Proverbs 25:7

Pro 25:7 For better [it is] that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

Ver. 7. For better it is that it be said unto thee.] From this text our Saviour takes that parable of his, put forth to those that were bidden to a feast. {Luk 14:10} Now, if before an earthly prince men should carry themselves thus modestly and humbly, how much more before the King of heaven! And if among guests at a feast, how much more among the saints and angels in the holy assemblies! That is an excellent saying of Bernard, Omnino oportet nos orationis tempore curiam intrare coelestern, in qua Rex regum stellato sedet solio, circumdante innumerabili et ineffabili beatorum spirituum exercitu. Quanta ergo cum reverentia, quanto timore, quanta illuc humilitate accedere debet e palude sua procedens et repens vilis ranuncula? {a} At prayer time we should enter into the court of heaven, where sitteth the King of kings with a guard of innumerable blessed spirits. With how great reverence then, with how great fear and self abasement, should we come, like so many vile vermin creeping and crawling out of some sorry pool or puddle!

{a} Bernard., De Divers.

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.

25:7 Rash actions often result in shame.

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

Verse 7. Come up hither] Our Lord refers to this, see Lu 14:8, and the notes there. Be humble; affect not high things; let those who are desperate climb dangerous precipices; keep thyself quiet, and thou shalt live at ease, and in peace. Hear the speech of a wise heathen on this subject: -

Quid fuit, ut tutas agitaret Daedalus alas;

Icarus immensas nomine signet aquas?

Nempe quod hic alte, dimissus ille volabat.

Nam pennas ambo nonne habuere suas?

Crede mihi; bene qui latuit, bene vixit; et infra

Fortunam debet quisque manere suam.

Vive sine invidia; mollesque inglorius annos

Exige: amicitias et tibi junge pares.

OVID, Trist. lib. iii., El. 4, ver. 21.

"Why was it that Daedalus winged his way safely, while Icarus his son fell, and gave name to the Icarian sea? Was it not because the son flew aloft, and the father skimmed the ground? For both were furnished with the same kind of wings. Take my word for it, that he who lives privately lives safely; and every one should live within his own income. Envy no man; pray for a quiet life, though it should not be dignified. Seek a friend, and associate with thy equals."

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

(7) In the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen, and whose place thou hast shamelessly taken. The same lesson was repeated by our Lord in Luk_14:10, sqq., and enforced on the ground of His own example. (Mat_20:25, sqq.)

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

7. Come up hither] Comp. Luk_14:8-10, and Introd. p. 33.

whom thine eyes have seen] This aggravates the disgrace: you have pressed presumptuously into the inner circle, so as to stand face to face with the prince, and there “in his presence” shalt thou be humiliated.

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.

For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither,.... It is much more to thine honour and credit to seat thyself in a place rather beneath than above thee; which being observed by some of the officers at court, or by him whose business it is to look after such things, he will beckon or call to thee to come up to a higher and more honourable place:

than that thou shouldest be put lower, in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen; than that thou shouldest be thrust away with a severe rebuke for thy boldness and arrogance, in approaching too near the king's person, and taking the place of some great man, which did not become thee, and be forced down to a lower place, to thy great mortification; and the more, as this will be in the presence of the prince thou hadst the curiosity of seeing, and the ambition of making thyself acceptable to, by a gay and splendid appearance; and now with great disgrace turned out of his presence, or at least driven to a great distance from him. Our Lord seems to refer to this passage, in Luk 14:8.

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

For better it is, it is more for thy credit and comfort,

that it be said unto thee, by some public officer, or by the king himself. Whom thine eyes have seen; into whose presence and acquaintance thou hast so boldly intruded thyself, who as before he observed thy impudence, so now he sees and suffers this public disgrace to be cast upon thee.

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

For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither. It is better for the prince to select you for elevation to a high post; to call you up near his throne. The reference is not necessarily to position at a royal banquet, though the maxim lends itself readily to such application. This warbling against arrogance and presumption was used by our blessed Lord in enforcing a lesson of humility and self-discipline. (Luk_14:7, etc) Septuagint, "For it is better for thee that it should be said, Come up unto me (anabaine pro )". (prosanabhyi anwteron , Luk_14:7)

Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen. The last words have been variously interpreted: "to whom thou hast come with a request for preferment;" "into whose august presence thou hast been admitted, so as to see his face"; (2Sa_14:24) "who knows all about thee, and will thus make thee feel thy humiliation all the more." But nadib, rendered "prince," is not the king, but any noble or great man; and what the maxim means is this that it is wise to save yourself from the mortification of being turned out of a place which you have knowingly usurped. Your own eyes see that he is in the company; you are aware of what is his proper position; you have occupied a post which belongs to another; justly you are removed, and all present witness your humiliation. The moralist knew that the bad spirit of pride was fostered and encouraged by every act of self-assertion; hence the importance of his warning. The Septuagint makes a separate sentence of these last words, "Speak thou of what thine eyes saw," or, perhaps, like St. Jerome, the Syriac, and Symmachus, attach them to the next verse.

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

It is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than

Here "up" means to move to a place at the table that is closer to the king. It is a great honor for a person to sit closer to the king. AT: "It is better for someone to invite you to sit closer to the king than" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

before a nobleman

"in front of a nobleman"

For what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?

This question is asked to make the reader consider the possibility that he may have misunderstood the situation. The way in which the neighbor might put the reader to shame can be stated plainly. AT: "For you will not know what to do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame." or "For if your neighbor has an explanation, he will put you to shame, and you will have nothing to say to defend yourself." (See: Rhetorical Question and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

humiliate

noble

testimony

trial

neighbor

shame

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

as your eyes have seen that this thing is true.

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.