Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Proverbs 3:8

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Proverbs 3:8. It shall be health to thy navel — We need not puzzle ourselves to find out what we may suppose to be a more delicate meaning for the original word שר shor than navel; for I am satisfied a more proper cannot be found. It is well known that it is by the umbilical cord that the fetus receives its nourishment all the time it is in the womb of the mother. It receives nothing by the mouth, nor by any other means: by this alone all nourishment is received, and the circulation of the blood kept up. When, therefore, the wise man says, that "trusting in the Lord with the whole heart, and acknowledging him in all a man's ways, c., shall be health to the navel, and marrow to the bones" he in effect says, that this is as essential to the life of God in the soul of man, and to the continual growth in grace, as the umbilical cord is to the life and growth of the fetus in the womb. Without the latter, no human being could ever exist or be born; without the former, no true religion can ever be found. Trust or faith in God is as necessary to derive grace from him to nourish the soul, and cause it to grow up unto eternal life, as the navel string or umbilical cord is to the human being in the first stage of its existence. I need not push this illustration farther: the good sense of the reader will supply what he knows. I might add much on the subject.

And marrow to thy bones. — This metaphor is not less proper than the preceding. All the larger bones of the body have either a large cavity, or they are spongious, and full of little cells: in both the one and the other the oleaginous substance, called marrow, is contained in proper vesicles, like the fat. In the larger bones, the fine oil, by the gentle heat of the body, is exhaled through the pores of its small vesicles, and enters some narrow passages which lead to certain fine canals excavated in the substance of the bone, that the marrow may supply the fibres of the bones, and render them less liable to break. Blood-vessels also penetrate the bones to supply this marrow and this blood; and consequently the marrow is supplied in the infant by means of the umbilical cord. From the marrow diffused, as mentioned above, through the bones, they derive their solidity and strength. A simple experiment will cast considerable light on the use of the marrow to the bones: - Calcine a bone, so as to destroy all the marrow from the cells, you will find it exceedingly brittle. Immerse the same bone in oil so that the cells may be all replenished, which will be done in a few minutes; and the bone reacquires a considerable measure of its solidity and strength; and would acquire the whole, if the marrow could be extracted without otherwise injuring the texture of the bone. After the calcination, the bone may be reduced to powder by the hand; after the impregnation with the oil, it becomes hard, compact, and strong. What the marrow is to the support and strength of the bones, and the bones to the support and strength of the body; that, faith in God, is to the support, strength, energy, and salvation of the soul. Behold, then, the force and elegance of the wise man's metaphor. Some have rendered the last clause, a lotion for the bones. What is this? How are the bones washed? What a pitiful destruction of a most beautiful metaphor!

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

The whole life for God (3:1-35)

Obedience and loyalty to God, in addition to guaranteeing his favour, produce the kind of life that most people acknowledge as honourable (3:1-4). If, instead of trusting in their own wisdom and ability, people live in an attitude of reverential trust in God, they can be assured that God will direct them in all their affairs. God will remove obstacles and lead them to their desired goals (5-8).
Personal income is one part of everyday life where people must honour God. They should give God the first share, not the leftovers. God, in turn, will honour the givers (9-10). But God’s blessings do not always mean prosperity. Sometimes he may show his love by allowing people to meet difficulties, with the purpose of correcting faults and improving character (11-12).
Riches cannot buy wisdom, but those who gain wisdom are rich in all that people most desire (13-18). By wisdom God created and maintains the world (19-20). People likewise should live and work by wisdom, thereby ensuring for themselves contentment and security (21-24). Wisdom will enable them to be confident at all times and prompt in helping others (25-28). They will not create trouble or cooperate in plans that hurt others (29-31). God is on the side of the humble, not the selfish or the scornful (32-35).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

A CALL TO COMPLETE COMMITMENT

"My son, forget not my law; But let thy heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and years of life, And peace will they add to thee. Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding In the sight of God and man. Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil: It will be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones. Honor Jehovah with thy substance, And with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy vats shall overflow with new wine."

