COMMENTARY  ON  ST.  LUKE'S  GOSPEL. 

Two  vols.  21s. 


those    results    are 
Churchvian. 

'This  work  will  commend  itself  to  all 
competent  judges,  alike  by  the  candour 
and  earnestness  of  its  spirit,  the  breadth 
of  its  learning,  and  the  cogency  of  its 
reasoning.' — Baptist  Magazine. 

'  A  work  of  uncommon  merit.  He  must 
bo  a  singularly  accomplished  divine  to 
whose  library  this  book  is  not  a  welcome 
and  valuable  addition.' — Watchman. 


'  To  an  immense  erudition,  to  a  living 
piety,  Godet  imites  a  profound  feeling  of 
reality ;  there  is  in  all  these  cases  a  vivify- 
ing breath,  an  ardent  love  for  the  Saviour, 


which  helps  the  disciple  to  comprehend  the 
work,  the  acts,  the  words  of  his  Divine 
Master.' — Dr.  Meykr. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publications. 


Gotthold's  Emblems;  or,  INVISIBLE  THINGS  UNDER- 
STOOD BY  THINGS  THAT  ARE  MADE.  By  Christian  Scriver, 
Minister  of  Magdeburg  in  1671.  Translated  from  the  Twenty-eighth 
German  Edition  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Menzies.  Among  other  emblems 
(there  is  one  for  every  day  in  the  year)  are — The  Dial-Plate  ;  Snow  ; 
The  Child  Learning  to  Walk;  The  Paper  Mill;  The  Wolf;  The 
Diamond ;  Angry  Alms  ;  The  Hot  Coals ;  The  Trees  in  Winter ;  The 
Magnet ;  The  Watchmaker ;  Conscience  ;  The  Milky  Way ;  The  Rain- 
bow ;  The  Lark.     One  handsome  volume,  crown  8vo,  5s. 

'A   peculiarly  fascinating    volume.     It    i    which  grow  on  the  root  of  genuine  piety.' 
is  rich  iu   happy  and  beautiful  thoughts,    |   — Witness. 

Guericke  (Professor)— MANUAL  OF  CHUECH  HISTOEY : 
FIRST  SIX  CENTURIES.    Demy  8vo,  lOs.  6d. 

Hagenbach  (Professor)— ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  THEOLOGICAL 

METHODOLOGY.     Translated  and  adapted  {with  additional  literature) 
for  the  use  of  English  Students.  [/«  preparation. 

Harless  (Dr.  C.  A.)— SYSTEM  OF  CHEISTIAN  ETHICS.  I.  The 
Blessing  of  Salvation.  II.  The  Possession  of  Salvation.  III.  The 
Preservation  of  Salvation.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

'It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more 
useful  book  to  the  Christian  minister  than 
the  volume  before  us.  It  is  a  thoroughly 
and  profoiindly  Christian  treatise.  It  is 
full  of  ripe,    deep,    and    fruitful    thought, 


presented  in  a  clear,  compact,  and  attractive 
form.  Its  copious  references  to  Scripture 
in  the  original  present  many  a  passage  in 
a  new  and  beautiful  light.' — British  Quar- 
terly/ Review. 

Havernick— GENEEAL  INTEODUCTION  TO  THE  OLD  TESTA- 
MENT. Translated  by  Rev.  W.  L.  Alexander,  D.D.  Demy  8vo, 
10s.  6d. 

Heard  (Rev.  J.  B.)— THE  TEIPAETITE  NATUEE  OF  MAN- 
SPIRIT,  SOUL,  AND  BODY,  applied  to  lUustrate  and  Explain  the 
Doctrines  of  Original  Sin,  the  New  Birth,  the  Disembodied  State,  and 
the  Spiritual  Body.  By  Rev.  J.  B.  Heard,  ^I.A.  With  an  Appendix 
on  the  Fatherhood  of  God.     Fourth  Edition,  crown  8vo,  6s. 

'A  valuable  and  interesting  treatise  on  I  which  has  dealt  with  the  subject  in  a 
the  "Tripartite  Nature  of  Man,"  the  first  methodical  andsystematic manner.' — Dkan 
English  theological  work  of  any  pretensions    |    of  Norwich. 

Hefele  (Bishop)— A  HISTOEY  OF  THE  CHEISTIAN  COUNCILS, 

from  the  Original  Documents,  to  the  Close  of  the  Council  of  Nicsea, 
A.D.  325.  By  Charles  Joseph  Hefele,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Rottenburg, 
formerly  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  University  of  Tübingen.  Trans- 
lated from  the  German,  and  Edited  by  Willl\m  R.  Clark,  M.A.,  Oxon., 
Prebendary  of  Wells  and  Vicar  of  Taunton.  Second  Edition.  Demy  8vo, 
12s. 
'  A  thorough  and  fair  compendium,  put  in  the  most  accessible  and  intelligent  form.'— 
Gnardian. 

Hengstenberg  (Professor)— COMMENTAEY  ON  THE  PSALMS. 

Three  vols.  8vo,  33s. 
COMMENTAEY    ON    THE   BOOK   OF   ECCLESIASTES. 


To  which  are  appended :  Treatises  on  the  Song  of  Solomon  ;  on  the 
Book  of  Job  ;  on  the  Prophet  Isaiah  ;  on  the  Sacrifices  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture ;  and  on  the  Jews  and  the  Christian  Church.     In  one  vol.  «vo,  9s. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publications. 


Hengstenberg  (Professor)— THE  PEOPHECIES  OF  THE  PEO- 
PHET  EZEKIEL  ELUCIDATED.     8vo,  10s.  Gd. 

'The  "Commentary  on  Ezekiel,"  in  i  sentiment,  is  inferior  to  none  of  the  author's 
breadth  of  research  and  accuracy  of  well-known  works.'  —  British  Quarterly 
learning,  in  critical  acumen  and  evangelical    |    Review. 

