Teks -- Proverbs 11:1-12 (NET)

11:1 The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but an accurate weight is his elight. 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the unfaithful destroys them. 11:4 Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from mortal danger. 11:5 The righteousness of the blameless will make straight their way, but the wicked person will fall by his own wickedness. 11:6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the faithless will be captured by their own desires. 11:7 When a wicked person dies, his expectation perishes, and the hope of his strength perishes. 11:8 The righteous person is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked turns up in his stead. 11:9 With his speech the godless person destroys his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous will be delivered. 11:10 When the righteous do well, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there is joy. 11:11 A city is exalted by the blessing provided from the upright, but it is destroyed by the counsel of the wicked. 11:12 The one who denounces his neighbor lacks wisdom, but the one who has discernment keeps silent.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: Pro 11:1 - A false balance

The use of all false weights and measures in commerce.

Wesley: Pro 11:8 - Cometh

Into trouble.

Wesley: Pro 11:9 - Delivered

From the infection of the hypocrite's evil counsel.

Wesley: Pro 11:11 - The blessing

Wherewith they bless the city, by their sincere prayers, and wise and wholesome counsels.

Wesley: Pro 11:11 - The mouth

By their curses, and oaths, and blasphemies, and wicked counsels.

Wesley: Pro 11:12 - Despiseth

Which he shews by contemptuous or reproachful expressions.

Wesley: Pro 11:12 - Holdeth peace

Forbears all such expressions, and silently and patiently bears those reproaches.

JFB: Pro 11:1

(Pro. 11:1-31)

(Compare Margin). The Hebrews used stones for weights.

JFB: Pro 11:1 - just

Complete in measure.

JFB: Pro 11:2

Self-conceit is unteachable; the humble grow wise (compare Pro 16:18; Pro 18:12).

JFB: Pro 11:3 - guide

To lead, as a shepherd (Pro 6:7; Psa 78:52).

JFB: Pro 11:3 - perverseness

Ill-nature.

JFB: Pro 11:3 - destroy

With violence.

JFB: Pro 11:4

(Compare Pro 10:2).

JFB: Pro 11:4 - wrath

That is, of God.

JFB: Pro 11:5 - direct

Or, "make plain"; wicked ways are not plain (Pro 13:17).

JFB: Pro 11:6 - deliver them

That is, from evil, which the wicked suffer by their own doings (Pro 5:22; Psa 9:16).

JFB: Pro 11:7 - expectation . . . perish

For death cuts short all his plans (Luk 16:25).

JFB: Pro 11:7 - hope of unjust

Better, "hope of wealth," or "power" (compare Isa 40:29, Hebrew). This gives an advance on the sentiment of the first clause. Even hopes of gain die with him.

JFB: Pro 11:8

Perhaps the trouble prepared by the wicked, and which he inherits (compare Pro 11:6).

JFB: Pro 11:9

(Compare Psa 35:16; Dan 11:32). The just is saved by superior discernment.

JFB: Pro 11:10-11

The last may be a reason for the first. Together, they set forth the relative moral worth of good and bad men.

JFB: Pro 11:11 - By the blessing

Implying active benevolence.

JFB: Pro 11:12 - despiseth

Or, "reviles," a course contrasted with the prudent silence of the wise.

JFB: Pro 11:12 - holdeth his peace

As if neither hearing nor telling.

Clarke: Pro 11:1 - A false balance is abomination

A false balance is abomination - This refers to the balance itself deceitfully constructed, so that it is sooner turned at one end than at the other. This is occasioned by one end of the beam being longer than the other

Clarke: Pro 11:1 - But a just weight

But a just weight - אבן שלמה eben shelemah , the perfect stone probably because weights were first made of stone; see the law, Deu 25:13-16 (note).

Clarke: Pro 11:2 - When pride cometh

When pride cometh - The proud man thinks much more of himself than any other can do; and, expecting to be treated according to his own supposed worth, which treatment he seldom meets with, he is repeatedly mortified, ashamed, confounded, and rendered indignant

Clarke: Pro 11:2 - With the lowly

With the lowly - צנועים tsenuim , ταπεινων, the humble, the modest, as opposed to the proud, referred to in the first clause. The humble man looks for nothing but justice; has the meanest opinion of himself; expects nothing in the way of commendation or praise; and can never be disappointed but in receiving praise, which he neither expects nor desires.

