angela hormberg

Category: Matthew Henry’s Commentary

  • Proverbs 10:29

    Proverbs 10:29

    Strength

    Commonplace –

    “The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity” (Proverbs 10:29).

    In Proverbs 10:29, Solomon tells us that our strength is rooted in the Lord’s way. What is the way of the Lord? Righteousness. Each time we choose the right, the good way, our strength to do so increases. It begins by choosing the right way in the small things: choosing to be kind, choosing to tell the truth, choosing to be peaceful and practice self-control. These are not always easy things to do, but our strength grows in the doing, in the over and over and over, again. As Matthew Henry words it in his Commentary,

    “the way of the Lord (the way of godliness, in which he appoints us to walk) is strength to the upright; the closer we keep to that way, the more are hearts are enlarged to fit in it, the better fitted we are both for services and sufferings. A good conscience, kept pure from sin, gives a man boldness in a dangerous time, and constant diligence in duty makes a man’s work easy in a busy time” (695).

    In contrast, constantly choosing to be mean, to lie, to lose our self-control only leads to destruction. These things don’t only hurt others but hurts the person doing them, too.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs .” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:28

    Proverbs 10:28

    Gladness

    Commonplace –

    “The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish” (Proverbs 10:28).

    Throughout my Proverbs journey, so far, one theme I notice over and over is how much we have in common with Solomon. While our modern age seems so different from that of the ancients so much is still the same.

    This morning as I was reading Proverbs 10:24, it reminded me of something I heard in a movie I watched last night,The Pursuit of Happyness. I have seen the movie before and remember liking it, but it has been many years since my first time watching it. One thing that really stuck with me on this viewing was the narrator’s comment on Thomas Jefferson, the writer of the Declaration of Independence, and his use of the words “the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration. Along with life and liberty, the Declaration proclaims the pursuit of happiness is a right of all people. In a similar way, Solomon is pointing out in Proverbs 10:24 that the righteous place their hope in gladness. As our earthly government should secure our right to pursue happiness, so our heavenly government secures our right to hope in gladness. While our secular pursuit of happiness is dependent on what we consider would make us happy, our heavenly pursuit of gladness is universal, the pursuit of eternal life, where we will no longer be encumbered by our sins. That hope is the same today as it was in Solomon’s time and will continue to be the same in the future, our unchanging hope in gladness.

    Matthew Henry provides the following beautiful summary in his Commentary:

    “the hope of the righteous shall be gladness; they shall have what they hope for, to their unspeakable satisfaction. It is something future and unseen that they place their happiness in (Rom. 8:24, 25), not what they have in hand, but what the have in hope, and their hope will be shortly swallowed in fruition, and it will be their everlasting gladness. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:28.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:27

    Proverbs 10:27

    Length of Days

    Commonplace –

    “The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27).

    In Proverbs 10:27, Solomon touches on the Biblical perspective on the key to long life: fear of the Lord. In a previous post, I covered the use of the word “fear”, which is the Hebrew word yir’â (“H3374”) and means ‘fear of God’ but also respect, reverence, piety. In contrast, the wicked live a short life, because they do not fear God.

    Length of days is often mentioned as a blessing in the Bible, such as with Abraham, upon his passing:

    “Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8, emphasis mine).

    In secular society, too, living to an old age is considered a great achievement, and we track the oldest living person. (Currently, “the oldest known living person is Ethel Caterham of the United Kingdom, aged 116 years, 148 days” (Wikipedia)). Occasionally a reporter will seek this person out and ask the centenarians what their secret is to long life. Per AI, here is a summary of the responses:

    “Secrets to a long life from centenarians often involve a mix of healthy diet (plant-based, Mediterranean), consistent activity, strong social/family ties, a positive attitude, purpose/spirituality, and sometimes moderate indulgences like wine, alongside stress management, with many emphasizing genetics and not sweating the small stuff” (Google AI, empasis mine).

    It’s interesting that “purpose/spirituality” is often cited among the secrets that helped the person achieve longevity.

    Yet how do we account for those Christians who die young? It would be short sighted not to consider that long life in this verse is actually a reference to eternal life and not simply days on earth. Eternal life is the blessing of every believer, even those who die young or early, and makes more sense in terms of Proverbs 10:27, because it speaks to every believer and not just those who are blessed with many days on earth.

