1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. 5 A fool despises his father’s instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent. 6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble. 7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so. 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight. 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But He loves him who follows righteousness. 10 Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die. 11 Hell and Destruction are before the Lord; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men. 12 A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, Nor will he go to the wise. 13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. 14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. 15 All the days of the afflicted are evil, But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast. 16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, Than great treasure with trouble. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, Than a fatted calf with hatred. 18 A wrathful man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger allays contention. 19 The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright is a highway. 20 A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish man despises his mother. 21 Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, But a man of understanding walks uprightly. 22 Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established. 23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is! 24 The way of life winds upward for the wise, That he may turn away from hell below. 25 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow. 26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, But the words of the pure are pleasant. 27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live. 28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil. 29 The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous. 30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy. 31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life Will abide among the wise. 32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. 33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.
Commentary
Vs. 1 A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
A soft answer will turn away wrath that has been aroused, (especially within a ruler), while a harsh word only assures one of escalating and or intensifying rage.
Vs. 2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
A wise person knows how to use knowledge rightly, thus they know what to say, (and how to say it), and thus what to reveal and even what to conceal. In contrast the fool has neither wisdom, nor knowledge, nor understanding but in attempting to sound “wise” they only pour forth foolishness.
Vs. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
In an evil and unjust world this is our great consolation that the Lord sees everything done under the sun, and so it is His Omniscient eyes that are not only watching over us all who believe in Him, but also all who don’t.
Vs. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
When one uses wholesome speech that strengthens, encourages, consoles and or gives grace to another in their time of need they themselves become ministers of the gospel and grace and love of God. But when one uses perverse or crooked speech that only cuts down another, they do nothing but break their spirit. Consider what the Scripture says of the Lord Jesus Christ that, “A bruised reed He will not break. And a smoking flax He will not quench…” Matt. 12:20 paraphrase
Vs. 5 A fool despises his father’s instruction,
But he who receives correction is prudent.
Only a fool despises his father’s instruction, that is the lessons that he himself has learned in his life and now wants to impart to his son. Therefore, a wise son will receive his father’s instruction and he will grow in prudence.
Vs. 6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
A righteous life always brings with it its own rewards and blessings from God. Similarly, the revenue of the wicked always brings with it its own evils and troubles.
Vs. 7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
When a wise man speaks, he disperses knowledge, and thus imparts understanding to his hearers. The fool on the other hand has nothing to impart to anyone other than foolish and meaningless and vile speech.
Vs. 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
The wicked persons “sacrifice” is an abomination to the Lord because it is devoid of faith in the Lord, thus for all the pomp and ceremony that may surround it, it only conceals what they truly think and are. In contrast then is the prayer of the upright, which is never put on display before men, but is born out of their faith and trust in Him.
Vs. 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who follows righteousness.
The wicked persons way is an abomination to the Lord because they only pervert and distort and or reject what is morally and ethically good and sound. Therefore, the Lord loves him who follows righteousness because they live by and bring forth His Words truths through their own persons and lives.
Vs. 10 Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,
And he who hates correction will die.
First there is the one who forsakes the way according to God’s Word, and thus they incur harsh discipline for their arrogance, then there is the one who hates correction (which maybe the same individual) and so they reap their own rebellions stubborn pride with death.
Vs. 11 Hell and Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.
Since Hell (lit. Sheol, the place of dead) and Destruction (Abaddon, lit. the place of Destruction or Ruin) are before the Lord, thus He knows all that takes place beyond this life in the grave, how much more than does He know what takes place in the hearts of men here and now (consider Heb. 4:13).
Vs. 12 A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
The scoffer’s own arrogance will never allow him to be corrected, and so he will not love those who try to do so, indeed he will never go to the wise for counsel, because anyone’s counsel outside of his own is always inferior to his own in his mind.
Vs. 13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,
But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
When one has joy in their heart it is seen on their face. But when one retains sorrow in their heart their spirit is broken.
Vs. 14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
People who have understanding seek more knowledge, and thus they grow in more understanding. In contrast the mouth of fools only feeds on foolishness, and thus they never come to knowledge nor understanding.
Vs. 15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.
Those who are afflicted in their spirit often see their lives as only being evil, and thus their own outlook often fuels their own depression and despondency and even anger. In contrast those who are of a merry heart have a continual feast, thus they survive the lows in this life far better than those who only see the worst in everything. Consider then that the Joy of the Lord truly is our strength when we are faced with evil days (consider Psalm 42:11.)
Vs. 16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
Better to live in in poverty and fear the Lord than to have great treasure with trouble because their lives are spent worrying about how to keep and preserve their wealth (consider Ecc. 5:12-17; James 1:9-11).
