(This chapter in Proverbs is a little long with my commentary, so I won’t burden you with more than the first half. We’ll cover the second half later.)
We begin to see a more frequent grouping of proverbs by common themes.
1. False balances are hateful to the LORD; but a just weight is His delight. While the literal meaning is obvious, the symbolic meaning is the same as in the West. Justice itself in the broadest sense is represented as measuring against a consistent standard. People who consistently measure things against the moral character of God will find His favor.
2. Pride comes, then shame comes; but with the lowly is wisdom. This continues the theme of the previous verse. Arrogant presumption is not the same as confidence; it is overconfidence, a lack of proportion. People might not see the difference at first, but the longer term results will show what God favors. Not so much in worldly results, but in how the heart can detect moral confusion by the actions of the arrogant. Those who don’t take themselves so seriously are less likely to lock themselves into an untenable position.
3. The integrity of the upright shall guide them; but the crookedness of traitors shall destroy them. A bit of punning here that doesn’t translate well, this proverb contrasts the image of one who is never bothers to deceive or hide things against that of someone who is always sneaking around and trying to take advantage of others. The central element is trust that arises not from mere simplicity, but of carefully structured behavior that always makes plain what you should expect.
4. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The imagery is hard to translate. The image is not wealth itself, but wealth that one did not work hard to attain. Wealth that comes too easily robs one of moral character. It won’t matter what you have when you face God’s wrath, but whether His moral justice owns you.
5. The righteousness of the perfect shall make his way right, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. Life is likened to a journey. The word translated “perfect” indicates “what you ought to be.” A proper moral consciousness and living from the heart will make hazards obvious and easy to avoid. Moral weakness will make you stumble.
6. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them, but deceivers shall be taken in lust. The primary image is what you allow to control your decisions. What grabs you? Good moral character will snatch you away from harm, but moral confusion will drag you down into harm.
7. When a wicked man dies, his hope shall perish; and the hope of evil ones shall be lost. Death in Hebrew culture was a symbol for anything that threatened or shook your life around; we might say a rough ride. The first word translated “hope” is the image of commitment, something on which one depends, rather like a seatbelt. The second “hope” is the image of what one waits for, a cause for patient endurance. Without moral character, you’ll set your hopes on things that cannot possibly come.
8. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked comes in his place. This restates the previous verse in different terms. To give the flavor of the Hebrew words, here we see that moral wisdom will pull a man out of a tight spot. Meanwhile, silencing your heart and living by lesser human reasoning will let you inherit his place in that tight spot.
9. A hypocrite corrupts his neighbor with his mouth; but through knowledge the just shall be delivered. The Hebrew here asks us to picture someone who invades your social gatherings without bothering to wash his clothes or even bathe, yet pretends that he fits right in. He’s a windbag with halitosis that could kill an ox. Your only defense is skillfully avoiding this beast.
10. When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; and when the wicked are destroyed, there is singing. On the one hand, we know the Hebrew mythos celebrated the simple life in tents. However, a vivid community life often resulted in building some few permanent structures, and it required serious skill and engineering wisdom to build in that rocky, hilly terrain. Thus, the image of a city is something with justified multi-generation investment for the good of the people. It is this long-term view where one expects to see God bless the righteous and punish the wicked. A city worth living in will tend to celebrate those long-term outcomes.
11. By the blessing of the upright the city is lifted up, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. This extends the thought in the previous proverb. The blessing of any one morally upright person is a benefit to everyone in the community, but the wretched chatter of a morally filthy windbag will knock things down.
12. One despising his friend lacks heart, but a man of understanding remains silent. This is a forceful assertion that the heart is the seat of moral discernment. If you do not subject your mind to your heart, then you simply are not really alive. A primary symptom of a dead heart is an untamed mouth. An active heart of wisdom tends to make you talk less. This symbolizes the high value of contemplation in Hebrew culture.
13. One going with slander is a revealer of secrets, but the faithful of spirit keeps the matter hidden. We are presented with the image of a gossiper who invests some energy and effort in keeping track of everyone’s private business, not by going to the source, but gathering worthless scraps of false impressions. It constitutes verbal violence, ripping someone else’s clothes off in public for the sake of perverse entertainment. This contrasts with someone who genuinely cares and keeps their mouths shut.
14. Where there is no wisdom, the people fall; but in the multitude of wise men there is safety. Wisdom is depicted as ropes that bind things together tightly. The ideal community is where there are plenty of people who live by their hearts filled with good moral discernment. The implication is that moral education is more precious than just about any other investment you can make for the future of your nation.
15. He who is surety for a stranger shall be ruined; and he who hates suretyship is safe. This is another case of losing much in translation. It’s not considered a loan if you invest in the dreams of family member; it’s an investment of love and trust even if the money is lost. Investing in the business of someone outside your community is worse than gambling. Our Western concepts of contract and investment are torn to shreds here as violating God’s moral law.
Would you be willing to contrast your thought around the heart being something to listen to against scripture that warns the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked?
Sure, Benjamin; I covered that earlier when I serialized here my book, Heart of Faith. See this post where I wrote:
Thank you. I’m still wrapping my western brain around the idea. I have heard Hollywood and society say things like “just follow your heart” or “trust your heart” and often the response that leapt to my mind was Jeremiah 17:9. To me the two seemed to be completely at odds. It seems Jeremiah and Hollywood use the word “heart” differently. Go figure. 🙂
Things get complicate really fast because Hollywood is easily the worst about misusing the English language to hide the flaws of it, and to keep us confused about the flaws of Western Civilization in general. When Hollywood says “follow your heart,” it’s all about “stop thinking and just do.” But if your heart is not in charge, you’ll may follow your convictions, but probably won’t. It throws things up into the air as if by magic you’ll somehow come up with something that might work. The Hebrew culture was part of a much larger cultural background that actually made it clear and workable. The concept of “heart” is solid. But then, Hollywood is probably amused that you would cling to the English translation and legalism of misreading Jeremiah’s intent.