"My son, forget not my law" Harris wrote that, "These words are not to be pressed as a reference to Moses' law";Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 559. but we believe that the word [~torah] (the Hebrew word which is translated law) here could hardly refer to anything else. The same writer admitted that there is probably an allusion to Exodus 20:12 in the following verse; and Walls pointed out that, "The reference to first-fruits in Proverbs 3:9 points back to the Mosaic Law in Deuteronomy 26, where the worshipper was commanded to bring each year as an offering to God the first-fruits of his fields and flocks."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 553. "There are definite reflections of the Book of Genesis in Proverbs 3:19-20. Also, as Kidner wrote, "The term [~torah] as used here is the Jewish name for the Pentateuch."Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Vol. 15, p. 63.

We have often pointed out that practically the whole Bible from the end of Deuteronomy to Malachi is written in the shadow of the Law of Moses, the nearest thing to an exception to that being the Book of Job. There is certainly nothing in the Book of Proverbs that diminishes that conviction.

"Length of days, years of life, and peace" "These are the blessings that come of right living."George DeHoff's Commentary, op. cit., p. 255. Some profess not to believe this, but it is true. See Christ's promise (Mark 10:30). In spite of exceptions, this is the divine law; and whenever there are variations from it, they are clue to the element of chance that happens to all men (Ecclesiastes 9:11), to divine chastening, to the devices of Satan, to the exercise by wicked men of the freedom of their will, or to the curse that rests upon the earth "for Adam's sake." The most obvious proof of this is the fact that the material prosperity of every nation on earth is directly related to the degree of their acceptance of Christianity. Just take a look at the wretched squalor of those countries where God's Word is not honored!

"Let not kindness and truth forsake thee" The KJV reads "mercy and truth," and the RSV reads "loyalty and faithfulness." Neither of the more recent versions is any improvement over the King James in this passage. Cook noted that, "Mercy shuts out all selfishness and hate, and that truth shuts out all falsehood, hypocrisy and deceit."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 Edition), Proverbs, p. 20.

"Write them upon the tablet of thy heart" This is simply a metaphor that means, "Whatever you do, do not forget the commandments of the Lord." The literalizing of such passages as this resulted in the phylacteries worn by the Pharisees.

"Favor… in the sight of God and man" This verse brings to mind Luke 2:52, where it is said that Jesus increased in favor with God and men. Christian character blesses and beautifies human personality; and the people who live godly lives are instinctively loved, trusted, and favored by their fellow mortals. The devil's caricature of a godly person as "a disagreeable old sour-puss" is a malicious and ridiculous exaggeration.

"Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart… etc." Any preacher of the gospel can identify with the words of McGee on this passage. "In any religious service where people are invited to quote favorite passages of scripture, these verses are invariably quoted."J. Vernon McGee, Vol. III, p. 13. These beautiful lines deserve the loving appreciation that has been lavished upon them.

"In all thy ways acknowledge him" "Not merely in acts of solemn worship, or in great crisis only, but in all thy ways, acknowledge the Lord."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the the 1878 edition). op. cit., p. 20. Many people turn to God, acknowledge him by their prayers and supplications in times of great anxiety, distress or danger; but the true servant of God continually acknowledges God, without intermission, during long years that may progress evenly without emergency or crisis, doing so as a constant way of life, never deviating from the constant worship on Lord's Days.

"Be not wise in thine own eyes" "The great hindrance to all true wisdom is the conceit that one has already attained it."Ibid. This same warning is given repeatedly in Proverbs. "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool" (Proverbs 28:26). True wisdom is found only in the Lord and in his holy word. "True confidence cannot be placed in one's own ability to think and act; the fear (and obedience) of Jehovah is the real basis of confidence."Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), Vol. 5, p. 20.

The world boasts many men who are allegedly wise; "But we cannot be truly wise unless we renounce all dependence upon our own wisdom and become fools, depending fully upon the Lord."George Lawson, Commentary on Proverbs (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1980. Something like this is what Jesus meant when he said, "Let a man deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). Isaiah wrote, "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes" (Proverbs 5:21); and the same precept was advocated by Paul, "Be not wise in your own conceits" (Romans 12:16).

