Ver. 1. BETTER is a dry morsel, and quietness there-
with, &c.] A small quantity of bread; a broken piece
of bread, as the word "signifies; which has been long
broken off, and become dry {x}; a dry crust of bread; old
bread, as the Arabic version; an old, moul,ly, dry piece
of bread: and the word tised has the signification of de-
struction in it: bread that has lost its taste and virtue;
or, however, a mere piece of bread is meant, without
any thing to eat with it, as Getsore, butter, cheese, or
flesh: this, with quietness and peace among those that
partake of it, peace in the family, in a man's own
mind, especially if he has the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding; this is better than a
house full ofsacrifices with strife; than a house ever so
well furnished with good cheer, or a table ever so
richly spread; or where there is plenty of slain beasts
for food, or for sacrifice, which were usually the best,
and part ofwhich the people had to eat, and at which
times feasts used to be made; but the meaneat food,
with tranquillity and contentment, is preferable to the
richest entertaimnent where there is nothing but strife
and contention among the guests; for, where that is,
there is confusion and every evil work: peace and joy
in the Holy Ghost are better than meats and drinks.
Mr. Dod used to say, "brown bread and the Gospel
"are good fare ;" see ch. xv. 17.
Vet. o.. A wise servant shall have rule over a son that
canseth shame, &c.] That does wicked and shameful
actions: that is slothful, and will not attend to in-
struction or business; that is prodigal, wasteful, and
Itzxurious, and causes shame to his parents, who blush
at his conduct. Now a servant that behaves well and
wisely in a family is observed 'and respected by his
master, and he puts his wicked and extravagant son
under him, makes him a tutor to him, and sets him to
watch ov. er him, and obliges his son to obey his orders.
Jarchi illustrates this in Nebuchadnezzar ruling over
the children of Israel. ,4nd shail have part of the in-
heritance among the brethren; be appointed by his
master's will to a share in his estate among his children,
for his faithful service to him in life, and to encourage
him to take care of his family, his children, and his
affairs, after his death; or through gifts in his !ire-
time shall have what is equal to what his sons have;
or growing rich shall purchase a part of theirs, as
Gussetius {y}: or shall part the inheritance among the
brethren}z}; beinga wise man, his master shall leave him
executor of his will, to divide his substance among his
children, and see that every one have their proper
portion and equal share; but it rather is to be under-
stood of his being a co-heir with them. So the Gen-
tiles, through the will of the Loni, become fellow-
heirs of the same body, and partaken of his promise
in Christ with the Jews, and share in the same inherit-
ance with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their chil-
dren; nay, when the children of the kingdom shall be
shut out; see Ephes. iii. 6. Matt. viii. 11, l2. Jarchi
gives an ancient exposition of it thus, "a proselyte of
"righteousness is better than a wicked native; and
"in time to cotne he shall divide the spoil and the
"inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel, at
"it is said in Ezek. xlvii. 23."
Vet. 3. Thefining-pot is for silver, and the .furnace
..for gold, &c.] Refiners of silver have their fining-
pots, in which they purify the silver from the dross; and
goldsmiths have their crucibles to melt and purify
their gold, by which assays of the worth and value of
!t may be made. But the Lord trieth the hearts; there
is no vessel, as Getsore observes, in which they can be
put and tried by creatures; a man does not know, nor
can he thoroughly search and try his own heart, and
much less the hearts of others; God only knows and
tries them, Jet. xvii. 9, 10. The Septuagint, VUlgate
Latin, and Arabic versions, render it by way of simili-
tude, as thefining-pot is for silver, &c. as silver is re-
fined in the pot, and gold in the furnace, so are the
hearts of God's people, and their graces tried and pu-
rified by him in the furnace of affliction; the variety of
troubles they are exercised with are made useful for
the purging away of the dross of sin and corruption,
and for the brightcuing of their graces, 1 Pet. i. 7.
Ver. 4. A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips, &c.]
A man of an ill spirit, of a mischievous disposition,
that delights in doing wickedness; he carefully at-
tends to such as speak falsehood; he listens to lies
and cainmules, loves to hear ill reports of persons, and
takes pleasure in spreading them to the hurt of
their characters; and men of bad hearts and lives
give heed to seducing spirits, to false teachers, to inch
as speak lies in hypocrisy, who sooth and harden them
in their wickedness. And a liar giveth ear to a naughty
tongue: or, to a tongue of destruction {a}; a culumniating,
backbiting tongue, which destr0ys thegood name andre-
putarSon ofmen; and he that is givento lying is made up of
lying, or is a lie itself, as the word signifies i .who roves
and makes a lie, as antichrist and his followers.; such
an one hearkens diligently to every thing that may de-
tract from the character of those especially he boars
an ill will to: or it may be better rendered, he that
hearkens to a lie gives heed to a naughty tongue {b{; for
a.lying tongue is a naughty one, evil in itself, perni-
cious in its effects and consequences.
Ver. 5. Whoso mockeththe poor reproacheth his Maker,
&c.] He that mocks the poor for his poverty, Upbraids
him with his mean appearance, scoffs at the clothes he
wears or food he eats, such an one reproaches his

{w} \^tp\^ frustum, a \^ttp\^ fegit, Gejerus.
{x} \^hbrx\^ siccum frustum panis, Tigurine version; eibi sicci,
Junius & Tremellius; buccella sicca, V. L. Mercerus, Piscator;
siccae buccellae, Schultens, so Ben Melch.
{y} Ebr. Comment. p. 263.
{z} \^qlxy\^ dividet, Mercerus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Syriac version
and the Targum; partitur, Junius & Tremellius; partietur, Piscator.
{a} \^twh Nwvl le\^ perniciosae linguae, Tigurine version; linguae con-
fractionum calamitatum, injuriarum, Vatablus; ad linguam exilorum,
Michaelis.
{b} So Michaelis.