Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD. Houses and wealthIn the ancient Near Eastern context, "houses and wealth" were tangible symbols of stability, security, and prosperity. The Hebrew word for "houses" (בָּתִּים, batim) signifies not just physical structures but also the household and family lineage. "Wealth" (הוֹן, hon) encompasses material riches and possessions. These are typically passed down through generations, reflecting the cultural norm of inheritance. The verse acknowledges the human capacity to provide materially for one's descendants, emphasizing the importance of family legacy and stewardship. are inherited from fathers
The phrase "are inherited from fathers" underscores the traditional patriarchal system where fathers bequeathed their possessions to their children. The Hebrew root for "inherited" (נָחַל, nachal) implies receiving a portion or allotment, often used in the context of the Promised Land being divided among the tribes of Israel. This inheritance is a natural, expected part of life, highlighting the continuity of family and the blessings of generational provision. It also reflects the biblical principle of leaving a legacy, as seen in passages like Proverbs 13:22, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children." but a prudent wife
The term "prudent" (שֵׂכֶל, sekel) in Hebrew conveys wisdom, insight, and understanding. A "prudent wife" is one who embodies these qualities, contributing to the household's spiritual and practical well-being. In the biblical context, a prudent wife is a treasure beyond material wealth, as echoed in Proverbs 31:10, "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." This phrase elevates the role of a wife, recognizing her as a vital partner in the family, whose wisdom and discernment are invaluable. is from the LORD
The phrase "is from the LORD" attributes the gift of a prudent wife to divine providence. The Hebrew name for God used here, יְהוָה (YHWH), emphasizes His covenantal relationship with His people. This acknowledgment of God's sovereignty in providing a wise spouse underscores the belief that while material possessions can be acquired through human means, the true blessing of a prudent partner is a divine gift. It reflects the biblical theme that the most significant blessings in life, such as a wise and understanding spouse, are not earned but graciously given by God. This aligns with James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." Persons / Places / Events 1. FathersIn the context of this verse, fathers represent the previous generation who pass down material wealth and property to their children. This reflects the cultural practice of inheritance in ancient Israel. 2. The LORDRefers to Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, who is the ultimate source of blessings beyond material wealth, such as a prudent wife. 3. Prudent WifeA woman characterized by wisdom, understanding, and good judgment. In the Hebrew text, the word for "prudent" is (sakal), which implies insight and success. Teaching Points Value of Spiritual Blessings Over Material WealthWhile material inheritance is valuable, spiritual blessings, such as a prudent spouse, are of greater worth and come from God. The Role of Divine Providence in RelationshipsRecognize and seek God's guidance in choosing a life partner, understanding that a prudent spouse is a gift from Him. Wisdom in RelationshipsCultivate wisdom and prudence in your own life and relationships, seeking to be a blessing to others as a prudent spouse is. Gratitude for God's GiftsAcknowledge and give thanks for the blessings God provides, especially those that cannot be measured in material terms. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the concept of inheritance in Proverbs 19:14 reflect the cultural practices of ancient Israel, and what can we learn from it today? 2. In what ways does the description of a prudent wife in Proverbs 31 complement the message of Proverbs 19:14? 3. How can we apply the principle of seeking God's guidance in relationships, as illustrated in Genesis 24, to our own lives? 4. What are some practical ways to cultivate prudence and wisdom in our personal relationships? 5. How can recognizing the source of our blessings, as described in James 1:17, change our perspective on what we value most in life? Connections to Other Scriptures Proverbs 31This chapter provides a detailed description of a virtuous and prudent wife, highlighting her value and the blessings she brings to her household. Genesis 24The account of Isaac and Rebekah illustrates the idea that a prudent wife is a gift from God, as Rebekah was chosen through divine guidance. James 1:17This verse emphasizes that every good and perfect gift is from above, reinforcing the idea that a prudent wife is a divine blessing. People Isaiah, SolomonPlaces JerusalemTopics Fathers, Heritage, Inheritance, Inherited, Parents, Prudent, Riches, Sense, Understanding, Wealth, WifeDictionary of Bible Themes Proverbs 19:14 5414 money, stewardship
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5731 parents Proverbs 19:13-14 5744 wife Library How the Slothful and the Hasty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 16.) Differently to be admonished are the slothful and the hasty. For the former are to be persuaded not to lose, by putting it off, the good they have to do; but the latter are to be admonished lest, while they forestall the time of good deeds by inconsiderate haste, they change their meritorious character. To the slothful therefore it is to be intimated, that often, when we will not do at the right time what we can, before long, when we will, we cannot. For the very indolence of …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the GreatHow the Impatient and the Patient are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 10.) Differently to be admonished are the impatient and the patient. For the impatient are to be told that, while they neglect to bridle their spirit, they are hurried through many steep places of iniquity which they seek not after, inasmuch as fury drives the mind whither desire draws it not, and, when perturbed, it does, not knowing, what it afterwards grieves for when it knows. The impatient are also to be told that, when carried headlong by the impulse of emotion, they act in some …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Second Journey through Galilee - the Healing of the Leper.
