Old Testament Commentary - Proverbs 27

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 27 Let another man praise thee—A prudent man foreseeth evil—Hell and destruction are never full.
1 ^aBOAST not thyself of to ^bmorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. 2 Let another man ^apraise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. 3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's ^awrath is heavier than them both.		1^a TG Boasting ^b James 4:13-14 2^a TG Boasting; TG Humility 3^a Esth. 3:5
4 Wrath is ^acruel, and ^banger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? 5 Open ^arebuke is better than secret love. 6 Faithful are the ^awounds of a ^bfriend; but the ^ckisses of an enemy are ^ddeceitful.		4^a TG Cruelty ^b TG Anger 5^a Prov. 28:23 6^a Ps. 141:5; D&C 121:43-44; ^b TG Friendship ^c 2 Sam. 20:9; Luke 22:48 (47-48) ^d TG Deceit
7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. 8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. 9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.
10 Thine own ^afriend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a ^bneighbour that is near than a brother far off. 11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me. 12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself^a; but the simple pass on, and are punished.	12^a hideth himself One of the best ways to not get caught up in evil is to 'avoid' it in the first place. If you know the evil and you see it coming, if you are able 'get out of its way'. At times this would even take to 'hiding yourself from it'. If you see an unrulely 'gang' don't go up to it to incounter it first hand, go around it and avoid it and then you could avoid it entirely. Perhaps there is a fine line between 'confronting evil', that is to take a stand against it to over come it; and that line of just avoiding the situation. At times one does have to take a stand against evil to counter its spread and future impending dangers. At other times the trouble is best left alone and as often as not it will seek its own way and it is avoided. Wisdom it to know and understand the difference in which it the most prudent way to proceed. Certainly do not approach unto an evil that you are not prepared to overcome and perhaps defeat.	10^a 2 Sam. 9:1 ^b Prov. 18:24; TG Neighbor
13 Take his ^agarment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a ^astrange woman. 14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a ^acurse to him. 15 A ^acontinual dropping in a very rainy day and a ^bcontentious woman are alike.		13^a Prov. 20:16 ^b OR foreign woman 14^a TG Curse 15^a Prov. 19:13 ^b Prov. 21:19; 3 Ne. 11:29
16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself. 17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his ^afriend. 18 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall ^aeat the fruit thereof: so he that ^bwaiteth on his master shall be honoured.		17^a TG Friendship 18^a 1 Cor. 9:7 ^b 1 Ne. 21:23; 2 Ne. 6:13; D&C 133:11 (10-11)
19 As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. 20 ^aHell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never ^bsatisfied. 21 As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.		20^a IE The spirit world, place of the dead, is never filled up ^b Eccl. 1:8
22 Though thou shouldest ^abray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. 23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy ^aflocks, and look well to thy herds. 24 For ^ariches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?		22^a OR pound, rub 23^a Alma 5:19 (37-60); D&C 20:53 (38-60) 24^a 2 Ne. 9:30; Jacob 2:18-19
25 The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. 26 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. 27 And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.