Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary Verse 4. The hidden man of the heart] o kruptov thv kardiav anqrwpov. This phrase is of the same import with that of St. Paul, Rom. vii. 22, o esw anqrwpov, the inner man; that is, the soul, with the whole system of affections and passions. Every part of the Scripture treats man as a compound being: the body is the outward or visible man; the soul, the inward, hidden, or invisible man. The term anqrwpov, man, is derived, according to the best etymologists, from ana trepwn wpa, turning the face upward. This derivation of the word is beautifully paraphrased by Ovid. The whole passage is beautiful; and, though well known, I shall insert it. After speaking of the creation and formation of all the irrational animals, he proceeds thus:-" Sanctius his animal, mentisque capacius altae Deerat adhuc, et quod dominari in caetera posset.
Natus HOMO est: sive hunc divino semine fecit Ille opifex rerum, mundi melioris origo; Sive recens tellus, seductaque nuper ab alto AEthere, cognati retinebat semina coeli. - Pronaque cum spectent animalia caetera terram, OS HOMINI SUBLIME DEDIT; COELUMQUE TUERI Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere veltus." METAM, lib. i. ver. 76.
"A creature of a more exalted kind Was wanting yet, and then was MAN design'd; Conscious of thought, of more capacious breast, For empire form'd, and fit to rule the rest.
Whether with particles of heavenly fire The God of nature did his soul inspire, Or earth but new divided from the sky, Which still retain'd th' ethereal energy. - Thus, while the mute creation downward bend Their sight, and to their earthly mother tend, Man looks aloft, and with erected eyes Beholds his own hereditary skies." DRYDEN.
The word anqrwpov, man, is frequently applied to the soul, but generally with some epithet. Thus o esw anqrwpov, the inner man, Rom. vii. 22, to distinguish it from the body, which is called o exw anqrwpov, the outer man, 2 Cor. iv. 16; o kruptov anqrwpov, the hidden man, as in the text; o kainov anqrwpov, the new man, the soul renewed in righteousness, Eph. ii. 15, to distinguish him from o palaiov anqrwpov, the old man, that is, man unregenerate or in a state of sin, Rom. vi. 6. And the soul is thus distinguished by the Greek philosophers.
A meek and quiet spirit] That is, a mind that will not give provocation to others, nor receive irritation by the provocation of others. Meekness will prevent the first; quietness will guard against the last.
Great price.] All the ornaments placed on the head and body of the most illustrious female, are, in the sight of God, of no worth; but a meek and silent spirit are, in his sight, invaluable, because proceeding from and leading to himself, being incorruptible, surviving the ruins of the body and the ruins of time, and enduring eternally.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - The wife must discharge her duty to her own husband, though he obey no the word. We daily see how narrowly evil men watch the ways and live of professors of religion. Putting on of apparel is not forbidden, but vanity and costliness in ornament. Religious people should take car that all their behaviour answers to their profession. But how few know the right measure and bounds of those two necessaries of life, food an raiment! Unless poverty is our carver, and cuts us short, there is scarcely any one who does not desire something beyond what is good for us. Far more are beholden to the lowliness of their state, than the lowliness of their mind; and many will not be so bounded, but lavis their time and money upon trifles. The apostle directs Christia females to put on something not corruptible, that beautifies the soul even the graces of God's Holy Spirit. A true Christian's chief car lies in right ordering his own spirit. This will do more to fix the affections, and excite the esteem of a husband, than studied ornament or fashionable apparel, attended by a froward and quarrelsome temper Christians ought to do their duty to one another, from a willing mind and in obedience to the command of God. Wives
should be subject to their 