DISSEETATIONS  ON  THE  GENUINENESS  OF  DANIEL, 

AND  THE  INTEGRITY  OF  ZECHARIAH.     8vo,  12s. 

HISTOEY  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  UNDEE  THE 

OLD  TESTAMENT.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 

time.  In  many  respects  it  may  be  regarded 
as  an  introduction  to  the  Old  Testament, 
so  comprehensive  and  so  thorough  is  its 
treatment  of  its  subject.' — Literary  Church- 


'  There  is  &  feeling  of  maturity  about  this 
work  as  you  read  it,  a  thorough  grasp  aud 
ease  of  handling  in  its  style,  which  makes 
it  one  of  the  very  pleasantest  books  to  read 
which  we  have  met  with  for  a  considerable 


CHEISTOLOGY   OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT  :    A  Com- 
mentary ou  the  Messianic  Predictions.      Second  Edition.     Four  vols., 

£2,  2s. 
'A  noble  specimen  of  exegetical  theology  and  critical  analysis.' — Clerical  Journal. 

COMMENTAEY  ON  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.     Two 


vols.  Svo,  21s. 
'  The  author  has  brought  to  bear  upon 
his  work  all  the  resources  of  his  long  ex- 
perience, his  rare  mental  powers,  his  great 


learning,  and    his    deep    religiousness.'- 
Journal  of  Sacred  Literature. 


Hetherington— THE  APOLOGETICS  OF  THE  CHEISTIAN 
FAITH.     Svo,  10s.  6d. 

Hutten  (Ulrich  Von)- HIS  LIFE  AND  TIMES.     4s. 

Irenseus,  Hippolytus,  etc.    Three  vols.,  31s.  6d. 

Jouffroy— PHILOSOPHICAL  ESSAYS.     Fcap.  8vo,  5s. 

Justin  Martyr  and  Athenagoras.    One  vol.  8vo,  10s.  Gd. 

Kahnis  (Professor)— INTEENAL  HISTOEY  OF  GEEMAN  PEO- 
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Fcap.  Svo,  4s.  6d. 

Kant— THE  METAPHYSIC  OF  ETHICS.     By  Irbianuel  Kant. 
Translated  by  J.  ^Y.  Semple,  Advocate.     Third  Edition.     Edited  by  H. 
Calderwood,  D.d.,  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy,  University  of  Edin- 
burgh.    Crown  Svo,  6s. 
'A  translation  of  Kant  into  intelligible 

English  may  be  supposed  to  be  as  difScult 

as  a  translation  of  Carlyle  into  Ciceronian 

Latin.     But  Mr.  Semple's  translation  has 

been  accepted  by  scholars  as  a  real  success. 

Some  real  knowledge  of  Kant  is  indispens- 


able in  order  to  comprehension  of  the 
learned  thought  of  our  time,  and  because 
the  study  of  Kant  is,  on  the  whole,  the  best 
preliminary  discipline  for  independent  study 
of  philosophy  proper,  as  distinguished  from 
mere  science.' — Contemporary  Review, 

Keil  (Professor)— BIBLICAL  COMMENTAEY   ON    THE   PEN- 
TATEUCH.    Three  vols.  Svo,  31s.  6d. 


'  There  is  a  life  in  the  criticisms,  a  happy 
realizing  power  in  the  words,  which  will 
make  this  work  most  acceptable.  The 
Commentary,  while  it  is  verbal  and  critical, 
has  also  the  faculty  of  gathering  up  and 
generalizing  the  lesson  and  the  story,  which 
will  add  immensely  to  its  value.    It  aims 


to  be  an  exegetical  handbook,  by  which 
some  fuller  understanding  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament economy  of  salvation  may  be  ob- 
tained from  a  study  in  the  light  of  the 
New  Testament  teachings.' — Eclectic  Re- 


Keil     (Professor)— COMMENTARY    ON    THE    BOOKS    OF 
JOSHUA,  JUDGES,  AND  KUTH.     8to,  10s.  6d. 

BIBLICAL     COMMENTARY     ON     THE     BOOKS     OF 

SAMUEL.     One  vol.  8vo,  10s.  6d. 

BIBLICAL  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  BOOKS  OF  KINGS. 


Svo,  10s.  6d. 

-  BIBLICAL 
CHRONICLES. 

-  BIBLICAL 
AND  ESTHER. 


COMMENTARY 

8vo,  10s.  6d. 

COMMENTARY 

8to,  10s.  6d. 


ON     THE     BOOKS     OF 
ON    EZRA,    NEHEMIAH, 


'  We  hope  these  elaborate,  yet  plain  and    1   full  acquaintance  with  so  important  a  por- 
practical,   expositions  will  diffuse  a  more    I    tion  of  the  canonical  Scriptures.' — Roch. 

BIBLICAL  COMMENTARY  ON  JEREMIAH.     Two  vols. 

8vo,  21s. 

BIBLICAL  COMMENTARY  ON  DANIEL.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 


'We  have  just  had  occasion  to  make 
ourselves  acquainted  with  Keil's  book  on 
Daniel,  and  we  can  speak  of  it  in  very  high 
terms.      It  is  marked  by  great  erudition, 

BIBLICAL  COMMENTARY  ON   THE  BOOKS  OF  THE 

MINOR  PROPHETS.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 


rare  accuracy,  and  much  spiritual  thought- 
fulness.  The  best  work  as  an  exposition 
of  this  prophet  that  we  know.' — Evangelical 
Magazine. 


selves,  under  his  guidance,  have  resumed 
the  study  of  these  beautiful  and  instruc- 
tive scriptures  with  renewed  vigour  and 
growing  delight.' — Nonconformist. 


