John Gill Commentary Proverbs 19

Better [is] the poor that walks in his integrity
In the uprightness of his heart before God and men; who is sincere in the worship of God, and in theprofession of his name, and walks in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless; and isupright, harmless, and inoffensive in his conversation with men; and studies to exercise a conscience void ofoffence to both, and continues herein. A man may be a poor man with respect to worldly things, and yet berich towards God; may be a truly gracious good man, honest, sincere, and upright in heart and life: and suchan one is better than [he that] is perverse in his lips, and is a fool ;

that is, than a rich man, as the Syriac and Vulgate Latin versions supply it, and as the antithesis requires;"that is perverse in his lips", or "whose ways are perverse", as the Syriac version; that acts the deceitfulpart both by words and actions towards those that are about him, not being honest and plain hearted as thepoor man is; and who uses those beneath him very roughly; and concerning oppression speaks loftily, and letshis tongue run both against God in heaven and man on earth, by which he shows he is a fool: for his riches donot give him wisdom; and his words and actions declare he wants it; men may be poor, and yet wise; and a manmay be rich, and yet a fool: or is confident ^F4 ; that is, trusts in his riches, and is opposed toa poor man, so R. Saadiah Gaon. This verse and (Proverbs 19:2) are not in the Septuagint and Arabicversions.

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: (lyok) "confidens divitiis", Cocceii Lexic.col. 384.

Also, [that] the soul [be] without knowledge, [it is] not good ,
&c.] Without knowledge of things natural and civil, especially without the knowledge of God and Christ, and divine and spiritual things; to be without this is not good, yea, very bad; for men without such knowledge and understanding are, like the beasts that perish, and for lack of it do. Jarchi interprets it, without the law. Or, "to be without the knowledge of the soul is not good" ^F5 ; so the Targum, Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions,

``he that knoweth not his soul, it is not good for him;'' that does not know he has a soul, or however takes no more care of it than if he had none; who knows not the worth and value of it, its state and condition, and the only way of attaining the salvation of it; and he that hastes with [his] feet sins ;
who engages in anything ignorantly and rashly, he misses the mark, and fails in the performance of it, for want of due consideration and care. The Targum is, ``he that is swift with his feet to evil is a sinner;'' whose feet run to evil, to commit robbery, as Aben Ezra; or to shed blood; see (Proverbs 1:16) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: So Vatablus; or "without care of it", Schultcns.

The foolishness of man perverts his way
The sinfulness of his heart and nature; the folly which is bound up in it causes him to go astray out of the way in which he should go, or makes things go cross with him; so that the ways he takes do not prosper, nor his schemes succeed; but everything goes against him, and he is brought into straits and difficulties; and his heart frets against the Lord ;
laying all the blame on him; and ascribing his ill success, not to his own sin and folly, but to divine Providence, which works against him; and therefore frets and murmurs at him; and, instead of charging his own ways with folly, charges the ways of God with inequality; see (Ezekiel 18:25) (Jude 1:16) .

Wealth makes many friends
Or "adds" ^F6 ; it increases the number of them: so the poet ^F7 , "donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos"; and to this agrees what the wise man says, (Proverbs 14:20) ;

but the poor is separated from his neighbour ;
or "friend" ^F8 ; he will not visit him as he did in his prosperity, nor suffer him to come into his house or company, or come near him; he is separated from his affection, friendship, and presence: so another poet ^F9 , ``if you are rich, you will have many friends; but, if poor, few.''

FOOTNOTES:

• F6: (Pyoy) . "addit", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
• F7: Ovid.
• F8: (wherm) "ab amico sua", Pagninus, Montanus, Baynus, Junius & Tremeliius, Piscator, Michaelis; "a sodali sua", Schultens.
• F9: Theognis.

A false witness shall not be unpunished
He that bears false witness against his neighbour in an open court of judicature; though he may not be detected by men, and so escape the punishment due to such offenders by the laws of God and men; yet God, who knows all hearts and actions, will not suffer him to go with impunity; if not punished in this world, he shall be in the world to come; for bearing false witness, or perjury, is a grievous offence to God;

and [he that] speaks lies shall not escape ;
even he that uses himself to lying in private conversation shall not escape the reproach of men; for nothing is more scandalous than lying; nor the wrath of God, such shall have their portion in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, (Revelation 21:8) .