There springs up a life which makes him who carries in himself (cf. Joh 4:14, ἐν αὐτῷ) this welling life, penetrating and strong of will to escape the snares (write after the Masora ממּקשׁי defective) which death lays, and which bring to an end in death - a repetition of Pro 13:4 with changed subject.
Verse 28
Pro 14:28 28 In the multitude of the people lies the king's honour; And when the population diminishes, it is the downfall of his glory.
The honour or the ornament (vid., regarding הדר, tumere, ampliari, the root-word of הדר and הדרה at Isa 63:1) of a king consists in this, that he rules over a great people, and that they increase and prosper; on the other hand, it is the ruin of princely greatness when the people decline in number and in wealth. Regarding מחתּה, vid., at Pro 10:14. בּאפס signifies prepositionally “without” (properly, by non-existence), e.g., Pro 26:20, or adverbially “groundless” (properly, for nothing), Isa 52:4; here it is to be understood after its contrast בּרב־: in the non-existence, but which is here equivalent to in the ruin (cf. אפס, the form of which in conjunction is אפס, Gen 47:15), lies the misfortune, decay, ruin of the princedom. The lxx ἐν δὲ ἐκλείψει λαοῦ συντριβὴ δυνάστου. Certainly רזון (from רזן, Arab. razuna, to be powerful) is to be interpreted personally, whether it be after the form בּגוד with a fixed, or after the form יקושׁ with a changeable Kametz; but it may also be an abstract like שׁלום (= Arab. selâm), and this we prefer, because in the personal signification רזן, Pro 8:15; Pro 31:4, is used. We have not here to think of רזון (from רזה), consumption (the Venet. against Kimchi, πενίας); the choice of the word also is not determined by an intended amphibology (Hitzig), for this would be meaningless.
Verse 29
Pro 14:29 29 He that is slow to anger is rich in understanding; But he that is easily excited carries off folly. ארך אפּים (constr. of ארך) is he who puts off anger long, viz., the outbreak of anger, האריך, Pro 19:11, i.e., lets it not come in, but shuts it out long (μακρόθυμος = βραδὺς εἰς ὀργήν, Jam 1:19); and קצר־רוּח, he who in his spirit and temper, viz., as regards anger (for רוּח denotes also the breathing out and snorting, Isa 25:4; Isa 33:11), is short, i.e., (since shortness of time is meant) is rash and suddenly (cf. quick to anger, praeceps in iram, 17a) breaks out with it, not ὀλιγόψυχος (but here ὀξύθυμος), as the lxx translate 17a. The former, who knows how to control his affections, shows himself
