He takes away the speech of the trustworthy, and takes away the understanding of the aged.
Read Chapter 12
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Speakers. Permitting them to speak deceitfully, (Calmet) or causing their oracles to be contemned. (Haydock)
Hebrew, "he withdraws speech from men of confidence. "(Calmet)
Neemanim, (Haydock) ambassadors or prime ministers, Numbers xii. 7. He disconcerteth the best concerted plans.
23. When the priest does not do the good that he tells, even the very word of his lips is withdrawn from him, that he may not dare to speak what he does not practise; as where it is said by the Prophet, But unto the wicked God saith, ‘What hast thou to do, to declare My statutes, or that thou takest My covenant in thy mouth? [Ps. 50, 16] Whence also he beseeches, saying, And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth. [Ps. 119, 43] For he reflects that Almighty God gives the word of truth to those that do it, and takes it away from those that do it not. He then that prayed that he might not have it ‘taken out of his mouth,’ what did he else than pray for the grace of good practice? As if he said in plain words, ‘Let me not go astray from good works, lest, while I lose the regularity of good living, I also part with the right rule of speaking.’ And for the most part the teacher, who ventures to teach what he neglects to practise, when he ceases to speak the good which he s...
