Proverbs 25

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Proverbs 25

1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

3 The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.

4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

6 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:

7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

9 Debate your cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another:

10 Lest he that hears it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.

11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in vessels of silver.

12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.

14 Whosoever boasts of giving a gift falsely is like clouds and wind without rain.

15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

16 Have you found [pleasure sweet like] honey? Eat only as much as you need, Otherwise, being filled excessively, you vomit it.

17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

20 As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.

21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.

23 The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

24 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.

25 As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

26 A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.

27 It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Notes

[11] From “Guide to the Perplexed”: 'Hear the explanation of what he said: – The word maskiyoth, the Hebrew equivalent for “vessels,” denotes “filigree network” – i.e., things in which there are very small apertures, such as are frequently wrought by silversmiths. They are called in Hebrew maskiyyoth (lit. “transpicuous,” from the verb sakah, “he saw,” a root which occurs also in the Targum of Onkelos, Gen. 26:8), because the eye penetrates through them. Thus Solomon meant to say, “just as apples of gold in silver filigree with small apertures, so is a word fitly spoken.”'

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

<html>These too are Solomon’s proverbs, which…maintained When Hezekiah was appointed king, he returned to expound upon them [Solomon’s proverbs]. Now he placed disciples in every city, as it is stated in chapter “Chelek” (Sanh. 94b): “They searched from Dan to Beersheba and could not find an ignoramus.” maintained Heb. העתיקו they strengthened.</html>

Verse 2

<html>The honor of God is to conceal a matter For instance, the account of the Merkavah and the account of the Creation. whereas the honor of kings is to search out a matter When you expound on the honor of the Sages and on the safeguards that they enacted to the Torah, and on the decrees that they decreed upon them, you should search, seek, and ask the reason for the matter. When you expound on the account of the Merkavah or on the account of the Creation, or on the statutes written in the Torah—like the statutes and things that Satan denounces and refutes, such as eating pork, mingled species in a vineyard, and shaatnes—you should not search, but only conceal [the reason] and say, “It is the King’s decree.”</html>

Verse 3

<html>are unsearchable The height of the heaven and the depth of the earth and the heart of kings are unsearchable, for many judgments come before them, as well as many wars, and they must apply their heart to all of them. And if all tongues would speak, and all hands would write, they would not be able to inscribe the intricacy of political government.</html>

Verse 4

<html>Remove dross from silver Heb. הגו, draw away, as in (II Sam. 20:13): “When he was removed (הגה) from the highway.” Just as the silver vessel does not emerge for the work of the refiner until the copper dross is removed from it, similarly, the community cannot be freed from punishment until they remove the wicked from their midst and execute judgment upon them.</html>

Verse 6

<html>Do not glorify yourself before a king to show your honor and to be proud before one who is greater than you, because it is better that they say to you, “Come up here,” than that you should go without his permission, and they should tell you, “Go down, get out.”</html>

Verse 7

<html>as your eyes have seen that this thing is true.</html>

Verse 8

<html>lest [you will not know] what you will do at its end Lest you come to a situation that you will not know what to do at its end.</html>

Verse 9

<html>Have your quarrel with your friend But if, perforce, you must quarrel and debate with your friend, in any event, do not divulge another’s secret Do not mention to him the disgrace of his ancestors, which not everyone knows, and you are revealing it.</html>

Verse 10

<html>lest one who hears embarrass you Heb. יחסדך (Josh. 5:9) “The reproach of the Egyptians” is rendered: חסודא דמצראי. Lest one who hears embarrass you, and they will call you a slanderer.</html>

Verse 11

<html>golden apples Like knobs depicted on silverplated vessels. silverplated vessels Heb. משכיות כסף, vessels plated with silver, as in (Ex. 33:22): “and I will cover (ושכתי) you with My hand.” a word spoken with proper basis Heb. אפניו, on its basis. An example of it is (Ps. 88:16): “I bear your terrors, it is settled (אפונה) [in my heart],” based and settled within me. This is not from the root of (Isa. 28: 27f): אפן and גלגל, wheel, for, were it so, it would be vowelized with a “pattach” under the “fe” as in (Ezek. 1:16) “האופנים the wheels.” The vowelization of the short kamatz is inappropriate for it.</html>

Verse 12

<html>Like a golden earring and jewelry of finest gold A collection of golden jewelry, as in (Hos. 2: 15): “and adorned herself with her earrings and her jewelry (וחליתה),” and like (Song 7:3): “jewels (חלאים).” finest gold Heb. כתם an expression of a golden ornament, and likewise (Song 5:11): “His head is as a jewel (כתם) of the finest gold.”</html>

Verse 13

<html>Like the cold of snow Like the cold of the days of snow (winter), for which a person longs at harvest, but not actual snow, because snow is not beneficial during harvest.</html>