    Here is a summary of Matthew Henry’s thoughts on Proverbs 10:27:

    “Religion lengthens men’s lives and crowns their hopes. What man is he that loves life? Let him fear God, and that will secure him from many things that would prejudice his life, and secure to him life enough in this world and eternal life in the other; the fear of the Lord will add days more than was expected, will add them endlessly, will prolong them to the days of eternity” (695).

    Works Cited

    “H3374 – yir’â – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 16 Jan, 2026. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3374/kjv/wlc/0-1/.

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:27.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    Wikipedia contributors. “List of the verified oldest people.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Jan. 2026. Web. 16 Jan. 2026.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:26

    Proverbs 10:26

    Irritation

    Commonplace –

    “As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him” (Proverbs 10:26).

    Vinegar and smoke: my mouth puckers and my eyes water thinking of them. Those irritants are the same today as they were when Solomon lived, and they conjure up the same reactions. Similarly, the reaction the sluggard elicits from those around him are the same today as they were back then, he brings irritation. A lazy person is difficult to deal with, whether it is at work or at home. Matthew Henry notes, “A slothful servant…provokes [his employer’s] passion, as vinegar sets the teeth on edge, and occasions [his employer] to grief to see his business neglected and undone, as smoke sets the eyes a weeping.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:26.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:25

    Proverbs 10:25

    An Eternal Foundation

    Commonplace –

    “As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation” (Proverbs 10:24).

    In Proverbs 10:24, Solomon speaks to the whirlwind that is the wicked. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like a whirlwind, more like a hurricane that sits in one place for a while and won’t move, until it does. In contrast, the righteous are the long game, everlasting, anchored.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:25.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:24

    Proverbs 10:24

    Fears and Desires

    Commonplace –

    “The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted” (Proverbs 10:24).

    In this Proverb, Solomon touches on fear and desire, emotions common to all people. Fear is not a bad thing in moderation. Some fears drive us to avoid certain things or prevent us from doing something dangerous, like the fear of being burned drives a person to avoid touching something hot. In a similar way, desires also drive us. We have our basic desires, which keep us alive: to eat, to be breath, etc. We also have desires that motivate us to do something difficult in order to achieve something worthy, like pursue a college degree or run a marathon.

    In this verse, Solomon touches on the fear of the wicked and how “it shall come upon him”. This is a fear that creeps up and catches a person unaware versus being afraid of consequences. A wicked person may act impulsively to commit a foolish deed and only consider the consequences afterward.

    In contrast to the fear of the wicked, Solomon notes that “the desires of the righteous shall be granted”. Here we see the righteous as someone who puts forth his desire and waits patiently for that desire to be granted. In order for it to be granted, it had to begin as a request. So the righteous person acknowledges God, makes a request in prayer, and waits for the answer.

    In his Commentary, Matthew Henry opens his discussion of Proverbs 10:24 with the following worthy summary:

    “It is here said, and said again, to the righteous, that it shall be well with them, and to the wicked, Woe to them; and these are set the one over the other, for their mutual illustration” (694).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:24.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:23

    Proverbs 10:23

    What do you spend your time doing?

    Commonplace –

    “It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom” (Proverbs 10:23).

    What do you spend your time doing? Proverbs 10:23 is all about how we occupy our time. Solomon begins the Proverb with the occupation of fools: mischief! The fool’s occupation is then contrasted in the second half of the verse with the wise man, who has understanding.

    In thinking about this topic, the phrase “whiling away the hours” came to mind, and I wasn’t sure if it was ‘whiling’ or ‘wiling’. The true phrase, the original idiom, is ‘whiling away the hours’, and it means ‘to pass the time pleasantly’. It turns out, though, a new twist on the old idiom is indeed ‘wiling away the hours’ with wiling referring to the word ‘wile’, which is all about deception, i.e. our fool’s mischief. This new phrase is considered an eggcorn. “An eggcorn is the alteration of a word or phrase through the mishearing or reinterpretation of one or more of its elements” (Wikipedia). Together, these two idioms, the old and new, actually are a great representation of verse 10:23, which could be rewritten: “Wiling away the hours versus whiling away the hours”. Are your spending your time in deception and mischief or passing the time pleasantly, doing something good?

