John Gill Commentary Proverbs 11

A false balance [is] abomination to the Lord. Under which are included all false weights and measures, and all fraudulent practices in commerce and dealing; which are forbidden by the Lord, and are abominable to him, as being injurious to the estates and properties of men: and more especially must be abominable in professors of religion, as being contrary to the grace of God; for though there may be common honesty where there is not the grace of God, yet there cannot be the true grace of God where there is not honesty; for the grace of God teaches to deny all such worldly lusts; but a just weight [is] his delight; or a "perfect stone" ^F3; the ancient practice being to make use of stones for weights; Now to give just weight, and also just measure, and to do justly in all civil dealings with men, is what God requires, and is well pleasing in his sight ^F4; see (Leviticus 19:35Leviticus 19:36) .

This may be understood of balances and weights in religious affairs; the balance of the sanctuary is the word of God, with which all doctrines are to be weighed, and, if found wanting, they are to be rejected; this is agreeable to the will of God: false balances are abominable to him; such as carnal reason, vain philosophy, and the traditions of men, used by antichrist and his followers; the harlot, described in some preceding chapters, opposed to Wisdom or Christ, who directs to the search of the Scriptures, and the use of them to try doctrines by, (John 5:39) ; see (Acts 17:11) (1 John 4:1) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F3: (hmlv Nba) "lapsis perfectus", Montanus, Gejerus.
• F4: (metra nemein ta dikaia) Phocylid. Poem. Admon. v. 12, 13.

[When] pride comes, then comes shame
The one follows the other, or rather keep pace together; as soon as one comes, the other comes; as in the case of the angels that sinned, Adam and Eve, Haman, Nebuchadnezzar, and others; and will be the case of the Romish antichrist, who, while vaunting and priding himself in his glory and grandeur, will fall into shame, disgrace, and destruction, (Revelation 18:7Revelation 18:8) ;

but with the lowly [is] wisdom ;
or wisdom shall come, as Jarchi: the consequence of which is honour and glory; as with Christ, who is meek and lowly, are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; so with his humble followers, who reckon themselves the least of saints, and chief of sinners, and own that it is by the grace of God they are what they are, is true wisdom; they are wise unto salvation, and in the way to honour and glory; such humble souls shall be exalted, (Luke 14:11) .

The integrity of the upright shall guide them The Spirit of God is the best guide of an upright man; he leads into all truth, and unto the land of uprightness, and continues to be a guide, even unto death; and it is right to walk after him, and not after the flesh: and besides him, the upright man has the word of God as a lamp to his feet, and a light to his paths, which he does well to take heed to; and next to that is the sincerity and uprightness of his heart, which will not suffer him, knowingly and willingly, to go aside into crooked paths, or to do amiss: integrity of heart and innocency of hand go together; such are the followers of the Lamb, as described, (Revelation 14:4Revelation 14:5) ; see (Psalms 25:21) ;

but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them ; the perverse ways, words, and actions of such as transgress the law of God, deal treacherously with God and men, as the word ^F5 signifies, shall be their ruin: the perverse doctrines and worship of the man of sin, and his followers, shall bring destruction upon them, (2 Thessalonians 2:4 2 Thessalonians 2:8 2 Thessalonians 2:12) . The word for "perverseness" is only used here and in (Proverbs 15:4) ; and there plainly signifies the perverseness of the tongue or speech, and so may have respect to corrupt doctrine.

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: (Mydgb) "perfidosorum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "perfidorum", Cocceius, Michaelis.

Riches profit not in the day of wrath
When God takes away the soul, and summons to judgment, and brings to it; and as riches profited not Rome Pagan, in the day of the Lamb's wrath upon it; so neither will they profit Rome Papal, when it will come in remembrance before God, to give it the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath; see (Revelation 6:15–17) (18:15-17) ;

but righteousness delivereth from death ;
from the curse of a corporeal death; from the power of a spiritual one; and from dying the second or an eternal one; (See Gill on Proverbs 10:2); the Targum is, ``from an evil death.''

The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way
Or "make [it] plain" ^F6 ; that is, the righteousness of those who are perfect in Christ, complete in him, perfectly justified by his righteousness; that righteousness makes their way plain; it is the direct way, the highway, the pathway to eternal life and happiness; see (Proverbs 12:28) ; but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness ;
or, "in his wickedness" ^F7 : in his own wicked way, which he has chosen and delights to walk in; he shall stumble therein, and fall into ruin and destruction, into hell and damnation: or by means or because of it he will fall; his wickedness will be the cause of his fall; as it will be the cause of the fall of Babylon, (Revelation 18:2Revelation 18:5) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F6: (rvyt) "rectam facit", Cocceius; "complanat viam ejus", Schultens.
• F7: (wtevrb) "in impietate sua", Tigurine version, Montanus, Baynus, Michaelis; "improbitate sua", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "in injustitia sua", Cocceius; "in improbitate sua turbulenta", Schultens.