Clarke: Pro 11:4 - Riches profit not in the day of wrath

Riches profit not in the day of wrath - Among men they can do all things; but they cannot purchase the remission of sins, nor turn aside the wrath of God when that is poured out upon the opulent transgressor.

Clarke: Pro 11:7 - When a wicked man dieth

When a wicked man dieth - Hope is a great blessing to man in his present state of trial and suffering; because it leads him to expect a favorable termination of his ills. But hope was not made for the wicked; and yet they are the very persons that most abound in it! They hope to be saved, and get at last to the kingdom of God; though they have their face towards perdition, and refuse to turn. But their hope goes no farther than the grave. There the wicked man’ s expectation is cut off, and his hope perishes. But to the saint, the penitent, and the cross-bearers in general, what a treasure is hope! What a balm through life!

Clarke: Pro 11:8 - The wicked cometh in his stead

The wicked cometh in his stead - Often God makes this distinction; in public calamities and in sudden accidents he rescues the righteous, and leaves the wicked, who has filled up the measure of his iniquities, to be seized by the hand of death. Justice, then, does its own work; for mercy has been rejected.

Clarke: Pro 11:9 - A hypocrite with his mouth

A hypocrite with his mouth - חנף chaneph might be better translated infidel than hypocrite. The latter is one that pretends to religion; that uses it for secular purposes. The former is one who disbelieves Divine revelation, and accordingly is polluted, and lives in pollution. This is properly the force of the original word. Such persons deal in calumny and lies, and often thus destroy the character of their neighbor. Besides, they are very zealous in propagating their own infidel notions; and thus, by this means, destroy their neighbor; but the experimental knowledge which the just have of God and his salvation prevents them from being ensnared.

Clarke: Pro 11:10 - When it goeth well

When it goeth well - An upright, pious, sensible man is a great blessing to the neighborhood where he resides, by his example, his advice, and his prayers. The considerate prize him on these accounts, and rejoice in his prosperity. But when the wicked perish, who has been a general curse by the contagion of his example and conversation, there is not only no regret expressed for his decease, but a general joy because God has removed him.

Clarke: Pro 11:12 - He that is void of wisdom

He that is void of wisdom - A foolish man is generally abundant in his censures; he dwells on the defects of his neighbor, and is sure to bring them into the most prominent view. But a man of understanding - a prudent, sensible man, hides those defects wherever he can, and puts the most charitable construction on those which he cannot conceal.

TSK: Pro 11:1 - A false balance is // a just weight

A false balance is : Heb. Balances of deceit, are, Pro 16:11, Pro 20:10, Pro 20:23; Lev 19:35, Lev 19:36; Deu 25:13-16; Hos 12:7; Amo 8:5, Amo 8:6; Mic 6:10, Mic 6:11

a just weight : Heb. a perfect stone, Pro 16:11; Eze 45:10-12

TSK: Pro 11:2 - pride // but

pride : Pro 3:34, Pro 3:35, Pro 16:18, Pro 16:19; Dan 4:30-32; Luk 14:8-11, Luk 18:14

but : Pro 15:33; 1Co 8:1, 1Co 8:2

TSK: Pro 11:3 - The integrity // the perverseness

The integrity : Pro 11:5, Pro 13:6; Psa 25:21, Psa 26:1; Joh 7:17

the perverseness : Pro 21:7, Pro 28:18; Ecc 7:17; Isa 1:28

TSK: Pro 11:4 - Riches // but

Riches : Pro 10:2; Job 36:18, Job 36:19; Psa 49:6-8; Eze 7:19; Zep 1:18; Mat 16:26; Luk 12:20

but : Pro 12:28; Gen 7:1; Rom 5:17; 1Ti 4:8

TSK: Pro 11:5 - direct

direct : Heb. rectify, Pro 11:3, Pro 1:31, Pro 1:32, Pro 5:22; 2Sa 17:23; Est 7:3-10; Psa 9:15, Psa 9:16; Mat 27:4, Mat 27:5

