Ver. 1. Be not thou envious against evil men.] Heb., Men of evil—such as are set upon sin; as are like Caracalla, qui nihil cogitabat boni, qui id non didicerat; quod ipse fatebatur, saith Dio, Who never thought of any good, &c. Envy not such a one his pomp, any more than we do a dead corpse his flowers and gaiety. See Proverbs 23:17. Neither desire to be with them.] That is, To be in their estate, so thou mightest be at their stay. This hath been the folly of some of God’s people, as David noteth, Psalms 73:10. For the which they have afterwards befooled and bebeasted themselves, as he did, Psalms 73:22.
Ver. 2. For their heart studieth destruction.] Great students they are; wittily wicked; but they consult shame and confusion to them and theirs. And their lips talk of mischief.] The mischief that they machinate budgeth and blistereth out at their tongues’ ends. They are even big with it, and not well till delivered.
Ver. 3. Through wisdom is an house builded.] q.d., I will show thee a better project; wouldst thou thrive and grow great? Exercise godliness, wish not wickedness. [See Trapp on “Pr 3:16”] [See Trapp on “Pr 3:17”]
Ver. 4. With all precious and pleasant riches.] Riches imply (1.) Plenty of that which is precious and pleasant. (2.) Propriety; they must be good things that are our own; and hereunto economical prudence much conduceth. God bestoweth abundance on the wicked ex largitate, only out of a general providence; but upon his people that are good husbands ex promisso, by virtue of this and the like promises.
Ver. 5. A wise man is strong.] [See Trapp on “Pr 21:22”]
Ver. 6. For by wise counsel.] [See Trapp on “Pr 20:18”] This Salust delivers as the sentence of the wisest sages, but Solomon said it long before.
Ver. 7. Wisdom is too hard for a fool.] Heb., Too high; his pericranium comprehends it not, “neither indeed can” do. (1 Corinthians 2:14) He puts off the study of it, pretending the impossibility of reaching to it. He openeth not his mouth in the gate.] He were two fools if he should, for while he holds his tongue he is held wise.
Ver. 8. Shall be called a mischievous person.] Heb., A master of sinful musings, an artist at any evil. Josephus saith of Antipater, that his course of life might fitly be called a mystery of mischief, quae altissimas egerat radices, &c. κακιας μυστηριον.
Ver. 9. The thought of foolishness is sin.] The schools do well observe, that outward sins are maioris infamiae, of greater infamy; but inward heart sins are maioris reatus, of greater guilt, as we see in devils. [See Trapp on “Pr 14:22”] And the scorner is an abomination to men.] Witness Julian, Lucian, Porphyry, Julius Scaliger, that proud hypercritic (qui neminem prae se duxit hominem), Laurentius Valla, who jeered at other logicians, and extolled his own logic as the only best, calling it Logicam Laurentinam. “ Iupiter hunc coeli dignatus honore fuisset, Censorem linguae sed timet ipse suae.’’—Trithem. But what an odious scorner was Quintinus the libertine, of whom Calvin complains, that he scoffed at every one of the holy apostles? Paul he called a broken vessel, John a foolish youth, Peter a denier of God, Matthew a usurer, En quomodo ille faetoris gurges putido ore suo blasphemare audebat! saith Calvin. See how this stinking elf doth bark and blaspheme the saints. The basest can mock, as the abjects did David, (Psalms 35:15) and Tobiah the servant did Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 2:19) Scorners are the most base spirits. The Septuagint call them pests, (Psalms 1:1) incorrigible, (Proverbs 21:1) proud persons, (Proverbs 3:34) naught, (Proverbs 9:12) &c. Calv., Inst. Advers. Libert, cap. 9.
Ver. 10. If thou faint in the day of adversity.] Afflictions try what sap we have, as hard weather tries what health. Withered leaves fall off in a wind: rotten boughs break when weight is laid on them; so do earthen vessels when set empty to the fire. “As is the man, so is his strength,” said they to Gideon. Joseph’s “bow abode in strength, though the archers sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him; and the arms of his hand were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.” (Genesis 49:23,24)
Ver. 11. If thou forbear to deliver them, &c.] That is, That are wrongfully butchered. Here, not to save a man, if it be in our power, is to destroy him. (Mark 3:4) Job “brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.” (Job 29:17) The people rescued Jonathan, and Ebedmelech Jeremiah. Henry VIII delivered his Queen Katherine, and King Philip with his Spaniards kept the Lady Elizabeth from the cruel mercies of Stephen Gardiner, who had designed them destruction. Sir George Blage (one of King Henry VIII’s privy chamber), being condemned for a heretic, was yet pardoned by the king. He coming afterwards to the king’s presence, -“Ah, my pig,” saith the king, for so he was wont to call him. “Yea,” said he, “if your Majesty had not been better to me than your bishops were, your pig had been roasted ere this time.” But what a bloody mind bore Harpsfield, archdeacon of Canterbury, who, being at London when Queen Mary lay dying, made all post haste home to despatch those whom he had then in cruel custody. Acts and Mon., fol. 1899, 1135, 1862.