Bible Commentaries
JFB Critical & Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Proverbs 20
mocker — scorner. Such men are made by wine.
strong drink — made by spicing wine (compare Isaiah 5:11, Isaiah 5:22); and it may include wine.
raging — or boisterous as a drunkard.
deceived — literally, “erring,” or reeling.
to cease from strife — or, better, “to dwell from or without strife,” denoting the habit of life.
fool … meddling — (Proverbs 17:14).
The conduct of good men proclaims their sound principles. God‘s covenant and their good example secure blessing to their children (Proverbs 4:26; Psalm 112:1, Psalm 112:2).
As in Proverbs 14:35; Proverbs 16:10, Proverbs 16:15, this is the character of a good king, not of all kings.
The interrogation in the affirmative strengthens the implied negation (compare Job 15:14; Ecclesiastes 7:20).
Activity and diligence contrasted with sloth (Proverbs 6:9; Proverbs 10:11).
lest … poverty — literally, “be deprived of inheritance.”
Take his garment — implies severe exaction, justified by the surety‘s rashness.
a strange woman — by some readings “strangers,” but the former here, and in Proverbs 27:13, is allowable, and strengthens the sense. The debauchee is less reliable than the merely careless.
sweet — either as unlawfully (Proverbs 9:17) or easily obtained.
mouth … gravel — well expresses the pain and grief given at last.
Those who love to tell news will hardly keep secrets.
flattereth … lips — (compare Margin; Proverbs 1:10).
meddle … him — literally, “join,” or “associate with.”
gotten hastily — contrary to God‘s providence (Proverbs 28:20), implying its unjust or easy attainment; hence the man is punished, or spends freely what he got easily (compare Proverbs 20:17).
Man‘s goings — literally, “Stately steppings of a strong man.”
a man — any common man.
understand — or, “perceive.”
devoureth … holy — or, better, “who rashly speaks promises,” or “devotes what is holy,” consecrating any thing. This suits better the last clause, which expresses a similar view of the results of rashly vowing.
(Compare Proverbs 20:8).
bringeth … over them — The wheel was used for threshing grain. The figure denotes severity (compare Amos 1:3).
Lord — Men‘s minds are God‘s gifts, and thus able to search one another (compare Proverbs 20:5; Proverbs 18:8, Proverbs 18:17; 1 Corinthians 2:11).
blueness — literally, “joining,” the process of uniting the edges of a wound throws off purulent matter.
stripes … belly — So punishment provides healing of soul (Proverbs 18:8), by deterring from evil courses.
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