Proverbs 19

19:1 A poor man who fears God, is more honourable and happy, than a man without wisdom and grace, however rich or advanced in rank. 2. What good can the soul do, if without knowledge? And he sins who will not take time to ponder the path of his feet.

"\nAlso, [that] the soul [be] without knowledge, [it is] not good,.... Without knowledge of things natural and civil, especially without the knowledge of God and Christ, and divine and spiritual things; to be without this is not good, yea, very bad; for men without such knowledge and understanding are, like the beasts that perish, and for lack of it do. Jarchi interprets it, without the law. Or, "to be without the knowledge of the soul is not good" {e}; so the Targum, Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions,\n\n"he that knoweth not his soul, it is not good for him;''\n\nthat does not know he has a soul, or however takes no more care of it than if he had none; who knows not the worth and value of it, its state and condition, and the danger it is in, and the only way of attaining the salvation of it;\n\nand he that hasteth with [his] feet sinneth; who engages in anything ignorantly and rashly, he misses the mark, and fails in the performance of it, for want of due consideration and care. The Targum is,\n\n"he that is swift with his feet to evil is a sinner;''\n\nwhose feet run to evil, to commit robbery, as Aben Ezra; or to shed blood; see Pr 1:16.\n\n{e} So Vatablus; or "without care of it", Schultcns.\n\n\n "

"\nThe foolishness of man perverteth his way,.... The sinfulness of his heart and nature; the folly which is bound up in it causes him to go astray out of the way in which he should go, or makes things go cross with him; so that the ways he takes do not prosper, nor his schemes succeed; but everything goes against him, and he is brought into straits and difficulties;\n\nand his heart fretteth against the Lord; laying all the blame on him; and ascribing his ill success, not to his own sin and folly, but to divine Providence, which works against him; and therefore frets and murmurs at him; and, instead of charging his own ways with folly, charges the ways of God with inequality; see Eze 18:25.\n\n\n "

19:3. Men run into troubles by their own folly, and then fret at the appointments of God. 4. Here we may see how strong is men's love of money. 5. Those that tell lies in discourse, are in a fair way to be guilty of bearing false-witness. 6. We are without excuse if we do not love God with all our hearts. His gifts to us are past number, and all the gifts of men to us are fruits of his bounty. 7. Christ was left by all his disciples; but the Father was with him. It encourages our faith that he had so large an experience of the sorrows of poverty. 8. Those only love their souls aright that get true wisdom. 9. Lying is a damning, destroying sin. 10. A man that has not wisdom and grace, has no right or title to true joy. It is very unseemly for one who is a servant to sin, to oppress God's free-men.

19:3 Perverteth - Blasts his designs and enterprises. Fretteth - He ascribes his unhappiness not to his own sin, but to God and his providence.

"\nWealth maketh many friends,.... Or "adds" {f}; it increases the number of them: so the poet {g}, "donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos"; and to this agrees what the wise man says,\n Pr 14:20;\n\nbut the poor is separated from his neighbour; or "friend" {h}; he will not visit him as he did in his prosperity, nor suffer him to come into his house or company, or come near him; he is separated from his affection, friendship, and presence: so another poet {i},\n\n"if thou art rich, thou wilt have many friends; but, if poor, few.''\n\n{f} \u05d9\u05e1\u05d9\u05e3. "addit", Junius Tremellius, Piscator. {g} Ovid. {h} \u05de\u05e8\u05e2\u05d4\u05d5 "ab amico sua", Pagninus, Montanus, Baynus, Junius & Tremeliius, Piscator, Michaelis "a sodali sua", Schultens. {i} Theognis.\n\n\n "

"\nA false witness shall not be unpunished,.... He that bears false witness against his neighbour in an open court of judicature; though be may not be detected by men, and so escape the punishment due to such offenders by the laws of God and men; yet God, who knows all hearts and actions, will not suffer him to go with impunity; if not punished in this world, he shall be in the world to come; for bearing false witness, or perjury, is a grievous offence to God;\n\nand [he that] speaketh lies shall not escape; even he that useth himself to lying in private conversation shall not escape the reproach of men; for nothing is more scandalous than lying; nor the wrath of God, such shall have their portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, Re 21:8.\n\n\n "

"\nMany will entreat the favour of the prince,.... Or of the liberal and bountiful man; as kings and princes generally are,\n Lu 22:25; such have many to wait upon them, and are humble petitioners to them. Aben Ezra and Gersom interpret the many of great and honourable men, who are courtiers to kings and princes; who wait upon them, ask favours of them, and seek for places under them. The Targum is,\n\n"there are many that minister before a prince;''\n\nhe has many servants, and some of them nobles;\n\nand every man [is] a friend to him that giveth gifts; or "to a man of gift" {k}: who has it in his power to give, and has a heart to it; who is both a rich man and a liberal man; who is both able and willing to communicate to the necessities of others: such a man not only has the poor his friends, but others will speak well of him, and will make application to him on account of the poor; and, for the sake of doing good to them, will court his friendship and acquaintance. Bayne interprets this "man of gift" of Christ, who ascended on high, and received gifts for men, and gives them to men.