1 Observations of selflove, 5 of true love, 11 of care to avoid offences, 23 and of the household care.
Pro 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
Neither this verse nor the teaching of our Saviour against anxious thought (Matt. 6:34) is intended to make us careless of the future (see 2 Thess. 3:8–11). Rather these are a warning against an attitude of self-trust and self-assurance such as that of the foolish rich man who planned to build bigger barns instead of sharing his plenty with the poor (Luke 12:15–21; cf. James 4:13, 14). The calm trust in God that marks the Christian (Rom. 8:28; Phil. 4:11) enables him to face the future without fear, even though he can no more see what will happen on the morrow than can the unbeliever.
Pro 27:2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.
Compare John 8:54; 2 Cor. 10:18. This proverb finds a parallel in many lands.
Pro 27:3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
The dead weight of the stone and the smothering weight of the sand are emphasized to prepare the mind to appreciate the dragging weight of the bad temper and unreasonable attacks of headstrong fools.
Pro 27:4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?
Anger is outrageous. Wrath and anger are sudden outbursts that soon pass away, but envy and jealousy are smoldering passions that wait through slow-working years for the opportunity to vent their soul-corroding hate upon an enemy (see Prov. 6:34; S. of Sol. 8:6). Envy was the first sin to intrude its mysterious presence into a sinless universe (Isa. 14:13, 14).
Had it made its debut with a sudden outbreak of violence, the nature of the passion would immediately have been apparent to the angels, so that few would have turned from their allegiance to sympathize with so obvious an evil. But the dark scheming of persistent jealousy puzzled all the heavenly beings and deceived many. God could successfully meet the sinister invasion only by the unhurried working out of righteousness and truth until the climax of both selfless love and jealous hate would bring into clear contrast the goodness of God and the cruel malignity of Satan.
Pro 27:5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
While not pleasant (v. 6), the wise admonition of a friend is helpful when it is accepted in the right spirit, but love that is never demonstrated or expressed is of no help to its object. Love must act or it fades away.
Pro 27:6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
The “amen” with which we conclude our prayers comes from this root. The kindly, well-meant rebuke of a friend (v. 5) is said to be of this character.
Pro 27:7 One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.
Nothing is appetizing to the satiated person; anything tastes good to the hungry.
Pro 27:8 Like a bird that flees its nest is anyone who flees from home.
Perhaps either wantonly or because it has been driven from its nest (see Isa. 16:2). A man should be content to stay at home and not seek more exciting pleasures elsewhere. The Hebrew has no distinct word for “home,” but for the general idea of “home” employs the word for “place” as here, or for “house” as in Gen. 39:16; 43:16; etc., or for “tent” as in Judges 19:9.
Pro 27:9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.
Pro 27:10 Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
A tried friend is more likely to be of help in adversity than a brother who has not the same special interest as the good neighbor. The claims of friendship are often stronger than those of blood relationship, especially when the friends are united by a common religious hope not shared by the relatives (see chs. 17:17; 18:24).
Pro 27:11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
Then I can answer. Compare chs. 10:1; 23:15, 24. Whether it is as a father or as an instructor that Solomon is speaking, wisdom displayed by the son or pupil will be the best answer to critics of the tutor’s efficiency.
Pro 27:12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
See on ch. 22:3.
Pro 27:13 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.
Pro 27:14 If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.
The loud-voiced greeting of one who has risen early to be first with his flattery is not genuine but is merely a means for securing some advantage. Such greetings should put a man on guard the same as if he had been threatened (see Luke 6:26; Gal. 1:10).
Pro 27:15 A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
“A bad tempered woman can no more be restrained than the wind, she slips through the grasping hand like oil and continues her contentious way in spite of all efforts to prevent her.”
Pro 27:16 restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.
Pro 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
The sharpening has been variously interpreted. Some have felt it could mean only to make the friend angry so that he gives “sharp” looks; but most have taken it in the good sense of increasing a friend’s wisdom and initiative by mutual help and rivalry as the iron of the file or of the hammer sharpens the iron of the blade.
Pro 27:18 The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever protects their master will be honored.
A fig tree may be made to produce an abundance of fruit, and he who cares for it should have the first opportunity to enjoy the bounty (2 Tim. 2:6). A good servant will be rewarded by his master with honor as well as the payment of wages (Matt. 25:21). This proverb may also point to the security enjoyed by the man who produces most of what he eats and wears. Such a man is comparatively unaffected by rising and falling prices or scarcity caused by strikes or manipulations of the market. For the labor and care that he bestows upon his crops he receives a direct reward.
Pro 27:19 As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.
A man sees in other men a reflection of his own thoughts and feelings. The better he learns to understand his own mind and motives, the better he can understand others, even though he cannot see and know their actual thoughts (see 1 Cor. 2:11).
Pro 27:20 Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes.
The more a man has, the more he wants. With selfishness the ruling passion of the unregenerate man, there is no limit to the ambitions that he may form and no limit to the destruction and death that he may bring upon others in the process (see Prov. 30:15, 16; Eccl. 1:8; cf. 1 John 2:15, 16).
Pro 27:21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.
Praise is a good test of a man’s character in two ways. A good reputation maintained over several years is good testimony to a man’s integrity, but how a man reacts to praise is often very revealing. If he can stand the acid test of flattery without becoming vain or self-satisfied, he is made of good material.
Pro 27:22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding them like grain with a pestle, you will not remove their folly from them.
Women beating grain in a mortar with heavy pestles, exerting all the strength of their arms and backs, represents vividly that the severest punishment will never cure a fool of his folly.
Pro 27:23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;
Verses 23–27 are an ode in praise of pastoral and agricultural living. The “state” is literally the “face,” “look,” or “appearance.” A parallel to the work of pastors, church elders, parents, and youth leaders is naturally observed (see 1 Peter 5:2–4).
Pro 27:24 for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.
Two applications are possible: (1) Take good care of your flocks, because treasure may be lost and your farming may be your salvation. (2) Because your strength will fade one day, you will need to be prepared against old age. Pro 27:25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
All this is part of the necessary care if the prosperity pictured in the next two verses is to follow. The LXX renders this verse, “Take care of the herbage in the field, and thou shalt cut grass, and gather the mountain hay.”
Pro 27:26 the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field.
The goats will produce enough profit to buy the field.
Pro 27:27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants.
Goats’ milk was one of the common foods in Palestine. It was used fresh or curdled, sweet or sour, hot or cold. The flesh of the goats was also eaten (see Ex. 23:19; Lev. 7:23; Luke 15:29).