the Third Week of Advent
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Bible Commentaries
Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Sutcliffe's Commentary
Introduction to Wisdom; Benefits of Listening.Chapter 2
Wisdom's Value; Protection from Evil Paths.Chapter 3
Trust in God; Blessings of Wisdom.Chapter 4
Pursuit of Wisdom; Avoiding Wicked Paths.Chapter 5
Warning against Adultery and its Consequences.Chapter 6
Warnings about Laziness, Deceit, and Folly.Chapter 7
The Seduction of Folly; Embracing Wisdom.Chapter 8
Wisdom's Call and its Divine Origin.Chapter 9
Invitation to Wisdom and its Contrast with Folly.Chapter 10
Proverbs Contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked.Chapter 11
Virtues of Honesty, Righteousness, and Generosity.Chapter 12
Contrast between the Righteous and the Wicked.Chapter 13
Wisdom's Rewards and Folly's Consequences.Chapter 14
Wisdom's Ways versus Folly's Paths.Chapter 15
Impact of Speech; Righteousness versus Wickedness.Chapter 16
Divine Sovereignty; Wise Living and Humility.Chapter 17
Wisdom, Relationships, and Avoiding Quarrels.Chapter 18
The Power of Words and Wisdom.Chapter 19
The Consequences of Folly and Integrity.Chapter 20
Wise Behavior; Consequences of Dishonesty.Chapter 21
Divine Justice and Righteous Living.Chapter 22
Teachings on Righteousness, Wealth, and Relationships.Chapter 23
Warnings against Indulgence and Seeking Wisdom.Chapter 24
Admonitions about Wisdom, Diligence, and Justice.Chapter 25
Further Proverbs; Wise Leadership and Speech.Chapter 26
Folly and Wisdom Contrasted; Various Proverbs.Chapter 27
Advice on Relationships, Work, and Self-Awareness.Chapter 28
Righteousness, Leadership, and the Fate of the Wicked.Chapter 29
Leadership, Justice, and the Power of Discipline.Chapter 30
Agur's Wisdom; Reflections on Life's Mysteries.Chapter 31
The Virtuous Woman and Her Qualities.
- Proverbs
by Joseph Sutcliffe
THE BOOK OF PROVERBS.
The proverbs of all nations are maxims of wisdom and experience reduced to short and striking sentences, mostly clothed in poetic, and always in perspicuous language. In a general view they contain severe satires on human nature, and are highly cautionary against imprudence and imposition. But the Proverbs of Solomon rise higher in character. They level the most pointed shafts at vice; they inculcate virtue by irresistible arguments, and convey a cloud of instruction to the church of God. Hence they have ever been regarded as a most sacred treasure of Hebrew wisdom and literature; and they have the fairest claims of having been written under a divine influence. They have been approved by the holy prophets, and cited by St. Paul. They are free from the unhallowed mixture which has always defiled the apothegms of the wise men of Greece and Rome. Hence there has been no dispute in the church concerning either the author or the divine authority of this book. From the twenty fifth to the thirtieth chapter, are the Proverbs of Solomon, as found in the time of Hezekiah. The thirtieth chapter is a postscript, the production of Agur; and the thirty first was added from Samuel, or rather by LEMUEL, another name of Samuel, or child asked of God, as was Samuel. But there are many proverbs scattered in the Septuagint, which are not in the Hebrew, and some in the Hebrew which are not in the Septuagint.
