Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 19:4

Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor.

4. maketh ] Rather, addeth; , LXX.; addunt (diviti), Vulg.; the contrast being between the new friends gained by wealth, and the existing friend (R.V.) lost by poverty, , LXX.; A paupere autem et hi, quos habuit, separantur, Vulg.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Pro 19:4

Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

The rich and the poor

Nothing upon earth is so powerful as money. It is a force before which everything bows. Wealth is such a mighty power, that one possessing it does not feel his dependence as other men do. Being more easily spoiled than other men, his salvation is more difficult. This accounts for everything the gospel has to say about rich men. In speaking of wealth, we are very apt to make the mistake of supposing that only very rich men are wealthy. The Bible accounts that man wealthy who, free from debt, has anything left after making provision for actual necessities of life. Poverty is isolation. When we become poor we become lonely. Either friends withdraw from us or we with- draw from them. When one gets really poor he is pretty much left by his brethren. They may not mean to shun him, but they let him pretty severely alone. The poor are the material we Christians are to work upon. To these we are to let our light shine. It is our holiest work to stop this separation of the poor from his neighbours. The poor are here by Divine intention. The poor help to save our souls. We are not to relieve them only; we are to help them. Giving is not enough to fulfil our Christian duty towards them. Helping the poor to help themselves is the most Christlike thing you can do. Machinery in religious life is to be avoided. It is of use only as it helps to concentrate energy. (G. R. Van de Water.)

Poverty, riches, and social selfishness

I. The trials of poverty.

1. Degradation. The poor useth entreaties. To beg of a fellow-man is a degradation; it is that from which our manhood revolts. The poor useth entreaties. They have to mortify the natural independence of their spirit. They are subjected to–

2. Insolent treatment. The rich answereth roughly.

3. Social desertion. The poor is separated from his neighbour. Who in this selfish world will make friends with the poor, however superior in intellect or excellent in character? When the wealthy man with his large circle of friends becomes poor the poles of his magnet are reversed, and his old friends feel the repulsion.

II. The temptations of wealth.

1. Upon the mind of its possessor. It tends to promote haughtiness and insolence. The rich answereth roughly. The temptation of wealth is revealed–

2. Upon the mind of the wealthy mans circle. Wealth maketh many friends.

III. The selfishness of society. Every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts. (Homilist.)

Friendship of the world

When I see leaves drop from their trees in the beginning of autumn, just such, think I, is the friendship of the world; just such are the comforts and joys of this life. While the sap of maintenance lasts my friends will swarm in abundance, my joys and comforts will abide with me; but when the sap ceases, the spring which supplies them fails; in the winter of my need they leave me naked. (H. G. Salter.)

Friends sought far money

In Dr. Guthries Autobiography there is a good illustration of the unhappy state of cynicism into which the rich are prone to fall. There he relates how, in a winter of extraordinary severity, he made an appeal to a lady who had succeeded to a prodigious fortune, on behalf of the starving poor of his parish. In doing so he had no very sanguine hope of success. On being ushered into her room, she turned round, and showing her thin, spare figure, and a face that looked as if it had been cut out of mahogany, grinned and said, I am sorry to see ye. What do you want? I suppose you are here seeking siller. The very thing I am here for, was the Doctors frank reply. Her next remark demonstrated how little power her riches had of conferring happiness; and with all her wealth of flatterers, what a poor, lonely, desolate, miserable creature this possessor of more than a million sterling was. Ah, she said, there is nobody comes to see me or seek me; but its the money, the money they are after. We are glad to be able to relate that this rich old lady gave to Dr. Guthrie fifty pounds for the poor–an act which we hope shed a gleam of sunshine into her dark life.

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 4. The poor is separated from his neighbour.] Because he has the “disease of all-shunned poverty.”

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Is disowned and forsaken by those who are most obliged to help him.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

4. (Compare Pr14:20). Such facts are often adduced with implied disapprobation.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Wealth maketh many friends,…. Or “adds” f; it increases the number of them: so the poet g, “donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos”; and to this agrees what the wise man says,

Pr 14:20;

but the poor is separated from his neighbour; or “friend” h; he will not visit him as he did in his prosperity, nor suffer him to come into his house or company, or come near him; he is separated from his affection, friendship, and presence: so another poet i,

“if thou art rich, thou wilt have many friends; but, if poor, few.”

f . “addit”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator. g Ovid. h “ab amico sua”, Pagninus, Montanus, Baynus, Junius & Tremeliius, Piscator, Michaelis “a sodali sua”, Schultens. i Theognis.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

4 Wealth bringeth many friends;

But the reduced – his friend separateth himself.

