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Selected Verse: Proverbs 17:11 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Pr 17:11	Strong Concordance	An evil [07451] man seeketh [01245] only rebellion [04805]: therefore a cruel [0394] messenger [04397] shall be sent [07971] against him.
	King James	An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Such meet just retribution (Kg1 2:25). a cruel messenger--one to inflict it.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Such meet just retribution (Kg1 2:25).

a cruel messenger--one to inflict it.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
The proverb expresses the reverence of the East for the supreme authority of the king. The "cruel messenger" is probably the king's officer despatched to subdue and punish. The Septuagint renders it: "The Lord will send a pitiless Angel."

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
Five proverbs of dangerous men against whom one has to be on his guard: 11 The rebellious seeketh only after evil, And a cruel messenger is sent out against him. It is a question what is subj. and what obj. in 11a. It lies nearest to look on מרי as subj., and this word (from מרה, stringere, to make oneself exacting against any, to oppose, ἀντιτείνειν) is appropriate thereto; it occurs also at Eze 2:7 as abstr. pro concreto. That it is truly subj. appears from this, that בּקּשׁ רע, to seek after evil (cf. Pro 29:10; Kg1 20:7, etc.), is a connection of idea much more natural than בּקּשׁ מרי to seek after rebellion. Thus אך will be logically connected with רע, and the reading אך מרי will be preferred to the reading אך־מרי; אך (corresponding to the Arab. âinnama) belongs to those particles which are placed before the clause, without referring to the immediately following part of the sentence, for they are much more regarded as affecting the whole sentence (vid., Pro 13:10): the rebellious strives after nothing but only evil. Thus, as neut. obj. רע is rendered by the Syr., Targ., Venet., and Luther; on the contrary, the older Greek translators and Jerome regard רע as the personal subject. If now, in reference to rebellion, the discourse is of a מלאך אכזרי, we are not, with Hitzig, to think of the demon of wild passions unfettered in the person of the rebellious, for that is a style of thought and of expression that is modern, not biblical; but the old unpoetic yet simply true remark remains: Loquendi formula inde petita quod regis aut summi magistratus minister rebelli supplicium nunciat infligitque. מלאך is n. officii, not naturae. Man as a messenger, and the spiritual being as messenger, are both called מלאך. Therefore one may not understand מלאך אכזרי, with the lxx, Jerome, and Luther, directly and exclusively of an angel of punishment. If one thinks of Jahve as the Person against whom the rebellion is made, then the idea of a heavenly messenger lies near, according to Psa 35:5., Psa 78:49; but the proverb is so meant, that it is not the less true if an earthly king sends out against a rebellious multitude a messenger with an unlimited commission, or an officer against a single man dangerous to the state, with strict directions to arrest him at all hazards. אכזרי we had already at Pro 12:10; the root קש חש means, to be dry, hard, without feeling. The fut. does not denote what may be done (Bertheau, Zckler), which is contrary to the parallelism, the order of the words, and the style of the proverb, but what is done. And the relation of the clause is not, as Ewald interprets it, "scarcely does the sedition seek out evil when an inexorable messenger is sent." Although this explanation is held by Ewald as "unimprovable," yet it is incorrect, because אך in this sense demands, e.g., Gen 27:3, the perf. (strengthened by the infin. intensivus). The relation of the clause is, also, not such as Bttcher has interpreted it: a wicked man tries only scorn though a stern messenger is sent against him, but not because such a messenger is called אכזרי, against whom this "trying of scorn" helps nothing, so that it is not worth being spoken of; besides, שׁלּח or משׁלּח would have been used if this relation had been intended. We have in 11a and 11b, as also e.g., at Pro 26:24; Pro 28:1, two clauses standing in internal reciprocal relation, but syntactically simply co-ordinated; the force lies in this, that a messenger who recognises no mitigating circumstances, and offers no pardon, is sent out against such an one.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

Five proverbs of dangerous men against whom one has to be on his guard:

11 The rebellious seeketh only after evil,

And a cruel messenger is sent out against him.

