Exegesis of Proverbs
The Lord will not starve to death a righteous soul; but he will overturn the life of the impious. If the life of the impious is wickedness, the Lord will overturn this, so that the impious will clearly be seen at some time to be not impious; for after this overturning, the Lord will hand over the kingdom to God and Father, so that God may become 'all in all'.
Instruction preserves the paths of life; but instruction wanders uncontrolled. He calls uncontrolled instruction the bad political order of the soul, which becomes a stranger to it through wandering.
Righteous lips cover enmity; but those who bring forth reviling are thoughtless. He says enmity is wickedness; for through this we become enemies of God. 'For if we were enemies,' says Paul, 'we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son.' If enmity is wickedness, then friendship is virtue and knowledge is that of God, through which we become friends of God and of the holy powers; for upon this friendship, those who are his friends are also friends to one another.
Desire is acceptable to the righteous; 'Lord, all my desire is against you,' says David.
The fear of the Lord adds days; but the years of the impious will be diminished. If 'the fear of the Lord adds days' and 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom', these days are parts of wisdom being made under the sun of righteousness, for which David also prays, saying, 'do not bring me up in the midst of my days.' And having fulfilled these days, Abraham died, concerning whom it is said, 'and Abraham died old and full of days.'
The righteous will not possess the age; but the impious will not inhabit the land. Instead of the age, and Paul says, 'I will not eat meat for ever, so that I may not scandalize my brother,' he calls the age the duration of his life.
The lips of righteous men send forth grace; but the mouth of the impious turns away. The mouth has now set the mind.
Salvation exists in much counsel for those who have no governance and fall like leaves, being carried about by every wind of teaching and shipwrecked regarding faith. The evil one does evil when he mixes with the righteous; but he hates the tone of security, those concerning salvation.
A man of mercy does good to his soul, but the merciless man drives the body out of it. Here the soul is spoken against by the body.
And Christ in the Gospels calls the soul 'body', saying, 'the eye is the lamp of the body' (Matt 6:22). Having said lamp, he means the intellect—for it is the receiver of knowledge—but 'body' refers to the spirited and desiring part of the soul, which some call the irrational part and others the passionate part.
He who strikes hand against hand unjustly shall not be unpunished; but he who sows righteousness shall receive a reward of the faithful. This one who strikes hand against hand unjustly is the teacher of evil deeds and dogmas. And this one who sows righteousness is the one who puts forward words concerning virtues and the knowledge of God.
There are those who, sowing their own, make more; and there are those who, gathering, are diminished. Those who sow their own and make more are opposed by those who gather and are diminished. If those who sow their own are those who sow into the spirit and reap life, those who gather are those who sow into the flesh and gather corruption to themselves.
He who withholds grain would leave it to the nations; but a blessing is upon the head of the giver. This is similar to that which is said by our Savior in the Gospels: 'No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it shines for all those in the house' (Matt 5:15).
If the work of making is a work of good things, and the work of virtues is a practical work, then the practical work is the making. The tree of life grows from the fruit of righteousness; but untimely souls are removed by lawlessness. This tree of life is the one planted in the midst of paradise, which Adam is prevented from grasping after the sin, having cast away the seeds of righteousness, from which the tree of life grows.
He who finds grace is greater, but the lawless man shall be passed over in silence: 'Do not pass me over from you, says David, lest I become like those descending into the pit' (Ps 88:49). The good man shall inherit sons of sons; but wealth is stored up for the ungodly.
Greek