TSK: Pro 11:6 - righteousness // but

righteousness : Gen 30:33, Gen 31:37; 1Sa 12:3, 1Sa 12:4

but : Pro 5:22; 1Ki 2:32, 1Ki 2:33, 1Ki 2:44; Psa 7:16; Ecc 10:8

TSK: Pro 11:7

Pro 10:28, Pro 14:32; Exo 15:9, Exo 15:10; Job 8:13, Job 8:14, Job 11:20; Psa 146:4; Eze 28:9; Luk 12:19, Luk 12:20

TSK: Pro 11:8

Pro 21:18; Est 7:9, Est 7:10; Isa 43:3, Isa 43:4; Dan 6:23, Dan 6:24

TSK: Pro 11:9 - An hypocrite // through

An hypocrite : Or rather, as chanaiph properly signifies, a wicked, profligate person, an infidel. 1Ki 13:18-22, 1Ki 22:6, 1Ki 22:20-23; Job 8:13, Job 34:30; Psa 55:12, Psa 55:20, Psa 55:21; Mat 7:15; Mat 15:5-14; Act 20:30; 2Co 11:13-15; 2Th 2:8-10; 1Ti 4:1-3; 2Pe 2:1-3

through : Pro 2:10-16, Pro 4:5, Pro 4:6, Pro 6:23, Pro 6:24; Mar 13:14, Mar 13:22, Mar 13:23; Eph 4:13, Eph 4:14; 2Pe 3:16-18; 1Jo 2:21, 1Jo 2:27

TSK: Pro 11:10 - it goeth // when

it goeth : Pro 28:12, Pro 28:28; Est 8:15, Est 8:16

when : Exo 15:21; Jdg 5:31; Job 27:23; Psa 58:10, Psa 58:11; Rev 19:1-7

TSK: Pro 11:11 - the blessing // it

the blessing : Pro 14:34, Pro 29:8; Gen 41:38-42, Gen 45:8; 2Ch 32:20-22; Job 22:30; Ecc 9:15

it : 2Sa 20:1; Est 3:8-15, 9:1-16; Jam 3:6

TSK: Pro 11:12 - that // void of wisdom // a man

that : Jdg 9:27-29, Jdg 9:38; Neh 4:2-4; Psa 123:3, Psa 123:4; Luk 16:14, Luk 18:9; Joh 7:48-52

void of wisdom : Heb. destitute of heart

a man : Pro 10:19; 1Sa 10:27; 2Ki 18:36; 1Pe 2:23

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Pro 11:1 - A false balance // is abomination // To the Lord

A false balance the use of all false weights and measures in commerce,

is abomination i.e. highly abominable, as the abstract signifies; which is opposed to the false opinion of men, who account it a fineness of wit, or, at worst, but a trivial fault.

To the Lord partly because this wickedness is acted under a colour of justice; and partly because it is destructive to human society, and especially to the poor, whose patron the Lord owneth himself to be.

Poole: Pro 11:2 - When pride cometh, then cometh shame // With the lowly is wisdom

When pride cometh, then cometh shame pride, as it is the effect of folly, so it bringeth a man to contempt and destruction, such persons being commonly hated both by God and by all men.

With the lowly is wisdom whereby they are kept from those foolish and wicked actions which expose men to shame.

Poole: Pro 11:3 - The integrity of the upright // The perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them

The integrity of the upright their sincere obedience to God’ s laws,

shall guide them shall keep them from crooked and dangerous courses, and lead them in a right and safe way.

The perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them those wicked devices by which they design and expect to secure themselves, shall be the instrument of their destruction.

Poole: Pro 11:4 - In the day of wrath // Righteousness // Delivereth from death

In the day of wrath in the time of God’ s judgments, when he is executing wrath and vengeance upon sinners.

Righteousness or mercy , as this word is oft rendered; or charity to the poor, which is fitly opposed to riches laid up in store.

Delivereth from death it moveth God to deliver them ofttimes from temporal calamities, and always from eternal death, where such actions are done from a right principle.

