Scornful men bring a city into a snare,.... Such as despise dominion, speak evil of dignities; proud and haughty men, that speak Loftily, and with a contempt of their superiors; or who make a mock at religion, and scoff at all that is good and serious; these bring the inhabitants of a city into a snare, to rebel against their governors, and so into mischief and ruin: or, they "burn a city", as the Septuagint and Syriac versions o; they inflame it, or blow it up into a flame; raise a combustion in it, and fill it with strifes and contentions; and bring down the wrath of God upon it, like fire: or, they "blow upon a city" p; raise storms and tempests in it; turn all things upside down, and throw it into the utmost confusion, or blow it up;
but wise [men] turn away wrath; the wrath of men, by their wise counsels and advice, and appease tumults and seditions, and restore things to a quiet and settled state; or the wrath of God, by interposing with their prayers between him and a sinful people, as Moses did, Psalms 106:23.
o "Inflammant urbem", Junius Tremellius, Piscator. p יפיחו קריה "suffiant, vel periflant civitatem", Gejerus "diffiant civitatem", Gussetius, p. 667. "exsuffiant civitatem", Cocceius, Schultens.