A DAY and an evening such as of that Sabbath of healing in Capernaum must, with reverence be it written, have been followed by what opens the next section. [2299] To the thoughtful observer there is such unbroken harmony in the Life of Jesus, such accord of the inward and outward, as to carry instinctive conviction of the truth of its record. It was, so to speak, an inward necessity that the God-Man, when brought into contact with disease and misery, whether from physical or supernatural causes, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Kingdom of God Conceived as the Inheritance of the Poor.
These maxims, good for a country where life is nourished by the air and the light, and this delicate communism of a band of children of God reposing in confidence on the bosom of their Father, might suit a simple sect constantly persuaded that its Utopia was about to be realized. But it is clear that they could not satisfy the whole of society. Jesus understood very soon, in fact, that the official world of his time would by no means adopt his kingdom. He took his resolution with extreme boldness. …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus "Boast not Thyself of to Morrow, for Thou Knowest not what a Day May Bring Forth. "
Prov. xxvii. 1.--"Boast not thyself of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." As man is naturally given to boasting and gloriation in something (for the heart cannot want some object to rest upon and take complacency in, it is framed with such a capacity of employing other things), so there is a strong inclination in man towards the time to come, he hath an immortal appetite, and an appetite of immortality; and therefore his desires usually stretch farther than the present …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The Wrath of God
What does every sin deserve? God's wrath and curse, both in this life, and in that which is to come. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.' Matt 25: 41. Man having sinned, is like a favourite turned out of the king's favour, and deserves the wrath and curse of God. He deserves God's curse. Gal 3: 10. As when Christ cursed the fig-tree, it withered; so, when God curses any, he withers in his soul. Matt 21: 19. God's curse blasts wherever it comes. He deserves also God's wrath, which is …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments The Unity of God
Q-5: ARE THERE MORE GODS THAN ONE? A: There is but one only, the living and true God. That there is a God has been proved; and those that will not believe the verity of his essence, shall feel the severity of his wrath. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.' Deut 6:6. He is the only God.' Deut 4:49. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else.' A just God and a Saviour; there is none beside …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Man's Misery by the Fall
Q-19: WHAT IS THE MISERY OF THAT ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. 'And were by nature children of wrath.' Eph 2:2. Adam left an unhappy portion to his posterity, Sin and Misery. Having considered the first of these, original sin, we shall now advert to the misery of that state. In the first, we have seen mankind offending; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting The Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' Exod 20: 16. THE tongue which at first was made to be an organ of God's praise, is now become an instrument of unrighteousness. This commandment binds the tongue to its good behaviour. God has set two natural fences to keep in the tongue, the teeth and lips; and this commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should not break forth into evil. It has a prohibitory and a mandatory part: the first is set down in plain words, the other …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Christian Meekness
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth Matthew 5:5 We are now got to the third step leading in the way to blessedness, Christian meekness. Blessed are the meek'. See how the Spirit of God adorns the hidden man of the heart, with multiplicity of graces! The workmanship of the Holy Ghost is not only curious, but various. It makes the heart meek, pure, peaceable etc. The graces therefore are compared to needlework, which is different and various in its flowers and colours (Psalm 45:14). …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 The Third Commandment
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.' Exod 20: 7. This commandment has two parts: 1. A negative expressed, that we must not take God's name in vain; that is, cast any reflections and dishonour on his name. 2. An affirmative implied. That we should take care to reverence and honour his name. Of this latter I shall speak more fully, under the first petition in the Lord's Prayer, Hallowed be thy name.' I shall …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Proverbs 19:14 NIVProverbs 19:14 NLTProverbs 19:14 ESVProverbs 19:14 NASBProverbs 19:14 KJV
Proverbs 19:14 Commentaries
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