Proverbs 10:4

10:1 The comfort of parents much depends on their children; and this suggests to both, motives to their duties. 2,3. Though the righteous may be poor, the Lord will not suffer him to want what is needful for spiritual life. 4. Those who are fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, are likely to be rich in faith, and rich in good works. 5. Here is just blame of those who trifle away opportunities, both for here and for hereafter. 6. Abundance of blessings shall abide on good men; real blessings.

He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand,.... That is either remiss in giving to the necessities of others, according to his abilities, and as cases require; or that is negligent and slothful in his business. Or, "that worketh with a deceitful hand"; or, "with a hand of deceit" (u), as it may be rendered; who pretends to work, but does not; makes a show as if he did, but acts deceitfully; or who uses many tricking and deceitful ways and methods to live, as usually slothful persons do. Aben Ezra observes, it may be rendered and interpreted, "he becomes poor that makes a deceitful balance"; thinking to enrich himself by such fraudulent practices: or, as others, "a deceitful balance maketh poor" (w); such seldom or ever thrive, or it does not long prosper with them who use such unlawful methods; but the hand of the diligent maketh rich; that is, with the blessing of God along with it, as in Proverbs 10:22; such who are "sharp" (x) and acute, as the word signifies; who are careful and industrious, mind their business, and do the honest part; these, with a divine blessing, frequently grow rich: or rather who are like those that dig in the earth for gold, who search for it with great eagerness and diligence; for from this root is a word often used for gold, Proverbs 3:14.

All this is true in a spiritual sense; such who are slothful in attendance on the means of grace, the word and ordinances, are slack and negligent in duty, bring a spiritual poverty upon them; and like the Laodicean church, who, through her lukewarmness and carnal security, became poor and wretched, blind and naked: on the other hand, such who are diligent in the use of means are frequent at the throne of grace, forsake not the assembly of the saints, constantly wait at Wisdom's gates; these grow rich in grace and in all good works. (u) "vola doli", Montanus; "fraudulenta manu", Tigurine version, Cocceius, Schultens; so Junius & Tremellius, Michaelis. (w) So Mercerus. (x) "acuti", Bochart. Hierizoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 55. col. 668.

Proverbs 10:4 . He becometh poor — Probably by slow degrees; that dealeth with a slack hand — Who is negligent and slothful in his business. Hebrew, כ Š רמיה , with a deceitful hand, so called, partly because it seems, or pretends to do something, when, in truth, it doth nothing; and partly because such persons usually endeavour to maintain themselves by deceit and wickedness, instead of doing it by honest labour and diligence. But the hand of the diligent maketh rich — Not by itself, nor necessarily, as is manifest from experience, and is observed Ecclesiastes 9:11 , but through God’s blessing, which is commonly given to the diligent and industrious.

With a slack hand; negligently and slothfully, as appears from the diligence opposed to it in the next branch, and from the use of this word in this sense, Proverbs 12:24,27 19:15 Jeremiah 48:10 . Heb. with a deceitful hand ; so called, partly because it seems and pretends to do something, when in truth it doth nothing; and partly because such persons usually endeavour to maintain themselves by deceit and wickedness, which they cannot or will not do by honest labour and diligence. Maketh rich; not by itself, nor necessarily, as is manifest from experience, and is noted, Ecclesiastes 9:11 , but through God’s blessing, which commonly is given to such, by comparing this verse with Proverbs 10:22 , here following.

Verse 4. - That dealeth with a stack hand; that is lazy and indolent (comp. Proverbs 6:10, 11 ; see on Proverbs 19:15). The Septuagint, with a different pointing, reads, "Poverty humbleth a man." The hand of the diligent ( Proverbs 12:24 ) maketh rich. The words for "hand" are different in the two clauses as Wordsworth remarks. The first word is caph , the open, ineffective, hand or palm; the second term is yad , the hand tense and braced for vigorous work. The LXX. introduces a clause here which seems to interfere with the connection: Υίος πεπαιοευμένος σοφὸς ἔσται τῷ δὲ ἄφρονι διακόνῳ , χρήσεται , "A well instructed son will be wise. and he will use a fool as his minister;" i.e. he is aide to make even the foolish subserve his ends. The sentence is quoted by St. Augustine, 'De Civil Dei,' 16:2. The Vulgate inserts another paragraph, which is also found in some manuscripts of the Septuagint at Proverbs 9:12 : Qui nititur mendaciis, hic pascit ventos ; idem autem ipse sequitur aves volantes , "He who relieth on lies feedeth on the winds, and pursueth flying birds." Proverbs 10:4

There follow two proverbs which say how one man fails and another succeeds: He becomes poor who bears a sluggish hand; But the hand of the diligent maketh rich. These three proverbs, Proverbs 19:15; Proverbs 12:24, Proverbs 12:27, are similar. From the last two it is seen that רמיּה is a subst., as also from Psalm 120:2. (לשׁון רמיּה, from a crafty tongue) that it is an adject., and from Leviticus 14:15. (where כּף is fem.) that it may be at the same time an adject. here also. The masc. is רמי, like טרי to טריּה ot , but neither of these occur; "the fundamental idea is that of throwing oneself down lazily, when one with unbent muscles holds himself no longer erect and stretched, Arab. taramy" (Fl.). The translation: deceitful balances (Lwenstein after Rashi), is contrary to biblical usage, which knows nothing of כף in this Mishnic meaning. But if כף is here regarded as fem., then it cannot be the subject (Jerome, egestatem operata est manus remissa), since we read עשׂה, not עשׂה. But ראשׁ also is not suitable as the subject (lxx, Syr., Targ.), for poverty is called רישׁ, רישׁ, ראשׁ; on the contrary, רשׁ, plur. רשׁים or ראשׁים, is used adjectively. Since now the adject. רשׁ, 1 Samuel 12:14, is also written ראשׁ, it may be translated: Poor is he who... (Bertheau); but we much rather expect the statement of that which happens to such an one, thus: Poor will he be... ראשׁ, 3 praet. equals רשׁ, Psalm 34:11, with the same (grammatically incorrect) full writing as קאם, Hosea 10:14.

In the conception of the subject, כף־רמיה, after Jeremiah 48:10, is interpreted as the accus. of the manner (Berth.: whoever works with sluggish hand); but since עשׂה רמיה (in another sense indeed: to practise cunning) is a common phrase, Psalm 52:4; Psalm 101:7, so also will כף־רמיה be regarded as the object: qui agit manum remissam, whoever carries or moves such a hand (Hitzig). In 4b working is placed opposite to bearing: the diligent hand makes rich, ditat or divitias parit; but not for itself (Gesen. and others: becomes rich), but for him who bears it. The diligent man is called חרוּץ, from חרץ, to sharpen, for, as in ὀξύς, acer, sharpness is transferred to energy; the form is the same as הלּוּק, smooth (for the ā is unchangeable, because recompensative), a kindred form to קטול like חמוץ, and Arab. fâ'ûl as fashawsh, a boaster, wind-bag, either of active (as חנּוּן) or (as חלוק, חרוץ, עמּוּד, שׁכּוּל) of passive signification.