Verses 1-7
v1 A man may be poor but he still remains honest.
He is better than the fool, whose words are false.
v2 An unwise man is eager. But he has no knowledge.
He is like a man who hurries down the wrong road.
v3 A foolish man ruins his own life.
But he blames God for his troubles.
v4 A wealthy man gains many friends.
But a poor man cannot keep the few friends that he has.
v5 An untrue witness in a court will receive punishment.
Any person who lies will not avoid punishment.
v6 Many people praise a ruler.
Everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.
v7 A poor man’s relatives hate him.
His friends avoid him.
He follows them, and he calls for them.
But he cannot find them.
Commentary
In those verses, Solomon discusses things that are wrong. Many wrong things happen in this world.
A fool hates wisdom, so his words are lies. He tries to give a false impression. He should not speak these evil words. He should be honest. It would be better if this man were poor, but honest.
Solomon describes a man who is in a hurry. But the man acts without sufficient knowledge. He will cause troubles and problems. All his actions will be wrong actions. All his decisions will be wrong decisions.
He is like a runner who is going down the wrong road. Such a runner will not arrive at the right place. And a man without sufficient knowledge will not make the right decisions.
We too will make many mistakes, if we do not learn knowledge and wisdom.
A foolish man hates wisdom and he hates God. This man causes his own problems. But he is not sorry about his evil actions. Instead, he blames God for his troubles. Now the man hates God even more.
Many people prefer wealthy friends, and dislike poor people. Such behaviour is wrong. See James 2:1-4, Proverbs 18:24, and Luke 14:12-14.
If a man lies, then he deserves punishment.
The people praise the ruler, because they want his help.
These people are not praising the ruler because he is a good ruler. In fact, these people may think that he is a bad ruler. They are praising the ruler, but only because they want him to support them. This is called ‘flattery’.
The people praise the ruler, but their words are not honest. The ruler might think that he has many friends. He is wrong. These people only want his money. If the ruler becomes poor, then he will have no friends. See Proverbs 18:24.
God loves poor people (Luke 4:18). As Christians, we must be the friends of poor people. Greedy people will not help poor people. But Christians can show poor people that God loves poor people too.
Verses 8-12
v8 If you love wisdom, then you love yourself.
If you love wisdom, then you will succeed.
v9 The untrue witness receives punishment.
In the end the man who lies will die.
v10 It is not right if a fool lives in luxury.
It is worse if a slave rules over princes.
v11 A man’s wisdom makes him patient.
He even forgives other people’s mistakes.
v12 An angry king is like a roaring lion!
A king’s pleasure is like dew (water) on the grass.
Commentary
Wisdom is a good thing. If you are wise, then you will benefit from your wisdom. Wisdom improves your whole life. Learn to be wise! Wisdom is better than wealth or fame. Nothing is better than wisdom, because wisdom teaches us to respect God.
This is similar to verse 5. Here, at verse 9, it contrasts with verse 8. We have a choice. The wise man loves wisdom, so he succeeds. The foolish man lies, so he will die. His death is the punishment for his evil words.
In the first line, the fool is someone who hates wisdom. He should suffer for his evil actions, but this fool does not suffer. Instead, he lives in luxury. Solomon thinks that this is terrible.
In the second line, a prince rules a country. However, the prince is unhappy, because he has a secret. The prince is afraid of his slave. The slave controls the prince. Solomon says that this is even worse.
Solomon was a king. Perhaps he knew this prince and his slave. We do not know who they were. But Solomon seems to write about them again in Ecclesiastes 6:1-3 and Ecclesiastes 10:5-7.
A wise man forgives the mistakes of other people. This shows that the wise man is a great man. See Matthew 6:14-15.
When a king is angry, he is dangerous, like a lion. Stay away from him!
But a king can be calm and quiet. Then it is good to be with him. This is like dew (water) on the grass, when it is cool in the early morning.
Verses 13-19
v13 A foolish son ruins his father.
A wife who argues is like a constant leak of water.
v14 Parents give houses and wealth.
God gives a wise wife.
v15 A lazy man sleeps.
If he does not work, then he will not be able to buy food.
v16 If you obey the commands, you will live.
If you refuse to obey the commands, you will die.
v17 The man who helps poor people lends to God.
God will reward that man.
v18 Teach your son while he is young.
Otherwise, his behaviour will lead to his death.
v19 An angry man will receive punishments regularly.
If you rescue him once, then you must rescue him many times.
Commentary
This man has a foolish son, and a wife who argues. He has many troubles.
His son is evil and hates wisdom. The man suffers because his son is evil.
The wife who argues always upsets her husband. Water is precious. If there is a leak, then this wastes the precious water. The wife who argues is like a leak of water. She wastes her husband’s strength. He is weak, because of the arguments.
This man has a wise wife and careful parents.
His parents have saved money to provide for him. His wife is the gift of God.
This man has a good life, because of his wise wife and wise parents. Parents can provide houses and wealth. But only God can give a wise wife to the man.
This man is too lazy. He is still asleep. He must awake and work. Otherwise, he will be hungry. See Proverbs 6:6-11.
