Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Proverbs 24:14

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Proverbs 24:14. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul — True religion, experimental godliness, shall be to thy soul as the honey-comb is to thy mouth.

Then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. — This is precisely the same with that in the preceding chapter, Proverbs 23:18, where see the note. Proverbs 23:18. The word אחרית acharith, we translate in the former place an end, and here we translate it a reward; but there is no place I believe in the sacred writings in which it has any such acceptation; nor can such a meaning be deduced from the root אחר achar, which always refers to behind, after, extremity, latter part, time, c., but never carries the idea of recompense, compensation, or such like nor has one of the versions understood it so. There is another state or life, and thy expectation of happiness in a future world shall not be cut off. In this sense the versions all understood it. I will take them as they lie before me.

"Which (wisdom) when thou shalt have found, thou shalt have hope in thy last days; and thy hope shall not perish." - Vulgate.

"And if thou find it, thou shalt have a good death; and hope shall not forsake thee." - Septuagint.

"Which, if thou have found, thy latter days shall be better than the former; and thy hope shall not be consumed." - Chaldee.

"There shall be an end, and thy hope shall not be cut off." - Syriac.

"For, if thou shalt find her, (wisdom,) thy death shall be glorious, and thy hope will not fail thee." - Arabic.

Whiche whan thou fyndist schalt han in the last thingis, hope: and thin hope schal not perischen. - Old MS. Bible.

"And there is GOOD HOPE; yee that hope shal not be in vayne." - Coverdale.

This rendering is indefinite, which is not the usual custom of the translator.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Godly and ungodly citizens (24:1-34)

In contrast to the destructive schemes of the wicked are the constructive acts of the wise. A life built by wisdom is likened to a strongly built and richly furnished house (24:1-4). Wisdom gives people real strength and success, but folly gives them nothing worthwhile, not even sensible words that can benefit their fellow citizens (5-7). (In ancient times the place where citizens liked to gather was the open area just inside the city gate; v. 7. There they discussed community affairs and dealt with matters of business and justice.)
Those who constantly plan evil or scorn others are a menace to society (8-9). So are the moral cowards who give in when hardship arises or who refuse to help the afflicted and the oppressed, claiming they did not know of their troubles (10-12). By contrast, those who allow wisdom to teach them find that its fruits are sweet and lasting (13-14).
Righteous people need not plot the overthrow of the wicked, for the destruction of the wicked will come of itself. The righteous will overcome repeated hardships but the wicked will not (15-16). The wicked are certain to be overthrown, but when this happens the righteous should not gloat over them (17-20). Rather the righteous should maintain an attitude of reverence towards God and honour towards the civil authorities (21-22).
People respect a judge who is impartial; they despise one who shows favouritism (23-26). It is wise to be assured of a reliable source of income before taking on the heavy financial burden of building a house (27). Revenge is a terrible thing, especially when people combine it with false accusation in order to get their own way (28-29). If people sleep when they should be working, they demonstrate their stupidity as well as their their laziness. They will surely end in poverty and disgrace (30-34).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

Word 26.

“My son, eat thou honey, for it is good; And the droppings of the honeycomb which are sweet to thy taste: So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, And thy hope shall not be cut off.”

“Wisdom is to the mind what honey is to the mouth.”The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 4, p. 919.

“If thou hast found it… hope shall not be cut off” Note the word IF. The teaching here is that one’s eternal hope depends upon his finding wisdom. The wisdom that saves the soul is found only in the Holy Bible; and therefore an apostle has commanded us to, “Study to show thyself approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15). It is to be feared the TV set, the newspaper, the radio, and that roaring tornado of noise that Satan is blowing upon us from all directions have fatally interfered with many Christian’s obedience to this commandment.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The knowledge of wisdom - Better, Know that thus (like the honey) is wisdom to thy soul.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 24

Again, he continues in twenty-four in putting them together in couplets or in phrases.

