Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 18:23
The poor useth entreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.
Note the paradox. The poor man, of whom one might expect roughness, supplicates; the rich, well nurtured, from whom one might look for courtesy, answers harshly and brusquely.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Useth entreaties; humbly begs the favour of rich men, as his necessities and occasions require it.
Answereth roughly; speaketh proudly and scornfully, either to the poor, or to others that converse with him, being puffed up with a conceit of his riches, and of his self-sufficiency.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. the rich . . . roughlyHeis tolerated because rich, implying that the estimate of men bywealth is wrong.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The poor useth entreaties,…. Or “supplications” a; he is an humble supplicant to others for favours he asks in a submissive and lowly manner; he does not demand anything, nor prescribe what shall be done for him, but modestly tells his case, and submits it; so such who are poor in spirit are humble supplicants at the throne of grace;
but the rich answereth roughly; being proud and haughty, lifted up with their riches, and in fear of none, they answer others with hard and rough words, especially their inferiors, and particularly the poor. This is not what ought to be, but what commonly is. This verse and
Pr 18:24 are not in the Arabic version.
a “supplicationes”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
23 The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.
Note, 1. Poverty, though many inconveniences to the body attend it, has often a good effect upon the spirit, for it makes men humble and submissive, and mortifies their pride. It teaches them to use entreaties. When necessity forces men to beg it tells them they must not prescribe or demand, but take what is given them and be thankful. At the throne of God’s grace we are all poor, and must use entreaties, not answer, but make application, must sue sub forma pauperis–as a pauper. 2. A prosperous condition, though it has many advantages, has often this mischief attending it, that it makes men proud, haughty, and imperious: The rich answers the entreaties of the poor roughly, as Nabal answered David’s messengers with railing. It is a very foolish humour of some rich men, especially those who have risen from little, that they think their riches will warrant them to give hard words, and, even where they not design any rough dealing, that it becomes them to answer roughly, whereas gentlemen ought to be gentle, Jam. iii. 17.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Reality of Poverty
Verse 23 states life as it is generally. The poor or needy must humble himself and entreat or supplicate, but the rich answer harshly, without compassion, Pro 14:20; Pro 19:4; Pro 22:7; Jas 5:1; Jas 5:4-7. God is not unaware. He will deal justly in due time, Proverbs Jas 5:1-7.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro. 18:23
THE RICH AND POOR
This proverb treats of a twofold aspect of human life which furnishes a strong proof of the fallen condition of human nature. There is, probably, no part of this earthteeming although it is with riches enough to satisfy the needs of every living thingin which those are not to be found who have to struggle hard for their daily bread, and who even then come off with but a scanty share. Poverty seems as universal as disease and death, and must be referred to the same source. For those who know anything of the character of God, know that it was not a part of his original intention that men should be placed in such circumstances; and when they look abroad upon their fellow-creatures, they see that all the poverty of the poor can be traced to wrong-doing on the part of mento the sefishness of some, and to the indolence and vice of others. It is quite certain that, when Gods will is done on earth as it is in heaven, the miserable poverty which now surrounds us on every side will cease to exist. Solomon here sets forth
I. One of the many evils of poverty. He has before mentioned some of its advantages (see chap. Pro. 13:8, page 302), but the evil of the text is a very real and common one. A poor man has not only a very small share of the material comforts of life, but even for these he is often compelled to sue as for a favour. Even if he is an honest and able man, he may be so dependent upon the caprices of the wealthy as to have to entreat their help and patronage before he can use his powers to his own advantage. Such a state of things is often felt to be hard and is undoubtedly so, and unless a poor man is noble and self-respecting, it has a tendency to make him cringing and servileto dispose him to barter his conscience and his rights in order to satisfy his bodily needs. We know there have been many noble exceptions to this rulethat there have been hundreds of poor men who have preferred starvation to a forfeiture of any part of their God-given inheritancebut the temptation of the poor man in this direction is often very strong by reason of his great necessity.
