Proverbs 20:25

[It is] a snare to the man [who] devoureth [that which is] holy,.... Which is separated to sacred uses, is devoted to the Lord, as firstfruits, tithes, offerings, c.

It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make inquiry.

It is a snare; it brings guilt and God’ s curse and vengeance upon him. That which is holy, i.e. those meats or drinks which were devoted or consecrated to God; under which one kind he comprehends and forbids all alienation of sacred or dedicated things from God to a man’ s private use or benefit; of which see ,9 Acts 5:1, &c. After vows to make inquiry; after a man hath made vows to consider whether he can possibly or may lawfullly keep them, and to invent or inquire of others all ways possible to break his vow, and to satisfy or deceive his conscience in so doing; which inquiry is justly censured as a sin and snare, because it is an evidence of a covetous or irreligious mind, and is the ready way and first step towards the open violation of it.

Proverbs 20:25 [It is] a snare to the man [who] devoureth [that which is] holy, and after vows to make enquiry.Ver. 25. It is a snare to a man who devoureth, &c.] He doeth as a fish that swallows the hook, as the eagle that stole the flesh from the altar with a coal sticking to it, that set the whole nest on fire, &c. What a sad end befell Cardinal Wolsey, while he sought more to please the king than God, as himself said! And what a revenging hand of God pursued his five chief agents that were most instrumental for him in that sacrilegious enterprise! One of them killed his fellow in a duel, and was hanged for it. A third drowned himself in a well. A fourth fell from a great estate to extreme beggary. Dr Allen (the last and chiefest of them) being archbishop of Dublin, was cruelly slain by his enemies. Utinam his et similibus exemplis edocti discant homines res semel Deo consecratas timide attrectare! saith Scultetus, who relates this story; I would men would take heed by these add the like examples how they meddle with things once consecrated to God. If divine justice so severely punished those that converted church goods (though not so well administered) to better uses (doubtless, because they did it out of selfish and sinful principles and intentions), what shall become of such as take all occasions to rob God, that they may enrich themselves? Spoliantur parochiae et scholae non aliter ac si fame necare nos velint, saith Luther; Parishes and schools are polled and robbed of their maintenance, as if they meant to starve us all. And after vows to make inquiry.] Viz., How he may devour that tit bit without vomiting, and not find it hard meat on his conscience. But a man may easily eat that on earth, that he shall have time enough to digest in hell. The fear of this made Queen Mary restore again all ecclesiastical livings assumed to the crown, saying, that she set more by the salvation of her own soul, than she did by ten kingdoms. And upon the like motive, King Louis of France, about the year 1152, cast the Pope’ s bulls, whereby he required the fruits of vacancies of all cathedral churches of France, into the fire, saying, He had rather the Pope’ s bulls should roast in the fire, than his own soul should fry in hell. Acts and Mon. Scult. Annul., tom. ii. p. 332. Luth. in Gen. xlvii. Speed’ s Chron., fol. 826. Ibid., 496.

(25) It is a snare to a man who devoureth that which is holy.—Rather, It is a snare for a man (i.e., gets him into trouble) rashly to say, “It is dedicated” (i.e., when he thoughtlessly dedicates anything to God), and after he has vowed to enquire (whether he can keep his word). (Comp. Sir 5:2; Sir 5:4-6.)

Verse 25. Who devoureth that which is holy] It is a sin to take that which belongs to God, his worship, or his work, and devote it to one's own use. And after vows to make inquiry.] That is, if a man be inwardly making a rash vow, the fitness or unfitness, the necessity, expediency, and propriety of the thing should be first carefully considered. But how foolish to make the vow first, and afterwards to inquire whether it was right in the sight of God to do it! This equally condemns all rash and inconsiderate conduct. My old MS. Bible translates, Falling is of men often to vowen to seyntis, and after, the vouw is agen brawen. Is it possible that Wiclif could have translated this verse thus? as it strongly countenances vows to and invocations of saints.

25. who devoureth that which is holy] This rendering is retained in R.V. marg., as is also another, rashly to utter holy words. But it is better to render, rashly to say, It is holy (R.V. text), i.e. consecrated (comp. Corban, Mark 7:11). The sequence is thus preserved: and after vows (of consecration, thus rashly taken) to make enquiry (as to the wisdom or possibility of keeping them). παγὶςἀνδρὶταχύτιτῶνἰδίωνἁγιάσαι, LXX.

Better, It is a snare to a man to utter a vow (of consecration) rashly, and after vows to inquire whether he can fulfill them. Both clauses are a protest against the besetting sin of rash and hasty vows.

25. Devoureth that which is holy — Having become so by its dedication to God.