8 Hear, my child, your father's instruction, and do not reject your mother's teaching; 9 for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck.
10 My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us wantonly ambush the innocent; 12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole, like those who go down to the Pit. 13 We shall find all kinds of costly things; we shall fill our houses with booty. 14 Throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse"- 15 my child, do not walk in their way, keep your foot from their paths; 16 for their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed blood. 17 For in vain is the net baited while the bird is looking on; 18 yet they lie in wait-to kill themselves! and set an ambush-for their own lives! 19 Such is the end [1] of all who are greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Proverbs 1:8-19
Commentary on Proverbs 1:7-9
(Read Proverbs 1:7-9)
Fools are persons who have no true wisdom, who follow their own devices, without regard to reason, or reverence for God. Children are reasonable creatures, and when we tell them what they must do, we must tell them why. But they are corrupt and wilful, therefore with the instruction there is need of a law. Let Divine truths and commands be to us most honourable; let us value them, and then they shall be so to us.
Commentary on Proverbs 1:10-19
(Read Proverbs 1:10-19)
Wicked people are zealous in seducing others into the paths of the destroyer: sinners love company in sin. But they have so much the more to answer for. How cautious young people should be! "Consent thou not." Do not say as they say, nor do as they do, or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them. Who could think that it should be a pleasure to one man to destroy another! See their idea of worldly wealth; but it is neither substance, nor precious. It is the ruinous mistake of thousands, that they overvalue the wealth of this world. Men promise themselves in vain that sin will turn to their advantage. The way of sin is down-hill; men cannot stop themselves. Would young people shun temporal and eternal ruin, let them refuse to take one step in these destructive paths. Men's greediness of gain hurries them upon practices which will not suffer them or others to live out half their days. What is a man profited, though he gain the world, if he lose his life? much less if he lose his soul?