    Here is Matthew Henry’s summary of Proverbs 10:23:

    “Besides the future recompence, a good man has as much present pleasure in the restraints and exercises of religion as sinners can pretend to in the liberties and enjoyments of sin, and much more, and much better” (694).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs .” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    Wikipedia contributors. “Eggcorn.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Dec. 2025. Web. 12 Jan. 2026.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:22

    Proverbs 10:22

    The Blessing of the Lord

    Commonplace –

    “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22)

    In Proverbs 10:22, Solomon tells us where wealth can be found: it is in the blessing of the Lord. Further, the Lord’s blessing does not have any sorrow with it. It’s all goodness and nothing bad. This is a blessing.

    This verse hits home this morning. My little cat, who has been such a sweet blessing to our family, is not feeling well. It really began yesterday. He is lethargic and not interested in eating and drinking. So, I am preparing to take him to the vet this morning, and, as I do so, I am saying a prayer and hoping for the best. I love this cat. He is fun and playful and everyone in our family enjoys him. We were given him by a lady who rescues cats. He was one of a litter of kittens, the last one left. He had a limp and no one else wanted him, so he did not get picked. I love a good comeback story, so we took him. The limp ended up being nothing, probably a bad scratch from a fight. He healed up and settled in so perfectly with us. He is just so easy. Now, after two years with him, it is hard to think about not having him around. He is a blessing that comes with potential sorrow. Hopefully, that sorrow is not today.

    So, when I read this psalm, I am encouraged. It is wonderful to know that the Lord’s blessing comes without any sorrow. It’s eternal and good. That sounds like some pretty good news to me.

    Matthew Henry words it so beautifully in his Commentary:

    In Proverbs 22, we are told “what that wealth is which is indeed desirable, not having abundance only, but having it and no sorrow with it, no disquieting care to get and keep it, no vexation of spirit in the enjoyment of it, no tormenting grief from the loss of it, no guilt contracted from the abuse of it – to have it and to have a heart to to take the comfort of it, to do good with it and to serve God with joyfulness and gladness of heart in the use of it” (694).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:22.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:21

    Proverbs 10:21

    Wisdom and Words

    Commonplace –

    “The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom” (Proverbs 10:21).

    Once again, Solomon reminds us how impactful our words are. In Proverbs 10:21, Solomon tells us the “lips of the righteous feed many”. If our words are good, they are nourishment to those who hear us. Good words come from a heart of wisdom. That same wisdom that fills us overflows to others around us, feeding those who hear us, building good relationships, which brings goodness back to us. In contrast, “fools die for want of wisdom”. When our words are wicked, they are indicative of a wicked heart. Nothing good flows out of a wicked heart. So when we speak wicked words, we not only harm those around us, we harm ourselves by destroying relationships.

    In regard to Proverbs 10:21, Matthew Henry wrote:

    “The lips of the righteous feed many; for they are full of the word of God, which is the bread of life, and that sound doctrine wherewith souls are nourished up. Pious discourse is spiritual food to the needy, to the hungry” (693),

    while “Fools die for want of a heart (so the word is); they perish for want of consideration and resolution; they have no heart to do any thing for their own good. While the righteous feed others fools starve themselves” (694).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:21.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Proverbs 10:20

    Proverbs 10:20

    The Worth of the Just and the Wicked

    Commonplace –

    “The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth” (Proverbs 10:20).

    In Proverbs 10:20, Solomon again unites two familiar subjects: the tongue and the heart. Here we learn “the tongue of the just is as choice silver”. Silver is wealth, so the words of the just are like riches, while “the heart of the wicked is little worth”, like poverty. Recalling previous verses in chapter 10, we remember that our words originate in our heart. As Jesus said,

    “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).

    Circling back to Proverbs 10:20, we see that the heart of the just has good treasure, which the just man brings forth in his words. The heart of the wicked is worthless, so his words are worthless, too.

    Matthew Henry summarizes this proverb so well:

    “We are here taught how to value men, not by their wealth and preferment in the world, but by their virtue” (693).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:20.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    We'd love to hear from you!

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg