This Commentary is based on 40+ years of daily Bible reading by the editor, comparing English translations with biblical languages, along with the work of respected scholars. Scripture passages often appear in the top portion of each post (most translator supplements are in [brackets]) Scroll down to see commentary in the numbered footnotes. Use the "search this blog" feature located in the side bar (top right) to find commentary on scripture passages or books of the Bible.
Paul used strong language in dealing
with false teachers. He did not merely say they deceived people and led them
into error--which is bad enough; he wrote that through error, their victims
were overthrown. In English, to overthrow
means to bring about downfall or destruction. The Greek word, anatrepō,
which is used in this passage, means the same. It is unfortunate that Bible commentators
mitigate the "destruction" spoken of in this passage by adding the word “figuratively” in
their definitions the word, anatrepō.
Holding fast the Faithful
Word as he has been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort
and to convince the gainsayers For there are many unruly and vain
talkers and deceivers specially they of the circumcision Whose
mouths must be stopped who overthrow [anatrepō] entire households [1]2
Timothy 3:6 teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake
Titus 1:9-11
[1]
There is nothing figurative about an eternity of destruction that
results
from being spiritually overthrown. And Paul says this is what is being
done by false teachers, whose primary goal is to financially
sack their victims.
Victims are plundered both spiritually and financially
through deceit and greed. They are financially overthrown when
income streams or wealth is funneled to false teachers or when they
liquidate and turn their entire net worth over to these wolves.
Contending for the faith is serious business.
The
motivation of false teachers is generally greed, and they prey on either
legitimate needs of their victims or on their victim’s sins or weaknesses. One
of the most common weaknesses in the Body of Christ, is not having a working,
conversive, knowledge of the Bible.
There is great protection in being full of
the knowledge of God—which can only happen if we fill our minds and spirits
with His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to give us understanding. That means we must read it
for ourselves and not depend entirely on the interpretations of others. The Word of God encompasses
every part of the Armor of God—most of which is defensive, protective. Knowing
the Word and acting on it is a protection from the many snares the enemy of our
souls lays for us.
So we see that contending for the faith is an urgent
business and involves biblical literacy.
One thing is true of most victims;
they quickly become defensive of their teacher and conversive in the false doctrine they embrace. When defending their paradigm or leader, they
memorize talking points, mantras, and slogans that discourage productive discussion.
Believers who depend on daily Bible
devotions and Bible studies for all their Bible knowledge can still be biblically illiterate.
Daily
devotions can be helpful but are limited.
When these are the sum of our Bible reading, the vast majority of the Bible
never gets read. The only way to ensure the protection of biblical literacy is
to read our entire Bibles on a daily and systematic
basis. This writer, recommends reading our Bibles every day, always picking up
today where we left off yesterday.
1:
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor rather
than silver and gold 2: The rich and poor meet together YHWH[1]is
the maker of them all 3: The prudent foresees the evil and hides but the
simple pass on and are punished 4: By humility and the fear of YHWH
are riches and honor and life 5: Thorns and snares are in the way of the
forward [deceitful, false, perverse] they that guard their souls
shall be [kept] far from them [far from the thorns and snares]6:
Train up children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not
depart from it 7: The rich rules over the poor and the borrower is slave
to the lender[2]8: they that sow iniquity shall reap trouble whatever seeds we
plant, germinate and grow and the rod of their anger shall fail 9:
They who have bountiful eyes shall be blessed for they give of their bread to
the poor Proverbs 19:17, Psalm 41:1-310: Cast out the
scorner and contention shall go out Yes strife and shame shall cease[3]11:
They that love pureness of heart for the grace of their lips the king shall be their
friend 12: The eyes of YHWH preserve knowledge and he
overthrows the words of the transgressor 13: The slothful says There is
a lion without I shall be slain in the streets makes imaginative excuses
for not going out to work?14: The mouth of strange whorish women
is a deep pit He that is abhorred of YHWH shall fall therein[4]15:
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child but the rod of correction shall
drive it far from them 16: They who oppress the poor to increase riches
and they that give to the rich shall surely come to lack [5]17:
Bow down your ear and hear the words of the wise and apply your heart to my
knowledge 18: For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you they
shall withal be fitted in your lips 19: That your trust may be in YHWH
I have made known to you this day even to you 20: Have not I written to you
excellent things in counsels and knowledge 21: That I might make you
know the certainty of the words of truth that you might answer the words of
truth to them that send to you 22: Rob not the poor because they are
poor neither oppress the afflicted in the gate 23: For YHWH
will plead their cause and spoil the souls of those that spoiled them 24:
Make no friendship with an angry person and with a furious one you shall not go
25: Lest you learn their ways and get a snare to your soul 26: Be
not thou one of them that strike hands [in agreement] or of them that are
sureties [stand good] for [other’s] debts 27: If you have nothing to pay
why should they take away your bed from under you 28: Remove not the
ancient landmark which your fathers have set 29: See those diligent in
business they shall stand before kings they shall not stand before the
insignificant
[1]YHWHH3068
(Hebrew has no vowels) These four letters are the name of God and are known to
scholars as the Tetragrammaton [pronounced, Yahweh or Yahveh]
and sometimes translated and pronounced as Jehovah. according to Jewish
scholar, Kaufmann Kohler (Jewish Theology page 61), the correct pronunciation
of the Tetragrammaton has never been lost and is pronounced Yahveh.