'  Dr.  Keil  is  at  his  best  in  this  Commen- 
tary on  the  Minor  Prophets  ;  and  to  all 
who  have  ventured  on  this  obscure  region, 
we  can  promise  an  intelligent  guide  and  a 
S'jrviceable  light  in  this  work.     We  our- 

MANUAL  OF  HISTORICO-CRITICAL  INTRODUCTION 

TO  THE  CANONICxVL  SCRIPTURES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 
Translated  from  the  Second  Edition,  with  Supplementary  Notes  from 
Bleek  and  others,  by  George  C.  M.  Douglas,  B.A.,  D.D.,  Professor  of 
Hebrew,  Free  Church  College,  Glasgow.     Two  vols,  demy  8vo,  21s. 
'This  work  supplies  a  deficiency  in  our 

English  literature.      We  have  no   similar 

introduction ;   none,  that  is,  that  surveys 


will  prove  a  boon  of  no  small  value  to  tlie 
student  who  shall  give  it  a  careful  study, 
or  consult  it  diligently  on  anj'  particular 
book  or  question.' — London  Quarten-ly  Re- 
view. 


the  whole  field  with  anything  like  the  ! 
comprehensiveness.      It    contains   an   im- 
mense mass  of  well-digested  matter,  and 

Külen  (Professor)— THE  OLD  CATHOLIC  CHURCH;  or,  The 

History,  Doctrine,  Worship,  and  Policy  of  the  Christians,  traced  from 
the  Apostolic  Age  to  the  Establishment  of  the  Pope  as  a  Temporal 
Sovereign,  A.D.  755.     By  W.  D.  Killen,  D.D.,  Belfast.     8vo,  9s. 


'An  extraordinary  amount  of  informa- 
tion has  been  condensed  into  400  pages  by 
the  author,  yet  he  has  succeeded  in  keep- 
ing his  book  lively  and  interesting.  .  .  . 


The  author  shows  that  he  has  read  thor- 
oughly and  widely,  and  he  gives  the  results 
of  his  investigation  in  a  form  in  which 
they  are  readily  accessible.' — Record. 

Krummacher  (Dr.  F.  W.)— THE  SUFFERING  SAVIOUR;  or, 

Meditations  on  the  Last  Days  of  the  Sufferings  of  Christ.  Eighth 
Edition.  Crown  8vo,  7s.  6d.  The  Cheaper  Edition,  in  smaller  type,  is 
still  to  be  had,  price  4s.  6d. 


'We  give  it  preference  to  everything 
hitherto  produced  by  the  gifted  and  de- 
voted autiior.  It  is  divinity  of  the  most 
thoroughly  evangelical  description.  Truth 
and  tenderness  have  seldom  been  eo  suc- 
cessfully combined.      Its  popularity  with 


the  people  of  God  of  every  evangelical 
communion,  we  are  confident,  will  grow 
with  time.  A  book  of  the  heart,  to  that 
it  appeals  in  every  page,  with  a  force  which 
it  will  be  di£5cult  to  resist.' — Christian  Wit- 
ness. 


Krummacher  (Dr.   F.  W.)— DAVID  THE  KING  OF  ISRAEL  : 

A  Portrait  drawn  from  Bible  History  and  the  Book  of  Psalms.     Second 

Edition.  Crown  8vo,  7s.  6d. 
At  the  close  of  two  articles  reviewing 
this  work,  the  Christian  Observer  says : 
'  Our  space  will  not  permit  us  to  consider 
more  at  large  this  very  interesting  work, 
but  we  cannot  do  less  than  cordially  com- 


mend it  to  the  attention  of  our  readers. 
It  affords  such  an  insight  into  King  David's 
character  as  is  nowhere  else  to  be  met 
with :  it  is  therefore  most  instructive.' 


-  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 
lated  by  Rev.   M.   G.   Easton. 


Edited  by  his  Daughter.    Trans- 
Second  Edition,  revised,  with  a  new 
Biographical  Supplement  by  the  Editor.     Crown  8vo,  6s. 


'We  have  surveyed  the  picture  with  ad- 
miring delight,  and  could  scarcely  hope  to 
convey  to  others  an  adequate  sketch  of  the 
original  portraiture,  which  is  that  of  one  of 
the  happiest  of  men,  who,  by  the  grace  and 


blessing  of  God  attending  his  ministrations, 
raised  up  so  many  into  a  Christian  life  that 
he  became  the  centre  of  hallowed  enjoy- 
ment wlierever  his  lot  was  cast-'-^i^fan- 
gelical  Christendom. 


CORNELIUS  THE  CENTURION.  3s. 


Kurtz  (Professor)— HANDBOOK  OF  CHURCH  HISTORY  TO 
THE  REFORMATION.  From  the  German  of  Professor  Kurtz.  8vo, 
7s.  6d. 


''a  work  executed  with  great  diligence 
and  care,  exhibiting  an  accurate  collection 
of  facts,  and  a  succinct  though  full  account 
of  the  history  and  progress  of  the  Church, 


both  external  and  internal.  .  .  .  The  work 
is  distinguished  for  moderation  and  charity, 
and  for  a  spirit  which  is  truly  Christian.' — 
English  Churchman. 


HANDBOOK     OF     CHURCH     HISTORY,    FROM    THE 

REFORMATION  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME.     Second  Edition,  trans- 
lated from  Sixth  German  Edition.     8vo,  7s.  6d. 

— HISTORY  OF  THE   OLD  COVENANT.     Translated  from 

the  German  by  the  Rev.  James  Martin,  B.A.     Three  vols.  8vo,  31s.  6d. 