Poole: Pro 11:5 - Shall direct his way

Shall direct his way shall bring all his designs and endeavours to a happy issue, by comparing this clause with the next.

Poole: Pro 11:6 - Shall deliver them

Shall deliver them from many snares and dangers.

Poole: Pro 11:7 - His expectation shall perish // The hope of unjust men

His expectation shall perish all his hope and felicity, which he placed wholly in earthly things, is lost and gone with him.

The hope of unjust men so it is a repetition of the same thing in other words. Or, as divers render it, the hope of their strengths , i.e. which they place in their carnal strengths, their riches, children, friends, &c. So this is added by way of aggravation.

Poole: Pro 11:8

Is by God’ s providence brought into the same miseries, which either he designed against the righteous, or had formerly inflicted upon the righteous, and now lately removed from them.

Poole: Pro 11:9 - With his mouth // Through knowledge // Be delivered

With his mouth by his corrupt communication, whereby he endeavours to draw him to error or wickedness.

Through knowledge to wit, of God, and of his word, which makes men wise, and discovers, and so prevents, the frauds of deceivers.

Be delivered from the infection of the hypocrite’ s evil and crafty counsel.

Poole: Pro 11:10 - When it goeth well with the righteous // There is shouting

When it goeth well with the righteous when such men are encouraged and advanced into places of power and trust, the city rejoiceth; the citizens or subjects of that government rejoice, because they confidently expect justice and tranquillity, and many other benefits, by their administration of public affairs.

There is shouting a common rejoicing, partly for the just vengeance of God upon them who have been the instruments of so much mischief; and partly for their deliverance from such public grievances and burdens of the land.

Poole: Pro 11:11 - By the blessing of the upright // By the mouth of the wicked

By the blessing of the upright where with they bless the city, to wit, by their sincere prayers, and wise and wholesome counsels.

By the mouth of the wicked by their curses, and oaths, and blasphemies, and wicked and pernicious counsels, whereby they both provoke God, and mislead men to their own ruin.

Poole: Pro 11:12 - Despiseth his neighbour // Holdeth his peace

Despiseth his neighbour which contempt he showeth, either,

1. By contemptuous or reproachful expressions of him; or,

2. By not asking or not regarding his advice, but trusting wholly to his own understanding.

Holdeth his peace either,

1. He forbeareth all such expressions against his neighbour. Or,

2. He silently and patiently bears these reproaches from his neighbour, and doth not render one reproach for another; wherein he showeth true wisdom. Or,

3. He desireth and hearkeneth to the counsels of others. Any of these ways the opposition is sufficiently evident.

Haydock: Pro 11:1 - Life

Life. Producing excellent fruits of virtue and edification.

Haydock: Pro 11:1 - Balance

Balance. Both in commerce, (Deuteronomy xxv. 13.; Calmet) and in passing sentence on others. (Ven. Bede)

Haydock: Pro 11:2 - Wisdom

Wisdom. God resists the proud, chap. xvi. 18., and xviii. 12., and James iv. 6.

Haydock: Pro 11:7

So licitous. Or ambitious. Hebrew, "the potent," or Septuagint, "the impious."

Haydock: Pro 11:8 - For him

For him. As comparatively nothing worth to his master, chap. xxi. 18., and Isaias xliii. 3

Haydock: Pro 11:11 - Overthrown

Overthrown. Ten just men would have saved Sodom. Achan alone threw all Israel into confusion. (Calmet)

Haydock: Pro 11:12 - Mean

Mean. Literally, "indigent" of sense. (Haydock) ---

We must put up with some faults, as none are without. (Horace i. Sat. 3.) (Calmet)

Gill: Pro 11:1 - A false balance is abomination to the Lord // but a just weight is his delight