10 οὐ λιμοκτονήσει κύριος ψυχὴν δικαίαν· ζωὴν δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἀνατρέψει Εἰ ἡ ζωὴ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἡ κακία ἐστίν, ταύτην δὲ ἀνατρέψει ὁ κύριος, ἔσονται δηλονότι ποτὲ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς οὐκ ἀσεβεῖς· μετὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν ἀνατροπὴν ὁ κύριος παραδώσει τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί, ἵνα γένηται ὁ θεὸς τὰ «πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν». 119 10, 17 ὁδοὺς ζωῆς φυλάσσει παιδεία· παιδεία δὲ ἀνεξέλεγκτος πλανᾶται Παιδείαν ἀνεξέλεγκτον ὀνομάζει τὴν κακὴν τῆς ψυχῆς πολιτείαν, ἥτις καὶ πλάνης αὐτῇ γίνεται πρόξενος. 120 10, 18 καλύπτουσιν ἔχθραν χείλη δίκαια· οἱ δὲ ἐκφέροντες λοιδορίας ἀφρονέστατοί εἰσιν Ἔχθραν τὴν κακίαν λέγει· διὰ γὰρ ταύτης ἐχθροὶ γινόμεθα τοῦ θεοῦ· «εἰ γὰρ ἐχθροὶ ὄντες, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, κατηλλάγημεν τῷ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ.» Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἔχθρα ἡ κακία ἐστίν, ἡ φιλία ἡ ἀρετή ἐστιν καὶ ἡ γνῶσις ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ, δι' ἧς φίλοι γινόμεθα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων δυνάμεων· ἐπὶ γὰρ ταύτης τῆς φιλίας οἱ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φίλοι καὶ ἀλλήλων εἰσὶ φίλοι. 121 10, 24.2 ἐπιθυμία δὲ δικαίου δεκτή «Κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μου», φησὶν ὁ ∆αυίδ. 122 10, 27 φόβος κυρίου προστίθησιν ἡμέρας· ἔτη δὲ ἀσεβῶν ὀλιγωθήσεται Εἰ «φόβος κυρίου προστίθησιν ἡμέρας», «ἀρχὴ δὲ σοφίας φόβος κυρίου», αἱ ἡμέραι αὗται μέρη τῆς σοφίας εἰσὶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης γινόμεναι, ὑπὲρ ὧν εὔχεται καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγων· «μὴ ἀναγάγῃς με ἐν ἡμίσει ἡμερῶν μου.» Ταύτας δὲ τὰς ἡμέρας καὶ Ἀβραὰμ πληρώσας ἀπέθανε, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· «καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανε πρεσβύτης καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν.» 123 10, 30 δίκαιος τὸν αἰῶνα οὐκ ἐνδώσει· ἀσεβεῖς δὲ οὐκ οἰκήσουσιν γῆν Τὸν αἰῶνα ἀντὶ τοῦ διὰ βίου. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· «οὐ μὴ φάγω, φησίν, κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω», αἰῶνα τὸ συμπαρεκτεινόμενον τῇ συστάσει τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ διάστημα ὀνομάζων. 124 10, 32 χείλη ἀνδρῶν δικαίων ἀποστάζει χάριτας· στόμα δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἀποστρέφεται Στόμα νῦν τὸν νοῦν εἴρηκεν. 125 11, 14 οἷς μὴ ὑπάρχει κυβέρνησις, πίπτουσιν ὥσπερ φύλλα· σωτηρία δὲ ὑπάρχει ἐν πολλῇ βουλῇ Παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας περιφερόμενοι καὶ ναυαγοῦντες περὶ τὴν πίστιν. 126 11, 15 πονηρὸς κακοποιεῖ, ὅταν συμμείξῃ δικαίῳ· μισεῖ δὲ ἦχον ἀσφαλείας Ἦχον ἀσφαλείας τοὺς περὶ σωτηρίας λόγους ὠνόμασεν. 127 11, 17 τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὸν ποιεῖ ἀνὴρ ἐλήμων· ἐξολλύει δὲ αὐτοῦ σῶμα ὁ ἀνελεήμων Ἐνταῦθα τὴν ψύχην ἄντικρυς προσεῖπεν σῶμα. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δὲ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις σῶμα τὴν ψυχὴν ὀνομάζει, «ὁ λύχνος, λέγων, τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ ὀφθαλμός», λύχνον μὲν εἰπὼν τὸν νοῦν–αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν γνώσεως δεκτικός–, σῶμα δὲ τὸ θυμικὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμητικὸν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς, ὅπερ τινὲς μὲν ἄλογον, τινὲς δὲ παθητικὸν μέρος καλοῦσιν. 128 11, 21 χειρὶ χεῖρας ἐμβαλὼν ἀδίκως οὐκ ἀτιμώρητος ἔσται· ὁ δὲ σπείρων δικαιοσύνην λήμψεται μισθὸν πιστῶν Οὗτος χειρὶ χεῖρας ἐμβάλλει ἀδίκως ὁ κακῶν γινόμενος πραγμάτων καὶ δογμάτων διδάσκαλος. Καὶ οὗτος σπείρει δικαιοσύνην ὁ περὶ ἀρετῶν καὶ θεοῦ γνώσεως προϊέμενος λόγους. 129 11, 24 εἰσὶν οἳ τὰ ἴδια σπείροντες πλείονα ποιοῦσιν· εἰσὶν δὲ καὶ οἳ συνάγοντες ἐλαττονοῦνται Τοῖς τὰ ἴδια σπείρουσι καὶ πλείονα ποιοῦσιν ἀντίκεινται οἱ συνάγοντες καὶ ἐλαττονούμενοι. Εἰ δὲ οἱ τὰ ἴδια σπείροντές εἰσιν οἱ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα σπείροντες καὶ ζωὴν θερίζοντες, οἱ συνάγοντές εἰσιν οἱ εἰς τὴν σάρκα σπείροντες καὶ φθορὰν συνάγοντες ἑαυτοῖς. 130 11, 26 ὁ συνέχων σῖτον ὑπολίποιτο αὐτὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· εὐλογία δὲ εἰς κεφαλὴν τοῦ μεταδιδόντος Ὅμοιόν ἐστι τούτῳ καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις λεγόμενον· «οὐδεὶς λύχνον ἅψας τίθησιν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν καὶ φαίνει πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ.» 131 11, 27 τεκταινόμενος ἀγαθὰ ζητεῖ χάριν ἀγαθήν· ἐκζητοῦντα δὲ κακά, καταλήμψεται αὐτόν Εἰ τεκτονική ἐστιν ἐργασία ἀγαθῶν καὶ πρακτική ἐστιν 11 ἐργασία ἀρετῶν, ἡ πρακτική ἐστιν ἡ τεκτονική. 132 11, 30 ἐκ καρποῦ δικαιοσύνης φύεται δένδρον ζωῆς· ἀφαιροῦνται δὲ ἄωροι ψυχαὶ παρανόμων Τοῦτο τὸ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς ἐστι τὸ φυτευθὲν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου, οὗ ἅψασθαι μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κωλύεται ὁ Ἀδὰμ τὰ σπέρματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀποβαλών, ἀφ' ὧν φύεται τὸ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς. 133 12, 2 κρείσσων ὁ εὑρὼν χάριν παρὰ κυρίῳ ἀνὴρ δὲ παράνομος παρασιωπηθήσεται «Μήποτε παρασιωπήσῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυίδ, καὶ ὁμοιωθήσομαι τοῖς καταβαίνουσιν εἰς λάκκον.» 134 13, 22 ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ κληρονομήσει υἱοὺς υἱῶν· θησαυρίζεται δὲ δικαίοις πλοῦτος ἀσεβῶν Πλοῦτος