Proverbs 1:20 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Wisdom crieth without, &c.— Wisdom elevates her voice in the streets. She uttereth forth her voice in the public places. Schultens and Calmet. Solomon opposes the voice of wisdom and her agreeable invitations to the seducing discourse of sinners. "The latter lay snares for you in secret; they conceal themselves the better to deceive. Wisdom, on the contrary, lifteth up her voice in the streets and public places; she does not invite to murders, to violence, to injustice, to crimes commonly fatal to those who commit them; but to God, and to the highest good: She discovers the ways which lead to the extremest misery, in order to avoid it; she recals men from their errors, and threatens them with ruin if they despise her." By saying that wisdom lifts up her voice in the public places, Solomon prevents the poor excuse of those who would ask, where shall they find this wisdom? She is every where: all that surrounds us preaches up to us this wisdom. We need only open our eyes and ears. Do you behold evil, scandal, disorder? avoid doing it. Do you hear good discourses, do you see good examples? hear, imitate, and profit by them: the wise learn much more from fools, says Cato, than fools learn from the wise.