Lactantius— WORKS  OF.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 


Lange  (J.  P.,  D.D.)— THE  LIFE  OF  OUR  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST  : 
A  Complete  Critical  Examination  of  the  Origin,  Contents,  and  Connec- 
tion of  the  Gospels.  Translated  from  the  German,  and  Edited,  with 
Additional  Notes,  by  the  Rev.  Marcus  Dods,  D.D.  New  Edition,  in 
four  thick  volumes  demy  8vo.     Subscription  price,  28s. 

which  all  these  branches  are  so  fully  at- 
tended to,  or  in  which  so  much  matter 
bearing  on  the  main  subject  is  brought 
together,  or  in  which  so  many  points  are 
elucidated.     The  immediate  object  of  this 


'The  work  of  Dr.  Lange,  translated  in 
the  accompanying  volumes,  holds  among 
books  the  honourable  position  of  being  the 
most  complete  Life  of  our  Lord.  There 
are  other  works  wliich  more  thoroughly 
investigate  the  authenticity  of  the  Gospel 
records,  some  which  more  satisfactorily 
discuss  the  chronological  difSculties  in- 
volved in  this  most  important  of  histories, 
and  some  which  present  a  more  formal 
and  elaborate  exegetical  treatment  of  the 
sources ;   but  there  is  no  single  woi-k  in 


comprehensive  and  masterly  work  was  to 
refute  those  views  of  the  life  of  our  Lord 
which  had  been  propagated  by  Negative 
Criticism,  and  to  substitute  that  aiithentic 
and  consistent  history  which  a  truly  scien- 
tific and  enlightened  criticism  educes  from 
the  Gospels.' — Extract  from  Preface. 


-  COMMENTARY,  THEOLOGICAL  AND  HOMILETICAL., 
ON  THE  GOSPELS  OF  ST.  MATTHEW  AND  MARK.  Specially 
designed  and  adapted  for  the  use  of  Ministers  and  Students.  By  J.  P. 
Lange,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  University  of  Bonn.  Three 
vols.,  £],  lis.  6d. 


T.  mid  T.  Claris s  Pitblications. 


15 


Lange    (J.    P.,    D.D.)— COMMENTARY,   THEOLOGICAL   AND 

HOMILETICAL,  ON  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  LUKE.  From  the  Ger- 
man of  J.  J.  Van  Oosterzee,  D.D.  Edited  by  J.  P.  Lange,  D.D.  Two 
vols.  8vo,  18s. 

•  COMMENTARY  ON  THE   GOSPEL  OF  ST.fJOHN.     By 

J.  P.  Lakge,  D.D.     Two  vols.  Svo,  21s. 

COMMENTARY,  THEOLOGICAL  AND   HOMILETICAL, 

ON  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  From  the  German  of  G.  V. 
Lechleh,  D.d.,  and  K.  Gerock.  Edited  by  J.  P.  Lange,  D.D.  Two 
vols.  Svo,  21s. 

COMMENTARIES  ON  THE  OLD  AND  NEW  TESTA- 
MENTS. Edited  by  Philip  Schaff,  D.D.  In  Imperial  Svo.  See  fully 
detailed  on  page  31  of  this  Catalogue. 

Lisco  (F.  G.)— PARABLES  OF  JESUS  EXPLAINED  AND  ILLUS- 
TRATED.   Fcap.  Svo,  5s. 

Liturgies  of  the  Ante-Nicene  Period.    8vo,  9s. 

Lorimer  (Professor)— THE  INSTITUTES  OF  LAW  -.  A  Treatise 

of  the  Principles  of  Jurisprudence  as  determined  by  Nature.  By  James 
Lorimer,  Esq.,  Advocate,  Regius  Professor  of  Public  Law  and  the  Law 
of  Nature  and  Nations  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh.     Svo,  14s. 


philosophiques   qui   aient    para    dans   ces 
deruiers  temps.' — Independance  Beige. 
'A  powerful  and  able  writer.' — Athenseum. 


'Lorimer,  Professeur  a  l'Universit^ 
d'Edimbourg:,  dont  leg  Institutes  de  Droit 
(Institutes  of  Law)  sont  certaiuement  un 
des  ouvrages  les  plus  originaux  et  les  plus 

Luthardt,  Kahnis,  and  Bruckner— THE  CHURCH:  ITS  ORIGIN, 

ITS  HISTORY,  AND  ITS  PRESENT  POSITION.     Crown  Svo,  5s. 

'A  comprehensive  review  of  this  sort,  done  by  able  hands,  is  both  instructive  and 
suggestive.'  —Record. 

Luthardt    (Professor)— THE    FUNDAMENTAL    TRUTHS    OF 

CHRISTIANITY.  The  Antagonistic  Yiews  of  the  World  in  their 
Historical  Development ;  The  Anomalies  of  Existence  ;  The  Personal 
God ;  The  Creation  of  the  "World  ;  Man  ;  Religion  ;  Revelation  ;  History 
of  Revelation — Heathenism  and  Judaism  ;  Christianity  in  History  ;  The 
Person  of  Jesus  Christ.     Third  Edition.     Crown  Svo,  6s. 


'  From  Dr.  Luthardt's  exposition  even 
the  most  learned  theologians  may  derive 
invaluable  criticism,  and  the  most  acute 
disputants  supply  themselves  with  more 
trenchant  and  polished  weapons  than  they 
have  as  yet  been  possessed  of.' — BelCs 
Weekly  Messenger. 

'We  do  not  know  any  volumes  so  suit- 


able in  these  times  for  young  men  entering 
on  life,  or,  let  us  say,  even  for  the  library 
of  a  pastor  called  to  deal  with  siich,  than 
the  three  volumes  of  this  series.  "We  com- 
mend the  wliole  of  them  with  the  most 
cordial  satisfaction.  They  are  altogether 
quite  a  specialty  in  our  literature.' — Weekly 
Review. 


-  APOLOGETIC  LECTURES  ON  THE  SAVING  TRUTHS 

OF  CHRISTIANITY.  The  Nature  of  Christianity;  Sin;  Grace;  The 
God-Man  ;  The  Work  of  Jesus  Christ ;  The  Trinity  ;  The  Church ;  Holy 
Scripture  ;  The  Cleans  of  Grace  ;  The  Last  Things.  Second  Edition. 
Crown  Svo,  6s. 