"It will be health to thy navel" Here we have another ridiculous emendation in the RSV that gives us the word flesh instead of navel. If translators would stop trying to tell us "what the Holy Spirit was trying to say," and give us what he actually said, it would greatly expedite Biblical interpretation. As Adam Clarke stated it, "There is no better translation of the Hebrew word here than navel."Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. III, p. 707. The meaning of this is that, "Just as the umbilical cord (of which the navel is a part) is the only source of life and growth for the unborn child, so also that wisdom that comes from God is the only source of life and growth for God's servant."Ibid.

"Honor Jehovah with your substance" This means simply, "Don't forget to give to God's work as the Scriptures command." "The word first-fruits in this same verse recalls Deuteronomy 28:4; Deuteronomy 26:2; and Amos 6:6. The promise in Proverbs 3:10 agrees with Deuteronomy 28:8 and Malachi 3:10-12."Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), op. cit., p. 20. Thus we have further confirmation of the truth that the entire Old Testament from Deuteronomy to Malachi carries countless reflections of the Pentateuch.

"So shall thy barns be filled with plenty" See under Proverbs 3:2 above, for a discussion of the prosperity that God promises his faithful. The passage cited above by Tate from the Book of Malachi is another Old Testament witness to the same truth. Wilson cited Proverbs 3:9-10 here as an example of the parallelism in Proverbs in which the first clause is elaborated in succeeding lines that extend or explain the meaning.Herman Wilson, Studies in Proverbs, No. 210 (Austin, Texas: Sweet Publishing Company, 1969), p. 9. Of course, there are far more wonderful blessings that result from the faithful service of God than material prosperity. "The remaining verses in the chapter carry the reminder of better prizes than prosperity."Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Vol. 15, p. 64.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Navel - The central region of the body is taken as the representative of all the vital organs. For “health” we should read healing, or, as in the marg. There is probably a reference to the local applications used by the surgery of the period as means of healing.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 continues to

My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments: For length of days, long life, peace, shall they add to thee ( Proverbs 3:1-2 ).

Now these are the three. And we get now into some couplets here. He gives sort of a word, and then he tells you what the result of it will be. And to keep the commandment in your heart, it will grant to you the length of days, long life, peace will they add to thee. Now the next little statement:

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about your neck; write them on the table of your heart ( Proverbs 3:3 ):

What? Mercy and truth.

So will you find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man ( Proverbs 3:4 ).

So you see the results of writing the laws of mercy and truth upon your heart.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him ( Proverbs 3:5-6 ),

And the result will be:

he will direct your path ( Proverbs 3:6 ).

How can I know the will of God? A question so often asked. Three steps. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Two: lean not to your own understanding. Three: in all your ways acknowledge Him. The result? He shall direct your path.

Now the next word of exhortation:

Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD, depart from evil ( Proverbs 3:7 ).

And the result:

It will be health to thy body, and marrow to thy bones ( Proverbs 3:8 ).

You'll be healthy. "Fear the LORD, depart from evil."

The next exhortation:

Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all of your increase ( Proverbs 3:9 ):

The result:

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses ( Proverbs 3:10 )

That would be the winepresses.

shall burst out with new wine ( Proverbs 3:10 ).

Now there is a basic law, and I'm not talking about the Ten Commandments or the law given by Moses, just a basic law of God as we speak of laws. We speak of laws of nature, or the law of magnetism, the law of gravity, the law of electricity, the various laws of nature. They're just there. We've studied them. We've been able to formulize them and understand them that they work. We don't always know why they work, but we know they work. We know that they are just basic laws of nature that they work. There's a cause and effect.

Now, in the same token there are basic spiritual laws that God has established that have a cause and effect kind of a thing just like any other law that is operating in our natural world around us. And there is a law of God concerning giving. And though we cannot understand exactly how it works, yet it does work. Now, I don't have to understand how electricity works to benefit from electricity. Even so, I don't have to understand how the laws of God work as far as giving to benefit from them.

Now here the law of God is stated, "Honor the Lord with your substance, and with the firstfruits of your increase." I believe that the firstfruits belong to God. The first thing that comes out of my salary or my wages were it ever, is earmarked for the Lord. If I've sold a piece of property, the increase, the firstfruits of it I give to God of the increase. Honoring God with your substance. Now this law is stated throughout the Bible many places and is illustrated in many places.