II. One of the many temptations of wealth. It would be a difficult matter, and perhaps an impossible one, to enumerate all the respective moral advantages of poverty and riches, and strike the true balance between them. There can be no doubt that each has its peculiar temptations (see chap. Pro. 30:8-9), and that one of the sins to which the rich man is most liable is that of inconsiderateness of the claims of his poor brother, and even of insolence towards him. It is a universal tendency of fallen humanity to look exclusively on his own things and not on the things of others, and the wealth of the rich man enables him to indulge this tendency to its utmost. And men are prone to go even beyond thisthe children of the same common Father often take delight in making their poor brethren feel their dependence on them, and instead of giving sympathy and help freely and after a brotherly fashion, they withhold the first entirely, and if they give the latter they do it coldly and even contemptuously. That this is by no means the rule we have many proofs, but that the tendency is strong we know not only from observation but from the frequent warnings against it in the Word of God. The Apostle James charges even the professed followers of Christ with having despised the poor (Jas. 2:6).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
The angels smile at the way the sinner cavils. He reverses what the proverb pronounces natural. For He who is supremely rich is meek and tender, and he who is profoundly poor is loud in his reproach!Miller.
The languages of several countries are not so different as of the poor and rich man in one and the same country, and a stranger of another land is not such a foreigner as in the same land a poor man standing at the door of the rich. The one when he speaketh is not understood by the ear, the other when he speaketh is not understood by the heart: the words of the one are not apprehended, the wants of the other are not apprehended; the one is heard, but not conceived; the other is conceived, but not heard. When two talk in diverse languages they are known to be men of diverse countries; but when the poor and rich talk together, so different is their speech that one would hardly think them to be both men, and of the same nature. The one speaks as if he had hardly breath to bring forth his words, the other speaketh with such a strong breath that the harshness of it giveth an ill scent a great way off.Jermin.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(23) The rich answereth roughly.A warning against the hardening effect of riches. (Comp. Mar. 10:23.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. The poor useth entreaties The verse may be regarded as stating a fact without any justification of the latter part of the statement. Compare Pro 14:21; Pro 17:5.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
v. 23. The poor useth intreaties,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 18:23 The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.
Ver. 23. The poor useth entreaties. ] Speaks supplications; comes in a submissive manner; uses a low language, as a broken man. How much more should we do so to God? Quanta cum reverentia, quanto timore, quanta ad Deum humilitate aecedere debet e palude sua procedens et repens vilis ranuncula, a creeping into his presence with utmost humility and reverence.
a Bernard.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The poor = a needy one. Hebrew. rush. See note on Pro 6:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 18:23
Pro 18:23
“The poor useth entreaties; But the rich answereth roughly.”
Here we have a proverb that states one of the realities of our earthly lives, although by no means a desirable one. “The poor man has to request things respectfully, hoping for help in his impoverished condition; but the rich man does not have to worry about the tone of his voice. Sometimes a wealthy man will display a haughty attitude with little or no regard for the way in which his words may be received by others.
Pro 18:23. The poor man who is behind on his loan payments begs for mercy and consideration, and the rich man who loaned him the money and is afraid he is going to lose that money talks roughly to him. The same is true of the delinquent renter and his landlord. The poor man uses entreaties because he knows he is at a disadvantage and is at the mercy of the rich man, and the rich man answers roughly because he can, because he is afraid he is going to lose some money, and sometimes so that he can take undue advantage of the situation,
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
poor: Rth 2:7, 1Sa 2:36, 2Ki 4:1, 2Ki 4:2, Isa 66:2, Mat 5:3, Jam 1:9-11
rich: Gen 42:7, Gen 42:30, Exo 5:2, 1Sa 25:10, 1Sa 25:17, Jam 2:3
Reciprocal: Jdg 8:6 – General 1Sa 20:10 – answer thee 1Ki 12:13 – answered Job 41:3 – General Pro 19:7 – yet Pro 22:7 – rich
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 18:23. The poor useth entreaties Humbly begs the favour of rich and powerful men, as his necessities and occasions require; but the rich answereth roughly Speaks proudly and scornfully, either to the poor, or to others that converse with him, being puffed up with a conceit of his riches and self-sufficiency.