Vs. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
Even in poverty a home filled with love always makes for a fulfilling meal; while a feast with hatred only leaves one feeling in want.
Vs. 18 A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
A wrathful man by his own angry nature only stirs up strife and more conflicts, while a man who is slow to wrath is not inclined to contentions and strife, instead he seeks to ally contention, to make peace where possible not more conflict and strife.
Vs. 19 The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
Though the lazy man thinks he wise in avoiding work (and or taking “short cuts”) as much as possible, in the end he only makes his own life much more difficult and strenuousness and burdensome when his own laziness comes home to roast and repays him. In contrast those who walk uprightly find that their lives are like a highway, like a smooth and easy path to follow.
Vs. 20 A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
A wise son makes his father glad because he shuns and strives to avoid all the ways of sin and folly, and thus bears not only his own name well, but also his fathers. In contrast the foolish man does not take heed to watch his own steps. Instead, he even despises his own mother who tries to keep him from sin and reckless living long after his father has given up on him.
Vs. 21 Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment,
But a man of understanding walks uprightly.
Doing, pursuing and speaking foolishness only brings joy to those who are destitute of discernment. For a man of understanding knows that all such things are short lived and enjoyed, therefore he chooses to fear the Lord and live uprightly.
Vs. 22 Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
When someone in leadership sets out on their own very often, they only end up undermining the very plans they are seeking to establish, because no one, no matter how skilled, how educated, how experienced can see and foresee all that needs, or will need to be done, and thus no one is beyond benefitting from the knowledge, insights, gifts and talents etc. of others, especially in the Spiritual realm. Therefore, in the multitude of counselors God’s plans are established.
Vs. 23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
A person who knows how to answer will themselves experience the joy and satisfaction of having aided someone in a meaningful way. Similarly, a timely word is much more cherished that than an insincere gift.
Vs. 24 The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may turn away from hell below.
Following the Lord Jesus Christ is the Way of life. For in following Him one avoids not only all the pitfalls of sin, but also all the meaningless pursuits that consume men’s lives down here. And so the way of life, of abundant life is through Jesus Christ winds upward for the wise as they reach for the prize.
Vs. 25 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But He will establish the boundary of the widow.
The Lord never looks favorable on those who walk in pride; indeed, all such things are destined for destruction (consider Isaiah 2:11-12). Therefore, if His eternal wrath is against those who walk in pride, who say inside themselves who is the Lord that we should serve Him (Job 21:16), then His eternal mercies are always towards those who are contrite and humble (Luke 18:9-14), here this being exemplified by His establishing the boundary of the widow (consider James 1:27).
Vs. 26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
But the words of the pure are pleasant.
Not only are the deeds of the wicked an abomination to the Lord but also their very thoughts, that is all their wicked desires, schemes, and plots.
Vs. 27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
The person who is driven by greed will bring troubles to his own house, because greed is like a spreading cancer that inevitable consumes and ruins first the integrity, and then the lives of those who are given to it. In contrast then is the one who hates bribes, they then by doing so will secure their own places with the Lord.
Vs. 28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
Because the heart of the righteous person studies how to answer before they speak, they will bring forth sound counsel along with edifying and comforting speech, especially when faced with difficult issues. In contrast the wicked persons mouth only pours forth evil, whether this is vile or violent words and speech, the wicked persons mouth is never thoughtful or restrained, instead they only pour out all manner of filth and wrath, of blasphemies and abominations.
Vs. 29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
Though the wicked may feign prayer or fellowship with the Lord, knows this that He is always far from them. However, if one repents and draws near to Him, then He Himself will draw near to them, for the Lord always hears the prayer of righteous, (not the self-righteous), but those who live righteous lives, and have been declared righteous by Him, by their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Vs. 30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones healthy.
Everyone who has the light of Christ in their eyes rejoices the hearts of everyone who does not yet know Him, but wants too. Combine that with the Good News of the Gospel, and you will make the bones of all who hear you truly healthy.
Vs. 31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
When anyone takes heed to God’s counsels in the Bible they will abide among the wise. For the rebukes of life only come through the Word of God, for by it there is both conviction of sin and redemption from it through the Person and Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Vs. 32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
The person who disdains God’s instruction (i.e., counsels) only despises His own soul, because to reject His Word is to reject Him, and thus to be given over to one’s sins (consider Rom. 1:18-32). In contrast then is the person who heeds a rebuke from God’s Word, these then will get understanding, and they will grow in righteousness (consider Rom. 6:16-23).
Vs. 33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.
The fear of the Lord is the only path to wisdom. Similarly the only path to honor is through humility.
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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