In Malachi, we read, "Will a man rob God? You say, 'Well, wherein have we robbed God?' And God said, 'In your tithes and in your offerings. Now prove Me and see if I will not pour out unto you a blessing which you cannot contain'" ( Malachi 3:8 , Malachi 3:10 ). God challenges you to test this law. Jesus said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; measured out, pressed down, running over, shall men give unto your bosom" ( Luke 6:38 ). Paul the apostle said that if we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly; but if we sow bountifully, we're going to reap bountifully ( 2 Corinthians 9:6 ). "In whatever measure you mete, it's going to be measured to you again" ( Matthew 7:2 ), the law of God.

I cannot tell you how it works. All I can do is affirm for you that it does work. God honors that law of giving. And so here is Solomon exhorting his son, "Honor the Lord with your substance and with the firstfruit of all of your increase." What will the result be? "Your barns will be filled with plenty. Your presses shall burst out with new wine."

The next exhortation is:

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delights ( Proverbs 3:11-12 ).

In Hebrews this passage or this proverb is quoted. "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord." Now in Hebrews, he adds, "For He chastens every son that He receives and if a person isn't chastened of the Lord" ( Hebrews 12:6 ). If you can get by with evil, then you better be very concerned. Because if you're a child of God, He's not going to let you get by with evil.

Now a lot of times if we venture into something that we know is wrong and we get caught, then we get real upset with God. "How come they can do it and they can get by with it? I do it and I get caught, you know. Not fair!" If you can do it and get by with it, then you're in a dangerous place. That's an indication you're not a true son of God. God only chastens his sons. So the chastening process of God in my life is always a very comforting process, because at least it proves that I'm His son. He's not going to let me get by with it. Thank You, Father. So, don't despise the chastening of the Lord; don't be weary with His correction. For whom the Lord loveth He corrects."

Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets understanding: For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, the gain is better than gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all of the things that you can desire are not to be compared unto wisdom and understanding ( Proverbs 3:13-15 ).

Oh, that we would really gain wisdom and understanding of God, of God's will, of life.

Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are the ways of pleasantness, all of her paths are peace ( Proverbs 3:16-17 ).

Oh, the benefit of rich and the riches that come from wisdom and understanding.

She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retains her ( Proverbs 3:18 ).

So all of these things that we count as important: pleasantness, peace, life, happiness. These things all come to the person who has gained wisdom and understanding. Now as he extols wisdom and tells of its effects and results.

The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, let not them depart from your eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace unto thy neck. Then shall you walk in the way safely, and your foot shall not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid: yea, you will lie down, and your sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear [or sudden terror], that comes upon the wicked ( Proverbs 3:19-25 ).

When the day of judgment and terror comes, you don't need to be afraid. You can have that confidence, I'm a child of God.

For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken ( Proverbs 3:26 ).

When the day of calamity comes upon the wicked, we do not need to fear.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it ( Proverbs 3:27 ).

This is stated by the New Testament also, "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, it is evil" ( James 4:17 ). You have the capacity to do good and you fail to do it, that's just as much a sin as some overt act of sin. There are sins of failing to do the right thing, just as there are sins of doing the wrong thing. There are sins of omission, omitting to do that which is right or good.

Say not to your neighbor, Go, and come again to-morrow, and I will give it to you; when it's by your side ( Proverbs 3:28 ).

In other words, don't forestall or put him off.

Devise not evil against your neighbor, seeing that he's dwelling securely by you. Strive not with a man without cause, if he hasn't done you any harm ( Proverbs 3:29-30 ).

Don't go looking for a fight and just getting into trouble.

Envy not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the perverse is an abomination to the LORD: but God's secret is with the righteous. The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesses the dwelling place of the just. Surely he scorns the scorners: but he gives grace unto the lowly ( Proverbs 3:31-34 ).

"Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift thee up" ( James 4:10 ). "He that exalteth himself shall be abased; he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" ( Matthew 23:12 ). All of these really come, they're the expression of the same truth. "Surely He scorneth the scorners, but He gives grace to the lowly."

The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools ( Proverbs 3:35 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The fruit of peace 3:1-10

The trust of the wise son (Proverbs 3:5-6) comes from heeding sound teaching (Proverbs 3:1-4), and it leads to confident obedience (Proverbs 3:7-9).

