is preferable to the richest and most costly banquets of
wicked men; who are hated and abhorred by the
Lord, for their oppression and injustice, their luxury,
or their covetousness; for poor men may be loved of
God, and the rich be abhorred by him, Psal. x. 4.
Luke xv. 19--c23.
Vet. 18. A wrathful man stirverb up strife, &c.] A
man of a wrathful disposition, of a furious spirit, of an
angry temper; that is under the power and dominion
of such a passion, and indulges it, and takes all oppor-
tunities to gratify it; he stirs up strife and contention
where there was none, or where it was !aid; as a man
stirs up coals of tire and raises a flame; see oh. xxvi.
21. He stirs up strife in families, sets one relation
against another, and the house in an uproar; he stirs up
contentions in neighbourhoods, and sets one friend and
neighbour against another,whence proceed quarrels and
lawsuits: he stirs upstrife inehurches, breaks brotherly
love, and causes animosities and divisions; he stirs up
strife in kingdoms and states, whence come wars and
fightings, confusion, and every evil work. But he that
is stow to anger appeaseth strife: a man of a quiet and
peaceable disposition, possessed of the true grace of
charity; who is not easily provoked, long-suffering,
bears and endures all things; he allays the heat of
anger; he quenches the coals of contention ; he calms
the storm. and makes it quiet, as the word * signifies;
he "mitigates strifes raised," as the Vulgate Latin
version renders it; he composes differences, recon-
ciles the parties at variance, and makes all hush and
still; and so prevents the ill consequences of conten-
tion and strife.
Vet. 19. The way of the slothful man is as an hedge
of thorns, &c.] Or, strewed with thorns, as the Septua-
gint and Arabic versions; the Targum is, "the ways
"of the slothful are briers and thorns." Either really
being made so by his own eonduct; who, by his sloth-
fulness, has implicated and entangled himself in such
difficulties, that he cannot extricate himself; his way
is not passable, at least not very easily; it is as it were
hedged up with thorns; see Hos. ii. 6. or in his own
apprehensions; who raises such difficulties about
doing business, which to him seem unsurmountable; at
least which discourage himfrom attempting it, it being
like breaking through thorns and briers; hence he will
not plough because of the cold, nor go abroad because
there is a lion in the streets, oh. xx. 4. and xxii. 13.
and xxvi. 13. or the way of his duty, especially of virtue
and religion, is as troublesome and disagreeable to him
as breaking through a thorn hedge, or treading upon
briers and thorns; to attend the duties of public
worship, prayer, and hearing the word, is very irksome
to him; to be present at family-worship, at prayer,
and hearing the Scriptures or religious discourses read,
is like sitting npon thorns unto him. This, as Aben
Ezra observes, is to be understood of a wicked man,
as the opposition in the next clause shews. But the
way of the righteous is made plain: it is a cast-up way,
as the word {p} signifies; a causeway, a highway, and
a plain one, in which a truly righteous and good man
finds no difficulty; yea, it is so plain, that men, though
fools in other respects, shall not err therein, Isa. xxxv.
8. nor is it grievous and troublesome, but, on the con-
trary, very delightful, as the ways of Christ and wisdom
are; his commandtnents are not grievous, his yoke is
easy, and his paths pleasant ;and the righteous man
walks at liberty and with pleasure in them; and with-
out offence or stumbling, as the Vulgate Latin version
renders it.
Ver. 20. A wiseson rnaketh a glad father, &c.] See
the note on ch. x. 1. But a .foolish man despiseth his
mother; that bore him and brought him up, and per-
hans was too indulgent to him; which aggravates his
sin and her sorrow; see the note ouch. x. 1. or causes
her to be despised by others, as Jarchi interprets it;
such a man's sin, which is great folly, and shews him to
be a foolish man, is highly resented by the Lord, and
will be severely punished; see ch. xxx. 17. The
Targum is, "a foolish son despises his mother ;" and so
the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, which
makes the antithesis more clear; awl the Hebrew text
designs one grown up to man's estate.
Ver. 21. Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wis-
dom, &c.] Or that wants a heart {q}, a wise and under-
standing one; by folly is meant sin, for all sin is folly;
and that is very pleasing and joyous to a wicked
he chooses it and delights in it; instead of being
ashamed of it, and sorry for it, he glories in it, and
makes his boast of it; and not only takes pleasure in
committing it himself, but also in those that do it; see
ch. x. 23. But a man of understanding walketh up-
rightly; he who has his understanding enlightened by
the Spirit of God; who has an understanding given
him by the Son of God; who has a spiritual and expe-
rimental understanding of the Gospel, and the truths
of it: he walks according to the rule of the divine
word; he walks as he has Christ for an example, and by
faith on him; and after the spirit, and not after the
flesh: or directs himself in walking {r}, his goings, as the
Vulgate Latin version, according to the above rule,
example, and guidance, by.the assistance of the spirit
and grace of God; otherwise it is not in man that
walketh of himself to direct his steps, Jer. x. 23.
Ver. 22. Without counsel purposes are disappointed,
&c.] If a man determines and resolves upon a matter,
and at once hastily and precipitately goes about it,
without mature deliberation, without consulting with
himself, and taking the advice of others in forming a
scheme to bring about his designs, it generally comes
to nothing; see Luke xiv. 28--32. or without a secret{s}
without keeping one; if a man divulges his int'entions',
it is much if they are not frustrated; so the Targum,
"vain are the thoughts (or designs) where there is no
"secret ;" ifa man makes no secret of what he designs

{o} \^jyqvy\^ faciet quiescere, Pagninus, Montanus; sedat, Mercerus,
Michaelis; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus; sedabit,
Schultens.
{p} \^hllo\^ aggestum, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; elevata, Mer-
cerus, Gejerus; strata, Montanus.
{q} \^bl roxl\^ carenti corde, Montanus; ei qui corde deficitur,
Schultens.
{r} \^tkl rvyy\^ diriget seipsum ambulando, Montanus; diriget am-
bulare, vel ad ambulandum, Vatablus; diriget viam suam ad ambu-
landum, Mercerus, Gejerus.
{s} \^dwo Nyab\^ in non secreto, Montanus; cum non sit secretum,
Baynus; quum nullum est arcanum, Schultens; ubi non est secretum,
Cocceius.