Proverbs 22:9
in Proverbs 22A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; For he giveth of his bread to the poor.
KJV
He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
⋯
This verse in Proverbs 22
Commentary
6 notes on this verse"He who is kind-hearted will be blessed," etc. This is similar to that of the same judge, who discerning the merciful from the impious, says: "Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was …
This site's exposition
The rich rule over the poor
on Proverbs 22:7-9
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender," a plain economic fact stated without complaint, debt itself a form of servitude however willingly it was entered. He who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury, the power he wields against others, will be destroyed. A generous man who shares his bread with the poor "will be blessed," the opposite of the exploitation verse 7 describes.
This site's exposition
A generous man will be blessed
Adam Clarke reads the generous man as one whose heart looks out through his eye for anyone in want. The merciful heart is blessed even when the hand has little. Bede hears the verse again in the Judge's welcome to the merciful at the last judgment.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A bountiful eye - One that disposes him to help all that he sees to be in want; the bountiful eye means the bountiful heart; for the heart looks through the eye. The merciful heart, even when the hand has little or nothing to give, shall be blessed of the Lord.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
He that hath a bountiful eye - literally, as in the margin, contrasted with the “evil eye” of Pro 28:22.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| טֽוֹב־ | tov- | a [person] good of | H2896 → | 538 times |
| עַ֭יִן | ʾayin | eye | H5869 → | 887 times |
| ה֣וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יְבֹרָ֑ךְ | yevorakh | he will be blessed | H1288 → | 330 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נָתַ֖ן | natan | he gives | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| מִלַּחְמ֣וֹ | milachmo | some of food his | H3899 → | 298 times |
| לַדָּֽל׃ | ladal | to <the> poor [person] | H1800 → | 47 times |
טֽוֹב־a [person] good of
tov-H2896 →538 times
עַ֭יִןeye
ʾayinH5869 →887 times
ה֣וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
יְבֹרָ֑ךְhe will be blessed
yevorakhH1288 →330 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
נָתַ֖ןhe gives
natanH5414 →2011 times
מִלַּחְמ֣וֹsome of food his
milachmoH3899 →298 times
לַדָּֽל׃to <the> poor [person]
ladalH1800 →47 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 20:35In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
it leads to
- Hebrews 13:16
And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 19:17
Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
- 2 Corinthians 9:6–12
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
- Luke 14:12–14
Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite…
- Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
- Hebrews 13:16
Through
Proverbs 19:17Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
it leads to
- Proverbs 28:27
Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.
- Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
- Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured…
- Proverbs 28:27
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.