Riches may ransom a man's life, but a poor man hears no threat. The ransomThe Hebrew word for "ransom" is "kofer," which often refers to a price paid for redemption or deliverance. In the context of Proverbs, it suggests the idea of a payment or sacrifice made to secure freedom or protection. Historically, a ransom was a common practice in ancient times, often used to free captives or settle disputes. This concept can be seen as a metaphor for the spiritual deliverance that comes through wisdom and righteousness, which can protect one from the consequences of folly. for a man's life
This phrase emphasizes the value and importance of life. In the ancient Near Eastern context, life was considered a precious gift from God, and preserving it was of utmost importance. The idea here is that a wise person, through their resources or wisdom, can secure their life from danger or harm. It reflects the biblical principle that wisdom and prudence can lead to preservation and safety. is his wealth
Wealth, in this context, is not merely material riches but encompasses all resources and assets that a person possesses. In the biblical worldview, wealth is seen as a tool that can be used for good or ill. Here, it is portrayed as a means of protection, suggesting that a wise person uses their resources to safeguard their life and well-being. This aligns with the broader biblical teaching that wealth should be used responsibly and for righteous purposes. but a poor man
The term "poor" here is translated from the Hebrew word "rash," which refers to someone lacking in resources or means. In the biblical context, poverty is often associated with vulnerability and exposure to danger. The contrast between the wealthy and the poor in this verse highlights the different challenges and risks faced by individuals based on their material circumstances. hears no rebuke
The phrase "hears no rebuke" suggests a lack of correction or discipline. In the context of Proverbs, rebuke is often associated with wisdom and instruction. The implication here is that a poor man, due to his lack of resources, may not receive the same level of guidance or correction as a wealthy person. This can be seen as a call to the community to ensure that wisdom and instruction are accessible to all, regardless of their economic status. It also serves as a reminder that true wealth is found in wisdom and understanding, which are available to everyone who seeks them. Persons / Places / Events 1. SolomonTraditionally regarded as the author of Proverbs, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. His insights into human behavior and divine principles are reflected throughout the book. 2. Rich ManRepresents individuals who possess wealth and the potential vulnerabilities that come with it, such as being targeted for ransom or extortion. 3. Poor ManSymbolizes those without material wealth, who, in this context, are less likely to face threats related to their financial status. Teaching Points The Double-Edged Sword of WealthWealth can provide security and opportunities, but it also brings vulnerabilities, such as being a target for crime or manipulation. Contentment in SimplicityThe poor man, in this context, is free from certain threats that wealth attracts. This can be a reminder of the peace found in contentment and simplicity. True Riches in ChristSpiritual wealth, such as faith and wisdom, is of greater value than material wealth. Believers are encouraged to seek these eternal riches. Stewardship and ResponsibilityThose with wealth are called to be wise stewards, using their resources to glorify God and help others, rather than hoarding or misusing them. Trust in God's ProvisionRegardless of financial status, believers are encouraged to trust in God's provision and protection, knowing that He cares for all His children. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the concept of wealth as a "ransom" in Proverbs 13:8 challenge or affirm your current view of money and possessions? 2. In what ways can the peace of a "poor man" who "hears no threat" be experienced by someone who is financially well-off? 3. How do the teachings in 1 Timothy 6:9-10 and James 2:5 influence your understanding of true wealth and security? 4. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your financial resources are used in a way that honors God and serves others? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's provision in a situation where financial resources were limited. How did this impact your faith and trust in Him? Connections to Other Scriptures Ecclesiastes 5:12This verse discusses how the sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits them no sleep. It connects to the idea that wealth can bring complications and anxieties. 1 Timothy 6:9-10These verses warn about the dangers of desiring to be rich, which can lead to temptation and harmful desires. This connects to the idea that wealth can bring about threats and challenges. James 2:5This verse highlights God's choice of the poor in the world to be rich in faith, suggesting that spiritual wealth is more significant than material wealth. People SolomonPlaces JerusalemTopics Ear, Exchange, Heareth, Hears, Indigent, Man's, Poor, Ransom, Rebuke, Redemption, Riches, Sharp, Threat, Threatening, Threats, WealthDictionary of Bible Themes Proverbs 13:8 6714 ransom
8833 threats Proverbs 13:7-8 8812 riches, ungodly use Library The Tillage of the Poor
'Much food is in the tillage of the poor.'--PROVERBS xiii. 23. Palestine was a land of small peasant proprietors, and the institution of the Jubilee was intended to prevent the acquisition of large estates by any Israelite. The consequence, as intended, was a level of modest prosperity. It was 'the tillage of the poor,' the careful, diligent husbandry of the man who had only a little patch of land to look after, that filled the storehouses of the Holy Land. Hence the proverb of our text arose. It …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Poor Rich and the Rich Poor