A false balance is abomination to the Lord,.... Under which are included all false weights and measures, and all fraudulent practices in commerce and dealing; which are forbidden by the Lord, and are abominable to him, as being injurious to the estates and properties of men: and more especially must be abominable in professors of religion, as being contrary to the grace of God; for though there may be common honesty where there is not the grace of God, yet there cannot be the true grace of God where there is not honesty; for the grace of God teaches to deny all such worldly lusts;

but a just weight is his delight; or a "perfect stone" ^c; the ancient practice being to make use of stones for weights; Now to give just weight, and also just measure, and to do justly in all civil dealings with men, is what God requires, and is well pleasing in his sight ^d; see Lev 19:35. This may be understood of balances and weights in religious affairs; the balance of the sanctuary is the word of God, with which all doctrines are to be weighed, and, if found wanting, they are to be rejected; this is agreeable to the will of God: false balances are abominable to him; such as carnal reason, vain philosophy, and the traditions of men, used by antichrist and his followers; the harlot, described in some preceding chapters, opposed to Wisdom or Christ, who directs to the search of the Scriptures, and the use of them to try doctrines by, Joh 5:39; see Act 17:11.

Gill: Pro 11:2 - When pride cometh, then cometh shame // but with the lowly is wisdom

When pride cometh, then cometh shame,.... The one follows the other, or rather keep pace together; as soon as one comes, the other comes; as in the case of the angels that sinned, Adam and Eve, Haman, Nebuchadnezzar, and others; and will be the case of the Romish antichrist, who, while vaunting and priding himself in his glory and grandeur, will fall into shame, disgrace, and destruction, Rev 18:7;

but with the lowly is wisdom; or wisdom shall come, as Jarchi: the consequence of which is honour and glory; as with Christ, who is meek and lowly, are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; so with his humble followers, who reckon themselves the least of saints, and chief of sinners, and own that it is by the grace of God they are what they are, is true wisdom; they are wise unto salvation, and in the way to honour and glory; such humble souls shall be exalted, Luk 14:11.

Gill: Pro 11:3 - The integrity of the upright shall guide them // but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them

The integrity of the upright shall guide them,.... The Spirit of God is the best guide of an upright man; he leads into all truth, and unto the land of uprightness, and continues to be a guide, even unto death; and it is right to walk after him, and not after the flesh: and besides him, the upright man has the word of God as a lamp to his feet, and a light to his paths, which he does well to take heed to; and next to that is the sincerity and uprightness of his heart, which will not suffer him, knowingly and willingly, to go aside into crooked paths, or to do amiss: integrity of heart and innocency of hand go together; such are the followers of the Lamb, as described, Rev 14:4; see Psa 25:21;

but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them; the perverse ways, words, and actions of such as transgress the law of God, deal treacherously with God and men, as the word ^e signifies, shall be their ruin: the perverse doctrines and worship of the man of sin, and his followers, shall bring destruction upon them, 2Th 2:4. The word for "perverseness" is only used here and in Pro 15:4; and there plainly signifies the perverseness of the tongue or speech, and so may have respect to corrupt doctrine.

Gill: Pro 11:4 - Riches profit not in the day of wrath // but righteousness delivereth from death

Riches profit not in the day of wrath,.... When God takes away the soul, and summons to judgment, and brings to it; and as riches profited not Rome Pagan, in the day of the Lamb's wrath upon it; so neither will they profit Rome Papal, when it will come in remembrance before God, to give it the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath; see Rev 6:15;

but righteousness delivereth from death; from the curse of a corporeal death; from the power of a spiritual one; and from dying the second or an eternal one; See Gill on Pro 10:2; the Targum is,

"from an evil death.''

Gill: Pro 11:5 - The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way // but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness

The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way,.... Or "make it plain" ^f; that is, the righteousness of those who are perfect in Christ, complete in him, perfectly justified by his righteousness; that righteousness makes their way plain; it is the direct way, the highway, the pathway to eternal life and happiness; see Pro 12:28;

but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness; or, "in his wickedness" ^g: in his own wicked way, which he has chosen and delights to walk in; he shall stumble therein, and fall into ruin and destruction, into hell and damnation: or by means or because of it he will fall; his wickedness will be the cause of his fall; as it will be the cause of the fall of Babylon, Rev 18:2.

Gill: Pro 11:6 - The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them // but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness

The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them,.... From death, as in Pro 11:4; and from falling by sin, totally and finally; or into it, so as to perish eternally; as well as it shall deliver those out of Babylon, who are the Lord's people, that will be found therein when that is about to fall; see Rev 18:4;

but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness; in the very act of sin, and be punished for it; taken in it as in a net, and which they have spread for others, or as in a pit, which they have dug for others; taken as wild beasts are taken, to be destroyed; and that in the very midst of their wickedness, when fighting against God and the Lamb, as the beast and false prophet will, Rev 19:20.

