(only in plural) properly · noun, common feminine plural absolute
people
עָ֑ם'Am
H5971
a people (as a congregated unit) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
fall
יִפָּלyi.pol-
H5307
to fall · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
multitude
בְּרֹ֣בbe.Ro
H7230
abundance (in any respect) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
counsellors
יוֹעֵֽץyo.'Etz
H3289
to advise · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
safety
וּ֝תְשׁוּעָ֗הu.te.shu.'Ah
H8668
rescue (literal or figurative · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Proverbs 24:6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
Proverbs 20:18 Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.
Proverbs 16:22 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.
1 Kings 12:1-19 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
Isaiah 19:11-14 Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the so…
Acts 15:6-21 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 11:14
Here is, 1. The bad omen of a kingdom's ruin: Where no counsel is, no consultation at all, but every thing done rashly, or no prudent consultation for the common good, but only caballing for parties and divided interests, the people fall, crumble into factions, fall to pieces, fall together by the ears, and fall an easy prey to their common enemies. Councils of war are necessary to the operations of war; two eyes see more than one; and mutual advice is in order to mutual assistance. 2. The good presage of a kingdom's prosperity: In the multitude of counsellors, that see their need one of another, and act in concert and with concern for the public welfare, there is safety; for what prudent me…
counsel--the art of governing (Pro 1:5).
counsellors--literally, "one giving counsel"; the participle used as a collective.
John Gill on Proverbs 11:14
Where no counsel is, the people fall,.... Where there is no wise and prudent, sound and good counsel, as the word signifies; where that is not, there had as good be none, or better; a people, a kingdom, a commonwealth, nation, or city, fall into ruin and destruction, or into schemes which bring them to it; they are like a ship without a pilot, or without a helm, or one to steer it: the Targum, Syriac, and Vulgate Latin versions, render it,
"where there is no governor;''
and the Arabic version,
"they that have no providence (or forecast) fall as a leaf falls;''
and so the Septuagint version,
"they that have no government fall as leaves,''
as leaves fall in autumn; and the word signifies…
14 Where there is no direction a people fall
But where there is no want of counsellors there is safety.
Regarding תּחבּות, vid., at Pro 1:5. There it means rules of self-government; here, rules for the government of the people, or, since the pluralet. denotes a multiplicity in unity, circumspect κυβέρνησις. With 14b, Pro 24:6 (where direction in war, as here in peace, is spoken of, and the meaning of the word specializes itself accordingly) agrees; cf. also Pro 15:22. Hitzig criticises the proverb, remarking, "we who have the longest resorted to many counsellors, as a consequence of the superabundance have learned to say, 'Too many cooks spoil the broth,' and, 'He who asks long, errs.'" But…
The Church Fathers
Cassian said, 'Moses the Hermit told us, "It is good not to hide our thoughts; we ought to disclose them to discreet and devout elders; but not to those who are old merely in years, for many have found final despair instead of comfort by confessing to those whom they saw to be old, but who were in fact inexperienced." '
"Where there is no guidance, the nation falls," etc. Lest you should think that, if you cannot correct the faults of a friend, you should keep them hidden, he rightly says that a people without a governor will fall; but there will be safety where there are many counsels, to show that what you cannot amend alone must be revealed to many, so that the unified diligence of all may correct it.
A brother asked Poemen, 'I am suffering damage to my soul by being with my abba. What do you advise me to do? Should I continue to stay with him?' Poemen knew that his soul was being harmed by his abba, and he was surprised that he even asked whether he ought to stay with him. He said to him, 'If you want to stay with him, do so.' The brother went away and stayed with his abba. But he came a second time to Poemen, and said, 'My soul is very heavy.' But Poemen did not say to him, 'Leave your abba.' He came a third time, and said, 'Indeed, I can no longer stay with him.' Then Poemen said, 'Now you are saved, go, and stay with him no longer.' He went on, 'If you see your soul being harmed by something there is no need to ask what to do. What we should ask about rather is our secret thoughts, to get them tested by others. But there is no need to ask about obvious sins; they must be cut off at once.'
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Counsellor — An adviser (Prov. 11:14; 15:22), a king’s state counsellor (2 Sam. 15:12). Used once of the Messiah (Isa. 9:6). In Mark 15:43, Luke 23:50, the word probably means a member of the Jewish Sanhedrim.
Counsel · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Speaking · WISDOM IN — WISDOM IN
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
