A man of violence entices his neighbour
and leads him in a way that is not good.
Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
Grey hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.Proverbs 16:29-33
An alternative translation for 'violent' in 29 would be 'turbulent'. It may suggest the kind of man who carries everything and everyone before him. How easy it is for a strong, overbearing personality to sway and influence other people unduly, and lead them into things against their better judgment. 'Fair speech, coupled with what men call a magnetic presence, have often won the day, and led one, who would never have gone if left to himself, into a way that was not good' (Ironside). 'Shutteth' in 30 means 'winks' (RSV). Here is the mischief-maker par excellence, who can convey meaning and do mischief simply by the wink of an eye, without a word being spoken. The RSV rendering of 30 omits the AV's 'if': this crown of glory is gained in a righteous life. Not all hoary heads are on righteous shoulders, but on a life that has been righteous it is an impressive sight. One rendering of 32 reads 'He who is slow to anger is better than a hero'. This is to get things in a true perspective. There are some very clay-footed heroes in our world today, especially in the sporting and entertainment scenes, many of them in need of psychiatric help for their disturbed personalities. But it takes a real man to control the self. And he is better than a commander that takes a city for this reason: he who rules his own spirit has conquered a world, let alone a city! The reference in 33 is to God's settling of matters referred to Him. It is clear that the casting of lots was one principal way in which the Lord's will was made known. It is perhaps significant that the last time this method was used was in the immediate pre-Pentecostal days when the apostles chose a twelfth apostle to replace Judas. The reasonable inference is that with the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost another and better way of knowing the Lord's will was made available for the Lord's people.