Proverbs 6:17

Pro 6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Ver. 17. A proud look.] Heb., Haughty eyes. Men’s hearts usually and chiefly sit and show themselves in oculis, in loculis, in poculis, in their eyes, purses, and cups. The Latins speaking of an arrogant disdainful person say, that he doth supercilium attollere, look loftily. {a} Odi fastum istius Ecclesiae, said Basil; {b} I hate the proud stateliness of that Western Church: the Church of Rome he means, which even in those purer times began to look big, and despise all others in comparison of itself. {c} This he somewhere calls οφρυς δυτικη, the Western eyebrow, which occasioned at length that lamentable separation of the Eastern or Greek Church from communion with the Latin: the other four patriarchs dividing themselves from the Bishop of Rome, and at their parting, using these or the like words, - "Thy greatness we know, thy covetousness we cannot satisfy; thine intolerable insolence we can no longer endure, live to thyself," &c. {d} God himself "resists" a proud person in a special manner, {1Pe 5:5} and that "afar off"; {Psa 138:6} he cannot abide the sight of him, looks aloof at him. For whereas all other vices fly from God, saith Boethius, pride lets fly at him. {e} No wonder therefore though his soul abhor it, when it "buds especially," {Eze 7:10} and "testifies to a man’s face," {Hos 7:10} breaking forth as the masterpock of the soul in big swelling words, bubbles of vanity, {2Pe 2:18} proud gait, ridiculous gestures, garish attire, lofty and haughty looks, that hate of heaven and gate to hell. David could not endure it in any of his. {Psa 101:5} No more could Queen Elizabeth in the greatest favourite about her. Dissension once falling out between her and Essex about a fit man for government of Ireland, he forgetting himself, and neglecting his duty, uncivilly turneth his back, as it were in contempt, with a scornful look. She waxing impatient, gave him a cuff on the ear, bidding him begone with a vengeance, &c. {f} For avoiding of all discontent and distempers this way occasioned, it were to be wished that men would first get humble hearts, - the apostle makes humble mindedness the first virtue, {Eph 4:2} as here a proud look is made the first vice, the master root, - and then, that they would enter into a covenant, as Job did, with his own eyes at least; {Job 31:1} such a covenant as was once made at a meeting of the Borderers in the marches between England and Scotland: security was given and confirmed on both sides by oath, according to custom, and proclamation made, saith mine author, {g} that no man should harm other by word, deed, or look.

A lying tongue.] Heb., A tongue of lying - viz., that hath learnt the trade, and can do it artificially. "A friar, a liar," was the old proverb here, passing for current of that evil generation, those loud and lewd liars. "The proud have forged lies against me"; {Psa 119:69} - Assunt mendacium mendacio, so the Hebrew hath it; they sew one lie to another, "until their iniquity be found to be hateful." {Psa 36:2} "A righteous man" - how much more the righteous God! - "hateth lying; but a wicked man" - for his lying - "is loathsome" (Heb., stinketh), "and cometh to shame." {Pro 13:5} Pilate, for instance, - of whom Egesippus saith that he was Vir nequam et parvi faciens mendacium, a naughty man, and that made light of a lie. It may seem so by that scornful question of his What is truth? {Joh 18:38} Tacitus also is by Tertullian said to be mendaciorum loquacissimus. Where he speaks of Christians, he writes so many lines, so many lies. Liars pervert the end for which God created speech, which was, to give light to the notions of the mind. Hence φωνη, quasi φως του νου.

And hands that shed innocent blood.] This is fitly subjoined and set after a lying tongue, because bloodshed is oft occasioned by lying.

“ Nil est audacius illis

Deprensis: iram atque animos ex crimine sumunt. ”

- Juvenal.

Ruffians revenge the lie given them with a stab. Persecutors, as in the French massacre, give out that Christians are the worst of men, not fit to live for their notorious enormities, and therefore not to be pitied if taken from the earth. Those that kill a dog, saith the French proverb, make the world believe he was mad first. So they always belied the Church, and traduced her to the world, and then persecuted her; first "took away her veil," and then "wounded her,." {Son 5:7} The devil was first a slanderer and liar, and then a murderer. He cannot murder without he slander first. But "God will destroy them that speak lies; the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man." {Psa 5:6}

{a} Profecto oculis animus inhabitat - Plin.

{b} Ep. ad Evagr.

{c} Quid verum sit neque sciunt, nequc sustinent discerere. - Ibid.

{d} Dr Field, Of the Church. Gerson. Carleton.

{e} Sola superbia se Deo opponit.

{f} Camden’s Elisab. 494.

{g} Ibid., 279.