"Teaching" (Proverbs 3:1, Heb. torah) means "law" or, more fundamentally, "instruction" or "direction." Here the context suggests that the teachings of the parents are in view rather than the Mosaic Law, though in Israel their instruction would have rested on the Torah of God.

"Where it [torah] occurs unqualified (Proverbs 28:9; Proverbs 29:18) it is clearly the divine law (it is also the Jewish term for the Pentateuch); but my law, ’thy mother’s law’ (Proverbs 1:8), etc., refer to the present maxims and to the home teachings, based indeed on the law, but not identical with it." [Note: Kidner, p. 63.]

Proverbs 3:3 pictures devotion to kindness and truth (cf. Deuteronomy 6:8-9, which says that God’s law should receive the same devotion). "Kindness" or "love" translates the Hebrew word hesed, which refers to faithfulness to obligations that arise from a relationship. [Note: Ross, p. 916. Cf. Nelson Glueck, Hesed in the Bible, p. 55.] "Truth" or "faithfulness" (Heb. ’emet) refers to what one can rely on because it is stable. [Note: Moses Stuart, A Commentary on the Book of Proverbs, p. 167.] Together they may form a hendiadys: true kindness or faithful love. "Repute" (Proverbs 3:4) connotes success, as in Psalms 111:10. "Trust" and "lean" (Proverbs 3:5) are very close in meaning. Trusting means to put oneself wholly at the mercy of another (cf. Jeremiah 12:5 b; Psalms 22:9 b). Leaning is not just reclining against something but relying on it totally for support.

"In the final analysis all government, all economics, all currency and banking, all institutions and all marriages, all relationships between people, are fundamentally governed by trust. Without trust, society deteriorates into paranoia, the feeling that everybody is out to get you." [Note: Larsen, p. 12.]

"There are two sides to the matter of trust. There is the decision of trust and the habit of trust. The first is called ’commitment;’ the second is called ’trust.’ Trust follows commitment, not always right away, but it begins there. In the middle of our fears we make a decision to trust. This does not immediately bring the habit of trust, but if we will muster the courage to commit our way to God we shall soon learn to trust." [Note: Ibid., p. 14.]

"Acknowledge" (Proverbs 3:6) means to be aware of and have fellowship with God, not just to tip one’s hat to Him. It includes obeying God’s moral will as He has revealed it. The promise (Proverbs 3:6 b) means that God will make the course of such a person’s life truly successful in God’s eyes. This is a promise as well as a proverb, and it refers to the totality of one’s life experience. It does not guarantee that one will never make mistakes.

How can we tell if a proverb is a promise as well as a proverb? We can do so by consulting the rest of Scripture. If a proverb expresses a truth promised elsewhere in Scripture, we know that we can rely on it being absolutely true. A proverb is by definition a saying that accurately represents what is usually true, not what is true without exception. For example, the proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" teaches that eating fruit regularly will help keep you healthy. It is not a promise that if you will eat an apple every day you will never get sick and have to go to a doctor. Proverbs are slices of life that picture what life is usually like. In the case of Proverbs 3:5-6 we have the repetition of a promise made numerous times in Scripture that people who trust God will experience His guidance through life (cf. Hebrews 11; et al.). In our attempt to "handle accurately the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15) we must carefully distinguish proverbs that restate promises from those that do not and are only proverbs. Failure to distinguish proverbs from promises has led to confusion and disappointment for many readers of this genre.

"The individual proverbs must be interpreted and applied within the context of the whole book and, indeed, of the whole Bible. They are not divine promises for the here and now, but true observations that time will bear out." [Note: Tremper Longman III and Raymond B. Dillard, An Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 276.]

Proverbs 3:7-10 suggest some of the ways that God will reward the commitment of Proverbs 3:5-6. Proverbs 3:7 a gives the converse of Proverbs 3:5 a, and Proverbs 3:7 b restates Proverbs 3:6 a (cf. Romans 12:16). This is the act of acknowledging God in all one’s ways.

"No wise man is ever arrogant." [Note: Larsen, p. 25.]

Proverbs 3:8 describes personal invigoration poetically.

