Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - Proverbs 16:16 - 16:16

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Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - Proverbs 16:16 - 16:16


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Five proverbs regarding wisdom, righteousness, humility, and trust in God, forming, as it were, a succession of steps, for humility is the virtue of virtues, and trust in God the condition of all salvation. Three of these proverbs have the word טוב in common.

16 To gain wisdom, how much better is it than gold;

And to attain understanding to be preferred to silver.

Commendation of the striving after wisdom (understanding) with which all wisdom begins, for one gains an intellectual possession not by inheritance, but by acquisition, Pro 4:7. A similar “parallel-comparative clause” (Fl.), with the interchange of טוֹב and נִבְחָר, is Pro 22:1, but yet more so is Pro 21:3, where נבחר, as here, is neut. pred. (not, as at Pro 8:10 and elsewhere, adj.), and עֲשׂה, such an anomalous form of the inf. constr. as here קנֹה, Gesen. §§75, Anm. 2; in both instances it could also be regarded as the inf. absol. (cf. Pro 25:27) (Lehrgebäude, §109, Anm. 2); yet the language uses, as in the case before us, the form גָּלֹה only with the force of an abl. of the gerund, as עֲשׂוֹ occurs Gen 31:38; the inf. of verbs 'ה'ל as nom. (as here), genit. (Gen 50:20), and accus. (Psa 101:3), is always either גְּלוֹת or גְּלֹה. The meaning is not that to gain wisdom is more valuable than gold, but that the gaining of wisdom exceeds the gaining of gold and silver, the common comparatio decurtata (cf. Job 28:18). Regarding חָרוּץ, vid., at Pro 3:14.