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Proverbs 27:2

The Pulpit Commentary on Proverbs 27:2

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain

Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; Septuagint, "Let thy neighbour ( ὁ πέλας) laud thee." A stranger; גָכְרִי, properly, "an unknown person from an unknown country;" but, like זר in the former hemistich, used indifferently for "another" (see on ). "If I honour myself," said our Lord (), "my honour is nothing" And as St. Paul testifies (), "Not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth."

υπὲρ σαευτοῦ μὴ φράσῃς ἐγκώμια

said the Greek gnomist; and

φίλων ἔπαινον μᾶλλον ἢ σαυτοῦ λέγε.

And a trite maxim runs, "In ore proprio laus sordet;" and an English one decides, "He who praises himself is a debtor to others." Delitzsch quotes a German proverb (which loses the jingle in translation), "Eigen-lob stinkt, Freundes Lob hinkt, fremdes Lob klingt," "Self-praise stinks, friends' praise limps, strangers' praise sounds."

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commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Proverbs 27:1-6These verses are grouped in pairs, each two being connected in subject.Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Proverbs 27:1-27EXPOSITIONJoseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Proverbs 27:1-6Beastliness, jealousy, and hypocrisy I. OVER CONFIDENCE REBUKED. (Proverbs 27:1.) 1. On the ground of our limited knowledge. The homely proverb says, "Do not count your chickens before they are hatched." The future exis…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryMatthew Henry on Proverbs 27:2There may be occasion for us to justify ourselves, but not to praise ourselves.Matthew HenrycommentaryMatthew Henry on Proverbs 27:2Note, 1. We must do that which is commendable, for which even strangers may praise us. Our light must shine before men, and we must do good works that may be seen, though we must not do them on purpose that they may be…Matthew HenrycommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Proverbs 27:2Self-praise I. SELF-PRAISE IS ILL FOUNDED. It may be true to fact, but we cannot be sure that it is. 1. Possibly it is insincere. So many motives of vanity and self-interest urge a person to pretend to be better than he…Joseph S. Exell and contributors