Be not envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studies destruction, and their lips talk of mischief ( Proverbs 24:1-2 ).

The next one.

Through wisdom is a house built; and by understanding it is established: and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all pleasant riches ( Proverbs 24:3-4 ).

Wisdom and knowledge, the value of them.

A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increases strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate ( Proverbs 24:5-7 ).

The gate was always the place of judgment.

He that devises to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men ( Proverbs 24:8-9 ).

Now we have some more that are... no, not yet.

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If you say, Behold, we knew it not ( Proverbs 24:11-12 );

In other words, if you fail to help someone when you have the capacity to do it, if you do it not, if you say, "Behold, I didn't know."

doth not he that pondereth the heart considereth it? and he that keeps the soul, does he not know it? and shall not he render every man according to his works? ( Proverbs 24:12-13 )

You know, you can't beg off your responsibility because God knows your heart. God knows what's in your mind. And you may try to excuse your actions. "Oh, I didn't know." But yet God is going to ponder your heart. God knows what's in your mind. And God will render to every man according to his works.

My son, eat honey, because it's good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to your taste: and so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto your soul: when you have found it, then there shall be a reward, and the expectation shall not be cut off ( Proverbs 24:13-14 ).

How sweet is a nugget of truth. How sweet it is to get understanding from the Lord on a particular thing. It's just as sweet as honey into your mouth, there is a sweetness in your soul when you gain knowledge and wisdom.

Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, but he will rise up again: but the wicked will fall into mischief ( Proverbs 24:15-16 ).

We may fall, but thank God we rise again. I've often said there isn't any great evil in falling unless you just lie there. Everybody stumbles. Everybody falls. None of us are perfect, and God knows that we're not perfect. He knows our frame, that we're but dust. We usually expect more out of ourselves than God expects. And we're usually harder on ourselves than God is. We get so disappointed when we have fallen. We get so disappointed when we have failed. It doesn't disappoint God at all. He knew all the time we were going to stumble. It was just I was expecting more out of myself than God is. And God doesn't judge or condemn when you stumble. It's only when you lie there. God understands. He has great patience with us. Even as you have great patience in teaching your child to walk.

You expect your child to stumble. You expect your child to fall. Oh, of course, you will do your best to keep your child from falling. But there are those times when the child is learning to walk and he falls. Now a wise parent won't get all excited and scream and run over and say, "Oh, are you all right?" He just says, "Well, get up now. Try again." If you show all fear and excitement, then the child will get excited and start to cry and get discouraged. But you say, "Well, that was great! You did real well. You took five steps before you stumbled. That's good." And you encourage the child to go again.

Now God is teaching us to walk and we stumble. And we get all discouraged. "I tried so hard. Failed again." And God is saying, "Hey, that was a good try. Let's go at it again. Now here's where you made your mistake. You got your eyes off of Me. You got them on the way, that's when you began to sink." And the Lord picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us up again. He's so patient with us. He's so understanding with us. And if the righteous falls seven times, he's going to rise again.

Now here's a hard one:

Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turns away his wrath from him ( Proverbs 24:17-18 ).

Now that's not too good a motivation not to rejoice. If you rejoice, God may take it off. So don't rejoice and let God just continue to whip him.

Fret not thyself because of evil men ( Proverbs 24:19 ),

You remember Psalms 37:1-40 , it seems like this is probably something that Solomon picked up from his father David. "Fret not thyself," David said, "for evildoers, for they shall be cut off" ( Psalms 37:1-2 ). Now, "Fret not thyself because of evil men."

neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out ( Proverbs 24:19-20 ).

Don't be envious of them. They're going to be cut off.

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knows the ruin of them both? These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that saith to the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. Every man shall kiss his lips that gives a right answer. Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build your house. Now be not a witness against your neighbor without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. Say not, I will do so to him as he has done to me: I will render to the man according to his work ( Proverbs 24:21-29 ).

