48 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Boast not thyself of tomorrow,.... Or, "of tomorrow day" (t). Either of having a tomorrow, or of any future time; no man can assure himself of more than the present time; for, however desirable long life is, none can be certain of it; so says the poet (u): for though there is a common term of man's life, threescore years and ten, yet no one can be...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Here is, 1. A good caution against presuming upon time to come: Boast not thyself, no, not of to-morrow, much less of many days or years to come. This does not forbid preparing for to-morrow, but presuming upon to-morrow. We must not promise ourselves the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let us never boast of future days and years, or what we mean to do when we come to any age, or what shall be our position when we grow gray. Let us never boast of anything in the future, for we cannot tell what even a day may bring forth.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth,.... Men should do those things which are praiseworthy; and should do them openly, that they may be seen and praised for them: for it is honourable to have such a character as Demetrius had, who had a good report of all men; and as the brother had, whose praise in the Gospel was in all the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. For he who praises himself writes himself down a fool in capital letters.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
A stone [is] heavy, and the sand weighty,.... As was the stone which was at the well's mouth, where Laban's flocks were watered, which could not be rolled away till all the shepherds were gathered together, Genesis 29:2; and like the burdensome stone Jerusalem is compared to Zechariah 12:3; and as that at the sepulchre of Christ, rolled away by...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both. One might endure almost any sort of labour sooner than have to live with one who is perpetually and foolishly angry.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous,.... Or "an inundation" (x); it is like the breaking in of the sea, or a flood of mighty waters, which know no bounds, and there is no stopping them: so cruel and outrageous were the wrath and anger of Simeon and Levi, in destroying the Shechemites; of Pharaoh, in making the Israelites to serve with hard...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? Envy is a snake in the grass. Christians, beware of envy. You will, perhaps, be tempted to have it in your heart when you see another Christian more useful than you are, or when some Christian brother seems to have more honour than you have. Ah, then! cry to God against...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Open rebuke [is] better than secret love. This is to be understood, not of rebuke publicly given; though Aben Ezra thinks public reproof is meant, which, arising from love, is better than that which is done in secret, though in love, as being more effectual; for rebuke among friends should be given privately, according to our Lord's direction,...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Open rebuke is better than secret love. That I should love my fellow-man is a good thing; but to have love enough to be able openly to rebuke his faults, is a very high proof of affection, and far better than secret love that is silent when it ought to speak. And yet, how many persons there are who are very angry with you if you give them an open...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend,.... That is, friendly reproofs; which, though they may be severe, at least thought so, and may grieve and wound, and cause pain and uneasiness for the present, yet, proceeding from a spirit of love, faithfulness, and integrity, and designed for the good of the person reproved, ought to be kindly received; see...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Beware of the flattering world, believer; beware of the flattering devil, and of the cozening of the flesh. When things go smoothly with you, there may be the greatest danger. Whatever you do in times of storm, keep a good look-out when the sea is calm and the sky is...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The full soul loatheth an honeycomb,.... Or "tramples upon" it (a), as the word signifies, and most versions render it, expressive of contempt and abhorrence; and suits will the situation of the honeycomb, which was usually in trees and rocks in Palestine: and so might drop from thence, and be trampled upon by passengers; and especially such as...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. “The full soul loatheth” (even that luscious thing) “an honeycomb.” No true preaching will go down with him who is full of himself, full of his own importance. Unless there shall be many of the flowers of rhetoric in the discourse, he will not listen to sound...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
As a bird that wandereth from her nest,.... To seek for food for herself and her young; or that leaves it without returning to it, and so her eggs or her young are exposed, and she herself liable to fall into the hands of birds of prey, or of the fowler, when she would be safe in her nest; as there was a law in Israel in her favour, Deuteronomy...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel. The Orientals were wont to smear their faces, and especially their hair with ointment and perfume, and those who came near them were pleased with the scent. When you...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart,.... Meaning not the holy anointing oil for sacred use, or the perfume or incense offered on the altar of incense; but common oil or ointment used at entertainments, poured on the heads of the guests; and incense in censing of rooms, which were very delightful, pleased the senses, and so exhilarated the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Thine own friend, and thy father's friend forsake not,.... Who have been long tried and proved, and found faithful; these should be kept to and valued, and not new ones sought; which to do is oftentimes of bad consequence. Solomon valued his father's friend Hiram, and kept up friendship with him; but Rehoboam his son forsook the counsel of the old...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; Have but few friends, but stick closely to them. Above all, cleave closely to that “Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” If he be thine own Friend, and thy father’s Friend, never forsake HIM. Forsake all the world for him, but let not all the world induce thee to forsake him....