Gill: Pro 11:7 - When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish // and the hope of unjust men perisheth

When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish,.... His expectation of a longer life, of getting more riches, attaining to more honour, enjoying more pleasure here, and of having happiness hereafter, and of being delivered from wrath to come; he will then find, when he comes to die, that his expectations in this world are vain, and those which respect happiness in another world are ill-grounded; or when he dies, the expectation of others that depended on him, trusted in him, and looked for great things from him, will then be at an end;

and the hope of unjust men perisheth; which is as the giving up of the ghost, and expires when a man does; it is only in this life, or however it ceases when that does; he has no hope in his death, as the righteous man has; if he does not live without hope in the world, he has none when he goes out of it, or that will be of any use unto him: moreover, the hope of "unjust" men to oppress and injure others ceases when they die, Job 3:17. The word rendered unjust men is by some ^h understood of strength, substance, riches; and so the meaning may be, that such a hope that is placed in strength and riches perishes at death. Jarchi interprets it of children, which are a man's substance; as if the sense was, that the hope of the children of such persons is then cut off.

Gill: Pro 11:8 - The righteous is delivered out of trouble // and the wicked cometh in his stead

The righteous is delivered out of trouble,.... One after another he comes into, if not in this life, yet at death; which is to him a perfect deliverance out of all tribulation; see Rev 7:14; or when the wicked die, as in Pro 11:7, then the righteous are delivered from the trouble they gave them, or designed to give them; though it seems rather to design deliverance from trouble in the first sense, since it follows,

and the wicked cometh in his stead; as Haman did in the room of Mordecai, and was hanged upon the gallows the other was delivered from, and he had prepared for him, Est 7:10; and as Daniel was delivered from the lion's den, and his enemies thrown into it, Dan 6:24; and as in the latter day the righteous will be delivered from all their persecutors, and antichrist will be destroyed with the breath of Christ's mouth, and the brightness of his coming; and then they that destroyed the earth shall be destroyed themselves, Rev 11:18.

Gill: Pro 11:9 - An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour // but through knowledge shall the just be delivered

An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour,.... Deceives him with his flatteries and lies, and draws him into destructive schemes and practices; or "corrupts" him, as the word ⁱ signifies, and as the Targum renders it, with false doctrines; so, with fair words and good speeches, such who lie in wait to deceive impose upon the simple and credulous; and false teachers, with their damnable heresies, bring swift destruction on men; and particularly antichrist and his emissaries, through speaking lies in hypocrisy, corrupt and destroy many, 1Ti 4:1;

but through knowledge shall the just be delivered; from the hypocrite and deceitful worker, and from being corrupted and destroyed by the words of his mouth: Jarchi says, through the knowledge of the law, which warns against him; but rather through the knowledge of the Gospel, which the just man has; for as by this such escape the pollutions of the world, so likewise they are delivered, are kept and secured, from the error of the wicked: through a man's knowledge of himself, of his descent from Adam, of the corruption of his nature, of the plague of his heart, and the exceeding sinfulness of sin; of his lost and undone state; of his impotency to that which is good, of his incapacity to fulfil the law, and atone for sin; and of the insufficiency of his own righteousness to justify him before God; he is delivered and preserved from giving into the notions of the purity of human nature, the power of free will, and the doctrine of justification by works: through his knowledge of the person of Christ; of his offices and relations; of him as a Saviour; of the efficacy of his blood, the excellency of his righteousness, and the completeness of his sacrifice; and through the knowledge of God in Christ, and of the Spirit and of his operations of grace, as well as of the sacred Scriptures in general; he is safe from being carried away with any errors concerning any of the divine Persons, particularly concerning the deity, sonship, and satisfaction of Christ; in short, as ignorance is the mother of devotion, superstition, and error, in the church of Rome, spiritual experimental knowledge of the above things is the best preservative from all errors and heresies which corrupt and destroy the souls of men, to be found in that apostate church, or elsewhere.

