In whose eyes a vile person is contemned
A "vile" man is a very wicked, profligate, and abandoned
creature, one that is to every good work reprobate; and such
sometimes are in high places, ( Psalms 12:8 ) (
Daniel
11:21 ) ; and are greatly caressed and esteemed by the men of
the world; but then, as they are an abomination to God, they
should be despised by his people, let them be what they will as
to their riches, honours, and wisdom among men; as Haman was by
Mordecai, ( Esther 3:2 ) ; and Ahab
by Elisha, ( 2 Kings 3:14
) ; and such who keep company with, and express a delight and
pleasure in such sort of persons, ought by no means to have a
place in the house of God. Some understand this of a good man
being "despised in his own eyes", as it may be rendered
F6; on account of his vileness, and the
imperfection of his obedience, and as expressive of his great
humility, esteeming others better than himself; and who renounces
himself, and is rejected by himself, having a very mean opinion
of himself; which is the sense of the Targum, Aben Ezra, and
Kimchi; and which is no bad sense, though the former is
countenanced by what follows;
but he honoureth them that fear the Lord;
who have the covenant grace of fear wrought in their hearts, and
serve the Lord with reverence and godly fear; that is, who are
truly religious and godly persons; these such who are fit members
of the church of Christ love heartily, esteem of highly, and
honour them by thinking and speaking well of them, and behaving
with great respect and decency to them; see ( Romans 12:10
) ;
[he that] sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth
not;
having taken a solemn oath, so sacred is it with him, and such a
regard has he to the name of God, by whom he swears, that though
it is to his civil loss and detriment, yet he will not break it
and depart from it, but punctually observe it: some render it,
"he that swears to his neighbour, and changeth not" F7; he
that is just to his word, faithful to his promises, that exactly
fulfils all the obligations he lays himself under unto others; he
that is honest and upright in all his dealings. The Jewish
writers interpret this clause of a man's vowing and swearing to
afflict himself by fasting, which, though it is to the emaciating
of his body, yet he strictly observes his vow or oath; but this
is foreign from the scope of the place: it might be rendered, "he
that swears to do evil, and does not recompense or perform"
F8, it being better to break through
such an oath than to keep it; see ( Leviticus
5:4 ) .