Proverbs 29:5

29:1 If God wounds, who can heal? The word of God warns all to flee from the wrath to come, to the hope set before us in Jesus Christ. 2. The people have cause to rejoice or mourn, as their rulers are righteous or wicked. 3. Divine wisdom best keeps us from ruinous lusts. 4. The Lord Jesus is the King who will minister true judgment to the people. 5. Flatterers put men off their guard, which betrays them into foolish conduct. 6. Transgressions always end in vexations. Righteous men walk at liberty, and walk in safety. 7. This verse is applicable to compassion for the distress of the poor, and the unfeeling disregard shown by the wicked. 8. The scornful mock at things sacred and serious. Men who promote religion, which is true wisdom, turn away the wrath of God. 9. If a wise man dispute with a conceited wrangler, he will be treated with anger or ridicule; and no good is done. 10. Christ told his disciples that they should be hated of all men. The just, whom the blood-thirsty hate, gladly do any thing for their salvation.

A man that flattereth his neighbour,.... That speaks smooth things to him gives him flattering titles, speaks fair to his face, highly commends him on one account or another: spreadeth a net for his feet; has an idle design upon him, and therefore should be guarded against; his view is to draw him into a snare and make a prey of him; he attacks him on his weak side, and hopes to make some advantage of it to himself; wherefore flatterers should be avoided as pernicious persons; or he spreads a net for his own feet, and is taken in the snare which he had laid for his neighbour; or falls into the pit he dug for him, as Gersom observes; see Psalm 140:5.

Proverbs 29:5-6 . A man that flattereth his neighbour — That praiseth, or applaudeth, another in a sinful state or practice; spreadeth a net for his feet — Kills him under a pretence of kindness; is an occasion of his sin, and consequently of his destruction, which possibly he might design to accomplish by that means. In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare — His sin will bring him to dreadful horrors and certain ruin. But the righteous doth sing and rejoice — Because he hath sweet peace in his own conscience, and an assurance of present safety and eternal happiness.

A man that flattereth his neighbour, that praiseth or applaudeth another in a sinful state or course, spreadeth a net for his feet; kills him under a pretence of kindness; is an occasion of his sin, and consequently of destruction, which possibly he may design to accomplish by that means.

Spendeth ... - The laws of parallelism would lead us to expect "troubleth his father," but that is passed over as a thing about which the profligate would not care, and he is reminded of what comes home to him, that he is on the road to ruin. The king - The ruler, as the supreme fountain of all justice, and as the ideal judge, is contrasted with the taker of bribers.

Verse 5. - A man that flattereth his neighbour ; says only what is agreeable, applauds his words and actions indiscriminately, and makes him think too well of himself he is no true friend (see Proverbs 28:23 ). Spreadeth a net for his feet; his stops ( Proverbs 26:28 ; Job 18:8 , etc.). If a man listens to such flattering words, and is influenced by them, he works his own ruin; self-deceived, he knows not his real condition, and accordingly makes grievous disaster of his life. The LXX. gives a different turn to the sentence, "He that prepareth a net before his friend entangles his own feet therein" (comp. Proverbs 26:27 ; Proverbs 28:10 ). Proverbs 29:5

5 A man who flattereth his neighbour Spreadeth a net for his steps. Fleischer, as Bertheau: vir qui alterum blanditiis circumvenit; but in the על there does not lie in itself a hostile tendency, an intention to do injury; it interchanges with אל, Psalm 36:3, and what is expressed in line second happens also, without any intention on the part of the flatterer: the web of the flatterer before the eyes of a neighbour becomes, if he is caught thereby, a net for him in which he is entangled to his own destruction (Hitzig). החליק signifies also, without any external object, Proverbs 28:23; Proverbs 2:16, as internally transitive: to utter that which is smooth, i.e., flattering. פּעמיו is, as Psalm 57:7 equals רגליו, for which it is the usual Phoenician word.

## Keepeth company with harlots; whereby he plainly discovers himself to want wisdom; of which see Pro_7:7, &c. ## Spendeth his substance; whereby he not only ruineth himself, but also grieveth his father, as is implied from the opposite clause. ## Proverbs 29:4 By judgment; by the free and impartial exercise of justice. ## He that receiveth gifts, Heb. a man (for he would not vouchsafe to call him a king, as being unworthy of that name and office) of oblations or gifts , i.e. whose delight and common practice it is to take bribes, and sell justice. ## Proverbs 29:5 A man that flattereth his neighbour, that praiseth or applaudeth another in a sinful state or course, spreadeth a net for his feet; kills him under a pretence of kindness; is an occasion of his sin, and consequently of destruction, which possibly he may design to accomplish by that means. ## Proverbs 29:6 There is a snare; his sin will bring him to dreadful horrors and certain ruin. ## Doth sing and rejoice, because he hath sweet peace in his own conscience, and assurance of present safety and eternal happiness. ## Proverbs 29:7 The righteous, whether magistrate, or any private person concerned to know it, and capable of helping him in it, ## considereth the cause of the poor; his poverty neither hinders him from taking pains to examine it, nor from a righteous determination of it.

[Chapter 2] And why, then, will not you stop your ears against those wretches, whom the hand and heart of God is so much against? Again, as God declares against them, so godly men detest them and declare against them, as you may see by comparing these scriptures together, Psalms 5:8-10; Proverbs 2:16, Proverbs 7:21, Proverbs 28:23; Job 32:21-22; 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 10. Proverbs 20:19, "Meddle not with him who flatters with his lips." Why so? Why! Because a man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet, Proverbs 29:5. The Hebrew word that is here rendered flatterer, signifies a soft butter-spoken man, because flatterers use smooth, soft speeches. Also the word signifies "to divide," because a flatterer's tongue is divided from his heart. Flatterers have their nets, and those who give ear to them will be taken to their ruin. A lying tongue hates those who are afflicted by it, and "a flattering mouth works ruin," Proverbs 26:28. A flattering mouth ruins name, fame, estate, body, soul, life. Valerian, the Roman emperor, used to say, Not bitter words—but flattering words do all the mischief. When Alexander the Great was hit with an arrow in the siege of an Indian city, which would not heal, he said to his flatterers, You say that I am Jupiter's son—but this wound cries that I am but a man

Again, as God declares against them, so godly men detest them and declare against them, as you may see by comparing these scriptures together, Psalms 5:8-10; Proverbs 2:16, Proverbs 7:21, Proverbs 28:23; Job 32:21-22; 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 10. Proverbs 20:19, "Meddle not with him who flatters with his lips." Why so? Why! Because a man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet, Proverbs 29:5. The Hebrew word that is here rendered flatterer, signifies a soft butter-spoken man, because flatterers use smooth, soft speeches. Also the word signifies "to divide," because a flatterer's tongue is divided from his heart. Flatterers have their nets, and those who give ear to them will be taken to their ruin. A lying tongue hates those who are afflicted by it, and "a flattering mouth works ruin," Proverbs 26:28. A flattering mouth ruins name, fame, estate, body, soul, life. Valerian, the Roman emperor, used to say, Not bitter words—but flattering words do all the mischief. When Alexander the Great was hit with an arrow in the siege of an Indian city, which would not heal, he said to his flatterers, You say that I am Jupiter's son—but this wound cries that I am but a man. Now shall godly men detest them and abhor them, as they are the pest of pests, the plague of plagues; and will you own them, will you take pleasure in them, to your ruin here and hereafter? The Lord forbid! Oh say to all flatterers, as he to his idols, "Get hence, for what have I more to do with you?" Hosea 14:8.