This verse briefly explains Deuteronomy 28. If we obey God’s law, then God will help us. If we do not obey, then we shall suffer.
However, everyone does evil things. (See Romans 3:23.) So we must ask God to forgive us (Acts 17:30-31). God forgives us, because Jesus suffered our punishment (Acts 3:18).
God cares about poor people. He wants us to help them. See Matthew 25:31-46.
Perhaps you have an evil son. As he becomes older, his behavior may become worse. Perhaps he will die when a judge punishes him. But we know that God will punish that son.
Perhaps you can still rescue your son. Perhaps if you punish him, he will change his behavior. Perhaps your son will pray to God. Perhaps your son will ask God to forgive him.
Do not be afraid to punish your son! You may save him from a much worse punishment.
Discipline is not just for young people. Adults should also learn to have discipline. In other words, they should teach themselves to behave well. But some people easily become angry. You might work hard to rescue such a man from his punishment. But if he becomes angry again, then you must rescue him again.
Try to teach this person not to be angry. He should learn to be patient. An angry person has many troubles, because of his anger.
Verses 20-26
v20 Listen to advice! Follow instructions!
In the end, you will be wise.
v21 A man may make many plans.
But God decides what happens.
v22 A man needs a loyal friend
who would prefer to be poor than to lie.
v23 If you respect God, then you will have a good life.
Then you will be content. Troubles will not upset you.
v24 When a lazy man has a meal, he puts his hand into the bowl.
Then he is too lazy to lift his hand to his mouth.
v25 Whip a man who insults other people! Then simple people will learn wisdom.
Correct a wise man and he will gain knowledge.
v26 A son might steal from his father. The same son might send his mother away.
He is a terrible son. His parents will suffer shame because of him.
Commentary
Everyone needs to learn to be wise. Nobody is born wise.
You, too, can learn to be wise. You must listen to your lessons. Your lessons are the advice that you receive. You must obey the instructions. This requires effort. It takes time. But, in the end, you will be wise.
We make our plans. But we cannot control even our own lives. See James 4:13-15. If we trust God, then God will guide us. See my notes on Proverbs 16:1.
See Acts 16:6-10. Paul had many plans, but these were not God’s plans. Paul needed to pray, so that he would know God’s plans.
A loyal friend is the best type of friend. Such a friend is always sincere. He does not try to gain by lies, because he is loyal. He does not even care if he becomes poor because of his friendship.
The second line is similar to Proverbs 19:1.
We must respect God - see Proverbs 1:7. If we respect God, then God will help us. When troubles come, he will protect us. See Psalm 46:1.
Solomon uses humor here. This is a very lazy man. He is too lazy, even to eat. This means the same as verse 15. A lazy man refuses to work, so he will earn nothing. Because he earns nothing, he will be hungry. Solomon’s story in verse 24 explains this as a joke.
The man who insults other people might not learn from his punishment. In English, we say that this man has a ‘closed mind’. This means that he refuses to learn from anyone else. But other people can learn when they see this man’s punishment.
Simple people do wrong things, because they have not learned to be wise. Simple people will learn when the evil man receives his punishment. They will see the punishment. So they will realize that the man is evil. They will learn that the man’s actions were wrong. So they themselves will begin to learn wisdom. In English, we say that simple people have an ‘empty mind’. This means that they have learned little yet. But they might learn if they get a shock.
If a wise man does something wrong, then you should correct him. Because he is wise, he will learn from the correction. He will become even wiser. In English, we say that such a man has an ‘open mind’. That is, he wants to learn, even if the truth is painful.
This son does not just do one evil thing. He does many evil things. His parents cannot control him. They must avoid him. They can only pray to God for their son. The son will suffer for his own evil actions.
Verses 27-29
v27 If you do not listen to instructions, my son,
then you will learn nothing.
v28 A witness who lies in court is laughing at the law itself.
An evil man enjoys evil things. He is like a drunk who is always wanting another drink.
v29 Punishments are ready for those who insult.
Whips are ready for the backs of fools.
v28 A witness who lies in court is laughing at the law itself.
An evil man enjoys evil things. He is like a drunk who is always wanting another drink.
v29 Punishments are ready for those who insult.
Whips are ready for the backs of fools.
Commentary
This is the only verse in Proverbs 10:1 to Proverbs 22:16 where Solomon speaks to his own son. These chapters form a very long lesson. Perhaps Solomon’s son is tired. Perhaps the son wants to do something else. But he must not walk away. He needs to listen to this lesson. He needs to learn this knowledge. He must be patient and learn more.
The first line is like James 2:10. If a witness lies, then the judge might make the wrong decision. Because of this, the law will be unfair. A guilty man might go free. An innocent man might suffer punishment. Lies are always evil, but especially in court.
The second line is like Proverbs 4:17. This line means that the evil man loves his evil behavior. An evil man always wants to do more evil things.
The man who lies, in verse 28, insults the law itself. He deserves his punishment.
Fools hate wisdom, and love to do evil things. Like the man that lies, fools also deserve severe punishments.
The punishments are ready. Sometimes evil people avoid punishment in this world. But they cannot escape from God. So they must change their lives before it is too late. They must ask God to forgive them. They must do this without delay - because the punishments are ready.
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