[1] My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
My law — The law of God, which might be called his law, as the gospel is called Paul's gospel, 2 Timothy 2:8, because delivered by him.
Verse 3
[3] Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Mercy — Mercy denotes all benignity, charity, and readiness to do good to others: truth or faithfulness respects all those duties which we owe to God or man, which we have special obligation from the rules of justice.
Bind them — Like a chain, wherewith persons adorn their necks.
Table — In thy mind and heart, in which all God's commands are to be received and engraven.
Verse 4
[4] So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Understanding — Whereby to know thy duty, and to discern between good and evil.
Of God — Grace or favour with God, and that understanding which is good in God's sight.
Verse 5
[5] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Trust — Wholly rely upon God's promises and providences.
Lean not — Under this one kind of carnal confidence, he understands all other confidence in bodily strength, wealth, or friends.
Verse 8
[8] It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Navel — To thy body, which is signified by one part of it.
Marrow — Which is the nourishment and strength of the bones.
Verse 9
[9] Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Substance — Lay out thy estate not to please thyself, but to glorify God.
First-fruits — Or, with the chief or best; which answers to the first-fruits under the law.
Verse 10
[10] So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
So — This is not the way to diminish thy estate, but rather to increase it.
Verse 11
[11] My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Despise not — Either by making light of it, or not being duly affected with it; or by accounting it an unnecessary thing: but rather esteem it a privilege and favour from God.
Weary — Neither think it tedious or hard, but endure it with patience and chearfulness.
Verse 13
[13] Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Findeth — Which supposes his diligent searching for it.
Verse 17
[17] Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Peace — Procure a blessed tranquility in a man's mind and conscience.
Verse 18
[18] She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
A tree — A pledge of everlasting life. He alludes to the tree of life, and intimates, that this is the only restorer of that life which we have lost by sin.
Verse 19
[19] The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
Wisdom — Either by Christ, or by that Divine perfection of wisdom, which is the fountain of wisdom in man.
Verse 20
[20] By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
The depths — That great abyss contained in the bowels of the earth, breaks forth into fountains and rivers.
Verse 21
[21] My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
Eyes — The eyes of thy mind. Constantly and seriously meditate upon them.
Verse 22
[22] So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
Grace — Like a beautiful chain or ornament.
Verse 25
[25] Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
Be not — Thou shalt not be afraid.
Sudden — For sudden and unexpected evils are most frightful. And fear is here put for the evils feared.
Desolation — Which cometh upon the wicked.
Verse 26
[26] For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Shall be — A sure ground of confidence to thee.
Taken — In the snares either of sin or mischief.
Verse 27
[27] Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
With-hold not — Do not deny it, but readily and chearfuly impart it.
Good — Any thing which is good, either counsel, comfort, reproof, or the good things of the present life.
Due — That is, to all men, by that great and sovereign law of love.
Verse 28
[28] Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
Say not — The former verse forbad the denial, and this forbids the delay of this duty.
Verse 29
[29] Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Securely — Relying upon thine integrity.
Verse 31
[31] Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Envy not — For his impunity and success.
Verse 32
[32] For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
Abomination — Therefore sooner or later he must be miserable.
The righteous — They are God's friends, to whom he imparts the favours and comforts to which other men are strangers.
Verse 33
[33] The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
The house — Not only upon his own person, but also upon his posterity.
Verse 35
[35] The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Proverbs 3 Bible Commentary
John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes
Verse 1
[1] My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
My law — The law of God, which might be called his law, as the gospel is called Paul's gospel, 2 Timothy 2:8, because delivered by him.
Verse 3
[3] Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Mercy — Mercy denotes all benignity, charity, and readiness to do good to others: truth or faithfulness respects all those duties which we owe to God or man, which we have special obligation from the rules of justice.
Bind them — Like a chain, wherewith persons adorn their necks.
Table — In thy mind and heart, in which all God's commands are to be received and engraven.
Verse 4
[4] So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Understanding — Whereby to know thy duty, and to discern between good and evil.
Of God — Grace or favour with God, and that understanding which is good in God's sight.
Verse 5
[5] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Trust — Wholly rely upon God's promises and providences.
Lean not — Under this one kind of carnal confidence, he understands all other confidence in bodily strength, wealth, or friends.
Verse 8
[8] It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Navel — To thy body, which is signified by one part of it.
Marrow — Which is the nourishment and strength of the bones.
Verse 9
[9] Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Substance — Lay out thy estate not to please thyself, but to glorify God.
First-fruits — Or, with the chief or best; which answers to the first-fruits under the law.
Verse 10
[10] So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
So — This is not the way to diminish thy estate, but rather to increase it.
Verse 11
[11] My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Despise not — Either by making light of it, or not being duly affected with it; or by accounting it an unnecessary thing: but rather esteem it a privilege and favour from God.
Weary — Neither think it tedious or hard, but endure it with patience and chearfulness.
Verse 13
[13] Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Findeth — Which supposes his diligent searching for it.
Verse 17
[17] Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
Peace — Procure a blessed tranquility in a man's mind and conscience.
Verse 18
[18] She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
A tree — A pledge of everlasting life. He alludes to the tree of life, and intimates, that this is the only restorer of that life which we have lost by sin.
Verse 19
[19] The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
Wisdom — Either by Christ, or by that Divine perfection of wisdom, which is the fountain of wisdom in man.
Verse 20
[20] By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
The depths — That great abyss contained in the bowels of the earth, breaks forth into fountains and rivers.
Verse 21
[21] My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
Eyes — The eyes of thy mind. Constantly and seriously meditate upon them.
Verse 22
[22] So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
Grace — Like a beautiful chain or ornament.
Verse 25
[25] Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
Be not — Thou shalt not be afraid.
Sudden — For sudden and unexpected evils are most frightful. And fear is here put for the evils feared.
Desolation — Which cometh upon the wicked.
Verse 26
[26] For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Shall be — A sure ground of confidence to thee.
Taken — In the snares either of sin or mischief.
Verse 27
[27] Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
With-hold not — Do not deny it, but readily and chearfuly impart it.
Good — Any thing which is good, either counsel, comfort, reproof, or the good things of the present life.
Due — That is, to all men, by that great and sovereign law of love.
Verse 28
[28] Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
Say not — The former verse forbad the denial, and this forbids the delay of this duty.
Verse 29
[29] Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
Securely — Relying upon thine integrity.
Verse 31
[31] Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Envy not — For his impunity and success.
Verse 32
[32] For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
Abomination — Therefore sooner or later he must be miserable.
The righteous — They are God's friends, to whom he imparts the favours and comforts to which other men are strangers.
Verse 33
[33] The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
The house — Not only upon his own person, but also upon his posterity.
Verse 35
[35] The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Shame — Instead of that glory which they seek.