'  There  is,  along  with  a  remarkable  clear- 
ness of  apprehension  and  accuracy  of  judg- 
ment, a  freshness  and  originality  of  thought, 
and  a  singular  beauty  of  language,  under 


the  spell  of  which  we  read  these  lectures 
with  unflagging  interest.'  —  British  and 
Foreign  Evangelical  Review. 

[For  'Moral  Truths'  see  next  page 


1 6  T.  and  T.  Clark's  Publications. 


Luthardt     (Professor)— APOLOGETIC    LECTURES    ON    THE 

MORAL  TRUTHS  OF  CHRISTIANITY.  The  Nature  of  Christian 
Morality  ;  Man  ;  The  Christian  and  the  Christian  Virtues  ;  The  Devo- 
tional life  of  the  Christian  and  his  Attitude  towards  the  Church  ; 
Christian  Marriage  ;  The  Christian  Home  ;  The  State  and  Christianity ; 
The  Life  of  the  Christian  in  the  State  ;  Culture  and  Christianity  ;  Hu- 
manity and  Christianity.  By  C.  E.  Luthardt,  D.D.  Crown  8vo,  6s. 
'  The    topics   are   siirveyed  with    great    |   the  most  vigorous  and  valuable  volume  of 

treadth,  completeness,  and  force,  both  of    |   the  series.' — British  Quarterly  Review. 

argument  and  illustration.     It  is,  we  think, 

M'Lauchlan     (T.,     D.D.,     LL.D.)— THE     EARLY     SCOTTISH 

CHURCH.     The  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Scotland,  from  the  First  to 
the  Middle  of  the  Twelf tli  Century.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

'  What  joy  did  I  experience  when 
M'Lauchlan's  masterly  work  appeared! 
In  it  Were  iliselosed  the  old'  Guelic  and 
Irish  MS.  sources.     But   still   greater  was 


my  joy  when  I  found  that  I  was  confirmed 
in  the  most  brilliant  way  in  my  conclusions 
by  the  invaluable  discoveries  of  the  excel- 
lent author.' — Professor  Ebrard. 


Macdonald  (Rev.  Donald)— CREATION  AND  THE  FALL:  A 

Defence  and  Exposition  of  the  First  Three  Chapters  of  Genesis.     8vo, 

12s. 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  PENTATEUCH  :  An  Inquiry, 


Critical  and  Doctrinal,  into  the  Genuineness,  Authority,  and  Design  of 
the  Mosaic  "Writings.     Two  vols,  demy  8vo,  21s. 

Martensen  (Bishop)— CHRISTIAN  DOGMATICS:  A  Compendium 

of  the  Doctrines  of  Christianity.  1.  Introduction  ;  2.  The  Christian 
Idea  of  God ;  3.  The  Doctrine  of  the  Father ;  4.  The  Doctrine  of  the 
Sou ;  5.  The  Doctrine  of  the  Spirit.  Translated  by  Rev.  W.  Urwick, 
M.A.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

'Every  reader  must  rise  from  its  perusal    I    of  dogmatical  theology.' — British  Quarterly 
stronger,  calmer,   and   more   hopeful,    not       Review. 
only  for  the  fortunes  of  Christianity,  but    | 


CHRISTIAN  ETHICS.     By  H.  Martensen,  D.D.,  Bishop  of 

I  ■  Zealand.     Translated  from  the  Danish  by  C.  Spence.     On  the  Concept 

I  of  Christian  Ethics;  The  Postulates  of  Christian  Ethics;  The  Funda- 

i  mental  Concepts  of  Ethics,  and  the  Ethical  Views  of  the  World  and 

!  Life.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

I  'Of  Bishop  Martensen's  Christian  Ethics 

;  it  is  iniposi?ible  to  speak  too  highly.  We 
have  frequently  to  read  books  from  a  mere 
sense  of  duty,  that  we  may  be  able  to  pro- 
nounce upon  their  merits,  but  Martensen's 
work  is  one  iu  which  our  interest  is  the 
reverse  of  professional.     We  have  read  it 


with  the  keenest  delight,  and  intend  again 
to  give  to  it  a  thorough  and  painstaking 
study.  It  is  in  every  sense  a  masterly  and 
philosophical  production,  and  adapted  in 
a  singular  degree  to  tlie  most  prominent 
needs  of  our  age.' — Baptist  Magazine. 


Methodius— WORKS  OF.     8vo,  10s.  GJ. 

Meyer  (Dr.)— CRITICAL  AND   EXEGETICAL  COMMENTAEY 
ON  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 


ON  GALATIANS.      8vo,  10s.  6d.  ISee  next  page. 


T.  and  T.  Claj-k's  Ptiblications. 


17 


Meyer  (Dr.)— ON  ST.  JOHN'S  GOSPEL.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 


'Mej-er  has  been  long  and  well  known 
to  scholars  as  one  of  the  Vfry  ablest  of  the 
German  expositors  of  the  New  Testament. 
"We  are  not  sure  whether  we  ought  not  to 
say  that  he  is  unrivalled  as  an  interpreter 
of  tlje  grammatical  and  historical  meaning 
of  the  sacred  writers.' — Guardian. 


'All  professional  expositors  of  the  New 
Testament  will  find  it  simply  a  necessity 
to  possess  themselves  of  Meyer.  We  have 
no  other  grammatical  expgete  so  thorough, 
and  on  the  whole  so  reliable.'—  British  and 
Foreign  Evangelical  Review. 


(See  also  Page  32  of  this  Catalogue.) 

Morgan   (James,    D.D.)— THE    SCEIPTURE   TESTIMONY   TO 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT.     8vo,  9s. 

'  Dr.  Morgan's  book  is  one  of  the  best  I  Owen,  and  may  well  become  a  standard 
works  on  the  subject  of  the  Holy  Spirit  work  of  reference  on  our  book-shelves.' — 
which  has  appeared  since  the  days  of  Dr.    |    Christian  Advocate. 

EXPOSITION  OF  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  OF  ST.  JOHN. 

