Proverbs 20 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Proverbs 20

20:1   Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
    and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.¹
2   The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
    whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
3   It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
    but every fool will be quarreling.
4   The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
    he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
5   The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,
    but a man of understanding will draw it out.
6   Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
    but a faithful man who can find?
7   The righteous who walks in his integrity—
    blessed are his children after him!
8   A king who sits on the throne of judgment
    winnows all evil with his eyes.
9   Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
    I am clean from my sin”?
10   Unequal² weights and unequal measures
    are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
11   Even a child makes himself known by his acts,
    by whether his conduct is pure and upright.³
12   The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
    the LORD has made them both.
13   Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty;
    open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.
14   “Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
    but when he goes away, then he boasts.
15   There is gold and abundance of costly stones,
    but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
16   Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
    and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.⁴
17   Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
    but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.
18   Plans are established by counsel;
    by wise guidance wage war.
19   Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets;
    therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.⁵
20   If one curses his father or his mother,
    his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
21   An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning
    will not be blessed in the end.
22   Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
    wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
23   Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD,
    and false scales are not good.
24   A man’s steps are from the LORD;
    how then can man understand his way?
25   It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
    and to reflect only after making vows.
26   A wise king winnows the wicked
    and drives the wheel over them.
27   The spirit⁶ of man is the lamp of the LORD,
    searching all his innermost parts.
28   Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
    and by steadfast love his throne is upheld.
29   The glory of young men is their strength,
    but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
30   Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
    strokes make clean the innermost parts.

Footnotes

[1] 20:1 Or will not become wise
[2] 20:10 Or Two kinds of; also verse 23
[3] 20:11 Or Even a child can dissemble in his actions, though his conduct seems pure and upright
[4] 20:16 Or for an adulteress (compare 27:13)
[5] 20:19 Hebrew with one who is simple in his lips
[6] 20:27 Hebrew breath

Commentary

v1: A warning about drink; not a blanket prohibition, but a reminder of the dangers of drink. Without self-control in this area, we may be led astray.

v2: See 19.12; the king's anger is a serious thing. The picture here is of God's anger against those who will not believe in Him.

v3: Blessed is the peace maker; the one who starts or continues a dispute is a fool.

v4: Diligence is necessary when time is hard; the reward will come later. If we are idle, then we will suffer loss, see v13.

v5: Any man has the deep thoughts of his heart, which he may struggle to understand or to share. It is a man of understanding who can draw out those thoughts.

v6: The faithful man proclaims the goodness of God rather than his own goodness, and he is always ready to admit his own sinfulness, as in v9. Our own claims of faithfulness are cheap and unreliable.

v7: The blameless example of the righteous man.

v8: The authority of the king, to whom all hearts are open.

v9: Every person is a sinner, and none can claim perfection.

v10: Injustice is an abomination to God. One scheme was to use different weights and measures to steal from others; their theft was added to their deception.

v11: Actions reveal the inner life, especially of a child.

v12: An acknowledgement that the Lord is the creator of all things.

v13: Sleep and rest are important; we must have enough, but not too much, or else we will be kept from work.

v14: The buyer devalues what he buys, but then boasts about his bargain, and overvalues the goods when he sells them.

v15: Godly lips esteemed above jewels, see 8.10-11.

v16: Surety for a stranger or a seductress, something significant, typically a garment, see Ex 22.26-27; Deut 24.6,10-13, 17.18.

v17: Stolen food may taste sweet (9.17), but its end is bitterness.

v18: Wisdom and thought before engaging in anything.

v19: Words are dangerous, and many words often bring sin.

v20: Disrespect for one's parents is a serious matter.

v21: Rashness, an inheritance gained hastily, will be lost, see v25. Illustrated by Jephtha.

v22: Vengeance belongs to the Lord; all retaliation and revenge are to be avoided.

v23: As in v10, the Lord detests such things.

v24: We must be submissive to the Lord's ways, being directed by Him. We may struggle to understand His work in our lives, but we must be obedient.

v25: Compare v21; a rash vow is a trap for the unwary.

v26: See v8; the king sifts the people, and their thoughts, finding out the wicked, and bringing punishment upon them.

v27: See 1 Cor 2.11; our inner thoughts and attitudes are revealed by God's word.

v28: The king of love, the godly king, showing love and faithfulness to His people.

v29: A young man is known by his strength, the old man by his wisdom, pictured by his grey hair. Compare 1 John 2.12-14, where the young men are strong in their service for God, and the "fathers" are those who know the Lord.

v30: Effective blows, the discipline of the Lord; this may not necessarily be physical punishment.