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Selected Verse: Proverbs 23:26 - Strong Concordance
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Pr 23:26 |
Strong Concordance |
My son [01121], give [05414] me thine heart [03820], and let thine eyes [05869] observe [07521] [05341] my ways [01870]. |
| |
King James |
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
A solemn warning against whoredom and drunkenness (Hos 4:11).
give me--This is the address of that divine wisdom so often presented (Pro 8:1; Pro 9:3, &c.).
heart--confidence.
observe--keep.
my ways--such as I teach you (Pro 3:17; Pro 9:6). |
| Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
This hexastich warns against unchastity. What, in chap. 1-9, extended discourses and representations exhibited to the youth is here repeated in miniature pictures. It is the teacher of wisdom, but by him Wisdom herself, who speaks:
26 Give me, my son, thine heart;
And let thine eyes delight in my ways.
27 For the harlot is a deep ditch,
And the strange woman a narrow pit.
28 Yea, she lieth in wait like a robber,
And multiplieth the faithless among men
We have retained Luther's beautiful rendering of Pro 23:26,
(Note: The right punctuation of 26a is תּנה־בני לבּך, as it is found in the editions: Ven. 1615; Basel 1619; and in those of Norzi and Michaelis.)
in which this proverb, as a warning word of heavenly wisdom and of divine love, has become dear to us. It follows, as Symmachus and the Venet., the Chethı̂b תּרצנה (for תרצינה, like Exo 2:16; Job 5:12), the stylistic appropriateness of which proceeds from Pro 16:7, as on the other hand the Kerı̂ תּצּרנה (cf. Sa1 14:27) is supported by Pro 22:12, cf. Pro 5:2. But the correction is unnecessary, and the Chethı̂b sounds more affectionate, hence it is with right defended by Hitzig. The ways of wisdom are ways of correction, and particularly of chastity, thus placed over against "the ways of the harlot," Pro 7:24. Accordingly the exhortation, Pro 23:26, verifies itself; warning, by Pro 23:27, cf. Pro 22:14, where עמקּה was written, here as at Job 12:22, with the long vowel עמוּקה (עמקה). בּאר צרה interchanges with שׁוּחה עמוקה, and means, not the fountain of sorrow (Lwenstein), but the narrow pit. בּאר is fem. gen., Pro 26:21., and צר means narrow, like troit (old French, estreit), from strictus. The figure has, after Pro 22:14, the mouth of the harlot in view. Whoever is enticed by her syren voice falls into a deep ditch, into a pit with a narrow mouth, into which one can more easily enter than escape from. Pro 23:28 says that it is the artifice of the harlot which draws a man into such depth of wickedness and guilt. With אף, which, as at Jdg 5:29, belongs not to היא but to the whole sentence, the picture of terror is completed. The verb חתף (whence Arab. ḥataf, death, natural death) means to snatch away. If we take חתף as abstr.: a snatching away, then it would here stand elliptically for חתף (בּעל) אישׁ, which in itself is improbable (vid., Pro 7:22, עכס) and also unnecessary, since, as מלך, עבד, הלך, etc. show, such abstracta can pass immediately into concreta, so that חתף thus means the person who snatches away, i.e., the street robber, latro (cf. חטף .fc(, Arab. khaṭaf, Psa 10:9, rightly explained by Kimchi as cogn.). In 28b, תוסיף cannot mean abripit (as lxx, Theodotion, and Jerome suppose), for which the word תּספּה (תּאסף) would have been used.
(Note: The Targ. translates 28b (here free from the influence of the Peshito) in the Syro-Palestinian idiom by וצאד אבניּא שׁברי, i.e., she seizes thoughtless sons.)
But this verbal idea does not harmonize with the connection; תוסיף means, as always, addit (auget), and that here in the sense of multiplicat. The same thing may be said of בּוגדים as is said (Pro 11:15) of תּוקעים. Hitzig's objection, "הוסיף, to multiply, with the accusative of the person, is not at all used," is set aside by Pro 19:4. But we may translate: the faithless, or: the breach of faith she increases. Yet it always remains a question whether בּאדם is dependent on בוגדים, as Ecc 8:9, cf. Sa2 23:3, on the verb of ruling (Hitzig), or whether, as frequently בּאדם, e.g., Psa 78:60, it means inter homines (thus most interpreters). Uncleanness leads to faithlessness of manifold kinds: it makes not only the husband unfaithful to his wife, but also the son to his parents, the scholar to his teacher and pastor, the servant (cf. the case of Potiphar's wife) to his master. The adulteress, inasmuch as she entices now one and now another into her net, increases the number of those who are faithless towards men. But are they not, above all, faithless towards God? We are of opinion that not בוגדים, but תוסיף, has its complement in באדם, and needs it: the adulteress increases the faithless among men, she makes faithlessness of manifold kinds common in human society. According to this, also, it is accentuated; ובוגדים is placed as object by Mugrasch, and באדם is connected by Mercha with תוסיף. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Give me - Solomon here speaks in God's name. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
My son, give me thine heart - This is the speech of God to every human soul; give thy affections to God, so as to love him with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And let thine eyes observe my ways - Be obedient to me in all things. My son, thou believest that I Am, and that I Am the Fountain of all good. Give me thy heart; it is I alone who can make thee happy. Observe my ways - follow me; do what is right in my sight. This exhortation contains three words: Believe, Love, Obey! This is the sum of God's counsels to every child of man. |