In the HHBC, any use of the Tetragrammaton in the Hebrew Text will be left
untranslated, and any New Testament Greek citing of the Tetragrammaton from an
Old Covenant source will be treated as Hebrew. The Tetragrammaton, [YHWH],
will be used in place of the incorrect “LORD.” … As this commentary is also
posted online one chapter at a time, readers may find this definition posted in
footnotes for first use of the Tetragrammaton in any given chapter.
[2] This verse is an example of the Bible
telling it like it is. Few would misconstrue this consequence as a command
for the rich to rule over the poor and for lenders to make slaves of borrowers,
but rather as insight into how the kosmos (systems of this present age) works
and for everyone [both poor and rich] to heed the warning against going into debt.
[3] Many people have a distorted view of
love, which causes vacillating weakness in dealing with sin and strife. Families,
groups, business environments, indeed everyone [except the trouble-maker] suffers
when decisive action is not taken against contentious persons stealing the
peace of everyone around them. The Bible says “Make every effort to be at peace
with all people,” but it does not
command us to tolerate anything and everything anyone wants to throw at us. There
are those who habitually contradict, stir up strife, and shame others. And
there is a time to say “Enough!” There is a time to put abusive trouble-makers
out of our groups, businesses, and homes. This is a loving response towards all. It is loving towards ourselves and all
the others who have been vexed and oppressed by the one who constantly stirs up
strife. It is loving towards the trouble-maker, as it does not encourage and
enable their contentious abusive ways. Be aware that this can only help these “bad-hats”
if they are not already firmly established in their course. If they are, we
cannot help them, and the only way to restore the peace of our surroundings is
to bid them goodbye—permanently
[4] Biblical definitions of love and hate involve
actions—not emotions. Love and hate
are verbs (action words) not nouns (things). Understanding this gives
understanding into scriptures that deal with hate and love.
[5] The most common scenario of giving to the
rich involves giving to charlatan TV preachers who promise financial blessing for
those who send them money. These wealthy persons prey on the compassion's (they
themselves have none), greed, lack, and the needs of others to amass fortunes
for themselves. The Bible warns against heaping teachers to ourselves—and against
and giving our money to those who tickle itching ears.
1: Wise children
hear a father's instruction but scorners hear not rebuke 2:'Iysh[1] shall eat good by
the fruit of their mouths but the souls of transgressors shall eat violence 3:They that guard their
mouths protect their lives but they that open wide their lips shall have
destruction 4: The souls of sluggards desire and have nothing but the
souls of the diligent shall be made fat 5: The righteous hate lying but the
wicked are loathsome and come to shame 6: Righteousness keeps them that are
upright in The Way but wickedness
overthrows sinners 7: There are [those] whomake themselves rich yet have nothing Revelation
3:17 there are [those] who make themselves poor yet have great riches Revelation
2:98: The ransom of 'iysh’s life are their riches
but the poor hears not rebuke 9: The light of the righteous rejoices but
the lamp of the wicked shall be put out 10:Only by pride comes contentionbut with the
well advised is wisdom 11: Wealth gotten by worthless means shall be diminished
but they that gather by labor shall [have] increase 12: Hope deferred
makes the heart sick but when the desire comes it is a tree of life 13:
Whoever despises The WordPsalm
100:5 [TR] [2]shall be destroyed but they that fear The CommandmentMatthew 22:36-40 shall be rewarded 14:
The law of the wise is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death 15:
Good understanding gives favor but the way of transgressors is hard16: The prudent deals
with knowledge but fools lay open their folly 17: A wicked messenger
falls into affliction but a faithful ambassadorhealth Exodus 15:26, Hebrews 8:618:
Poverty and shame shall be to those who refuse instruction but they that regard
reproof shall be honored 19: The desire accomplished is sweet to the
soul but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil 20:They that walk with the wise
shall be wise but companions of fools shall be destroyed21: Evil
pursues sinners but to the righteous good shall be repayed 22: The good
leave an inheritance to their children's children and the wealth of sinners is
laid up for the just 23:Much food is in the tillage of the poor but there is that is destroyed
for lack of justice [orcareful planning]24:
[They that] withhold [discipline, not exercising parental] authority hate their
children but they who love them chastise them early [from a young age] 25:
The righteous eat to the satisfying of their souls but the belly of the wicked
shall lack
[1]'iyshH376 Hebrew for man;
husband; mixed crowds of both women and men; homosapien-sapien in general; even
translated by scholars as “you [thou]” in Proverbs 3:31 (KJV). The word, Iysh, has no legitimate claim as a word exclusive
to males. Context alone must determine translation...In this commentary, the phonetic spelling of
the Hebrew word 'iysh
is used instead of the word man, mankind, or human whenever the word refers
to mixed crowds of both sexes or to the human race in general. As this commentary
is posted online one chapter at a time, readers may find this definition posted
in footnotes for first use of in any given chapter
[2]References containing [TR] in bracketed
superscript
are alerts that some Masoretic/Minority/eclectic Hebrew and Greek texts
contradict the Ben Chayyim Masoretic and Majority Texts (Textus Receptus/Received
Text 3rd Edition) that the King James Version [and other Bible
versions] are based upon. In these instances, doctrines critical to
Christianity, such as the Godhead, the virgin birth, and the physical
resurrection of Christ, are almost always negatively impacted. As this commentary
is posted online one chapter at a time, readers may find this [TR] alert
posted in footnotes for first use of in any given chapter