Verse 14

<html>Clouds and wind, etc. When there is a false hope—when the heavens thicken with clouds and the wind blows—people hope that it will rain. Now if it does not rain, they are troubled and their eyes languish. So is a man who boasts, saying, “So much and so much charity I will give to the collector,” but he lies, and the eyes of the poor languish for his gift, but it does not come.</html>

Verse 15

<html>The Ruler is won over with slowness to anger As long as the Holy One, blessed be He, holds back His anger and does not requite, the sinners will apply their hearts to win Him over with repentance and prayer. and a gentle tongue with prayer and supplications. will break a bone Heb. גרם a bone, the severity of the decree.</html>

Verse 16

<html>If you have found honey, etc….</html>

Verse 17

<html>Visit your neighbor sparingly Just as, if you find honey, and it is sweet to your palate, you must not eat [too much] of it lest you become sated with it and vomit it, so should you visit your neighbor sparingly, although he is from your midst [of your kin], refrain from going there daily lest he become sated with you and hate you. [Bracketed words appear in Salonica edition only.] According to its homiletic interpretation, do not accustom yourself to sin inadvertently and to constantly bring sin- offerings and guilt-offerings to the house of the Lord, Who is called a friend to Israel, as it is written (Song 5:16): “This is my beloved and this is my friend.”</html>

Verse 18

<html>like a club, a sword Names of weapons.</html>

Verse 19

<html>a broken tooth Heb. רעה, broken. unsteady Heb. מועדת, as in (Ps. 18:37): “and my ankles have not slipped (מעדו).” trust in a traitor He disappoints him on the day of his trouble like a broken tooth and an unsteady [foot].</html>

Verse 20

<html>A worn-out garment on a cold day Heb. מעדה בגד, synonymous with (Isa. 64:5): “בגד עדים, a discarded garment,” a worn-out garment that is fit to be taken off since it is worn out, as we translate into Aramaic “ויסר” (Ex. 7:24) as ויעדי, and He shall remove. Now this is its interpretation: A worn-out garment on a cold day is like vinegar on chalk. chalk Heb. נתר, a kind of soft earth, like our earth that is called creide, which they would hew and make vessels therefrom, and if vinegar falls on it, [the earth] is dissolved and ruined. So… is one who sings songs to a broken heart [lit. on a bad heart. This one] resembles them both. Now what is one who sings songs? This is one who teaches the Torah to a wicked student, who has no intention in his heart to fulfill it.</html>

Verse 21

<html>If your enemy is hungry [to be explained] according to its apparent meaning. Our Rabbis, however, explained it as referring to the evil inclination. If he is hungry and tells you to sate him with sins, draw yourself into the study hall and feed him the bread of Torah, and likewise, give him the water of Torah to drink.</html>

Verse 22

<html>for…coals they are to him, that you are scooping from the fire to heap upon his head. scooping Heb. חותה. Any scooping of coals from a fire is called חותה, as it is stated (Isa. 30:14): “to scoop (לחתות) fire from a hearth.” will reward you Heb. ישלם לך, will cause him to make peace with you, that he should not overpower you.</html>

Verse 23

<html>As the north wind begets rain It begets and creates the rain. an angry countenance A backbiting tongue begets [an angry countenance]. Slander causes the countenance of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be angry, and this is the comparison [of the interpretation] of the verse. [The bracketed words do not appear in the Salonica edition, which seems more correct than our edition.] The north wind is accustomed to beget rain and a backbiting tongue is accustomed to [beget] an angry countenance.</html>

Verse 24

<html>It is better to sit on the corner of a roof This is stated concerning the withdrawal of the Shechinah. than a quarrelsome wife The nation of lsrael, who dealt wickedly and provoked the Holy One, blessed be He. and a house of companionship A house in which they associated idolatry with the Shechinah.</html>

Verse 25

<html>to a faint soul It [cold water] is accustomed to revive a faint soul. so is good news That too is equal to it, and so was it with Jacob (Gen. 45:27): “And the spirit of Jacob their father was revived.”</html>

Verse 26

<html>a muddied spring Muddied by the feet. A righteous man slipping before a wicked man When a righteous man slips before a wicked man and is afraid to reprove him for his way to his face, the matter is hateful like a muddied spring and a ruined fountain.</html>

Verse 27

<html>Eating honey To eat honey to excess. The topic symbolizes one who expounds on the account of the Merkavah and the account of the Creation to the public; the ignoramuses will ridicule the words and ask what is above and what is below. but fathoming their honor is honor But when is fathoming appropriate? In the words of the Sages, whose honor is honor: We may ask why they decreed such and such a decree, and why they enacted a safeguard in each decree.</html>

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Table of Contents

Proverbs 25

Proverbs 25

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 22

Verse 23

Verse 24

Verse 25

Verse 26

Verse 27