18:1 Evidently the intent is, "He who separates himself [from other people]"does so because he wants his own way and does not want others to restrain him. Such an approach runs counter to sound wisdom because we all need input from other people to make wise decisions. It is unwise to be antisocial in the schismatic sense of that word (cf. Gen. 13:11).138
18:11 Wealth does provide some security, but one may imagine that it is a higher safeguard against calamity than it really is.
18:16 "Gift"is not necessarily a "bribe."The Hebrew word here (mattan, cf. 15:27; 21:14) is not the same as the one translated "bribe"in 17:8 and 12 (sohad). It can be an innocent courtesy. It means what a person gives to someone else (cf. Gen. 43:11). Therefore it seems legitimate to apply it to one's personal abilities (gifts) that he or she uses in the service of others as well as to material presents.
18:20 The sense here is that we will have to be content to accept the consequences of what we say. "Satisfied"does not mean happy but filled. Yet "productive speech is satisfying."139
18:21 The antecedent of "it"is "tongue,"and "its fruit"refers to "death and life."This proverb is a warning to the talkative. Much talk will produce death and life, so be prepared for both if you determine to talk a lot.
18:22 The favor God bestows is His blessing.
"The wording, especially in the Heb., strikingly resembles that of 8:35, and so suggests that after wisdom itself, the best of God's blessings is a good wife. 31:10 makes a similar comparison, putting her price, like wisdom's (8:11), above rubies."140
Not just any wife is a good thing though; only a good wife is (19:13, 14).
18:24 The NASB translation of 24a is more true to the Hebrew than the AV that reads, "A man (who hath) friends must show himself friendly."The RV is perhaps the easiest of all to understand: "He that maketh many friends (doeth it) to his own destruction."
Why is it unwise to have many friends? Probably because when one has many friends the possibility that some of them will be false friends is greater (cf. Jer. 38:22). It is better to have one or two good friends than many false friends.
Christians have often applied the second part of this verse to Jesus Christ. While that is appropriate, Solomon's point was that in contrast to false friends (24a) some friends can be more faithful than our closest blood relatives. Such a friend is a true treasure.
