*H Depart from the unjust, and evils shall depart from thee.
Ver. 2. Evils. Gr. "injustice." Evil communications corrupt good manners, (H.) or the punishment of sin follows its commission. C.
*H My son, sow not evils in the furrows of injustice, and thou shalt not reap them sevenfold.
Ver. 3. Not. Gr. "not in." H. — Seven-fold: more abundantly. Osee x. 11. Job iv. 5. Gal. vi. 7. C. — The wicked shall receive the fruit of their wickedness. W.
*H Seek not of the Lord a preeminence, nor of the king the seat of honour.
Ver. 4. Honour. Ambition is the source of ruin to men and empires. Jam. iii. 1. C.
*H Justify not thyself before God, for he knoweth the heart: and desire not to appear wise before the king.
Ver. 5. God. Gr. "the Lord, and affect not wisdom ( σοφιζου ) before the king." H. — Of ourselves we are despicable; and kings love not those whose superior talents seem to eclipse their own. David's valour excited the hatred of Saul, and Alexander "was indignant that Antipater (his general, H.) had conquered, thinking his own glory was diminished by that which another acquired." Curt. vi.
* Footnote * Job 9 : 2
Indeed I know it is so, and that man cannot be justified, compared with God.* Footnote * Psalms 142 : 2
And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.* Footnote * Luke 18 : 11
The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.*H Seek not to be made a judge, unless thou have strength enough to extirpate iniquities: lest thou fear the person of the powerful, and lay a stumblingblock for thy integrity.
Ver. 6. Integrity. A judge is expose to many dangers. 2 Par. xix. 6. C. — "He must be prudent and firm." Plato, 2 Rep. — What will become of those who push themselves forward? S. Chrys. hom. xxxiv. in Heb. xiii.
*H Nor bind sin to sin: for even in one thou shalt not be unpunished.
Ver. 8. To sin. Correct not thy severity by too great indulgence, nor entangle thyself with the sins of othres, as with a chain. Is. v. 18.
*H Be not fainthearted in thy mind:
Ver. 9. Mind. If thou hast committed a fault, despair not, but pray, (v. 10.) avoiding presumption. v. 14.
*H Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one that humbleth and exalteth, God who seeth all.
Ver. 12. Soul. Whether the person have incurred a fault or not, we ought to shew pity, reflecting on our own frailty. 1 Cor. x. 12.
* Footnote * 1_Kings 2 : 7
The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, he humbleth and he exalteth:*H Devise not a lie against thy brother: neither do the like against thy friend.
Ver. 13. Devise. Lit. "plough." But Heb. Charasch, means also to machinate. — Brother. We cannot hence infer, with Grotius, that the Jews allowed themselves to deceive strangers. C.
*H Be not willing to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.
Ver. 14. Good, but very pernicious, (Mat. v. 37. Apoc. xxi. 8. S. Aug. Mend.) though some have thought that lies might be told to prevent evil. Orig. &c. C.
*H Be not full of words in a multitude of ancients, and repeat not the word in thy prayer.
Ver. 15. Repeat not. Make not much babbling by repetition of words, but aim more at fervour of heart. Ch. — A supplication ought to be drawn up in a concise manner. H. — Judges and orators should speak with due reserve. Prayer must be unceasing: yet many words must not be used to inform God of our wants. Our Saviour seems to allude to this text. Mat. vi. 7.
*H Hate not laborious works, nor husbandry ordained by the most High.
Ver. 16. High. Gen. ii. 15. and iii. 18. The patriarchs and the most famous Roman generals followed this employment.
*H Humble thy spirit very much: for the vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms.
Ver. 19. On the flesh, is not in Greek. Christ appears to have had this passage in view, Mark ix. 44. Many suppose that both allude to the fire which burnt dead bodies, &c. in the vale of Hinnon. But all allow that the inextinguishable flames of hell are meant. Whether the fire and worms be corporeal or not has been questioned: the Greek Fathers, and the Church of Florence, generally maintain the negative, and the Latins assert it on better grounds. S. Thomas adopts the opinion of many of the Fathers, who explain the worm to denote the remorse of conscience. Yet many take it to be a worm, though not like those with which we are acquainted. Horreo vermem mendacem et mortem vivacem. S. Bern. cons. v. See S. Jer. Is. lxvi. A. Lap. S. Greg. Dial. iv. 29. S. Aug. De C. xx. 10. S. Amb. vii. in Lu. xiv. C. — Fire and the worm of conscience are both eternal. W. — The punishment at least is such, and more intense than we can conceive.
