Proverbs 20:2

Pro 20:2 The fear of a king [is] as the roaring of a lion: [whoso] provoketh him to anger sinneth [against] his own soul.

Ver. 2. The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion.] See Pro 16:14; Pro 19:12.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 20:2-3. The fear of a king, &c. — See on Pro 16:14; Pro 19:12. It is an honour to a man to cease from strife — Either to prevent it, or, if it be begun, to put an end to it: which, although proud and profane persons esteem dishonourable to them, would indeed be their glory, because it would be an evidence of their wisdom and power over their passions, and of their respect and obedience to their sovereign Lord, in which their honour and happiness consist; but every fool will be meddling — Namely, with matters of strife; he is always ready to begin strife, and obstinate in the continuance of it.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20:2 Queen Esther was willing to rouse the king’s anger and risk her life (Esth 7).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Putteth his life in danger.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

See here, 1. How formidable kings are, and what a terror they strike upon those they are angry with. Their fear, with which (especially when they are absolute and their will is a law) they keep their subjects in awe, is as the roaring of a lion, which is very dreadful to the creatures he preys upon, and makes them tremble so that they cannot escape from him. Those princes that rule by wisdom and love rule like God himself, and bear his image; but those that rule merely by terror, and with a high hand, do but rule like a lion in the forest, with a brutal power. Oderint, dum metuant - Let them hate, provided they fear. 2. How unwise therefore those are that quarrel with them, that are angry at them, and so provoke them to anger. They sin against their own lives. Much more do those do so that provoke the King of kings to anger. Nemo me impune lacesset - No one shall provoke me with impunity.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(Compare Pro 19:12). Men who resist authority injure themselves (Rom 13:2).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 2. The fear of a king] Almost the same with Pr 19:12, which see.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(2) The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion, i.e., the dread which he casts upon others when he is becoming angry is a warning of approaching. danger.

Sinneth against his own soul—i.e., against his own life.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2. is as] The terror inspired by a king is like that caused by the roaring of a lion in act to spring upon its prey. See 1Pe_5:8.

soul] i.e. life, as R.V. with “Heb. soul,” in the marg. Comp. Hab_2:10.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion,.... The wrath and displeasure of a king, which causes fear; see Pro 19:12; kings should be terrors to evil works and workers, though not to good ones, Rom 13:3. This is true of the King of kings, who one day will be terrible to the drunkards, the mockers, and murderers of his people, before spoken of;

whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul; he exposes his life to danger: the Targum supplies it as we do. It may be rendered, his "soul sinneth" (a); he is guilty of sin, as well as is in danger of punishment; see Pro 8:36.

(a) .

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Sinneth against his own soul - i. e., Against his own life (compare Hab 2:10).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The fear of a king, passively taken, the terror which the wrath of a king causeth, by comparing this with Pro 19:12.

Sinneth against his own soul; exposeth himself to manifest danger of death.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2. The fear of a king — The dread, terror, which a king inspires in those brought before him.

Provoketh him — Stirs him up to anger.

Sinneth against his own soul — Against his life, or himself; forfeits his life. Comp. Pro_6:32; Pro_8:36; Pro_16:14; Pro_19:12.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion. (see Pro_19:12) The terror which a king causes when his anger is rising is like the roar of a lion, which betokens danger. Septuagint, "The threat of a king differeth not from the wrath of a lion." Whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul; imperils his life, which he has no right wilfully to jeopard, Septuagint, "He who enrageth him (oo paroxunwn auton )." The Complutensian and some Greek versions introduce the words, kai epimignumenov , "and has intercourse with him;" i.e. he who having aroused a king"s resentment does not avoid his presence, exposes himself to certain death.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The fear - The terror which the wrath of a king causes.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

2 A roaring as of a lion is the terror of the king;

And he that provoketh him forfeiteth his life.

Line first is a variation of Pro 19:12. The terror which a king spreads around (מלך, gen. subjecti., as, e.g., at Job 9:34 and generally) is like the growling of a lion which threatens danger. The thought here suggested is that it is dangerous to arouse a lion. Thus מתעבּרו does not mean: he who is angry at him (Venet.: χολούμενος αὐτῷ), but he who provokes him (lxx, Syr., Targ., Jerome, Luther). התעבּר signifies, as we saw at Pro 14:16, to be in a state of excessive displeasure, extreme anger. Here the meaning must be: he who puts him into a state of anger (lxx, ὁ παροξύνων αὐτόν, in other versions with the addition of καὶ ἐπιμιγνύμενος, who conducts himself familiarly towards him = מתערבו). But can mitharvo have this meaning? That the Hithpa. of transitive stems, e.g., התחגּן (Kg1 8:59) and השׁתּמּר (Mic 6:16), is construed with the accus. of that which any one performs for himself (cf. Ewald's Gramm. Arab. 180), is not unusual; but can the Hithpa. of the intrans. עבר, which signifies to fall into a passion, "express with the accusative the passion of another excited thereby" (Ewald, 282a)? There is no evidence for this; and Hitzig's conjecture, מתעבּרו (Tiphel of the Targ. תּעבור = עברה), is thus not without occasion. But one might suppose that התעבּר, as the reflexive of a Piel or Hiphil which meant to be put into a state of anger, may mean to draw forth the anger of any one, as in Arab., the VIIIth form (Hithpa.) of ḥaḍr, to be present, with the accus. as reflexive of the IVth form, may mean: sibi aliquid praesens sistere. Not so difficult is חטא with the accus. of that which is missing, vid., Pro 8:36 and Hab 2:10.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

The wrath of the king has been before mentioned under this figure. (Pro 19:12 .) Here his fear is described, the effect for the cause. Even Joab with all his valor, trembled at this roaring of the lion, and fled for refuge to the horns of the altar.†1 Jonathan felt the strong necessity for appeasing it.†2 Such was the power of the king (unknown in our happy land) the sole, the uncontrolled arbiter of life and death;†3 whosoever therefore provoked him to anger, sinned, as Adonijah found to his cost (1Ki 2:23 ), against his own soul. What must then be the fear of the Great King! ’Armies of terrors and doubts are nothing to a look of his angry countenance. "O LORD," says that holy man (concerning the frailty of poor man, and the power of God) "who knoweth the power of thine anger? According to thy fear, so is thy wrath."’†4 Even "a little kindling" is ruin past conception, and without remedy. (Psa 2:12 .) Nay — his very "enduring long-suffering," kindles the fire more fiercely for "the vessels of wrath," whose aggravated provocations of it have "fitted them for destruction." (Rom 9:22 .) ’Miserable sinner! deprecate his wrath. Seek a Mediator. Beware of continuing in sin.’†5

Footnotes:

†1 1Ki 2:28-34 .

†2 1Sa 19:4-6 . Ecc 10:4 .

†3 Pro 16:14. Est 7:8 .

†4 Leighton’s Sermon on Jer 10:23-24 . Psa 90:11 .

†5 Geier in loco.

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

v. 2. The fear of a king, the terror spread by his anger, is as the roaring of a lion, 19:12; whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul, foolishly risks and even forfeits his own life.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Fear of a king is like a lion’s roar; he who provokes him Who angers him.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.