Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - Proverbs 11:25 - 11:25

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Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - Proverbs 11:25 - 11:25


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

25 A liberal soul [soul of blessing] is made fat,

And he that watereth others is also watered.

A synonymous distich (vid., p. 7). A soul of blessing is one from whom blessings go out to others, who is even a blessing to all with whom he comes into fellowship; בְּרָצָה denotes also particularly the gifts of love, 1Sa 25:27, בֵּרֵךְ denotes, if the Arab. is right, which derives it from the fundamental idea “to spread out:” to cause to increase and prosper by means of word and deed. The blessing which goes out from such a soul comes back again to itself: תְדֻשָּׁן (as Pro 13:4; Pro 28:25), it is made fat, gains thereby sap and strength in fulness; the Pual refers to the ordinance of God; Pro 22:9 is kindred in meaning to this anima benefica pinguefiet. In 25b יוֹרֶא is the Aramaic form of writing, but without the Aramaic vocalization (cf. Pro 1:10. תֹּבֵא, Isa 21:12 וַיֵּתֵא). Perhaps the א makes it noticeable that here a different word from יוֹרֶה, morning rain, is used; however, Symm. translates πρωΐνός, and the Graec. Venet. (Kimchi following it) ὑετός. As a rule, we do not derive יוֹרֶא from יָרָה, of which it would be the Hophal (= יוּרֶה, as הוֹדַע, Lev 4:23, = הוּדַע) (Ewald, §131f.); for the idea conspergitur, which the Ho. of the Hiph. יוֹרֶה, Hos 6:3, expresses, is, as correlate to מַרְוֶה, as a parallel word to תְדֻשָּׁן, one not of equal force. Jerome was guided by correct feeling, for he translates: et qui inebriat ipse quoque inebriabitur. The stem-word is certainly רָוָה, whether it is with Hitzig to be punctuated יִוָּרֵא = יֵרָוֶה, or with Fleischer we are to regard יוֹרֶא as derived per metathesin from יָרְוֶה, as for Arab. ârây (to cause to see) is used

(Note: Hitzig's comparison of rawaâ, finem respicere, as transposed from waray is incorrect; the former verb, which signifies to consider, thus appears to be original.)

the vulgar Arab. ârway (in the Syr. Arab.) and âwray (in the Egypt. Arab.). We prefer the latter, for the passing of יָוְרֶה (from יָרְוֶה) into יוֹרֶה is according to rule, vid., at Pro 23:21.