Proverbs 13:23

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 13:23

See here, 1. How a small estate may be improved by industry, so that a man, by making the best of every thing, may live comfortably upon it: Much food is in the tillage of the poor, the poor farmers, that have but a little, but take pains with that little and husband it well. Many make it an excuse for their idleness that they h f6d ave but a little to work on, a very little to be doing with; but the less compass the field is of the more let the skill and labour of the owner be employed about... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 13:23

Much food is in the tillage of the poor ,.... The poor are generally employed in tilling land; from whose labours in ploughing and sowing much food arises to men, bread to the eater, and seed to the sower: or a poor farmer, that has but a small farm, a few acres of land, to till; yet through his diligence and industry, with the blessing of God upon it, he gets a comfortable livelihood for himself and family; much food, or a sufficiency of it for the present year, and seed to sow land again... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 13:23

That is destroyed for want of judgment - O, how much of the poverty of the poor arises from their own want of management! They have little or no economy, and no foresight. When they get any thing, they speedily spend it; and a feast and a famine make the chief varieties of their life. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 13:18-25

The blessings of obedience and their counterpart I. THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE . 1 . Honour. ( Proverbs 13:18 .) "'Tis a good brooch to wear in a man's hat at all times," says one of our old poets. Love is common to all the creatures, as life and death; honour belongs to men alone; and dishonour must be worse than death. The praise of others is the refiection of virtue, and a good name like flagrant ointment. 2 . Satisfied desire. ( Proverbs 13:19 .) And what is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 13:23

Much food is in the tillage (tilled ground) of the poor ( Proverbs 12:11 ). The word rendered "tillage" ( nir ) means ground worked for the first time, and therefore that on which much labour is bestowed. Hence the Vulgate rightly renders, novalibus. It occurs in Jeremiah 4:3 and Hosea 10:12 , where our version has "fallow ground." The poor, but righteous man, who industriously cultivates his little plot of ground, secures a good return, and is happy in eating the labour of his... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 13:23

Proverbs 13:23. Much food is in the tillage of the poor A poor man many times, through God’s blessing upon his endeavours, makes a plentiful provision for himself and family out of a few acres of land, which he manages judiciously and honestly; but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment There are some whose far larger estates are wasted for want of skill, care, industry, and the divine blessing upon their labours. This is the other sentence of this chapter, (see on Proverbs... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Proverbs 13:1-25

Satisfaction amid life’s hardships (13:1-25)Parental advice is one of the benefits of life. Those who habitually ignore it will develop an attitude of scorning all opinions except their own (13:1). Good words bring a reward, but treacherous words can result in violence. Discipline in speech is necessary, because rash words lead to disaster (2-3). Discipline is necessary also in work and behaviour, otherwise a person’s life may end in ruin. Security is found in honesty (4-6).The poor might at... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Proverbs 13:23

in the tillage of, &c.: i.e. with Jehovah's blessing. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 13:23

"Much food is in the tillage of the poor; But there is that is destroyed by reason of injustice."This stresses exactly what we wrote above. Adam's race is in rebellion against the Creator. Through our progenitors in Eden, we have chosen Satan as the "god of this world,'; and God Himself has cursed the earth for the sake of Adam and his posterity. In that situation how could it be possible for injustices to be eliminated? A current rendition of this verse is: "Unused fields could yield plenty of... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 13:23

Proverbs 13:23. Much food is in the tillage of the poor— Much food is to the tillage of the poor; but the very substance is quite spent by want of judgment. Schultens. The LXX read, The just shall dwell in riches many years, but the unrighteous shall perish in a short time. Melancthon has it, There is much food in the furrows of the poor; and others heap up without measure; i.e. to no purpose, when a little will suffice; which, however, does not seem to be very agreeable to the Hebrew. read more

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