'There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.'--PROVERBS xiii. 7. Two singularly-contrasted characters are set in opposition here. One, that of a man who lives like a millionaire and is a pauper; another, that of a man who lives like a pauper and is rich. The latter character, that of a man who hides and hoards his wealth, was, perhaps, more common in the days when this collection of Proverbs was put together, because in all ill-governed …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Practical Methods of Studying the Old Testament
[Sidenote: The various methods of approach] The Old Testament may be studied as literature, as history, as the record of an important stage in the evolution of religion, as the revelation of God to the race, or as a practical aid to the individual in living the true life. Each angle of approach calls for different methods and yields its correspondingly rich results. Studied in accordance with the canons of modern literary investigation, a literature is disclosed of surpassing variety, beauty, and …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament The Song of the Redeemed
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou ... hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ... T he extent, variety, and order of the creation, proclaim the glory of God. He is likewise, ^* Maximus in Minimis . The smallest of the works, that we are capable of examining, such for instance as the eye or the wing of a little insect, the creature of a day, are stamped with an inimitable impression of His wisdom and power. Thus in His written Word, there …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 The Heavenly Footman; Or, a Description of the Man that Gets to Heaven:
TOGETHER WITH THE WAY HE RUNS IN, THE MARKS HE GOES BY; ALSO, SOME DIRECTIONS HOW TO RUN SO AS TO OBTAIN. 'And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.'--Genesis 19:17. London: Printed for John Marshall, at the Bible in Gracechurch Street, 1698. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. About forty years ago a gentleman, in whose company I had commenced my …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 "And this is his Commandment," &C.
1 John iii. 23.--"And this is his commandment," &c. There are different tempers of mind among men, some more smooth and pliable, others more refractory and froward. Some may be persuaded by love, who cannot be constrained by fear. With some a request will more prevail than a command. Others again are of a harsher disposition. Love and condescension doth rather embolden them, and therefore they must be restrained with the bridle of authority. It would seem that the Lord hath some regard to this in …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Second Sunday after Easter
Text: First Peter 2, 20-25. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted for it, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II How is Christ, as the Life, to be Applied by a Soul that Misseth God's Favour and Countenance.
The sixth case, that we shall speak a little to, is a deadness, occasioned by the Lord's hiding of himself, who is their life, and "the fountain of life," Ps. xxxvi. 9, and "whose loving-kindness is better than life," Ps. lxiii. 3, and "in whose favour is their life," Ps. xxx. 5. A case, which the frequent complaints of the saints manifest to be rife enough, concerning which we shall, 1. Shew some of the consequences of the Lord's hiding his face, whereby the soul's case will appear. 2. Shew the …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life Opposition to Messiah Ruinous
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel T here is a species of the sublime in writing, which seems peculiar to the Scripture, and of which, properly, no subjects but those of divine revelation are capable, With us, things inconsiderable in themselves are elevated by splendid images, which give them an apparent importance beyond what they can justly claim. Thus the poet, when describing a battle among bees, by a judicious selection of epithets …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 "But if Ye have Bitter Envying and Strife in Your Hearts, Glory Not," &C.
James iii. 14.--"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not," &c. It is a common evil of those who hear the gospel, that they are not delivered up to the mould and frame of religion that is holden out in it, but rather bring religion into a mould of their own invention. It was the special commendation of the Romans, that they obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine into which they were delivered, (Rom. vi. 17) that they who were once servants, or slaves of sin, had now …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning "But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all These Things Shall be Added unto You. "
Matth. vi. 33.--"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." The perfection even of the most upright creature, speaks always some imperfection in comparison of God, who is most perfect. The heavens, the sun and moon, in respect of lower things here, how glorious do they appear, and without spot! But behold, they are not clean in God's sight! How far are the angels above us who dwell in clay! They appear to be a pure mass of light and …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Having spoken of the general notion of blessedness, I come next to consider the subjects of this blessedness, and these our Saviour has deciphered to be the poor in spirit, the mourners, etc. But before I touch upon these, I shall attempt a little preface or paraphrase upon this sermon of the beatitudes. 1 Observe the divinity in this sermon, which goes beyond all philosophy. The philosophers use to say that one contrary expels another; but here one contrary begets another. Poverty is wont to expel …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Proverbs 13:8 NIVProverbs 13:8 NLTProverbs 13:8 ESVProverbs 13:8 NASBProverbs 13:8 KJV
Proverbs 13:8 Commentaries
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