Don't say that. That's so often. "I'm going to do to him what he did to me. Boy, as we grew up as kids. Always. I just did to him what he did to me, you know." God said don't say that. "Vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord, I will repay" ( Romans 12:19 ).

Now from thirty on we have ode to the slothful man.

I went to the field of a slothful, and by the vineyard of the man who is void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall was broken down ( Proverbs 24:30-31 ).

Now you that have been over into the land, you can picture this. All of those stone walls that are around the vineyards and all, and they are set usually in such neat order. But the slothful man, the stone wall is broken down.

Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and I received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: And so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth; and thy want as an armed man ( Proverbs 24:32-34 ).

A lesson from the slothful. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The writer pictured the pleasantness and desirability of wisdom in this saying. Widsom prepares for the future. Folly does not.

"Wisdom has all the immediate sweetness of honey, but also the additional characteristic of a pleasure that lasts for eternity." [Note: M. L. Malbim, The Book of Proverbs, p. 248.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

So [shall] the knowledge of wisdom [be] unto thy soul,.... Or let it be taken in as greedily and with as good an appetite; as pleasant, useful, delightful, and profitable; even the knowledge of Christ, the Wisdom of God, which is preferable to all things else, and more desirable than the most pleasant and profitable things in the world; and of the Gospel of Christ, the wisdom of God in a mystery, than which nothing is more sweet and comfortable to a truly gracious soul; it is like Ezekiel's roll, which was in his mouth as honey for sweetness, Ezekiel 3:3;

when thou hast found [it], then there shall be a reward; for though there may be some difficulty and trouble to attain it, in the use of means, by reading, bearing, prayer, and meditation, yet, being enjoyed, it carries its own reward with it; a man is abundantly recompensed for all his pains in the pursuit of it, by the pleasure and profit it yields him now and hereafter; for it is the beginning of life eternal, and will issue in it, John 17:3; see Proverbs 2:3;

and thy expectation shall not be cut off; or "hope" o; as the hope of the hypocrite will, Job 8:14, the hope of eternal life, as founded on Christ and his righteousness, where such that know Wisdom place their hope; and this hope will not make them ashamed; they will not be disappointed, their expectation shall not perish, they will have what they are waiting and hoping for, and what is promised unto them,

Job 8:14- :. The Targum is,

"which if thou findest, the last shall come better than the first, and thy hope shall not be consumed.''

o תקותך "spes tua", Mercerus.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      13 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:   14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

      We are here quickened to the study of wisdom by the consideration both of the pleasure and the profit of it. 1. It will be very pleasant. We eat honey because it is sweet to the taste, and upon that account we call it good, especially that which runs first from the honey-comb. Canaan was said to flow with milk and honey, and honey was the common food of the country (Luke 24:41; Luke 24:42), even for children, Isaiah 7:15. Thus should we feed upon wisdom, and relish the good instructions of it. Those that have tasted honey need no further proof that it is sweet, nor can they by any argument be convinced of the contrary; so those that have experienced the power of truth and godliness are abundantly satisfied of the pleasure of both; they have tasted the sweetness of them, and all the atheists in the world with their sophistry, and the profane with their banter, cannot alter their sentiments. 2. It will be very profitable. Honey may be sweet to the taste and yet not wholesome, but wisdom has a future recompence attending it, as well as a present sweetness in it. "Thou art permitted to eat honey, and the agreeableness of it to thy taste invites thee to it; but thou hast much more reason to relish and digest the precepts of wisdom, for when thou hast found that, there shall be a reward; thou shalt be paid for thy pleasure, while the servants of sin pay dearly for their pains. Wisdom does indeed set thee to work, but there shall be a reward; it does indeed raise great expectations in thee, but as thy labour, so thy hope, shall not be in vain; thy expectation shall not be cut off (Proverbs 23:18; Proverbs 23:18), nay, it shall be infinitely outdone."