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Exaltation of Self Leads to Folly
v. 1. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, by proudly setting forth the assured success of one's schemes in the future; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, the future with both its successes and failures being entirely in the hands of God.
v. 2. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips; for a person's praise of his own virtues and good deeds has no value and is, in addition, repulsive to others.
v. 3. A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, literally, "weight of stone and heaviness of sand"; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both, both unreasonable and excessive, a burden to himself and others.
v. 4. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous, literally, "Raving is anger and wrath is overflowing," like a flood which carries everything before it; but who is able to stand before envy? jealousy being worse to contend with than outright anger with open warfare.
v. 5. Open rebuke is better than secret love, that is, censure applied openly and honorably is much to be preferred to such a pretense of love as dissembles and refuses to rebuke a neighbor's fault where principles of true love would require it.
v. 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, that is, he, in the earnest concern for his neighbor's true welfare, may sometimes give a sharp reproof; but the kisses of an enemy, when he feigns friendship, are deceitful, full of treachery and craft.
v. 7. The full soul, one already satisfied with food, with no appetite remaining, loatheth an honeycomb, inviting and appetizing as it otherwise may be; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet, for "hunger is the best cook. "
v. 8. As the bird that wandereth from her nest, deserting her home in a spirit of restlessness, so is a man that wandereth from his place, roaming about in a spirit of adventure instead of cultivating proper domestic tastes.
v. 9. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, both of them being used by the Oriental host in honoring his guests; so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel, if the counsel really proceeds from a sincere heart, it is pleasant beyond all outward indications of affection.
v. 10. Thine own friend and thy father's friend forsake not, for they are reliable, having been found tried and true; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity, since a relationship by blood is not so close and intimate, in many cases, as one founded upon true friendship; for better is a neighbor that is near, with whom one is connected by the bonds of friendship, than a brother far off, with whom one may no longer have many things in common. The ties of blood may be less reliable than those of genuine friendship.