*H Depart not from a wise and good wife, whom thou hast gotten in the fear of the Lord: for the grace of her modesty is above gold.
Ver. 21. Wife. The virtuous never approved of divorcing any but the incorrigible. C. Dis.
* Footnote * Leviticus 19 : 13
Thou shalt not calumniate thy neighbour, nor oppress him by violence. The wages of him that hath been hired by thee shall not abide with thee until the morning.*H Marry thy daughter well, and thou shalt do a great work, and give her to a wise man.
Ver. 27. Man. The Jews in general embraced the married state in their youth. S. Paul prefers virginity. 1 Cor. vii. 8.
*H If thou hast a wife according to thy soul, cast her not off: and to her that is hateful, trust not thyself. With thy whole heart,
Ver. 28. Hateful. To marry such a one would be an occasion of divorce, which is always odious.
*H Honour thy father, and forget not the groanings of thy mother:
Ver. 29. Groanings, in child-bed, and (C.) during thy infancy. M. Job iv. 4.
* Footnote * Tobias 4 : 3
When God shall take my soul, thou shalt bury my body: and thou shalt honour thy mother all the days of her life:*H Honour God with all thy soul and give honour to the priests, and purify thyself with thy arms.
Ver. 33. Priests. Gr. "priest, and give him the portion which is enjoined thee, the first-fruit, and for negligence, and the gift of the shoulders, and the," &c. v. 35. H. — Arms. That is, with all thy power: or else by arms (brachiis) are here signified the right shoulders of the victims, which by the law fell to the share of the priests. See v. 35. (Ch.) Ex. xxix. 28. Lev. vii. 22.
* Footnote * Deuteronomy 12 : 18
But thou shalt eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou and thy son and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and maidservant, and the Levite that dwelleth in thy cities: and thou shalt rejoice and be refreshed before the Lord thy God in all things, whereunto thou shalt put thy hand.*H Give them their portion, as it is commanded thee, of the firstfruits and of purifications: and for thy negligences purify thyself with a few.
Ver. 34. Few offerings, if thou be poor. Sa. — Be alone with the priest when thou dost confess, and imitate the small number.
* Footnote * Leviticus 2 : 3
And the remnant of the sacrifice shall be Aaron's, and his sons', holy of holies of the offerings of the Lord.* Footnote * Numbers 18 : 15
Whatsoever is firstborn of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether it be of men, or of beasts, shall belong to thee: only for the firstborn of man thou shalt take a price, and every beast that is unclean thou shalt cause to be redeemed,*H And stretch out thy hand to the poor, that thy expiation and thy blessing may be perfected.
Ver. 36. Poor. They and Levites are always to be invited. Deut. xii. 19. and xiv. 26.
*H A gift hath grace in the sight of all the living, and restrain not grace from the dead.
Ver. 37. Dead: detained in purgatory. W. — And restrain not grace from the dead. Withhold not from them the benefit of alms, prayers, and sacrifices. Such was the doctrine and practice of the Church of God, even in the time of the Old Testament. And the same has always been continued from the days of the apostles in the Church of the New Testament. Ch. — Meat was also placed on the tombs of the deceased, for the benefit of the poor. Tob. iv. 18. S. Aug. Conf. vi. 2.
*H Be not wanting in comforting them that weep, and walk with them that mourn.
Ver. 38. Walk. Gr. "mourn." H. — It was customary to join those who mourned for the dead, and to offer them meat, and endeavour to comfort them. C. Diss.
* Footnote * Romans 12 : 15
Rejoice with them that rejoice: weep with them that weep.*H Be not slow to visit the sick: for by these things thou shalt be confirmed in love.
Ver. 39. Love, being approved both by God and man.
* Footnote * Matthew 25 : 36
Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.*H In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.
Ver. 40. End. Gr. "things;" death, judgment, and either hell or heaven. H. — This consideration is a powerful preservative against sin. W. — For who would dare to offend his judge, if he believed that the next moment he would be arraigned before his dreadful tribunal? C. — "We die daily," &c. S. Jer. ad Heliod.