8vo,  9s. 

MuUer  (Dr.  Julius)— THE  CHRISTIAN   DOCTRINE  OF  SIN. 

An  entirely  New  Translation  from  the  Fifth  German  Edition  by  Rev. 
W.  Urwick,  M.A.     Two  vols.  8vo,  21s. 


'  This  work,  majestic  in  its  conception 
and  thorough  in  its  execution,  has  long 
been  very  influential  in  German  theologj^, 
and  we  welcome  this  new  and  admirable 
translation.  Those  who  take  the  pains  to 
master  it  will  find  it  a  noble  attempt  to 
reconcile  the  highest  effort  of  speculation 


in  the  pursuit  of  theological  truth  with  the 
most  reverent  acceptance  of  the  infallible 
determination  of  Scripture.  In  Germany 
it  has  been  for  man}"-  years  a  notable 
obstructive  to  the  spread  of  vital  error  and 
a  refuge  for  distracted  minds.' — London 
Quarterly  Review. 


Murphy  (Professor)— A  CRITICAL  AND  EXEGETICAL  COM- 
MENTARY ON  THE  BOOK  OF  PSalMS.    Svo.  lln  the  press. 

A  CRITICAL  AND   EXEGETICAL  COMMENTARY  ON 

THE  BOOK  OF  GENESIS,  with  a  New  Translation.     8vo,  10s.  6cl. 

A  CRITICAL  AND   EXEGETICAL  COMMENTARY  ON 


THE  BOOK  OF  EXODUS.     8vo,  9s. 

Naville   (Ernest)— THE   PROBLEM  OF  EVIL.     Translated  from 

the   French    by  E.  W.   Shalders,  B.A.      1.  Good;     2.  Evil;    3.  The 

Problem  ;  4.  The  Solution  ;   5.  The  Proof ;   6.  The  Battle  of  Life ;   7. 

Succour.     Crown  8vo,  4s.  6d. 

'  This  most  difficult  subject  is  handled       sophical  forms  and  methods.     The  book  is 

with    a    power   and    mastery   as   rare    as       of  remarkable  weight  and  power.  .  .  .  Wo 

delightful,  and  with  a  substantial  orthodoxy       give   it  our  warmest  recommendation.' — 

not  always  to  be  looked  for  under  philo-       Literary  Churchman. 

Neander   (Dr.)— GENERAL   HISTORY   OF    THE    CHRISTIAN 
RELIGION  AND  CHURCH.     Nine  vols.  8vo,  £2,  lis.  6d. 
This  is  the  only  Library  Edition  of  Neander  published  in  this  Country. 

THE  EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS,  AND 

THE  GENERAL  EPISTLE  OF  JAMES,  Practically  and  Historically 
Explained.     Post  8vo,  3s. 

Nettleton  and  his  Labours ;  being  a  Memoir  of  the  Great  American 
Revivalist.  Edited  by  Rev.  A.  A.  Bonar,  Author  of  '  Memoirs  of  Robert 
M.  M'Cheyne.'     Second  Edition.     Fcap.  8vo,  43.  6d. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Pnblicatiojis. 


Oehler  (Professor)— THE  THEOLOGY  OF  THE  OLD  TESTA- 
MENT. By  Dr.  G.  F.  Oeiiler,  Profe.^sor  of  Theology  in  Tübingen. 
Two  vols.  (vol.  2  in  preparation)  8vo,  21s. 

'  Welcome  to  all  real  students  of  Scrip- 
ture.'—  Brithh  and  Foreign  Evangelical 
Jievievj. 


'Cro-wded  with  fresli  and  keen  sug- 
gestions upon  all  the  difScult  topics  which 
occur  to  the  studeot;  a  more  timely  and 
serviceable  work  has  not  appeared.' — 
Churchmaii. 


'  Exhibiting  in  every  page  the  most 
conscientious  diligence.' — British  Quarterly 
Review. 

Oosterzee  (B>.  ¥an)— THE  YEAR  OF  »SALVATION.    Words  for 

every  Day.     A  Book  of  Household  Devotion.     Part.  1.   The  Festival 
Portion  of  the  Year.     Crown  8vo,  7s.  Gd. 


both  convenient  and  profitable,  not  onlj' 
in  the  family  circle,  but  also  for  private 
meditation.' — Christian  Ohsei-ver. 


'  Massive  of  thought,  persuasive,  earnest, 
and  eloquent.' — Literary  Churchman. 

'  The  text  is  illustrated  by  app'^site  and 
thoughtful  remarks,  which  will  be  found 

Olshausen    (Dr.    H.)— BIBLICAL     COMMENTARY    ON    THE 

GOSPELS  AND  ACTS.     Four  vols,  demy  8vo,  £2,  2s. 

ON  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  ROMANS.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 


-COMMENTARY    ON    THE    EPISTLES    TO    THE    COR- 
INTHIANS.   8vo,  9s. 

-ON    THE    EPISTLES    TO    THE    GALATIANS,    EPHE- 

SIANS,  COLOSSIANS,  AND  THESSALONIANS.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

-  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  EPISTLES  TO  THE  PHILIP- 


PIANS,  TITUS,  AND  FIRST  TIMOTHY.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

arid  Ebfard— COMMENTARY  ON  THE    EPISTLE  TO 

THE  HEBREWS.     8vo,  10s.  6d. 

Origen— DE  PRINCIPIIS ;  TREATISE  AGAINST  CELSUS.    Two 
vols.  8vo,  22s.  6d. 

Owen  (Dr.  John)— EXPOSITION  OF  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE 

HEBREWS.     Best  Edition.     Edited  by  Dr.  Goold.     £2,  2s. 
WORKS.     Best  and  only  Complete  Edition.     Edited  by  Rev. 


Dr.  GooLD.     Twenty-four  vols.  8vo,  £4,  4s. 


