Proverbs 27:4

4 Ire hath no mercy, and strong vengeance breaking out hath no mercy; and who may suffer the fierceness of a spirit stirred? (and who can survive the fierceness of a stirred up, or a jealous, spirit?)

Proverbs 27:4 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 27:4

Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous
Or "an inundation" F24; it is like the breaking in of the sea, or a flood of mighty waters, which know no bounds, and there is no stopping them: so cruel and outrageous were the wrath and anger of Simeon and Levi, in destroying the Shechemites; of Pharaoh, in making the Israelites to serve with hard bondage, and ordering their male children to be killed and drowned; and of Herod, in murdering the infants in and about Bethlehem;

but who [is] able to stand before envy?
which is secret in a man's heart, and privately contrives and works the ruin of another, and against which there no guarding. All mankind in Adam fell before the envy of Satan; for it was through the envy of the devil that sin and death came into the world, in the Apocrypha:

``Nevertheless through envy of the devil came death into the world: and they that do hold of his side do find it.'' (Wisdom 2:24)

Abel could not stand before the envy of Cain; nor Joseph before the envy of his brethren; nor Christ before the envy of the Jews, his bitter enemies; and, where it is, there is confusion and every evil work, ( James 3:14 James 3:16 ) . An envious man is worse than an angry and wrathful man; his wrath and anger may be soon over, or there may be ways and means of appeasing him; but envy continues and abides, and works insensibly.


FOOTNOTES:

F24 (Pjv) "inundatio", Michaelis, so Montanus, Vatablus, Tigurine version, "exundatio", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "inundatio salcans", Schultens.

Proverbs 27:4 In-Context

2 Another man (Let another person), and not thy (own) mouth praise thee; a stranger, and not thy lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and gravel is chargeous (and gravel is burdensome); but the ire of a fool is heavier than ever either.
4 Ire hath no mercy, and strong vengeance breaking out hath no mercy; and who may suffer the fierceness of a spirit stirred? (and who can survive the fierceness of a stirred up, or a jealous, spirit?)
5 Better is open reproving, than a love hid. [Better is open amending, than hid love.] (Better be open rebukes, than hidden love.)
6 Better be the wounds of him that loveth, than the guileful kisses of him that hateth. (Better be the wounds of him who loveth, than the deceitful kisses of him who hateth.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.