The very same contrast, though otherwise expressed, we had at Pro 14:20. Regarding , vid., vol. i, p. 63. is the tottering, or he who has fallen into a tottering condition, who has no resources, possesses no means. The accentuation gives Mugrash to the word (according to which the Targ. translates), for it is not the subject of : the reduced is separated (pass. Niph.) by his misfortunes, or must separate himself (reflex. Niph.) from his friend ( , as Ecc 4:4, prae socio suo ); but subject of the virtual pred. : the reduced – his friend ( , as Pro 19:7) separates himself, i.e., (according to the nature of the Semitic substantival clause) he is such (of such a fate) that his friend sets himself free, whereby may be omitted as self-obvious; means one who separates himself, Pro 18:1. If we make the subject of the separatur , then the initiative of the separation from the friend is not expressed.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

      4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

      Here, 1. We may see how strong men’s love of money is, that they will love any man, how undeserving soever he be otherwise, if he has but a deal of money and is free with it, so that they may hope to be the better for it. Wealth enables a man to send many presents, make many entertainments, and do many good offices, and so gains him many friends, who pretend to love him, for they flatter him and make their court to him, but really love what he has, or rather love themselves, hoping to get by him. 2. We may see how weak men’s love of one another is. He who, while he prospered, was beloved and respected, if he fall into poverty is separated from his neighbour, is not owned nor looked upon, not visited nor regarded, is bidden to keep his distance and told he is troublesome. Even one that has been his neighbour and acquaintance will turn his face from him and pass by on the other side. Because men’s consciences tell them they ought to relieve and succour such, they are willing to have this excuse, that they did not see them.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Verse 4-See comment on Pro 14:20; Pro 18:23; Pro 19:7.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

(4) The poor is separated from his neighbour.Or, but the feeble, his friend separates himself (from him). It was just in order to counteract these selfish instincts of mankind that the merciful provisions of such passages as Deu. 15:7. sqq., and Luk. 14:13, were laid upon Gods people.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

4. Wealth Literally, ease or competence.

Maketh many friends At least such as are professedly so. The poor man is neglected by those who ought to be his friends. Compare Pro 14:20, and Pro 19:6-7.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

v. 4. Wealth maketh many friends, for people seek the favor of the wealthy, in the hope of obtaining some benefit for themselves; but the poor is separated from his neighbor, it is the way of the world to leave the impoverished to his own resources and to ignore him.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Pro 19:4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

Ver. 4. Wealth maketh many friends. ] Res amicos invenit, saith he in Plautus. Wine, saith Athenaeus, hath , a force in it to make friendship. Wealth we are sure hath; but as that is no sound love that comes out of cups – it is but ollaris amicitia; friendship of the cup, so neither are they to be trusted that wealth wins to us. Hired friends are seldom either satisfied or sure, but, like the ravens in Arabia, that, full gorged, have a tunable, sweet record, but empty, screech horribly. Flies soon fasten upon honey, and vermin will haunt a house where food is to be gotten.

But the poor is separated from his neighbour. ] Who either turns from him as a stranger, or against him as an enemy. Nero being condemned to die, and not finding any one that would fall upon him and despatch him, cried out, Itane, nec amicum, nec inimicum habeo? Have I now neither friend nor foe that will do this for me?

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

the poor = a weak one. Hebrew. dal. See note on Pro 6:11. Same word as in Pro 19:17; not the same word as in verses: Pro 19:1, Pro 19:7, Pro 19:22.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Pro 19:4

Pro 19:4

“Wealth addeth many friends; But the poor is separated from his friend.”

Our comment on Pro 14:20 is applicable here. Deceitful wealth is that which surrounds one with the type of `friends’ the prodigal son found in the `far country,’ but separates him from true friends.

Pro 19:4. Compare Pro 19:7. People like to identify with someone who will be a credit to them in the eyes of men, not with someone who will discredit them. The poorest of families dont have very many real friends: those who will claim them, invite them over, etc. (Pro 14:20). Sometimes even relatives practically disown extreme poverty cases.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

maketh: Pro 19:6, Pro 19:7, Pro 14:20, Luk 15:13-15

the poor: Pro 10:15, Job 6:15-23, Job 19:13-17

Reciprocal: Gen 14:17 – to Exo 23:8 – thou shalt take

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge