Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Proverbs · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Verſ. 1. MY ſon, &c.] Some conceive that theſe are ſtill the words of wiſedome, as thoſe were in the later part of the foregoing Chapter from the 20. verſe. But becauſe it is not ſaid in the following verſe, ſo that thou encline thine ear unto me, (as it ſhould have been if wiſedome had been ſtill ſpeaking) but, ſo that thou encline thine ear to wiſedome, and eſpecially becauſe the following inſtructions are clearly Solomons, as we may ſee chap. 4.1, 2, 3. where having ſaid, Hear ye children, &c. he adds, for I was my fathers ſon, tender and only beloved in the ſight of my mother; therefore I rather think that Solomon here returns to call upon men again in his own name, as before chap. 1.8. My ſon, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandements with thee; that is, if thou wilt eſteem them highly, and lay them up ſafely, as men do their choiceſt jewels; or as men will carry ſome things continually about with them in their boſomes, becauſe they make ſuch precious account of them, that they think no other place ſafe enough to hide them in. But ſee the Note Pſal. 119.11.
Verſ. 3. Yea, if thou crieſt after knowledge, &c.] That is, if thou calleſt after her to have her come to thee, as children uſe to cry after their mother; or rather, if in prayer thou calleſt earneſtly upon God for knowledge. And indeed that this is meant here is evident, becauſe verſ. 6. the reaſon given why men ſhould thus cry after knowledge, is, becauſe it is only God that can give this knowledge, for the Lord giveth wiſdome, &c. As for the ſecond clauſe, and lifteſt up thy voice for underſtanding, it is in the Hebrew, and giveſt thy voice for understanding: which may imply a mans giving up himſelf wholly to this buſineſſe of praying for underſtanding. But this is not ſo clear in the Text.
Verſ. 4. If thou ſeekeſt her as ſilver, and ſearcheſt for her as for hid treaſures.] To wit, as men labour to get wealth, or as men ſeek to find & to get ſilver & gold out of the mines in the earth, or as men, when they have loſt ſilver, or any ſuch thing that they highly eſteem, do endeavour by all poſſible means to find it again; that is, if thou ſeekeſt wiſdome with all earneſtneſſe, ſparing no coſt nor labour, ſeeking it all manner of waies, & renewing thine endeavours again and again, if a while thou faileſt of what thou ſeekeſt for. Yea & withall, by comparing wiſdome with ſilver and hid treaſures, Solomon doth alſo imply, how precious wiſdome is, how hard to be obtained, and how delightfull it is at laſt when it is gotten.
Verſ. 5. Then shalt thou underſtand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.] That is, Hereby thou ſhalt be brought truly and experimentally to know what it is to fear God, to worſhip him, & to walk in his fear, and ſo thou ſhalt attain the true knowledge of God, wherein conſiſts true wiſdome. But yet withall we muſt know, that the promiſe here made muſt be underſtood of growing up unto farther perfection in the fear & knowledge of God; for ſome meaſure of the fear and knowledge of God there muſt be in men, before they can labour & pray for wiſdome, as is before preſcribed.
Verſ. 6. For the Lord giveth wiſdome, &c.] See the Note above verſ. 3: out of his mouth cometh knowledge & underſtanding; that is, he revealeth it to men by his word, & teacheth it effectually by the inſpiration of his ſpirit.
Verſ. 7. He layeth up ſound wiſdome for the righteous, &c.] That is, ſaving wiſdome, which hath not an appearance only of wiſdome, but is indeed true wiſdome, in regard it will doe men good unto all eternity: this God gives not to all, but layeth it up, to wit, as a treaſure, for the righteous, & is moſt ready to beſtow it upon them when they ſeek it of him: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly; to wit, chiefly in regard of defending them from ſpirituall evils, as the following verſes ſet forth.
Verſ. 8. He keepeth the paths of judgement, &c.] Some underſtand this of Gods being exactly juſt in all his waies, and the next clauſe, & preſerveth the way of his Saints, they underſtand of Gods preſerving his ſervants in all their waies & enterpriſes. But I rather take the meaning of theſe words to be this; He keepeth the paths of judgement, that is, he cauſeth them to keep the paths of judgement; he keeps his ſervants in the paths of judgement, not ſuffering them by any temptations to be drawn aſide to the right hand or to the left: and preſerveth the way of his ſaints; that is, both from being drawn out of thoſe waies, and from all evil whilſt they walk in that way.
Verſ. 9. Then, &c.] To wit, when thou haſt, according to the advice given in the beginning of this chapter, ſought earneſtly to God for wiſedome; or, when God thereupon hath given thee wiſedome, as was promiſed above verſ. 6: shalt thou underſtand righteouſneſse and judgement and equity; ſee the Note chap. 1.3.
Verſ. 10. When wiſedome entreth into thine heart, &c.] That is, When thou haſt attained wiſedome, and art become truly wiſe; or, when thou art ſeriouſly delighted with it: and then it is the ſame with that which followeth, and knowledge is pleaſant unto thy ſoul.
Verſ. 11. Diſcretion shall preſerve thee, &c.] To wit, from ſinfull waies, and the dangers thereupon enſuing.
Verſ. 12. To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that ſpeaketh froward things.] That is, from all ſeducers, that teach falſe doctrines, or entice men to wicked waies: ſee the Note 2 Sam. 22.27.
Verſ. 13. Who leave the paths of uprightneſse, to walk in the waies of darkneſſe.] That is, Who do wilfully againſt knowledge live conſtantly & with delight in the waies of ignorance & wickedneſſe, yea in thoſe abominable waies, which men are aſhamed to commit in the light, and for the freer doing whereof they ſeek to be in the dark, ſuch as are robbing, and drunkenneſſe, and filthineſſe. See the Note Job 24.13.
Verſ. 14. Who rejoyce to doe evil, and delight in the frowardneſſe of the wicked.] That is, both in their own and other mens wickedneſſe; and that becauſe walking in darkneſſe, as was ſaid in the foregoing verſe, they diſcern not the danger of thoſe lewd waies.
Verſ. 16. To deliver thee from the ſtrange woman, &c.] That is, To preſerve thee from being entangled by her, and to reſcue thee out of her power, if thou haſt already been enſnared by her. Now though by the ſtrange woman may be meant any whore, & that becauſe God had ſeverely forbidden this ſin, & ſo ſuch a one might be called the ſtrange woman, as ordinary fire which might not be uſed in the Sanctuary is called ſtrange fire in the Scripture, and the idol-gods which the Iſraelites were forbidden to worſhip are called strange gods; yet I rather think it is meant here of a whoriſh wife, and that becauſe that ſuits beſt with the words in the following verſe, which forſaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God: & ſuch a one may beſt be called the ſtrange woman, becauſe ſhe is not the adulterers wife, but another mans, and therefore ought to be held as a ſtranger to any other: which is alſo intended in the following clauſe, even from the ſtranger which flattereth with her words. Only we muſt know, 1. that becauſe the Hebrew word, here tranſlated the ſtranger, doth, as ſome conceive, moſt properly ſignify an alien, a woman of a forreign nation, therefore ſome think that the common whore is ſo called, becauſe if any ſuch were through abuſe or toleration ſuffered amongſt the Iſraelites, contrary to that expreſſe law Deut. 23.17. they were looked upon as heathens & excommunicate perſons; and others hold that the adultereſſe is ſo called, becauſe ſhe had alienated her ſelf from God & his people by her filthy converſation, or becauſe it was as unlawfull for a man to goe in to ſuch a one, as it was for the Iſraelites of old to marry with the daughters of Canaan: & 2. that though the adultereſſe is wont to flatter her husband, the better to hide her ſin, yet here Solomon ſpeaks of the flatteries wherewith ſhe enticeth other men to commit folly with her, alledging this as the excellency of wiſedome, that it will preſerve a man from the flatteries of ſuch harlots.
Verſ. 17. Which forſaketh the guide of her youth, &c.] Should we underſtand the foregoing verſe of the unmarried whore, then by the guide of her youth might be meant her father, or any other guardian or governour under whom ſhe had been brought up; & accordingly likewiſe the following clauſe, and forgetteth the covenant of her God, might be underſtood of the law of God, or the covenant whereby all Gods people ſtand engaged to God, not to commit any ſuch abomination as whoredome is. But doubtleſſe Solomon ſpeaks here of the adultereſſe: and accordingly by the guide of her youth is meant her husband, to whom ſhe was married in her youth, as one ſhe took to be her head and guide, even as the ſame title is given to God in relation to his ſpouſe the Church, Jer. 3.4. Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? and it is of her breaking the marriage covenant, whereof God is the authour & witneſſe, that the following clauſe is meant, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. And this, I conceive, is here added, to render ſuch adultereſſes the more abominable, & to ſhew how little cauſe there is why any man ſhould be moved with ſuch a womans flatteries, that hath been already ſo perfidious, not only to her husband, to whom ſhe was married in her youth, (when the love of women to their husbands uſeth to be moſt fervent,) & from whom conſequently ſhe hath received many expreſſions of love and kindneſſe, but alſo to the Lord himſelf, before whom ſhe had ſolemnly promiſed to be faithfull to her husband.
Verſ. 18. For her houſe enclineth unto death, &c.] Though it be moſt true, that the whoredomes and adulteries of women do bring upon themſelves without repentance certain deſtruction; yet that this is not here, as ſome would have it, at leaſt principally, intended, is evident, becauſe this is added to ſhew how great the benefit is, that wiſedome delivers men from the ſtrange woman, as was ſaid before verſ. 16. For, ſaith Solomon, her houſe enclineth to death; that is, the very being with her in her houſe, or the frequenting of her houſe, is infectious and deadly, and tends to the utter ruine of men, both in regard of temporall and eternall death: and her paths unto the dead; that is, the way that leads to her houſe, or the wicked courſes wherein ſhe brings men to live, that follow her and converſe with her, are the ſure way to deſtruction. The ſumme therefore of theſe words is this, that adultery is the way to death, not only eternall, but temporall here in this world, to wit, both in regard that luſt doth uſually waſt the vital powers, and ſhortens mens lives, & ſometimes they die of filthy diſeaſes contracted by their uncleanneſſe, and alſo in regard they are often cut off, either by the rage of the jealous husband, or by the ſword of the magiſtrate, or by ſome quarrels ariſing amongſt thoſe that are rivals in the love of theſe harlots, or by ſome other way of divine wrath, as uſually by the Lords ſuffering them to fall into other ſins that bring them to the gallows: ſee Heb. 13.4. As for the phraſes here uſed, that her houſe enclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead, they import as much as if it had been ſaid, either that her houſe is even bending and ſinking, & ready to fall upon the heads of thoſe that are there (implying that both ſhe and thoſe that keep her company are continually in danger of utter ruine;) or elſe that her houſe is in the way that leads down-hill to death and eternall deſtruction; or that the way to her houſe carries men down headlong to utter ruine.
Verſ. 19. None that goe unto her, &c.] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, that lye with her, according to that Iſa. 8.3. And I went unto the propheteſſe, and she conceived, &c. But I rather take it thus, None that goe unto her, that is, that keep her company & converſe with her: return again; that is, do ever get out of her power, and leave this ſin, and turn to the Lord by unfeigned repentance; no more then dead men (of whom he had ſpoken in the foregoing verſe) do ever return from the grave or hell: neither take they hold of the paths of life; that is, neither do they reform themſelves, or betake themſelves to live a holy & ſpirituall life, that they may be ſaved: though upon ſome ſudden motions they may ſometimes ſeem to catch at the paths of life, yet they do not ſeriouſly & conſtantly lay hold on them. Indeed, becauſe it cannot truly be ſaid, that none that are inſnared with harlots do ever repent & turn to the Lord, therefore I take it to be an hyperbolicall comparative expreſſion; none that goe unto her, return again, that is, few or none of them, none to ſpeak of, according to that Iſa. 64.7. there is none that calleth upon thy name, that ſtirreth up himſelf to take hold of thee, that is, none in a manner. And upon this account, becauſe whoremongers & adulterers do ſo ſeldome return to the Lord by repentance, in alluſion thereto the ſame is ſaid concerning the idolatrous Iſraelites, Hoſ. 5.4. They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God; for the ſpirit of whoredome is in the midſt of them.
Verſ. 21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, &c.] To wit, when wicked men ſhall be cut off; ſee the Note Pſal. 37.3: and the perfect shall remain in it; to wit, they and their poſterity; ſee the Notes Pſal. 37.9, 18.
Verſ. 22. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the tranſgreſſours shall be rooted out of it.] That is, they ſhall be violently taken away; ſee the Note Pſal. 52.5.