'  Tou  will  find  that  in  John  Owen  the 
learning  of  Lightfoot,  the  strength  of 
Charnock,  the  analysis  of  Howe,  the  savour 
of  Leighton,  the  raciness  of  Heywood,  the 
glow  of  Baxter,  the  copiousness  of  Barrow, 


the  splendour  of  Bates,  are  all  combined. 
We  should  quickly  restore  the  race  of  great 
divines  if  our  candidates  were  disciplined 
in  such  lore.' — The  late  Dr.  Hamilton  of 
Leeds. 


Pareau— ON  THE  INTERPRETATION  OF  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

Two  vols.,  83. 

Patterson  (Dr.  A.  S.)— COMMENTARY,  EXPOSITORY  AND 
PRACTICAL,  ON  THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS.  8vo, 
10s.  6d. 

Philological  Tracts.    3  Vols.,  4s.  each. 


T.  and  T.  Clark's  Pnblications. 


19 


Plath— THE  SUBJECT  OF  MISSIONS  CONSIDERED  UNDER 
THREE  NEW  ASPECTS:  The  Church  and  Missions;  Science  of 
Missions  at  the  Universities;  Commerce  and  the  Church.  From  the 
German  of  Carl  H.  C.  Plath.  With  a  Prefatory  Note  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Duff.     Crown  8vo,  3s.  Cd. 

Pressense  (Edward  de)— THE  REDEEMER:  Discourses  Trans- 
lated from  the  French.     Crown  8vo,  6s. 


'  The   wliolo   volume   is    marked    by   a 
rare  richness  of  thought  and  illustration, 


and   by  a  high   and   fervid   eloquence.' — 
Evangelical  Magazine. 


Preuss   (Dr.)— THE  ROMISH  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  IMMACU 
LATE  CONCEPTION,  traced  from  its  Source.     Crown  8vo,  4s. 


Rainy    (Principal)— DELIVERY     AND     DEVELOPMENT     OF 

CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE.  The  Fifth  Series  of  the  Cunningham 
Lectures.  By  Robert  Raint,  D.D.,  Principal  of  and  Professor  of 
Divinity  and  Church  History  in  the  New  College,  Edinburgh.  8vo. 
10s.  6d. 

do  it  willingly)  that  the  Lectures  are  a  real 
contribution  to  the  settlement  of  tbe  vast 
and  obscure  question  with  which  they  are 
occupied.' — Literary  Churchmati. 

'The  subject  is  treated  with  a  compre- 
hensive grasp,  keen  logical  power,  clear 
analysis  and  learning,  and  in  a  devout 
s^mi.'— Evangelical  Magazine. 


'We  gladly  acknowledge  their  high 
excellence  and  the  extensive  learning  which 
they  all  display.  They  are  able  to  the  last 
degree ;  and  the  author  has  in  an  unusual 
measure  the  power  of  acute  and  brilliant 
generalization.  He  handles  his  array  of 
multifarious  facts  with  ease  and  elegance ; 
and  we  must  needs  acknowledge  (and  we 


Ritter  (Carl)— THE  COMPARATIVE  GEOGRAPHY  OF  PALES- 
TINE AND  THE  SINAITIC  PENINSULA.  By  Professor  Carl 
Ritter.  Translated  and  adapted  for  the  use  of  Biblical  Students  by 
W.  L.  Gage.     Four  vols.  8vo,  32s. 


'I  have  always  looked  on  Eitter's  Com- 
parative Geography  of  Palestine,  comprised 
in  his  famous  "Erdkunde,"  as  the  great 
classical  work  on  the  subject;  a  clear  and 
full  resume  of  all  that  was  known  of  Bible 
lands  up  to  the  time  he  wrote;  and,  as 
such,  indispensable  to  the  student  of  Bible 
geography  and  history.  This  translation 
will  open  up  a  flood  of  knowledge  to  the 


English  reader,  especially  as  the  editor  is 
a  man  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit 
of  this  noble-minded  and  truly  Christian 
author.' — Keith  Johnston,  Esq.,  Geo- 
grajiho.r  in  Ordinary  to  Her  Majesty  for 
Scotland. 

'  One  of  the  most  valuable  works  on 
Palestine  ever  published.' — Eev.  H.  B. 
Tkistram,  Author  of '■The  Land  of  Lsrael.' 


Robinson  (Rev.  S.,  D.D.)— DISCOURSES    ON    REDEMPTION ; 

as  Revealed  at  '  Sundry  Times  and  in  Divers  Manners,'  through  Patri- 
archs, Prophets,  Jesus,  and  His  Apostles.     8vo,  7s.  6d. 

'One  of  those  works  a  clergyman  will    I    it,  which  may  be  worked  with  profit  for 
most  highly  prize,  inasmuch  as  there  is  a       many  a  day.' — Ecclesiastical  Gazette. 
mine  of  suggestive  writing  to  be  found  in    ! 

Robinson  (Edward,  D.D.)— GREEK  AND  ENGLISH  LEXICON 

OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.  By  Edward  Robinson,  D.D.  Revised 
by  Alexander  Negris,  Professor  of  Greek  Literature,  and  by  John 
Duncan,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Oriental  Languages,  New  College,  Edin- 
burgh.    Svo,  9s. 


Rohr— HISTORICO-GEOGRAPHICAL    ACCOUNT    OF 
TINE  IN  THE  TIME  OF  CHRIST.     4s. 


PALES- 


20  T.  and  T.  Cla?'k's  Publications. 


RosenmuUer— BIBLICAL    GEOGRAPHY    OF    ASIA    MINOR, 
PHCENICIA,  AND  ARABIA.     4s. 

