TRV
Bede
Late Patristic · AD 500–800 · 6,271 passages across 45 books
Commentary
Proverbs 4:3
For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
For I too was a son to my father, tender, etc. Nothing more raises the mind to the hope of attaining wisdom than when we remember that those whom we admire as already shining in wisdom were once little and unlearned. And he taught me and said: Let your heart embrace my words. Such admonitions given to Solomon by his father David, he who reads Chronicles finds. But why does Solomon call himself the only begotten before his mother, when Scripture testifies that a uterine brother preceded him, unless because that one, born but immediately unnamed, departed life as if he had never been?
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
And in all your possessions acquire prudence. In all the good things you possess, remember to act wisely, or in all your possessions acquire prudence. Contemn all the earthly possessions you hold; provided you acquire wisdom. This is what Solomon himself did, when given the choice, he placed love of wisdom before all things (1 Kings III); and in the Gospel, he who sought the precious pearl, having found it, sold all he had and bought it (Matthew XIII).
Proverbs 4:9
She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
It will bestow ornament of grace on your head, etc. It is clear from Solomon, because while he despised all for the sake of wisdom, having received wisdom, he shone with greater exaltation of glory. But even for our head, that is, the principal part of the mind, if it embraces wisdom, the greater grace of the Spirit is increased, and moreover, in the future, the crown of life will be given. Indeed, after explaining these words he received from his father, he returns to teaching his own listener the wisdom he began.
Proverbs 4:10
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Listen, my son, and accept my words, etc. That is, so you may receive the gifts of eternal life.
Proverbs 4:11
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
I will lead you in the paths of equity, etc. Paths, that is, actions of equity, while they begin, seem narrow and strait; but when they take progress, already by habit they seem spacious and broad, as the Psalmist testifies, who when he began told the Lord, Because of the words of your lips I stayed strong in the hard paths (Psalm XVI), but afterward, already making progress, he sang, I have run the way of your commandments, when you enlarged my heart (Psalm CXVIII). And therefore, even if the paths of equity seem narrow when you begin to enter them, once entered, the steps of your mind will not be constrained; but you will find that which the Lord says: His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (Matthew XI). For indeed, the reprobate in this life enter a broad way, but on the last day, with feet and hands bound, they will be cast into darkness (Matthew XXII); while the feet of the elect will be directed into the way of peace.
Proverbs 4:12
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
And running, you will not have a stumbling block. The more eagerly you run to fulfill God’s commandments, the less you will fear adversities that impede you: for whoever sweats in evil deeds finds a stumbling block in the midst of the course, because immediately, when they do not foresee, they are snatched to punishment.
Proverbs 4:17
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
They eat the bread of wickedness, etc. Thus, by the action of wicked crimes, they are delighted as if by set feasts. Or certainly they drink the wine of the condemned, and they rejoice in taking ears of grain from the hungry, as the holy Scripture testifies about the custom of the impious.
Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
But the path of the just is like the shining light, etc. The works of the just are conducted in the light of knowledge, and they lead to eternal life, which is the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:19
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
The way of the wicked is dark, etc. John the Apostle also says concerning these: Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no offense in him (1 John 2); but whoever hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes (ibid.). Against whom it is said to the wise man above: Because running, you will have no stumbling, that is, scandal.
Proverbs 4:23
· 2 passages
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
With all vigilance guard your heart, etc. There are those who seem to live rightly to men, but because they do not do so with right intention, their life which was believed good is rejected by God, who looks into the depraved. Therefore, with all diligence guard the purity of your heart, because the evaluation of life will be judged by its intention.
Solomon convinces us to chastise all these kinds of evil thoughts when he says, “Guard your heart with all vigilance, for life comes forth from it.” Following his suggestion, let us act quickly, that if we transgress in any way in our thoughts by consenting to carry out something wicked, we may swiftly wipe away this [transgression] by confession and fruits worthy of repentance. If we perceive that we are being tempted by delight in committing sin, let us drive away this noxious delight by our frequent prayers and tears and by our frequent recollection of everlasting bitterness. If we see that we are not capable of ridding ourselves of it on our own, let us seek the help of our brothers, that we may accomplish by their advice and intercession what we are unable to do by our own strength.
Proverbs 4:24
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Remove from you a deceitful mouth, etc. This must be understood in two ways: that you should guard your own mouth from speaking anything deceitful, and keep your lips from getting used to detractions, and that you should flee from others whom you know to be subject to this vice, lest they corrupt you.
Proverbs 4:25
· 2 passages
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, etc. Learn diligently the path of justice on which you ought to enter, and cautiously foresee in all things you intend to do what end they are destined to reach. This means that the eyelids of your eyes looking straight ahead should precede your steps, anticipating the good work you are going to do with diligent thought, and, considering that it is according to God, foresee it by meditating.
Solomon, advising the wise hearer, says, “And let your eyes anticipate your footsteps,” which is to declare clearly that in all our actions we should take care to foresee with earnest intent what outcome awaits us, we should examine skillfully what is done according to the will of God and what opposes it.
Proverbs 4:26
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Make straight paths for your feet. Namely, that you do not err in actions or faith. And all your ways will be established. May you not be swayed from your good purpose by fickleness of mind. Hence also the Apostle: Be steadfast and immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58).
Proverbs 4:27
· 2 passages
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Keep your foot from evil. This means do not deviate from the right, either to this side or that, because virtues seek discernment, and all excess is in vice. For the ways which are to the right, the Lord knows. That is, He has chosen, and they are pleasing to Him. Therefore, to those who are displeasing and reprobate He will say, I never knew you (Matt. 7:23); which is to say, I did not choose you, you are not pleasing to me. But He Himself will make your steps straight, etc. If you turn your foot away from evil, if you strive to do the good which I have taught with the Lord's help, He Himself will be propitious to your efforts, so that now you may walk rightly and then be able to reach eternal peace.
Do not turn to the right or to the left. The right way is taken as good, the left as reprobate. Therefore, we are forbidden to turn to the right way, but not to decline to the right. One turns to the left who is unjust; one turns to the right who arrogates to himself that he is just; one turns to the right who presumes on his own strengths; one turns to the left who, because of his frailty, despairs of being able to be saved; one turns to the left who serves folly; one turns to the right who wishes to be wiser than he ought to be. This is also understood in the same way concerning the rest of the virtues and vices.
Proverbs 5:1
My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
My son, attend to my wisdom, etc. Until now he had generally rebuked the listener; hence under the guise of the harlot, he prohibits from the wickedness of heretics.
Proverbs 5:2
That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
That you may guard your thoughts, etc. Thoughts, by which you rightly believe; lips, by which you profess the faith itself in simple words, and usual, as well as ecclesiastical ones. But, according to the letter: He who adheres to a harlot defiles even his lips, either by kissing or speaking foul things.
Proverbs 5:3
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
And her throat is smoother than oil. The Catholic faith is consecrated by the oil of the Holy Spirit, by which they who prefer their own sense to the faith of the Fathers show their throat smoother. It is evident concerning the harlot, because she seeks both the sweetness of speech and the beauty of body to capture the wretched.