Gill: Pro 11:10 - When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth // and when the wicked perish, there is shouting

When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth,.... As it always does, even in the worst of times; in times of public calamity and distress, and when enemies rise up on all hands; it is well with them in life, in death, and to all eternity; see Isa 3:10; but there are particular times when it goes well with them, which is matter of joy to others; when they prosper in the worm, increase in riches and honour, and are advanced to places of authority and trust; just magistrates in a city or commonwealth are a blessing, and so cause joy; see Pro 29:2; and when it goes well with them in spiritual things, they increase in gifts and grace, the humble hear of it and are glad; the city or church of God, the community of the saints, rejoice: and as it went well with them in Constantine's time, when Paganism was destroyed and persecution ceased; and at the time of the reformation, when the pure doctrines of the Gospel were revived, which were both times of joy to the city of God; so in the latter day, when the Lord's people will be righteous, the church will be the joy of many generations; and when the kingdom shall be given to the saints of the most High, and the kingdoms of the world become the Lord's and his Christ's, there will be great voices in heaven, rejoicings in the church, and a new song sung, Isa 60:21;

and when the wicked perish, there is shouting; as there will be great rejoicings, shoutings, and hallelujahs, when Babylon is fallen, Rev 18:20.

Gill: Pro 11:11 - By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted // but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,.... That is, either by the blessings with which they are blessed; and these are either temporal or spiritual: when good men are blessed with temporal blessings, the place where they live is the better it; and especially the poor, for they do not eat their morsel alone; and where there are many of these, and in prosperous circumstances, it is the exaltation and glory of a city taken in a literal sense; and which is the more blessed for their sakes, as well as they themselves are a blessing to it: and as the upright are blessed with spiritual blessings, with blessings indeed, with the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God; when they are fruitful and flourishing in grace, the city or church of God is in an exalted state: or rather this is to be understood of the blessings with which the upright bless others; and may be interpreted of the blessed deeds or good works which they do, and which are profitable to men; or of their blessed counsel and advice which they give on emergent occasions, and which proves salutary, and for the good of the city; or rather for their blessed prayers which they put up for the peace and prosperity of it, and which succeed. So by the blessing of the Gospel of Christ, or by the blessed doctrines of his apostles, those upright and sincere ministers of the word, the city of the living God was greatly exalted in their times; as it also was in the times of Constantine, and at the reformation; and this now is a reason why the city rejoices at its going well with the righteous, whether in temporals or spirituals. So Aben Ezra thinks the words have a connection with the former;

but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked; by the corrupt communication which proceeds out of their months; by their obscene and filthy talk the inhabitants of a place are corrupted; evil communications corrupt good manners; by their swearing and cursing, their oaths and imprecations, by their lying and perjury, they bring the judgments of God upon a city, to the overthrow of it. So by false doctrines, as the faith of particular persons is subverted, so whole cities, or visible congregated churches, have been corrupted and destroyed, as with the Arian heresy and others.

Gill: Pro 11:12 - He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour // but a man of understanding holdeth his peace

He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour,.... Not only in his heart, but by giving him opprobrious language; he speaks contemptibly of him, either because he thinks he is wiser than his neighbour, and therefore calls him fool at every turn; as those who are most destitute of wisdom conceit they have the largest share of it, and despise others; or else because he is richer than his neighbour, as the poor is generally despised by the rich; or because he fancies he is holier than he, as the Pharisee who trusts in himself that he is righteous, and despises others: or a man "that wants a heart" ^k, as it may be rendered; that wants a good one, or wants grace in his heart; he despises the counsel and advice, the admonitions and instructions, which his neighbour gives him for his good;

but a man of understanding holdeth his peace: and will not despise his neighbour, or give him ill language, because he is not so wise, or so rich, or so righteous as he; if he cannot speak any good of him, he will not speak evil of him; or he holds his peace, is silent, and will not answer the man void of wisdom, that despises and reproaches him; he will not render railing for railing; when he is reviled he will revile not again; and by so doing he shows himself to he a man understanding, or of intellects; a wise and prudent.