15 In the light of the king's face is life. His favor is like a cloud of the spring rain.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
The "latter rain" is that which falls in March or April just before the harvest. The "cloud" which brings it, immediately screening people from the scorching sun, and bringing plenty and blessing, is a fit type of the highest favor.
In the light of a king's countenance [is] life; and his favour [is] (i) as a cloud of the latter rain.
(i) Which is most comfortable to the dry ground.
In the light of the king's countenance is life,.... When he looks with a pleasant smiling countenance on a person that has been under his displeasure, and especially if under a sentence of death, it is as life from the dead: so the light of the countenance of God, the King of kings; the discoveries of his love, the manifestations of himself, his gracious presence, communion with him, the comforts of his Spirit, the joys of his salvation, are life unto his people, invigorate their graces, quicken their souls, and make them cheerful; see Psalm 30:5. And how delightful and pleasant is the countenance of Christ; which is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars; and is as the sun when it shineth in its strength; and who himself is the sun of righteousness, that arises on his people with healing in his wings! How reviving his love! how comfortable fellowship with him! his absence is as death, his presence gives life;
and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain: which falling a little before harvest, as was usual in Judea, revived the corn and filled it: and such is the favour of God in Christ, which is free, distinguishing, and undeserved, as rain is; the objects of it are very unworthy; and it is given often unasked for, as well as undeserved, in great abundance, and causes great cheerfulness and fruitfulness: and such is the layout of Christ, in coming into the world in the last days to save sinners his coming is said to be as the former and the latter rain, Hosea 6:3. He came from heaven, as that does; is the free gift of God, as that is; is in consequence of a decree, as that; and came suddenly, and with great acceptance to those, who knew him and waited for him; and his spiritual coming unto his people, and the discoveries of his love and free favour to them, are very reviving, cheering, and refreshing; see Psalm 72:6.
light of . . . countenance--favor (Psalm 4:6).
life--preserves it, or gives blessings which make it valuable.
the latter rain--fell just before harvest and matured the crop; hence specially valuable (Deuteronomy 11:14).
15 In the light on the king's countenance there is life,
And his favour is as a cloud of the latter rains.
Hitzig regards אור as the inf. (cf. Proverbs 4:18), but one says substantively אור פּני, Job 29:24, etc., and in a similar sense מאור עינים, Proverbs 15:30; light is the condition of life, and the exhilaration of life, wherefore אור החיּים, Ps. 56:14, Job 33:30, is equivalent to a fresh, joyous life; in the light of the king's countenance is life, means that life goes forth from the cheerful approbation of the king, which shows itself in his face, viz., in the showing of favour, which cheers the heart and beautifies the life. To speak of liberality as a shower is so common to the Semitic, that it has in Arab. the general name of nadnâ, rain. 15b conforms itself to this. מלקושׁ (cf. Job 29:23) is the latter rain, which, falling about the spring equinox, brings to maturity the barley-harvest; on the contrary, מורה (יורה) is the early rain, which comes at the time of ploughing and sowing; the former is thus the harvest rain, and the latter the spring rain. Like a cloud which discharges the rain that mollifies the earth and refreshes the growing corn, is the king's favour. The noun עב, thus in the st. constr., retains its Kametz. Michlol 191b. This proverb is the contrast to Proverbs 16:14. Proverbs 20:2 has also the anger of the king as its theme. In Proverbs 19:12 the figures of the darkness and the light stand together as parts of one proverb. The proverbs relating to the king are now at an end. Proverbs 16:10 contains a direct warning for the king; Proverbs 16:12 an indirect warning, as a conclusion arising from 12b (cf. Proverbs 20:28, where יצּרוּ is not to be translated tueantur; the proverb has, however, the value of a nota bene). Proverbs 16:13 in like manner presents an indirect warning, less to the king than to those who have intercourse with him (cf. Proverbs 25:5), and Proverbs 16:14 and Proverbs 16:15 show what power of good and evil, of wrath and of blessing, is given to a king, whence so much the greater responsibility arises to him, but, at the same time also, the duty of all to repress the lust to evil that may be in him, and to awaken and foster in him the desire for good.
A cloud - As acceptable as those clouds which bring the latter rain, whereby the fruits are filled and ripened a little before the harvest.
*More commentary available at chapter level.