John Gill Commentary Proverbs 24:7

John Gill Commentary

Proverbs 24:7

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

Proverbs 24:7

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
SCRIPTURE

"Wisdom is too high for a fool: He openeth not his mouth in the gate." — Proverbs 24:7 (ASV)

Wisdom [is] too high for a fool It is out of his reach, he cannot attain it; natural wisdom, or the knowledge of many things in nature; at least it seems so to himself, and therefore will not take any pains, or make use of any means, to obtain it; as the knowledge of human laws; of medicine, of philosophy, of languages, or of any of the liberal arts and sciences; or he has not really a capacity for it.

This is more especially true of spiritual wisdom, or of the knowledge of divine things in a spiritual way; or of the things Of the Spirit of God, which a natural man cannot know, because they are spiritually discerned; it is God only makes men to know this kind of wisdom in the hidden part, (1 Corinthians 2:14) (Psalms 51:6) ; for as a "fool" here denotes a wicked man, let his natural parts be what they will; so wisdom spiritual knowledge, and experience of divine things, which is too high for an unregenerate man to reach; see a like phrase in (Psalms 139:6) .

he opens not his mouth in the gate ; he is not qualified for it; and if he has any knowledge of himself, he will not venture to speak in a public assembly, in the house of parliament, in a court of judicature, or in the company of men of knowledge and sense; and indeed it is his highest wisdom to keep silence, and not betray his ignorance: and so with regard to spiritual things; a man that wisdom is too high for, and he has no share of it, shall not or ought not to open his mouth where Wisdom cries; even in the gates of the cities, or in the public assemblies of the saints, (Proverbs 1:21) (8:3) .