Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Proverbs
Book: Proverbs
Chapter: 11
Overview:
1 However men may make
Light of giving short weight or
Measure,
and however common such crimes may be, they are an
Abomination
to the
Lord. 2. Considering how safe, and quiet, and easy the
humble are, we see that with the lowly is
Wisdom. 3. An honest
Man's principles are fixed, therefore his way is
Plain. 4.
Riches will stand men in
No stead in the
Day of
Death. 5,6.
The ways of wickedness are dangerous. And
Sin will be its own
Punishment. 7. When a godly
Man dies, all his fears vanish;
but when a wicked
Man dies, his hopes vanish. 8. The righteous
are often wonderfully kept from going into dangerous situations,
and the ungodly go in their stead. 9. Hypocrites delude men
into error and
Sin By artful objections against the truths of
God's
Word. 10,11. Nations prosper when wicked men are cast
down. 12. A
Man of understanding does not
Judge of others
By
their success. 13. A
Faithful Man will not disclose what he is
trusted with, unless the honour of
God and the real good of
society require it. 14. We shall often find it to our
advantage to advise with others. 15. The welfare of our
families, our own peace, and our ability to pay just debts, must
not be brought into danger. But here especially let us consider
the
Grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ in becoming
Surety even for
enemies. 16. A pious and discreet
Woman will keep esteem and
respect, as strong men keep possession of wealth. 17. A cruel,
froward, ill-natured
Man, is vexatious to those that are, and
should be to him as his own
Flesh, and punishes himself. 18.
He that makes it his business to do good, shall have a reward,
as sure to him as eternal
Truth can make it. 19. True
Holiness
is true happiness. The more violent a
Man is in sinful pursuits,
the more he hastens his own
Destruction. 20. Nothing is more
hateful to
God, than hypocrisy and double dealing, which are
here signified.
God delights in such as aim and act with
uprightness. 21. Joining together in
Sin shall not protect the
sinners. 22. Beauty is abused
By those who have not discretion
or modesty with it. This is true of all bodily endowments. 23.
The wicked desire mischief to others, but it shall return upon
themselves. 24. A
Man may grow
Poor By not paying just debts,
not relieving the
Poor, not allowing needful expenses. Let men
be ever
So saving of what they have, if
God appoints, it comes
to nothing. 25. Both in temporal and spiritual things,
God
commonly deals with his people according to the
Measure By which
they
Deal with their brethren. 26. We must not hoard up the
Gifts of
God's bounty, merely for our own advantage. 27.
Seeking mischief is here set against seeking good; for those
that are not doing good are doing hurt, even to themselves.
28. The true believer is a
Branch of the living
Vine. When
those that take root in the world wither, those who are grafted
into
Christ shall be fruitful. 29. He that brings trouble upon
himself and his family,
By carelessness, or
By wickedness, shall
be unable to keep and enjoy what he gets, as a
Man is unable to
Hold the wind, or to satisfy himself with it. 30. The
righteous are as trees of
Life; and their influence upon
Earth,
like the fruits of that tree, support and nourish the spiritual
Life in many. 31. Even the righteous, when they offend
On
Earth, shall meet with sharp corrections; much more will the
wicked meet the due reward of their sins. Let us then seek those
blessings which our
Surety purchased
By his sufferings and
Death; let us seek to copy his
Example, and to keep his
Commandments.