17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
The words of wise men are heard in quiet - In the tumult of war the words of Archimedes were not heard; and his life was lost.
The words of wise men are heard in quiet,.... That is, by some persons and at some times, though not by all persons and always; or they are to be heard, or should be heard, though they seldom be, even the words of wise men that are poor: these are to be heard quietly and patiently, without any tumult and contradiction; or should be heard, being delivered with a low and submissive voice, without any noise, or blustering pride, or passion, sedately and with great humility, submitting them to the judgment of others; which sense the comparison seems to require;
more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools; more than the noisy words of a foolish governor; or than the dictates of an imperious man, delivered in a clamorous and blustering way; by which he obtains authority among such fools as himself, who are influenced more by the pomp and noise of words than by the force of true wisdom and reason; but all right judges will give the preference to the former. The Targum interprets it of the silent prayer of the wise being received by the Lord, more than the clamour of the wicked.
The words of wise, &c.--Though generally the poor wise man is not heard (Ecclesiastes 9:16), yet "the words of wise men, when heard in quiet (when calmly given heed to, as in Ecclesiastes 9:15), are more serviceable than," &c.
ruleth--as the "great king" (Ecclesiastes 9:14). Solomon reverts to "the rulers to their own hurt" (Ecclesiastes 8:9).
"The words of the wise, heard in quiet, have the superiority above the cry of a ruler among fools." Instead of tovim min, there stands here the simple min, prae, as at Ecclesiastes 5:1, to express the superiority of the one to the other. Hitzig finds in this proverb the meaning that, as that history has shown, the words of the wise, heard with tranquillity, gain the victory over the cry of a ruler over fools. But (1) the contrast of נחת and זעקת require us to attribute the tranquillity to the wise man himself, and not to his hearers; (2) מו בּךּ is not a ruler over fools, by which it would remain questionable whether he himself was not a fool (cf. Job 41:26), but a ruler among fools (cf. 2-Samuel 23:3, מו בּ, "a ruler among men;" and Proverbs 30:30, גּבּ בּ, "the hero among beasts"), i.e., one who among fools takes the place of chief. The words of the poor wise man pass by unheeded, they are not listened to, because he does not possess an imposing splendid outward appearance, in accordance with which the crowd estimate the value of a man's words; the wise man does not seek to gain esteem by means of a pompous violent deportment; his words נשׁ בּ are heard, let themselves be heard, are to be heard (cf. e.g., Song 2:12) in quiet (Isaiah 30:15); for, trusting to their own inward power of conviction, and committing the result to God, he despises vociferous pomp, and the external force of earthly expedients (cf. Isaiah 42:2; Matthew 12:19); but the words of the wise, which are to be heard in unassuming, passionless quietness, are of more value than the vociferation with which a king among fools, an arch-fool, a non plus ultra among fools, trumpets forth his pretended wisdom and constrains his hearers.
Of wise men - Though poor. In quiet - Uttered with a modest and low voice. The cry - The clamorous discourses of a rich and potent, but foolish man.
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