Proverbs 27:26

Pro 27:26 The lambs [are] for thy clothing, and the goats [are] the price of the field.

Ver. 26. The lambs are for thy clothing.] Ad esum et ad usum, for food and raiment a profitable creature. Some creatures are profitable alive, not dead, as the dog, horse, &c.; some dead, not alive, as the hog; some both, as the ox; yet none so profitable as the sheep.

And the goats are the price of thy field.] Wherewith thou mayest pay thy rent, and besides hire tillage, or it may be purchase land, and have money in thy purse to do thy needs with.

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.

This declareth the great goodness of God towards man, and the diligence that he requireth of him for the preservation of his gifts.

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

Verse 26. The lambs are for thy clothing] So many fleeces are given in some places as rent to the landlord.

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

(26) And the goats are the price of the field—i.e., you can purchase a field from the profit of your goats.

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

Field. If thou wishest to purchase, or to pay the workmen.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The lambs are for thy clothing; by their wool and skins, either used to clothe thyself with or sold to purchase all manner of clothing for thyself and family.

The goats are the price of the field; by the sale whereof thou mayst either pay the rent of the field which thou hirest, or purchase fields or lands for thyself. Either goats are put for all cattle, or he mentions goats, because these might better be spared and sold than sheep, which brought a more certain and constant profit to the owner.

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

26. Goats — עתודים, (‘hattudhim,) literally, bucks, either of sheep or goats, but here, perhaps, as in Authorized Version, used for goats in general, or for the full grown of sheep and goats. The goats are generally black or parti-coloured. They live night and day, summer and winter, under the open sky. They compensate their owners with milk, which is more highly esteemed than any other, although the milk of the cow is used a part of the year. Their flesh, also, is highly valued. Of their hair, among the Arabs especially, cloth is made to cover the tents. Out of their skins, bottles are manufactured, by stripping the hide from the body without slitting it open. These bottles are used to hold water, milk, wine, and other liquids. They are the kind of bottles spoken of in the Scriptures, as in Mat_9:17. Goats are consequently greatly valued in the East. In them consisted a considerable part of the wealth of the people. (JAHN’S Bib. Antiq., sec. 46.)

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

The Iambs are for thy clothing. Thy sheep will provide thee with clothing by their skin and wool, and by the money which thou wilt obtain by the sale of them. The goats are the price of the field; the sale of thy goats and their produce will pay for thy field if thou wish to buy it. (see on Pro_30:31) Septuagint, "That thou mayest have sheep for clothing; honour thy land that thou mayest have lambs."

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

The price - By the sale whereof thou mayest either pay the rent of the field which thou hirest, or purchase fields or lands. Goats might better be spared and sold than sheep, which brought a more constant profit to the owner.

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

Connecting Statement:

Verses 26 and 27 go together with verses 23 to 25 as one proverb.

Those lambs will provide your clothing

The implied information is that the wool (hair) from the lambs can be used to make clothing. AT: "The lambs' wool will provide you with clothing" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

the goats will provide the price of the field

The implied information is that the money received by selling the goats will be enough to buy a field. AT: "selling your goats will provide the price of the field" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

for your household

"for your whole family"

nourishment for your servant girls

The implied information is that there will also be enough goats' milk to feed the servant girls. AT: "there will be goat's milk to nourish your servant girls" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

nourishment

"food"

translationWords

lamb

goat

household

servant

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

and... the worth of the field The he-goats will be worth as much as a field because you will eat the flesh and sell the hides.

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.