Verse 1. A mocker - Wine immoderately drunk makes men mockers. Raging - Makes men full of rage.

Verse 2. The fear - The terror which the wrath of a king causes.

Verse 3. Meddling - Is always ready to begin strife, and obstinate in the continuance of it.

Verse 5. Counsel - Designs of doing something of moment. Deep water - Is secret and hard to be discovered.

Verse 8. His eyes - With his very looks, or by his diligent inspection into affairs.

Verse 10. Divers - One greater for shew and one lesser for use.

Verse 11. Is known - The future disposition of a man may be probably conjectured from his childish manners.

Verse 13. Open - Shake off sloth and betake thyself to thy employment with diligence and vigour.

Verse 15. The lips - But wise speeches are of far greater worth.

Verse 16. Take - As a pledge, without which he ought not to be trusted. Of him - That is surety.

Verse 18. Established - The way to bring our purposes to good effect is to manage them with serious consideration.

Verse 20. Lamp - His name and memory shall utterly perish.

Verse 24. His way - What the issue of his designs will be.

Verse 25. A snare - It brings guilt upon him. After - After a man has made vows to inquire for ways to break them.

Verse 26. The wheel - As the cart-wheel was anciently turned over the sheaves to beat the corn out of them. He punishes them as their offenses deserve.

Verse 27. The spirit - The reasonable soul. The candle - Is a clear and glorious light set up in man for his information and direction. Of the Lord - So called because it comes from God in a more immediate manner than the body, Eccles xii, 7, and because it is in God's stead, to observe and judge all our actions. Searching - Discerning not only his outward actions, which are visible to others, but his most inward thoughts and affections. The belly is here put for the heart, as it is frequently.