It is a question what is subj. and what obj. in 11a. It lies nearest to look on מרי as subj., and this word (from מרה, stringere, to make oneself exacting against any, to oppose, ἀντιτείνειν) is appropriate thereto; it occurs also at Eze 2:7 as abstr. pro concreto. That it is truly subj. appears from this, that בּקּשׁ רע, to seek after evil (cf. Pro 29:10; Kg1 20:7, etc.), is a connection of idea much more natural than בּקּשׁ מרי to seek after rebellion. Thus אך will be logically connected with רע, and the reading אך מרי will be preferred to the reading אך־מרי; אך (corresponding to the Arab. âinnama) belongs to those particles which are placed before the clause, without referring to the immediately following part of the sentence, for they are much more regarded as affecting the whole sentence (vid., Pro 13:10): the rebellious strives after nothing but only evil. Thus, as neut. obj. רע is rendered by the Syr., Targ., Venet., and Luther; on the contrary, the older Greek translators and Jerome regard רע as the personal subject. If now, in reference to rebellion, the discourse is of a מלאך אכזרי, we are not, with Hitzig, to think of the demon of wild passions unfettered in the person of the rebellious, for that is a style of thought and of expression that is modern, not biblical; but the old unpoetic yet simply true remark remains: Loquendi formula inde petita quod regis aut summi magistratus minister rebelli supplicium nunciat infligitque. מלאך is n. officii, not naturae. Man as a messenger, and the spiritual being as messenger, are both called מלאך. Therefore one may not understand מלאך אכזרי, with the lxx, Jerome, and Luther, directly and exclusively of an angel of punishment. If one thinks of Jahve as the Person against whom the rebellion is made, then the idea of a heavenly messenger lies near, according to Psa 35:5., Psa 78:49; but the proverb is so meant, that it is not the less true if an earthly king sends out against a rebellious multitude a messenger with an unlimited commission, or an officer against a single man dangerous to the state, with strict directions to arrest him at all hazards. אכזרי we had already at Pro 12:10; the root קש חש means, to be dry, hard, without feeling. The fut. does not denote what may be done (Bertheau, Zckler), which is contrary to the parallelism, the order of the words, and the style of the proverb, but what is done. And the relation of the clause is not, as Ewald interprets it, "scarcely does the sedition seek out evil when an inexorable messenger is sent." Although this explanation is held by Ewald as "unimprovable," yet it is incorrect, because אך in this sense demands, e.g., Gen 27:3, the perf. (strengthened by the infin. intensivus). The relation of the clause is, also, not such as Bttcher has interpreted it: a wicked man tries only scorn though a stern messenger is sent against him, but not because such a messenger is called אכזרי, against whom this "trying of scorn" helps nothing, so that it is not worth being spoken of; besides, שׁלּח or משׁלּח would have been used if this relation had been intended. We have in 11a and 11b, as also e.g., at Pro 26:24; Pro 28:1, two clauses standing in internal reciprocal relation, but syntactically simply co-ordinated; the force lies in this, that a messenger who recognises no mitigating circumstances, and offers no pardon, is sent out against such an one.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Rebellion - Against God. Messenger - Or, a cruel angel, the angel of death, the devil, or some bloody men employed by God to avenge his quarrel.

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²⁵ And king [04428] Solomon [08010] sent [07971] by the hand [03027] of Benaiah [01141] the son [01121] of Jehoiada [03077]; and he fell [06293] upon him that he died [04191].

¹ The wicked [07563] flee [05127] when no man pursueth [07291]: but the righteous [06662] are bold [0982] as a lion [03715].

²⁴ He that hateth [08130] dissembleth [05234] with his lips [08193], and layeth up [07896] deceit [04820] within [07130] him;

³ Now therefore take [05375], I pray thee, thy weapons [03627], thy quiver [08522] and thy bow [07198], and go out [03318] to the field [07704], and take [06679] me some venison [06718] [06720];

¹⁰ A righteous [06662] man regardeth [03045] the life [05315] of his beast [0929]: but the tender mercies [07356] of the wicked [07563] are cruel [0394].

⁴⁹ He cast [07971] upon them the fierceness [02740] of his anger [0639], wrath [05678], and indignation [02195], and trouble [06869], by sending [04917] evil [07451] angels [04397] among them.

⁵ Let them be as chaff [04671] before [06440] the wind [07307]: and let the angel [04397] of the LORD [03068] chase [01760] them.

¹⁰ Only by pride [02087] cometh [05414] contention [04683]: but with the well advised [03289] is wisdom [02451].

⁷ Then the king [04428] of Israel [03478] called [07121] all the elders [02205] of the land [0776], and said [0559], Mark [03045], I pray you, and see [07200] how this man seeketh [01245] mischief [07451]: for he sent [07971] unto me for my wives [0802], and for my children [01121], and for my silver [03701], and for my gold [02091]; and I denied [04513] him not.

¹⁰ The bloodthirsty [0582] [01818] hate [08130] the upright [08535]: but the just [03477] seek [01245] his soul [05315].

⁷ And thou shalt speak [01696] my words [01697] unto them, whether they will hear [08085], or whether they will forbear [02308]: for they are most rebellious [04805].