Proverbs 28:20
in Proverbs 28A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
A faithful man shall abound with blessings; But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished.
KJV
A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
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This verse in Proverbs 28
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA faithful man shall abound with blessings,.... Or, "a man of faithfulness" (u). A very faithful man, that is truly so; that is so in a moral sense; true to his work, makes good his promises, fulfils his contracts, abides by the obligations he lays himself under; is faithful in every trust reposed in him, be it greater or lesser matters, in every station in which it is, and throughout the whole course of his life.
This site's exposition
A faithful man will abound with blessings
on Proverbs 28:20-22
"A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished" opens the chapter's clearest teaching on money. Verse 21 names favoritism as a temptation bought cheaply, "for a piece of bread." Verse 22 repeats the warning against haste.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
"A man who hastens to be rich," etc. For surely, he who ambitiously seeks to increase wealth neglects sin, caught like birds, when he begins, eager for the bait of earthly things, he does not realize he is being strangled by the snare of sin; …
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Not the possession of wealth, nor even the acquisition of it, is evil, but the eager haste of covetousness. Shall not be innocent - Better, as in the margin, in contrast with the many “blessings” of the “faithful.”
He that maketh haste to be rich - See Pro 13:11; Pro 20:21.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | a person of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֱ֭מוּנוֹת | ʾemunot | faithfulness<es> | H530 → | 49 times |
| רַב־ | rav- | [will be] great of | H7227 → | 454 times |
| בְּרָכ֑וֹת | berakhot | blessings | H1293 → | 69 times |
| וְאָ֥ץ | veatz | and [one who] hastens | H213 → | 10 times |
| לְ֝הַעֲשִׁ֗יר | lehaashir | to gain riches | H6238 → | 17 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִנָּקֶֽה׃ | yinakeh | he will go unpunished | H5352 → | 44 times |
אִ֣ישׁa person of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אֱ֭מוּנוֹתfaithfulness<es>
ʾemunotH530 →49 times
רַב־[will be] great of
rav-H7227 →454 times
בְּרָכ֑וֹתblessings
berakhotH1293 →69 times
וְאָ֥ץand [one who] hastens
veatzH213 →10 times
לְ֝הַעֲשִׁ֗ירto gain riches
lehaashirH6238 →17 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יִנָּקֶֽה׃he will go unpunished
yinakehH5352 →44 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
Revelation 2:10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful…
it leads to
- James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
- Matthew 10:22
You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
- Revelation 3:10–11
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the…
- Luke 21:16–19
You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.
- 1 Peter 5:4
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
- James 1:12
Through
Proverbs 13:11Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.
it leads to
- Proverbs 20:21
An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.
- Proverbs 10:2
Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
- James 5:1–5
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
- Proverbs 20:21
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
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; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).