6 Forsake [05800] the foolish [06612], and live [02421]; and go [0833] in the way [01870] of understanding [0998].
17 Her ways [01870] are ways [01870] of pleasantness [05278], and all her paths [05410] are peace [07965].
3 She hath sent forth [07971] her maidens [05291]: she crieth [07121] upon [01610] the highest places [04791] of the city [07176],
1 Doth not wisdom [02451] cry [07121]? and understanding [08394] put forth [05414] her voice [06963]?
11 Whoredom [02184] and wine [03196] and new wine [08492] take away [03947] the heart [03820].
60 So that he forsook [05203] the tabernacle [04908] of Shiloh [07887], the tent [0168] which he placed [07931] among men [0120];
3 The God [0430] of Israel [03478] said [0559], the Rock [06697] of Israel [03478] spake [01696] to me, He that ruleth [04910] over men [0120] must be just [06662], ruling [04910] in the fear [03374] of God [0430].
9 All this have I seen [07200], and applied [05414] my heart [03820] unto every work [04639] that is done [06213] under the sun [08121]: there is a time [06256] wherein one man [0120] ruleth [07980] over another to his own hurt [07451].
4 Wealth [01952] maketh [03254] many [07227] friends [07453]; but the poor [01800] is separated [06504] from his neighbour [07453].
15 He that is surety [06148] for a stranger [02114] shall smart [07321] [07451] for it: and he that hateth [08130] suretiship [08628] is sure [0982].
9 He lieth in wait [0693] secretly [04565] as a lion [0738] in his den [05520]: he lieth in wait [0693] to catch [02414] the poor [06041]: he doth catch [02414] the poor [06041], when he draweth [04900] him into his net [07568].
22 He goeth [01980] after [0310] her straightway [06597], as an ox [07794] goeth [0935] to the slaughter [02874], or as a fool [0191] to the correction [04148] of the stocks [05914];
29 Her wise [02450] ladies [08282] answered [06030] her, yea, she returned [07725] answer [0561] to herself,
28 She also lieth in wait [0693] as for a prey [02863], and increaseth [03254] the transgressors [0898] among men [0120].
14 The mouth [06310] of strange women [02114] is a deep [06013] pit [07745]: he that is abhorred [02194] of the LORD [03068] shall fall [05307] therein.
21 As coals [06352] are to burning coals [01513], and wood [06086] to fire [0784]; so is a contentious [04079] [04066] man [0376] to kindle [02787] strife [07379].
22 He discovereth [01540] deep things [06013] out of darkness [02822], and bringeth out [03318] to light [0216] the shadow of death [06757].
14 The mouth [06310] of strange women [02114] is a deep [06013] pit [07745]: he that is abhorred [02194] of the LORD [03068] shall fall [05307] therein.
27 For a whore [02181] is a deep [06013] ditch [07745]; and a strange woman [05237] is a narrow [06862] pit [0875].
26 My son [01121], give [05414] me thine heart [03820], and let thine eyes [05869] observe [07521] [05341] my ways [01870].
24 Hearken [08085] unto me now therefore, O ye children [01121], and attend [07181] to the words [0561] of my mouth [06310].
2 That thou mayest regard [08104] discretion [04209], and that thy lips [08193] may keep [05341] knowledge [01847].
12 The eyes [05869] of the LORD [03068] preserve [05341] knowledge [01847], and he overthroweth [05557] the words [01697] of the transgressor [0898].
27 But Jonathan [03129] heard [08085] not when his father [01] charged [07650] the people [05971] with the oath [07650]: wherefore he put forth [07971] the end [07097] of the rod [04294] that was in his hand [03027], and dipped [02881] it in an honeycomb [03295] [01706], and put [07725] his hand [03027] to his mouth [06310]; and his eyes [05869] were enlightened [0215].
7 When a man's [0376] ways [01870] please [07521] the LORD [03068], he maketh even his enemies [0341] to be at peace [07999] with him.
12 He disappointeth [06565] the devices [04284] of the crafty [06175], so that their hands [03027] cannot perform [06213] their enterprise [08454].
16 Now the priest [03548] of Midian [04080] had seven [07651] daughters [01323]: and they came [0935] and drew [01802] water, and filled [04390] the troughs [07298] to water [08248] their father's [01] flock [06629].
26 My son [01121], give [05414] me thine heart [03820], and let thine eyes [05869] observe [07521] [05341] my ways [01870].