"Scripture often uses the physical body to describe inner spiritual or psychical feelings." [Note: Ross, p. 917. Cf. A. R. Johnson, The Vitality of the Individual in the Thought of Ancient Israel, pp. 67-68.]

Proverbs 3:9 applies the principle of acknowledging God to the financial side of life.

"To ’know’ God in our financial ’ways’ is to see that these honour Him." [Note: Kidner, p. 64.]

"The tragedy with many people is not that they don’t claim to have God in their lives, but that, while they claim to have Him, they still don’t trust Him. The most significant telltale symptom of this lack of trust is that they never get around to honoring the Lord with their substance. We’ve got to make sure that the family has security; and we don’t add to the security by whopping off a hunk of it and putting it in the offering plate, unless we really believe that God is our security." [Note: Larsen, p. 31.]

The prospect of material reward (Proverbs 3:10) was a promise to the godly Israelite (cf. Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Malachi 3:10). Christians should recognize this verse as a proverb, rather than a promise, since the Lord has revealed that as Christians, we should expect persecution for our faith rather than material prosperity (2 Timothy 3:12; Hebrews 12:1-11).

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

4. Divine promises and human obligations 3:1-12

This section is mainly about peace as a benefit of wise living, but it concludes with another appeal to seek wisdom.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

It shall be health to thy navel,.... That part of the body which is the knot of the intestines; and may be put for the bowels and inward parts, which being sound, the body is in health; and these may be put for the whole body: and so the Septuagint version renders it, "to thy body"; and this may be put for the whole person. And the sense is, either wisdom, as Jarchi; the doctrine of wisdom, the Gospel; which teaches men to trust in the Lord, and not in themselves, to apply to him for wisdom, and not lean to their own understanding; this contributes much to a man's spiritual health and welfare: or else the fear of the Lord is of this use to men, both in soul and body; since by it they depart from those sins which bring diseases upon the body; and are influenced by it to the exercise of such graces, and the discharge of such duties, as are the means of keeping the soul in good plight;

and marrow to thy bones; or, "watering" m to them: that which irrigates and moistens them, and makes and keeps them strong and solid: see Job 21:24. What marrow is to the bones, that is wisdom, or the fear of God, to the souls of men; the means of establishing and strengthening them against sin, and snares and temptations, and to do the will and work of God.

m שקוי "irrigatio", V. L. Montanus, Tigurine version, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Amama, Schultens.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.   8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.   9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:   10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.   11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:   12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

      We have here before us three exhortations, each of them enforced with a good reason:--

      I. We must live in a humble and dutiful subjection to God and his government (Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 3:7): "Fear the Lord, as your sovereign Lord and Master; be ruled in every thing by your religion and subject to the divine will." This must be, 1. A humble subjection: Be not wise in thy own eyes. Note, There is not a greater enemy to the power of religion, and the fear of God in the heart, than conceitedness of our own wisdom. Those that have an opinion of their own sufficiency think it below them, and a disparagement to them, to take their measures from, much more to hamper themselves with, religion's rules. 2. A dutiful subjection: Fear the Lord, and depart from evil; take heed of doing any thing to offend him and to forfeit his care. To fear the Lord, so as to depart from evil, is true wisdom and understanding (Job 28:28); those that have it are truly wise, but self-denyingly so, and not wise in their own eyes. For our encouragement thus to live in the fear of God it is here promised (Proverbs 3:8; Proverbs 3:8) that it shall be as serviceable even to the outward man as our necessary food. It will be nourishing: It shall be health to thy navel. It will be strengthening: It shall be marrow to thy bones. The prudence, temperance, and sobriety, the calmness and composure of mind, and the good government of the appetites and passions, which religion teaches, tend very much not only to the health of the soul, but to a good habit of body, which is very desirable, and without which our other enjoyments in this world are insipid. Envy is the rottenness of the bones; the sorrow of the world dries them; but hope and joy in God are marrow to them.

