Proverbs 11 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Proverbs 11

11:1   A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
    but a just weight is his delight.
2   When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with the humble is wisdom.
3   The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4   Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
5   The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6   The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
7   When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,
    and the expectation of wealth¹ perishes too.
8   The righteous is delivered from trouble,
    and the wicked walks into it instead.
9   With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
    but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10   When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
    and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
11   By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
    but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
12   Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
    but a man of understanding remains silent.
13   Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
    but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
14   Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
    but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
15   Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,
    but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.
16   A gracious woman gets honor,
    and violent men get riches.
17   A man who is kind benefits himself,
    but a cruel man hurts himself.
18   The wicked earns deceptive wages,
    but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
19   Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
    but he who pursues evil will die.
20   Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD,
    but those of blameless ways are his delight.
21   Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,
    but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
22   Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
    is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23   The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
    the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
24   One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
    another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25   Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
    and one who waters will himself be watered.
26   The people curse him who holds back grain,
    but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
27   Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,²
    but evil comes to him who searches for it.
28   Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
    but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
29   Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
    and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30   The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
    and whoever captures souls is wise.
31   If the righteous is repaid on earth,
    how much more the wicked and the sinner!

Footnotes

[1] 11:7 Or of his strength, or of iniquity
[2] 11:27 Or acceptance

Commentary

v1: Justice and equity; there may be a temptation to cheat, but such is an abomination to the Lord, and is therefore a serious matter. Compare 10.15, which implies that wealth can be gained by fair means.

v2: Distinction between pride and humility. Although human thinking challenges this truth, it remains a key biblical principle.

v3: The righteous walks in integrity, and finds guidance; he walks in the way of truth. Those without faith, who lack discernment and integrity, find only destruction.

v4: Righteousness is preferred above wealth; here is true riches, which delivers from death.

v5: The righteous find a godly direction in life; the wicked find destruction.

v6: The righteous are delivered, the wicked are trapped by their own evil desires.

v7: The end of the wicked, having no hope for themselves, and leaving no good for others, see 10.28.

v8: The righteous man avoids trouble. But trouble, almost inevitably, has to happen, so it plagues the wicked.

v9: The wicked man brings down his neighbour with his words, but the righteous finds escape. Here is conflict between the righteous and the wicked. We would expect the righteous to be victorious.

v10-11: The 'social' benefit of godly living; the city rejoices, the city is exalted, and the wicked are silenced.

v12-13: Silence is sometimes better than speaking, it is certainly better then speaking ill of someone, of gossiping.

v14: What is true for a city, v10-11, is also true for a nation.

v15: The Lord Jesus spoke of making oaths, and the danger of doing so. And even here, some 1000 years earlier, there is wisdom in avoiding making an oath by a pledge or surety. The command is to let our words be clear and true, and to fulfil our word.

v16-19: The ungodly man is greedy, cruel, deceitful, pursuing evil, he "brings trouble on himself," his sins leading to death (James 1.15), he is ignorant of the consequences of his sins. In contrast the man who is merciful, who seeks to bless others, finds that he is himself blessed abundantly.

v20: The Lord measures the heart, rejecting those of perverse heart, and blessing those whose ways are blameless. He delights in the righteous, and is not grudging in His blessing.

v21: The Lord is no man's debtor, and that is true for the wicked as well as the righteous.

v22: Physical beauty needs spiritual beauty, otherwise it is outward only, and cannot last.

v23: Godly desires bring good results. Although the life of faith is not 'cause and effect,' it is clear that those who sow to the spirit also reap spiritual rewards. Equally, those who sow to the flesh will reap of the flesh.

v24-26: See also v17, the blessing of generosity. God honours those who are generous. The person who selfishly gathers for himself will lose out.

v27: Diligently seek good, and expect to find it.

v28: The righteous seeks treasure in heaven, Matt 6.19-21. He recognises the importance of spiritual things, and will not put his trust in material things.

v29: Sowing to the flesh, one who brings trouble on his own family. The fool, like the borrower, will become a servant to another.

v30: Spiritual impact upon the lives of others.

v31: As in v21, the Lord is no man's debtor. There is a reward for righteousness or wickedness on the earth, not just in the next life. The Jewish people expected, from the law of God, that there would be a return in this life for their obedience or disobedience. This verse, like many others in Proverbs, confirms this expectation.