Bible Commentaries
Proverbs 19

Verses 1-29

Proverbs 19. A shrewd turn of sarcasm in Proverbs 19:3 suggests the attitude of practical wisdom towards that questioning of the moral government of the world which we find in Job.

Proverbs 19:1 . fool: read “ rich,” as in Proverbs 28:6.

Proverbs 19:2 a. Both RV and RVm are unsound grammatically. The lit. rendering shows that the clause is defective, “ Also without knowledge of the soul . . . is not good.” Some verb expressing action is required.

Proverbs 19:2 b. sinneth: read mg. The idea is “ more haste less speed.”

Proverbs 19:7 c is defective and untranslateable. RVm approaches the lit. rendering, which is “ he who pursues words, they are not.” It is clearly part of a lost couplet.

Proverbs 19:8 . wisdom: lit. “ heart” ( mg.) , cf. Psalms 90:12.

Proverbs 19:12 . The reference to the royal anger ( cf. Proverbs 20:2) suits such conspicuous wrath as is depicted in Esther in the Persian period better than the earlier period of the Jewish monarchy.

Proverbs 19:13 b. cf. Proverbs 27:15.

Proverbs 19:15 . deep sleep: the word is generally used for the sleep of a trance ( Genesis 2:21 *), or supernatural sleep. The faculties are benumbed through disuse.

Proverbs 19:16 b. RVm gives the lit. sense; RV is a paraphrase. Read “ the word” for “ his ways” ( cf. Proverbs 13:13).

Proverbs 19:19 . Many explanations and emendations have been proposed, but none are satisfactory. Frankenberg’ s may be nearest to the original sense, “ A man who is fined is very angry, but if he shew contempt (of court) he has to pay more.”

Proverbs 19:22 . The want of connexion between the clauses and the words the RV has had to supply, show the hopeless state of the text. The only possible way of establishing a connexion is by the interpretation that a poor man who desires to show kindness but cannot, is better than a rich man who pretends that he is unable to do so. But this forces too much into the text. The LXX has “ Almsgiving is fruit to a man, and a righteous poor man is better than a rich liar.” The connexion lies in the later identification of righteousness with almsgiving.