Proverbs 13:25

The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(25) The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul—i.e., has enough for his wants. (See above on Proverbs 10:3.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:14. The rule by which the wise regulate their conduct, is a fountain yielding life and happiness. 15. The way of sinners is hard upon others, and hard to the sinner himself. The service of sin is slavery; the road to hell is strewed with the thorns and thistles that followed the curse. 16. It is folly to talk of things of which we know nothing, and to undertake what we are no way fit for. 17. Those that are wicked, and false to Christ and to the souls of men, do mischief, and fall into mischief; but those that are faithful, find sound words healing to others and to themselves. 18. He that scorns to be taught, will certainly be brought down. 19. There are in man strong desires after happiness; but never let those expect any thing truly sweet to their souls, who will not be persuaded to leave their sins. 20. Multitudes are brought to ruin by bad company. And all that make themselves wicked will be destroyed. 21. When God pursues sinners he is sure to overtake them; and he will reward the righteous. 22. The servant of God who is not anxious about riches, takes the best method of providing for his children. 23. The poor, yet industrious, thrive, though in a homely manner, while those who have great riches are often brought to poverty for want of judgment. 24. He acts as if he hated his child, who, by false indulgence, permits sinful habits to gather strength, which will bring sorrow here, and misery hereafter. 25. It is the misery of the wicked, that even their sensual appetites are always craving. The righteous feeds on the word and ordinances, to the satisfying of his soul with the promises of the gospel, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Bread of life.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The contrast is the ever recurring one between honest poverty and dishonest wealth. "The new-plowed field of the poor is much food, but there are those, who, though rich, perish through their disregard of right."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25. The comparative temporal prosperity of the righteous and wicked, rather than contentment and discontent, is noted.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

God’s favour and blessing gives the righteous man a competent estate, and a heart to use it, and comfort and satisfaction in it; whereas wicked men commonly want either all these blessings, or some of them.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul,.... He is blessed with a sufficient competency to live upon; and he is contented with what he has, and uses it moderately; he has enough to eat, and is contented with his portion, and eats no more than sufficeth; he eats to the satisfying of his appetite, and no more; he does not indulge to luxury and excess: and so as to spiritual things; he eats to the satisfying of his soul, with the goodness and fatness of God's house, with the word and ordinances, with the promises of the Gospel, and with Jesus Christ, the bread of life; with these he is satisfied, as with marrow and fatness;

but the belly of the wicked shall want; not only spiritual food, which he has no appetite for, but corporeal food; he shall starve in the midst of plenty, not having a heart to put that food into his mouth, and fill his belly with it, as nature requires, through his covetousness; or, having spent his substance in rioting and wantonness, wants bread to satisfy the craving of his appetite.

Geneva Study Bible

The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 25. - The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul (comp. Proverbs 10:3; Psalm 34:10). The good man has always enough to satisfy his wants, because he is temperate, and his substance has the blessing of God. "The chief thing for life," says Siracides (Ecclus. 29:21), "is water, and bread, and clothing, and a house to cover shame." The belly of the wicked shall want. The wicked are punished by penury and desires never satisfied. These different results are providentially ordered.



Proverbs 13:25

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

25 The righteous has to eat to the satisfying of his soul;

     But the body of the godless must suffer want.

Jerome translates תחסר freely by insaturabilis (he has want equals has never enough), but in that case we would have expected תחסר תּמיד; also in 25a עד־שׂבע would have been used. We have thus before us no commendation of temperance and moderation in contrast to gluttony, but a statement regarding the diversity of fortune of the righteous and the godless - another way of clothing the idea of Proverbs 10:3. שׂבע is a segolate form, thus an infin. formation, formally different from the similar שׂבע, Proverbs 3:10. Regarding בּטן, vid., Psychol. p. 265f.; it is a nobler word than "Bauch" [belly], for it denotes not the external arch, but, like κοιλία (R. בט, concavus), the inner body, here like Proverbs 18:20, as that which receives the nourishment and changes it in succum et sanguinem. That God richly nourishes the righteous, and on the contrary brings the godless to want and misery, is indeed a rule with many exceptions, but understood in the light of the N.T., it has deep inward everlasting truth.