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powers  of  the  author  are  reserved  for  the 
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thoroughly  theological  we  cannot  nauio.'- 
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pregnant  instances   of   what   true   genius   I    one  or  other  of  the  many  precious  blossoms 

under  chastened  submission  to  tho  control   {    that,  in  the  most  dazzling  profusion,  are 


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scattered  around  his  path.  We  venture  to 
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EXPOSITION    OF    ST.     PAUL'S     EPISTLE     TO     THE 

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22 


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of  tenderness,  of  practical  directions,  of 
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faculty  of  criticism,  some  exquisite  gems 
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Winer  (Dr.   G.  B.)— A    TREATISE   ON   THE   GRAMMAR   OF 

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Wi)t  TOoilis  of  St.  gtitgustrnt 

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29 


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APOSTOLIC  FATHERS,  comprising 
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COMMENTARY  ON  JEREMIAH    AND    LAMENTATIONS, 

in  One  Volume. 

COMMENTARY  ON  MINOR  PROPHETS,  in  One  Volume. 

The  other  Books  of  the  Old  Testament  are  in  active  preparation,  and  will  be 
annouuced  as  soon  as  ready. 

NEW  TESTAMENT  (now  complete).  Ten  Volumes: 
COMMENTARY  ON  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  MATTHEW. 
COMMENTARY  ON  THE  GOSPELS  OF  ST.  MARK  and  ST. 

LUKE. 

COMMENTARY  ON  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN. 
COMMENTARY  ON  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 
COMMENTARY  ON  THE  EPISTLE  OF  ST.  PAUL  TO  THE 

ROMANS. 

COMMENTARY  ON  THE  EPISTLES  OF  ST.  PAUL  TO  THE 

CORINTHIANS. 

COMMENTARY  ON  THE  EPISTLES  OF  ST.  PAUL  TO  THE 

GALATIANS,  EPHESIANS,  PHILIPPIANS,  and  COL0S3IANS. 

COMMENTARY   ON  THE   EPISTLES   TO   THE  THESSA- 

LONIANS,   TIMOTHY,   TITUS,   PHILEMON,   and  HEBREWS. 

COMMENTARY  ON  THE  EPISTLES  OF  JAMES,  PETER, 

JOHN,  and  JUDE. 

COMMENTARY  ON  THE  BOOK  OF  REVELATION. 

'Lange's  comprehensive  and  elaborate  "Bibehverk."  .  .  .  We  hail  its  publication  as  a 
valuable  addition  to  the  stores  of  our  Biblical  literature.'— ^cfwÖMr^j  Review. 

The  price  to  Subscribers  to  the  Foreign  Theological  Library,  St.  Augustine's 
Works,  and  Ante-Niceue  Library,  and  Meyer's  Commentary  on  the  New 
Testament,  or  to  Purchasers  of  Complete  Sets  of  the  Commentary  (so  far  as 
published),  will  be 

FIFTEEN  SHILLINGS  PER  VOLUME. 

Dr.  Lange's  Commentary  on  the  Gospels  and  Acts  (without  Dr.  Sciiaff's 
Notes)  is  also  published  in  the  Foreign  Theological  Library,  in  Kine  Volumes 
demy  8vo,  and  may  be  had  in  that  form  if  desired.  (For  particulars,  see  List 
of  Foreign  Theological  Library.) 


32  T.  and  T.  Clar/cs  Publications. 


M  E  Y  E  R'S 

Commentary  on  the  New  Testament. 

MESSRS.  CLARK  beg  to  announce  that  they  have  in  course  of 
preparation  a  Translation  of  the  well-known  and  justly  esteemed 

CRITICAL  AND    EXEGETICAL 

COMMENTARY  ON  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT, 

.     B  y     D  r.      H.     A.     W.     M  E  Y  E  R, 
Oberconsistorialrath,  Hannover, 
Of  which  they  have  published — 

ROMANS,  Two  Vols. 
GALATIANS,  One  Volume. 
ST.  JOHN'S  GOSPEL,  Vol.  I. 
The  Subscription  is  21s.  for  Four  Volumes,  Demy  8vo,  payable  iu  advance.' 

In  order  to  secure  perfect  accuracy,  the  Publishers  have  placed  the  whole 
work  under  the  editorial  care  of  Rev.  Dr.  DiCKSON,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the 
university  of  Glasgow,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Ckombie,  Professor  of  Biblical  Criticism, 
St.  Mary's  College,  St.  Andrews. 

Each  Volume  will  be  sold  separately  at  (on  an  average)  10s.  6d.  to  Non- 
Subscribers. 

Intending  Subscribers  will  be  kind  enough  to  fill  up  the  accompanying 
Form,  which  may  be  returned,  either  direct  to  the  Publishers  at  38  George 
Street,  Edinburgh,  or  tlirough  their  own  Booksellers. 

'  I  need  hardly  add  that  the  last  edition  of  the  accurate,  perspicuous,  and  learned  com- 
mentary of  Dr.  Meyer  has  been  most  carefully  consulted  throughout;  and  I  must  again, 
as  in  the  preface  to  the  Galatians,  avow  my  great  obligations  to  the  acumen  and  scholar- 
ship of  the  learned  editor.' — Bishop  Ellicott  in  Preface  to  his  Commentary  on  Ephesians. 
'  Meyer  has  been  long  and  well  known  to  scholars  as  one  of  the  very  ablest  of  the 
German  expositors  of  the  New  Testament.  We  are  not  sure  whether  we  ought  not  to 
say  that  he  is  unrivalled  as  an  interpreter  of  the  grammatical  and  historical  meaning  of 
the  sacred  writers.  The  publishers  have  now  rendered  another  seasonable  and  important 
service  to  Euglish  students  in  producing  this  translation.' — Guardian. 
'  The  ablest  grammatical  exegete  of  the  age.' — Philip  Schaff,  D.D. 


Mr. 


BOOKSELLER, 


Will  please  enter  my  Name  as  a  Subscriber^  and  forward,  as  published, 
the  above  Translation  of 

MEYER'S      COMMENTARIES. 


BS1465.D356V.2 

Biblical  commentary  on  ti.e  Proverbs  of 

Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00051   5355 


DATE  DUE 


1ÖY- 


HIGHSWIITH  #45230