Sacrifices - The feast accompanied the offerings Proverbs 7:14. Part of the victims were burned upon the altar, the rest was consumed by the worshipper and his friends. The "house full of sacrifices" was therefore one abounding in sumptuous feasts.

Better is a dry morsel - Peace and contentment, and especially domestic peace, are beyond all other blessings.

A house full of sacrifices - A Hindoo priest, who officiates at a festival, sometimes receives so many offeringss that his house is filled with them, so that many of them are damaged before they can be used - Ward.

Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith,.... A small quantity of bread; a broken piece of bread, as the word (w) signifies; which has been long broken off, and become "dry" (x); a dry crust of bread; old bread, as the Arabic version; an old, mouldy, dry piece of bread: and the word used has the signification of destruction in it: bread that has lost its taste and virtue; or, however, a mere piece of bread is meant, without anything to eat with it, as Gersom, butter, cheese, or flesh: this, with quietness and peace among those that partake of it, peace in the family, in a man's own mind, especially if he has the peace of God, which passeth all understanding; this is better

than a house full of sacrifices with strife; than a house ever so well furnished with good cheer, or a table ever so richly spread; or where there is plenty of slain beasts for food, or for sacrifice, which were usually the best, and part of which the people had to eat, and at which times feasts used to be made; but the meanest food, with tranquillity and contentment, is preferable to the richest entertainment where there is nothing but strife and contention among the guests; for, where that is, there is confusion and every evil work: peace and joy in the Holy Ghost are better than meats and drinks. Mr. Dod used to say,

"brown bread and the Gospel are good fare;''

see Proverbs 15:17.

(w) "frustrum", a "fregit", Gejerus. (x) "siccum frustum panis", Tigurine version; "cibi sicci" Junius & Tremellius; "brucella sicca", V. L. Mercerus, Piscator; "buccea sicca", Cocceuis; "frustum sicci, sc. cibi", Michaelis, "frustum siccae buccellae, Schultens, so Ben Melech.

A comparative proverb with טוב, pairing with Proverbs 16:32 :

Better a dry piece of bread, and quietness therewith,

Than a house full of slain beasts with unquietness.

Similar to this in form and contents are Proverbs 15:16. and Proverbs 16:8. פּת חרבה is a piece of bread (פת, fem., as Proverbs 23:8) without savoury drink (Theodotion, καθ ̓ ἑαυτόν, i.e., nothing with it), cf. Leviticus 7:10, a meat-offering without the pouring out of oil. זבחים are not sacrificial gifts (Hitzig), but, as always, slain animals, i.e., either offerings or banquets of slain beasts; it is the old name of the שׁלמים (cf. Exodus 18:12; Exodus 24:5; Proverbs 7:14), part of which only were offered on the altar, and part presented as a banquet; and זבח (in contradist. to טבח, Leviticus 9:2; Leviticus 43:16) denotes generally any kind of consecrated festival in connection with the worship of God, 1 Samuel 20:29; cf. Genesis 31:54. "Festivals of hatred" are festivals with hatred. מלא is part. with object.-accus.; in general מלא forms a constructive, מלא occurs only once (Jeremiah 6:11), and מלאי not at all. We have already, Proverbs 7:14, remarked on the degenerating of the shelamı̂m feasts; from this proverb it is to be concluded that the merriment and the excitement bordering on intoxication (cf. with Hitzig, 1 Samuel 1:13 and 1 Samuel 1:3), such as frequently at the Kirmsen merry-makings, brought quarrels and strife, so that the poor who ate his dry bread in quiet peace could look on all this noise and tumult without envy.

Better is a dry morsel, and quietness with it, than an house full of {a} sacrifices with strife.

(a) For where there were many sacrifices, there were many portions given to the people, with which they feasted.

sacrifices: or, good cheer

CHAPTER 17

Pr 17:1-28.

1. sacrifices-or, "feasts" made with part of them (compare Pr 7:14; Le 2:3; 7:31).

with-literally, "of."

strife-its product, or attendant.

17:1 These words recommend family love and peace, as needful for the comfort of human life. 2. The wise servant is more deserving, and more likely to appear one of the family, than a profligate son. 3. God tries the heart by affliction. He thus has often shown the sin remaining in the heart of the believer.