Proverbs 9:12
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If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage; but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
This wisdom, resting on the fear of God, is itself a blessing to the wise: "If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself; And if thou mockest, thou alone shalt bear it." The lxx, with the Syr., mangle the thought of 12a, for they translate: if thou art wise for thyself, so also thou wilt be wise for thy neighbour. The dat. commodi לך means that it is for the personal advantage of the wise to be wise. The contrast expressed by Job 22:2.: not profitable to God, but to thyself (Hitzig), is scarcely intended, although, so far as the accentuation is antithetic, it is the nearest. The perf. ולצתּ is the hypothetical; Gesen. 126, 1. To bear anything, viz., anything sinful (חטא or עון), is equivalent to, to atone for it, Job 34:2, cf. Num 9:13; Eze 23:35. Also 12b is a contrast scarcely aimed at. Wisdom is its own profit to man; libertinism is its own disgrace. Man decides, whenever he prefers to be wise, or to be a mocker of religion and of virtue, regarding his own weal and woe. With this nota bene the discourse of Wisdom closes.
Open source ↗Christ and sin are rivals for the soul of man, and here we are told how they both make their court to it, to have the innermost and uppermost place in it. The design of this representation is to set before us life and death, good and evil; and there needs no more than a fair stating of the case to determine us which of those to choose, and surrender our hearts to. They are both brought in making entertainment for the soul, and inviting it to accept of the entertainment; concerning both we are told what the issue will be; and, the matter being thus laid before us, let us consider, take advice, and speak our minds. And we are therefore concerned to put a value upon our own souls, because we see there is such striving for them. I. Christ, under the name of Wisdom, invites us to accept of his entertainment, and so to enter into acquaintance and communion with him (Pro 9:1-6). And having foretold the different success of his invitation (Pro 9:7-9) he shows, in short, what he requires from us (Pro 9:10). and what he designs for us (Pro 9:11), and then leaves it to our choice what we will do (Pro 9:12). II. Sin, under the character of a foolish woman, courts us to accept of her entertainment, and (Pro 9:13-16) pretends it is very charming (Pro 9:17). But Solomon tells us what the reckoning will be (Pro 9:18). And now choose you, this day, whom you will close with.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.
Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.
A worker’s appetite works for him because his hunger drives him onward.
So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become heavier. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land.
He writes this way in all his letters, speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.