John Gill Commentary Proverbs 26:10

"[As] an archer that woundeth all, So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by." — Proverbs 26:10 (ASV)

The great [God], that formed all [things]
That made the heavens, earth, and sea, and all that are in them; who is great in the perfections of his nature, and in the works of his hands, and greatly to be praised;

both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors ; according to their works; every transgression of the law receiving its just recompence of reward, whether a man transgresses it ignorantly or wilfully; as his transgressions are, whether through error or presumption, so shall his punishment be;

though some understand this, as Kimchi, of the Lord's doing good in a providential way, to the wise and unwise, the righteous and the wicked:

the words are by some rendered to another sense, "a great one grieveth all, and he hireth the fool, and he hireth the transgressors" ^F25 ; that is, a great man, a tyrannical prince, grieves all his good subjects; or, as Hottinger ^F26 , from the use of the word in the Arabic tongue, changes all things, inverts their order, or administers all at his will, that is, wrongly; when he hires fools and wicked men to do those bad things for him which others would not, to the great detriment of the commonwealth; and rewards them for it, putting them into posts of honour and trust, to the great grief and trouble of all his best subjects.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F25: So Mercerus, Piscator.
• F26: Smegm. Oriental. l. 1. c. 2. p. 171.