Proverbs 25:28
WEB
Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint.
BSB
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper.
KJV
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H5892
n-m — city, waking, encampment, post
Derivation: or (in the plural) עָר; or עָיַר; (Judges 10:4), from 5782
a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)
KJV: Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.
n.f — city
עִיר 1092 n.f. city, town
1. city, town, abode of men
2. of fortress in a city
3. appar. fortified place, of any size
n.[m.] — excitement
עִיר n.[m.] excitement;—of terror; of rage
H6555
v — break
Derivation: a primitive root;
to break out (in many applications, direct and indirect, literal and figurative)
KJV: × abroad, (make a) breach, break (away, down, -er, forth, in, up), burst out, come (spread) abroad, compel, disperse, grow, increase, open, press, scatter, urge.
vb — break through
פָּרַץ vb. break through
Qal
1. break or burst out
2. break through, down (from without)
3. break into
4. break open, a mining shaft
5. break up, break in pieces
6. break out (violently) upon
7. use violence
8. break over [limits], increase
9. burst open, intrans., of wine vats
10. spread, i.e. become known
Niph. no vision spread abroad
Hithp. slaves who break away
H369
np — nonentity
Derivation: as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist;
a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle
KJV: else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare 370.
subst — nothing
אַ֫יִן, אָ֑֫יִן cstr. אֵין subst. prop. nothing, nought
1. to nothing, as nothing
2. cstr. אֵין, very freq. as particle of negation, is not, are not, was not, were not
3. אֵין לְ׳, with subst., or pron., there is (was) not to … = … have, has, had, etc. not
4. in circumst. clauses
5. with inf. and ל׳, it is not to …
6. with prefixes
H2346
n-f — wall
Derivation: feminine active participle of an unused root apparently meaning to join;
a wall of protection
KJV: wall, walled.
n.f — wall
חוֹמָה 133 n.f. wall (as protection)
1. usu. term for wall of city
2. wall of a building
3. fig. of waters of Red Sea
H376
n-m — man
Derivation: contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant);
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
KJV: also, another, any (man), a certain, champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), none, one, people, person, steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare 802.
n.m — man
אִישׁ 2166 n.m. man (= vir)
H834
r — who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that
Derivation: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
KJV: × after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.
part. of relation — who
אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.
adv — in which
בַאֲשֶׁר
a. in (that) which
b. adv. in (the place) where
c. conj. in that, inasmuch as
d. on account of whom?
conj — according as
כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when
1. according to that which, according as, as
2. with a causal force, in so far as, since
3. with a temporal force, when
adv — who
מֵאֲשֶׁר
a. from (or than) that which
b. adv. from (the place) where
c. conj. from (the fact) that …, since
H4623
n-m — control
Derivation: from 6113;
subjectively, control
KJV: rule.
n.[m.] — restraint
מַעְצָר n.[m.] restraint, control;—מ׳ Pr 25:28 a man whose spirit is without control.
H7307
n-f — wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, region of the sky, spirit
Derivation: from 7306;
wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)
KJV: air, anger, blast, breath, × cool, courage, mind, × quarter, × side, spirit(-ual), tempest, × vain, (whirl-) wind(-y).
n.f — breath
רוּחַ 378 n.f. (less oft. m.) breath, wind, spirit
1. breath of mouth or nostrils (33 t.)
2. wind (117 t.)
3. spirit, as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation = temper, disposition (76 t.)
4. spirit of the living, breathing being
5. spirit as seat of emotion
6. occasionally (and late) = seat or organ of mental acts
7. rarely of the will
8. רוּחַ esp. of moral character
9. spirit of God (94 t.)
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Verse 28
Proverbs 25:28
Here is, 1. The good character of a wise and virtuous man implied. He is one that has rule over his own spirit; he maintains the government of himself, and of his own appetites and passions, and does not suffer them to rebel against reason and conscience. He has the rule of his own thoughts, his desires, his inclinations, his resentments, and keeps them all in good order. 2. The bad case of a vicious man, who has not this rule over his own spirit, who, when temptations to excess in eating or drinking are before him, has no government of himself, when he is provoked breaks out into exorbitant passions, such a one is like a city that is broken down and without walls. All that is good goes out, and forsakes him; all that is evil breaks in upon him. He lies exposed to all the temptations of Satan and becomes an easy prey to that enemy; he is also liable to many troubles and vexations; it is likewise as much a reproach to him as it is to a city to have its walls ruined, Neh 1:3.
Cross-references: Neh 1:3