By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [are] riches, and honour, and life.
Ver. 4. By humility and the fear of the Lord.] Heb., The heel of humility, &c. The humble heart that lies low, and "hearkens what God the Lord will say unto it," that follows him trembling, as the people followed Saul, 1Sa 13:7 shall have hard at the heels of it riches - a sufficiency, if not a superfluity - and honour, which is to be chosen before riches, Pro 22:1 See Trapp on " Pro 22:1 " and life, above the danger of those thorns and snares mentioned in the next verse; not life present only, but "length of days for ever and ever." Psa 21:4 Oh the μυριομακαριοτης, the heaped up happiness of a man that humbles and trembles before the Lord! He that doth the former, cannot but do the latter. Hence that close connection of these two graces in this text, "By humility, the fear of the Lord"; so the original runs without the grammatical copulative and, to show that they go always together - yea, the one is as it were predicated upon the other. Neither want they their reward - "riches," "hohour," "life." What things be these? Who would not turn spiritual purchaser?