Pro 18:16 | KD | STEP | The gift of a man maketh room for him, And bringeth him before the great. That מתּן may signify intellectual endowments, Hitzig supposes, but without any proof for such an opinion. Intellectual ability as the means of advancement is otherwise designated, Pro 22:29. But Hitzig is right in this, that one mistakes the meaning of the proverb if he interprets מתן in the sense of שׂחד ( vid ., at ): mtn is an indifferent idea, and the proverb means that a man makes free space, a free path for himself, by a gift, i.e. , by this, that he shows himself to be agreeable, pleasing where it avails, not niggardly but liberal. As a proverb expresses it: Mit dem Hut in der Hand Kommt man durchs ganze Land [with hat in hand one goes through the whole land], so it is said here that such liberality brings before the great, i.e. , not: furnishes with introductions to them; but helps to a place of honour near the great, i.e. , those in a lofty position (cf. לפני, ; עם, ). It is an important part of practical wisdom, that by right liberality, i.e. , by liberal giving where duty demands it, and prudence commends it, one does not lose but gains, does not descend but rises; it helps a man over the difficulties of limited, narrow circumstances, gains for him affection, and helps him up from step to step. The ā of מתּן is, in a singular way (cf. מתּנה, מתּנת), treated as unchangeable.

‏ Proverbs 18:16

Pro 18:16 16 The gift of a man maketh room for him, And bringeth him before the great.

That מתּן may signify intellectual endowments, Hitzig supposes, but without any proof for such an opinion. Intellectual ability as the means of advancement is otherwise designated, Pro 22:29. But Hitzig is right in this, that one mistakes the meaning of the proverb if he interprets מתן in the sense of שׂחד (vid., at Pro 17:8): mtn is an indifferent idea, and the proverb means that a man makes free space, a free path for himself, by a gift, i.e., by this, that he shows himself to be agreeable, pleasing where it avails, not niggardly but liberal. As a proverb expresses it:Mit dem Hut in der Hand Kommt man durchs ganze Land [with hat in hand one goes through the whole land], so it is said here that such liberality brings before the great, i.e., not: furnishes with introductions to them; but helps to a place of honour near the great, i.e., those in a lofty position (cf. לפני, Pro 22:29; עם, Psa 113:8). It is an important part of practical wisdom, that by right liberality, i.e., by liberal giving where duty demands it, and prudence commends it, one does not lose but gains, does not descend but rises; it helps a man over the difficulties of limited, narrow circumstances, gains for him affection, and helps him up from step to step. The ā of מתּן is, in a singular way (cf. מתּנה, מתּנת), treated as unchangeable.