Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_400.lzh/4_497.TXT

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Deut. i. 17. Job xxxiv. 19. nor should Christians in
their communities act such a partial part, Jam. iS.
1-3.
Vet. 24. He that saSth unto the wicked, Thou art
righteous, &c.] Not in a private way, or as giving his
opinion or character of a man that is wicked, whom
either through ignorance or flattery another may call
righteous; which may be done and not resented by
people and nations; but in an open court of judicature
pronounced by the judge, justifying the wicked for re-
ward, and condemning the just, which is an abomina-
tion unto the Lord; see ch. xvii. 15. Isa. v. 23. nor
should the ministers of the Gospel flatter the wicked,
and call them righteous and good mcn, and strengthen
their hands in their wickedness, promising them life
though they continue in their evil ways; tbr though
God justifies the ungodly, man should not; nor does
he justify them in, but from, their ungodiiness; see
Ezek. xiii. 2. Him shall the people curse, nations shali
abhor him; the people of the land shall curse him as
an unjust judge, as a patron of wickedness aunt w,cked
men; as an enemy to justice, and a discourager o[
truth and honesty, and all good men; and even nations
that have not so immediate a concern in the affair, yet
hearing of it shall express their indignation at him and
abhorrence of him.
Vet. 25. But to them that rebuke hhn shall be delight,
&c.] That is, such that rebuke in the gate, or openly,
in a court of judicature; that reprove delinquents,
such as are found guilty of mal-practices, and punish
them as they ought to be, according to the laws of
God and man; they shall have delight in themselves,
peace and pleasure in their own minds; or the people
shall delight in them, and speak well of them, and
think themselves happy under such a just administra-
tion; or the Lord shall delight in them, the beauty or
sweetness of the Lord shall come unto them, as Aben
Ezra explains it; the Lord shall be sweet and delightful
to them, and they shall have pleasure in him. And a
good blessing shall come upon them or a blessing of
good {w}; a blessing of good things, temporal and spiri-
tual, here and hercafter; the blessing of a good God,
and a blessing from him; and n blessing of good men,
as opposed to the curse of the poeple in the preceding
verse.
   Ver. 26. Every man shall hiss his lips that giveth a
tight answer.] Either as a witness tea question put
to him in court, to which he answers andy and up-
rightly; or rather as a judge, who, having heard a
cause, answers and gives his opinion of it faithfuily,
and pronounces a righteous sentence; every one will
love and respect him, and hearken to him and obey
him; both atfection and obediencc are signified by a
kiss; see Psai. iS. 12. Cant. viii. !.
   Vet. 27. Prepare thy work without. &c.] As Solo-
mon did for the building of the temple; timber and
stones were prepared, hewed, squared, and fitted for
the building before brought thither, 1 Kings v. 18. and
vi. 7. or dfiigcntly attend to thy busiuess without
doors, whatever it is, that thou may{st provide for
thyself and family the necessaries and conveniencies
of life, which are in the first place to be sought after.
And make it fit for thyself in the field ; let nothing be
wanting in managing .the affairs of husbandry, in till-
ing the l. and, in ploughing and sowing, and reaping,
and gathering in the increase, that there may be a
                                                  And
sufficiency for the support of the family.              afterwards
build thine house; when, though the blessing of God
upon thy dfiigence and industry, thou art become rich,
or however hast such a competent 'substance as to be
able to build a good house, and furnish it in a hand-
some manner, then do it; but first take care of the
main point, that you have a sufficiency to finish it; see
the advice of Christ, Luke xiv. 28, 29. necessaries are
first to be sought after, before things ornamental and
superfluous; first take care to live, and then, if you
can, build a fine house. Jarchi interprets this of a
man's f, rst getting tields, vineyards, and cattle, some-
thing before-hand in the world, and then take a wife,
when he is able to maintain her, whereby his house
may be built up; see .Ruth iv. 11.
   Ver. e28. Be not a witness against thy neighhour with-
out cause, &c.] Unless forced unto it, except there is
some urgent reason for it; not upon any trivial account,
or in any frivolous matter; never appear forward and
eagerto bear witnessagainst him, and, wheneverobliged
to it, be not a h!sc witness, but speak truth, whether
thy neighhour be a friend or a foe. And deceive not
with thy lips; by bearing a false testimony, the judge,
thy neighbout and thyself'; for though men may be de-
ceived, God cannot: or, shouldest thou do so, thou
wouldcst break and cut him to pieces with thy lips{x};
which is the sense of the words according to R. Judah,
as Ben Melech relates.
   Ver. 29. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done
to me, &c.] He has falsely accused and reproached
me, and bore a false testimony, or suborned false wit-
nesses against me, and I will do the same to him, now
an opportnnity serves; but as private revenge itself is
sinful, so especially when it is pursued in a wicked
way. I will render to the man according to his work:
this should be left to the Lord, whose prerogative it is;
see yet. 19. Rom. xii. 19.
   Ver. so. I went by the field of the slothful,.&c.]
This very probably was a real matter of fact; King
Solomon's way lay at a certain time by the field of a
slothful man, who never went into it himself, there
being a lion in the way; and which he took no care of
to manure and till, to plough and sow, but let it lie
waste and uncultivated; an emblem of a carnal and
worldly professor, and especially an unregenerate man,
neglecting the affairs of his soul, his heart remaining
like the fallow field unopened and unbroken, hard,
obdurate, and impenitent; nothing sown in it, no seed
of grace; nor has the seed of the word any place in it,
but falling on it lies like seed by the way-side, catched
up by every bird. And by the vineyard of the man void
of understanding; as the slothful man is, that takes no
care to plant and dress it, that it may bring forth fruit
to his own profit and advantage; and as every unre-


{w} \^bwj tkrb\^ benedictio boni, Payaus, Mercerus, Cocceius, Ge-
jerus, Michaelis, Schultens; benedictio cujusque boni, Junius & Tre-
mellius, Piscator.
{x} \^Kytpvb tytyphw\^ & ne atteras labiis tuis, Vatablus; & ne com-
minuas eum labiis tuis, Syriac version.