      II. We must make a good use of our estates, and that is the way to increase them, Proverbs 3:9; Proverbs 3:10. Here is,

      1. A precept which makes it our duty to serve God with our estates: Honour the Lord with thy substance. It is the end of our creation and redemption to honour God, to be to him for a name and a praise; we are no other way capable of serving him than in his honour. His honour we must show forth and the honour we have for him. We must honour him, not only with our bodies and spirits which are his, but with our estates too, for they also are his: we and all our appurtenances must be devoted to his glory. Worldly wealth is but poor substance, yet, such as it is, we must honour God with it, and then, if ever, it becomes substantial. We must honour God, (1.) With our increase. Where riches increase we are tempted to honour ourselves (Deuteronomy 8:17) and to set our hearts upon the world (Psalms 62:10); but the more God gives us the more we should study to honour him. It is meant of the increase of the earth, for we live upon annual products, to keep us in constant dependence on God. (2.) With all our increase. As God has prospered us in every thing, we must honour him. Our law will allow a prescription for a modus decimandi--a mode of tithing, but none de non decimando--for exemption from paying tithes. (3.) With the first-fruits of all, as Abel, Genesis 4:4. This was the law (Exodus 23:19), and the prophets, Malachi 3:10. God, who is the first and best, must have the first and best of every thing; his right is prior to all other, and therefore he must be served first. Note, It is our duty to make our worldly estates serviceable to our religion, to use them and the interest we have by them for the promoting of religion, to do good to the poor with what we have and abound in all works of piety and charity, devising liberal things.

      2. A promise, which makes it our interest to serve God with our estates. It is the way to make a little much, and much more; it is the surest and safest method of thriving: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty. He does not say thy bags, but thy barns, not thy wardrobe replenished, but thy presses: "God shall bless thee with an increase of that which is for use, not for show or ornament--for spending and laying out, not for hoarding and laying up." Those that do good with what they have shall have more to do more good with. Note, If we make our worldly estates serviceable to our religion we shall find our religion very serviceable to the prosperity of our worldly affairs. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is and most of the comfort of it. We mistake if we think that giving will undo us and make us poor. No, giving for God's honour will make us rich, Haggai 2:19. What we gave we have.

      III. We must conduct ourselves aright under our afflictions, Proverbs 3:11; Proverbs 3:12. This the apostle quotes (Hebrews 12:5), and calls it an exhortation which speaks unto us as unto children, with the authority and affection of a father. We are here in a world of troubles. Now observe,

      1. What must be our care when we are in affliction. We must neither despise it nor be weary of it. His exhortation, before, was to those that are rich and in prosperity, here to those that are poor and in adversity. (1.) We must not despise an affliction, be it ever so light and short, as if it were not worth taking notice of, or as if it were not sent on an errand and therefore required no answer. We must not be stocks, and stones, and stoics, under our afflictions, insensible of them, hardening ourselves under them, and concluding we can easily get through them without God. (2.) We must not be weary of an affliction, be it ever so heavy and long, not faint under it, so the apostle renders it, not be dispirited, dispossessed of our own souls, or driven to despair, or to use any indirect means for our relief and the redress of our grievances. We must not think that the affliction either presses harder or continues longer than is meet, not conclude that deliverance will never come because it does not come so soon as we expect it.

      2. What will be our comfort when we are in affliction. (1.) That it is a divine correction; it is the chastening of the Lord, which, as it is a reason why we should submit to it (for it is folly to contend with a God of incontestable sovereignty and irresistible power), so it is a reason why we should be satisfied in it; for we may be sure that a God of unspotted purity does us no wrong and that a God of infinite goodness means us no hurt. It is from God, and therefore must not be despised; for a slight put upon the messenger is an affront to him that sends him. It is from God, and therefore we must not be weary of it, for he knows our frame, both what we need and what we can bear. (2.) That it is a fatherly correction; it comes not from his vindictive justice as a Judge, but his wise affection as a Father. The father corrects the son whom he loves, nay, and because he loves him and desires he may be wise and good. He delights in that in his son which is amiable and agreeable, and therefore corrects him for the prevention and cure of that which would be a deformity to him, and an alloy to his delight in him. Thus God hath said, As many as I love I rebuke and chasten,Revelation 3:19. This is a great comfort to God's children, under their afflictions, [1.] That they not only consist with, but flow from, covenant-love. [2.] That they are so far from doing them any real hurt that, by the grace of God working with them, they do a great deal of good, and are happy means of their satisfaction.