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Proverbs 1:1. The proverbs of Solomon — “Solomon is the first of the sacred writers whose name appears at the head of his works. The name alone of so wise and so great a prince is a sufficient recommendation to engage men to hear and to read. For we naturally love to see and to listen to persons of illustrious name and extraordinary capacity, particularly when those qualities are joined with sovereign power. The style of this work, the brevity of his sentences, and the parabolical turn, close, short, sententious, are also reasons for studying it: long discourses fatigue; all men have not leisure to attend to, or penetration to comprehend them. But precepts delivered in parables are always pleasing to hear.” See Calmet and Dodd. The reader will observe proverbs are ancient, wise, and short sayings, in common use, whereof some are plain and easy, others intricate and obscure. This way of treating serious subjects was very common and familiar with the Jews. Jesus Christ delivered most of his instructions to the people in a way somewhat similar to this, namely, in parables. This method of instruction serves well to teach wisdom, truth, and justice, and to caution men against error, vice, and dissipation.

Proverbs 1:2-4. To know wisdom — Written to help men to know, thoroughly and practically, both human wisdom, to conduct their affairs properly in this life, and especially divine wisdom, showing them their duty to God and man, and making them wise unto salvation; and instruction — The instructions delivered, either by God or men, in order to the attainment of wisdom. To perceive the words of understanding — Those words which are the effects of a good understanding, or which give a man that true understanding whereby he can discern between truth and error, between good and evil, in order that he may choose the former and refuse the latter. To receive the instruction of wisdom — Willingly to receive the wise and salutary counsels of others, which is a good step to wisdom, and a part of it. This is opposed to the instruction of fools and of folly, of which he speaks Proverbs 16:22, and Proverbs 19:27. For folly hath its school, where multitudes of scholars attend, who are very apt to learn its lessons. Justice, judgment, and equity — That is, to receive the instruction which teaches men just judgment, or equity, namely, their whole duty to God, their neighbour, and themselves. To give subtlety — Or, rather, prudence, as this word, ערמה, is used Proverbs 8:5; Proverbs 8:12; although it is frequently taken in an evil sense for craft and subtlety; to the simple — To such as want wisdom, and are easily deceived by others, and therefore most need this blessing; to the young man — Who wants both experience and self-government; knowledge and discretion — That they may gain so much knowledge as will enable them to conduct themselves and their affairs with knowledge and discretion.

Proverbs 1:5-6. A wise man will hear — Is not self-conceited, as fools are, but willing to learn from others, and, therefore, will attend to the following instructions; and will increase learning — Thereby he will gain this great benefit, he will increase in knowledge and wisdom. This he adds, to show that this book is useful and necessary, not only to the ignorant, but also to the most wise and knowing persons; and shall attain unto wise counsels — Not to deep speculations, but practical knowledge and wisdom, the art of governing himself, or others, well and prudently. To understand a proverb, &c. — That is, the interpretation of a proverb, or the meaning and use of the wise sayings of God or men: to know this practically, and for his direction and benefit; for practice is the great design of this book. The words of the wise, and their dark sayings — Such as are hard to be understood by inconsiderate and carnal men; but may be found out by diligent and humble inquiry, and prayer for divine teaching.

Proverbs 1:7. The fear of the Lord — That is, reverence for and obedience to God; is the beginning of knowledge — The foundation and source of it; without which all other knowledge is vain and useless. Mark well this sentence, reader: all wisdom, which is not founded in religion, in the true and genuine fear of God, is empty and unprofitable, and will be found such in the time of affliction, in the hour of death, and at the day of judgment. But fools — Wicked men, or men devoid of true religion, called fools throughout this whole book, despise wisdom and instruction — Are so far from attaining it, that they despise it, and all the means of getting it.

Proverbs 1:8-9. My son, &c. — He speaks to his scholars with paternal authority and affection, to render them more attentive and obedient. Teachers among the Hebrews were commonly called fathers, and their scholars their sons. Hear the instruction of thy father — His good and wholesome counsels; and forsake not the law of thy mother — Those pious instructions which thy mother instilled into thee in thy tender years. This he adds, because children, when grown up, are very prone to slight their mothers’ advice, because of the infirmity of their sex, and because they have not that dependance upon, and expectation from their mothers, which they have from their fathers. They shall be an ornament, &c. — This will make thee amiable and honourable in the sight of God and of men, whereas the forsaking of those good counsels will make thee contemptible.

Proverbs 1:10-14. My son, if sinners — Sinners of any description; entice thee — To sin, to commit any known iniquity, or to omit any known duty; consent thou not — Yield not in any degree to their advice, persuasions, or solicitations, for why shouldest thou destroy thyself to gratify them? If they say, Come with us — We are numerous, and strong, and sociable. Let us lay wait for blood — That is, to shed blood. He does not intend to express their words, for such words would rather affright than inveigle one that was yet a novice in wickedness, but he signifies what was the true nature, and would be the consequence of the action, in which they wished the person they addressed to join them, and what lay at the bottom of their specious pretences. Let us lurk privily for the innocent — For harmless travellers, suppose, and others that, suspecting no danger, are not prepared for opposition; without cause — Though they have not provoked us, nor deserved this usage from us. This Solomon adds, to discover their malignity and baseness, and so to deter the young man from associating with them. Let us swallow them up as the grave — Which speedily covers and consumes dead bodies. We shall do our work quickly, easily, and without fear of discovery. We shall find all precious substance — As our danger is little, so our profit will be great. Cast in thy lot among us — Or, rather, Thou shalt cast thy lot among us, that is, Thou shalt have a share with us, and that equally, and by lot, although thou art but a novice, and we are veterans. Let us all have — Or, we will all have; one purse — One purse shall receive all our profits, and furnish us with all expenses. So we shall live with great facility, and true friendship.

Proverbs 1:15-16. Walk not thou in the way with them — Avoid their courses, their conversation, and company. Refrain thy foot from their path — If thou shouldst have any thought, inclination, or temptation to hearken to their counsels, or to follow their examples, suppress it, and restrain thyself, as it were, by force and violence, as the word מנע, implies. For their feet run to evil — Without considering what they are doing, and shutting their eyes against the consequences, they make haste, not only to do evil to others, but also to bring evil upon themselves; to make haste to shed blood — Innocent blood, which is an inhuman practice, and a practice always followed by dreadful punishment, if not from man, yet certainly from God.

Proverbs 1:17. Surely in vain the net is spread, &c. — Even the silly birds will not suffer themselves to be taken if the net be spread in their sight; therefore, be at least as wise as they, and shun that which, by repeated experience, is always known to end in ruin. Thus understood, the sentence connects with the preceding verse, and contains an argument to enforce the caution given to the young man, to shun the misery and ruin in which his hearkening to the counsel of sinners would involve him. But the sentence is considered by many commentators as connected with the following verse, and is interpreted thus: The fowler who spreads his net in the sight of the bird, loses his labour; but these sinners are more foolish than the silly birds, for, though they are not ignorant of the mischief which these evil courses will bring upon themselves, yet they will not take warning. Thus Schultens paraphrases the words: “There is no bird so stupid as to fly into a net spread immediately before its eyes; but these abandoned sinners spread with their own hands, immediately before their own eyes, those nets by which they willingly involve themselves in certain death and ruin: for they who lay snares for the blood of the innocent, lay snares for themselves; and they who desire to swallow up the virtuous alive as the grave, they themselves will be swallowed up in that grave, and be plunged in destruction.”