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.

proud look--literally, "eyes of loftiness" (Psa 131:1). Eyes, tongue, &c., for persons.

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

(17) A proud look.—Hateful to God, because rendering men unfit to receive grace. Till they acknowledge their weakness, they will not seek for His strength, and without it they can make no progress in holiness. (Comp. 1Pe_5:5, and Christ’s commendation of the “poor in spirit,” Mat_5:3.)

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

17. A proud look] Rather, haughty eyes, A.V. margin, R.V. text. Thus the enumeration in the Heb. of the parts of the body: ‘eyes,’ ‘tongue,’ ‘hands,’ ‘heart,’ ‘feet’ is preserved.

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.

An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,.... Or, "thoughts of wickedness" (e); which are framed and formed in the heart: and this being the source and fountain of all wickedness, is placed in the midst of these hateful and abominable things; See Gill on Pro 6:14; evil thoughts and designs, both against God and men, are intended, which are forged and fabricated in the wicked heart of man; and may respect the depths of Satan in the antichristian beast of Rome, Rev 2:24;

feet that be swift in running to mischief; to commit all manner of sin with greediness, especially murder; see Pro 1:16.

(e) "cogitationes iniquitatis", Montanus; "cogitationes vanitatis", Cocceius.

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

A proud look; pride of heart, which commonly discovers itself by a man’s looks and gestures. See Psa 101:5; 131:1; Pro 30:13.

A lying tongue; he that accustometh himself to lying and deceit in his common conversation.

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

The enumeration begins with pride. A proud look (Hebrew, eynayim ramoth); literally, haughty or lofty eyes, as in the margin; Vulgate, oculos sublimes; LXX, ofyalmo . It is not merely the look which is meant, but the temper of mind which the look expresses (Wardlaw). The lofty look is the indication of the swelling pride which fills the heart, the mentis elatae tumor, the supreme disdain, grande supercilium, for everything and everybody. Pride is put first, because it is at the bottom of all disobedience and rebellion against God"s laws. It is the very opposite of humility, which the apostle, in Eph_4:2, mentions as the basis, as it were, of all the virtues. All pride is intended, and the face of the Lord is against this pride. He "resisteth the proud;" he "knoweth them afar off;" he "hath respect unto the lowly;" he "will bring down high looks"; (Psa_18:27) he judgeth those that are high. (Job_21:22) It is against this spirit that Job prays Jehovah "to behold every one that is proud, and abase him," and "to look upon every one that is proud, and bring him low". (Job_40:11, Job_40:12) The next thing in the enumeration is a lying tongue. Lying is hateful to God, because he is the God of truth. In a concise form the expression, "a lying tongue," represents what has been already said in vers. 12 and 13 of "the wicked man" who "walks with a froward mouth," and whose conduct is made up of deceit. Lying is the wilful perversion of truth, not only by speech, but by any means whatever whereby a false impression is conveyed to the mind. The liar "sticks not at any lies, flatteries, or calumnies" (Patrick). Lying is elsewhere denounced as the subject which excites the Divine displeasure; (see Psa_5:6 Psa_120:3, 4 Hos_4:1-3 Rev_21:8, Rev_21:27) and in the early Christian Church, in the ease of Ananias and Sapphira, it was punished with death. On the subject of lying, see St. Augustine, "Enchiridion," 100: 18., wherein he says, "Mihi autem videtur peccatum quidem esse omne mendacium." Every lie is a sin. The third thing is hands that shed innocent blood, i.e. a murderous and cruel disposition, which, rather than have its plans frustrated, will imbue the hands with innocent blood, i.e. the blood of those who have done it no injury. The Divine command is, "Thou shall do no murder," and those who break it will find, even if they escape man, that the Lord is "the avenger of blood," and that he "maketh inquisition" for it. (cf. ch. 1 and 2, and Isa_59:7, which bear a close resemblance to this passage) That the shedding of innocent blood cues for vengeance, and pulls down God"s heavy judgments on the murderer, appears in the ease of Cain and Abel (Muffet).

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

Connecting Statement:

This is the list of things that Yahweh hates that was introduced in Proverbs 6:16.

eyes ... tongue ... hands ... heart ... feet

All of these body parts refer to a whole person. You can translate each of these with "people." (See: Synecdoche)

shed the blood of

"kill" or "murder"

wicked schemes

"evil plans"

breathes out lies

This figure of speech uses "breathes" to refer to lying constantly. AT: "constantly lies" (See: Idiom)

discord

See how you translated this in Proverbs 6:14.

one who sows discord

This figure of speech is using "sows" to refer to causing or bringing about discord. AT: "a person who causes discord" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

proud

blood

innocent

heart

evil

testimony

plant

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