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O Lord, Father and Master of my life, don’t abandon me to their counsel. Don’t let me fall because of them.
Verse 1. By them. that is the tongue and the lips, mentioned in the last verse of the foregoing chapter. Challoner.—We cannot resist of ourselves, and must therefore pray to God. Worthington.—We have need of a good master to correct our eagerness in speaking. Calmet.
Who will set scourges over my thought, and a discipline of wisdom over my heart, that they spare me not for my errors, and not overlook their sins?
Verse 2. Ignorances, and so forth That is, that the scourges and discipline of wisdom may restrain the ignorances, that is, the slips and offences which are usually committed by the tongue and the lips. Challoner.—The tongue is a restless evil. Jam. 3:8.
Otherwise my errors might be multiplied, and my sins abound, I fall before my adversaries, and my enemy rejoice over me.
Verse 3. Over me. The noblest motives are not always proposed first.
The remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.
O Lord, Father and God of my life, don’t give me a haughty eyes,
The remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.
and turn away evil desire from me.
Verse 5. Eyes. God never makes such presents, but he permits us to fall in punishment of former transgressions. Calmet.—Coveting. Greek “from thy servants all giant-like affection. Vain hopes and desires remove from me; and thou shalt possess him who wishes to serve thee without ceasing.” Grabe. Bible.
The remainder of this verse is omitted by the best authorities.
Let neither gluttony nor lust overtake me. Don’t give me over to a shameless mind.
Verse 6. Foolish, (infrunitæ) is used in this sense by Seneca. Calmet.—Greek has not this epithet. The title, “instruction of the mouth,” follows, ( Bible.) to verse 20. Calmet.
Listen, my children, to the discipline of the mouth. He who keeps it will not be caught.
The sinner will be overpowered through his lips. By them, the insulter and the arrogant will stumble.
Don’t accustom your mouth to an oath, and don’t be accustomed to naming the Holy One,
for as a servant who is continually scourged will not lack bruises, so he also who swears and continually utters the Name will not be cleansed from sin.
Verse 10. Them. Greek Alex. has only (9.) “swearing, (10) and have not a custom of naming the Most High.” Other editions have “the holy one.” Bible.—Rash and false oaths are forbidden. Jeremiah 4. Matthew 5. Worthington.
A man of many oaths will be filled with iniquity. The scourge will not depart from his house. If he offends, his sin will be upon him. If he disregards it, he has sinned doubly. If he has sworn falsely, he will not be justified, for his house will be filled with calamities.
Verse 11. Sin. “No swearing is secure.” Saint Augustine—Slaves were forced to confess the truth by torments; free-men took an oath; and priests gave their word. Plut. Prob.
There is a manner of speech that is clothed with death. Let it not be found in the heritage of Jacob, for all these things will be far from the godly, and they will not wallow in sins.
Don’t accustom your mouth to gross rudeness, for it involves sinful speech.
Verse 13. Dissemble. Greek “despise.” He will be punished, at least, by God. Calmet.
Remember your father and your mother, for you sit in the midst of great men, that you be not forgetful before them, and become a fool by your bad habit; so you may wish that you had not been born, and curse the day of your birth.
Verse 14. In vain. Without a design to execute, (Grot.) or through levity, or rather falsely. Exodus 23:1. Deuteronomy 5:11.
A man who is accustomed to abusive language won’t be corrected all the days of his life.
Verse 15. Opposite. Or equal. Greek “clothed with death.” He denotes blasphemy, (Leviticus 24:14) or the invitation to idolatry, (Deuteronomy 13:1) or calumny. verse 17. Leviticus 19:12. Calmet.—In oaths God is called to witness, as being unable to deceive. But blasphemy attributes to him or to others what does not belong to them. Worthington.
Two sorts of people multiply sins, and the third will bring wrath: a hot passion, like a burning fire, will not be quenched until it is consumed; a fornicator in the body of his flesh will never cease until he has burned out the fire.
Verse 16. Merciful. Or true believers, Assideans. 1 Maccabees 2:42.
All bread is sweet to a fornicator. He will not cease until he dies.
Verse 17. Of sin. A Hebrew idiom, to imply something criminal. Those who have laid aside shame, are capable of any wickedness.
A man who goes astray from his own marriage bed says in his heart, “Who sees me? Darkness is around me, and the walls hide me. No one sees me. Of whom am I afraid? The Most High will not remember my sins.”
Verse 18. Men. Treat thy parents with no less regard, ( Calmet.) even though thou shouldst be exalted in dignity. Lyr.—Thus thou wilt be rewarded, ( Calmet.) of if thou transgress, wilt be brought to judgment. Bossuet.—Greek “thou shalt sit,” and so forth Bible.
The eyes of men are his terror. He doesn’t know that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, seeing all the ways of men, and looking into secret places.
Verse 19. Nativity. Wish not that thou hadst not been born of such parents. Grot.
All things were known to him before they were created, and also after they were completed.
Verse 20. Life. For who will admonish him?
This man will be punished in the streets of the city. He will be seized where he least expects it.
Verse 21. Two. The first is a passionate man, (verse 22) the second a libertine, (verse 23) and the third an adulterer. verse 25. Calmet.
So also is a wife who leaves her husband, and produces an heir by another man.
Verse 22. Hot. With any furious passion, (Vat.) or anger, ( Calmet.) avarice, ( Worthington.) or lust. Menochius.
For first, she was disobedient in the law of the Most High. Second, she trespassed against her own husband. Third, she played the adulteress in fornication, and had children by another man.
Verse 23. Mouth. Greek “body.”—Fire. Shameful disease will come upon him. Calmet. 19:3. His brutal passion will never be satiated. Calmet.
She shall be brought out into the congregation. Her punishment will extend to her children.
Verse 24. Sweet. He is not delicate in his choice. Bible.—All obstacles increase his irregular desires. Proverbs 9:17. Calmet.
Her children will not take root. Her branches will bear no fruit.
She will leave her memory for a curse. Her reproach won’t be blotted out.
And those who are left behind will know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and nothing sweeter than to heed the commandments of the Lord.
Verse 27. And. Greek “the eyes of men are his dread.” Bible.—Such is the folly of the adulterer!