Read & Study the Bible Online - Bible Portal
Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 17:5

See here, 1. What a great sin those are guilty of who trample upon the poor, who ridicule their wants and the meanness of their appearance, upbraid them with their poverty, and take advantage from their weakness to be abusive and injurious to them. They reproach their Maker, put a great contempt and affront upon him, who allotted the poor to the condition they are in, owns them, and takes care of them, and can, when he pleases, reduce us to that condition. Let those that thus reproach their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 17:5

Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker ,.... He that mocks the poor for his poverty, Upbraids him with his mean appearance, scoffs at the clothes he wears or food he eats, such an one reproaches his Creator; or, as the Targum, "provokes his Creator to anger;' him who is his own Creator as well as the poor man's; him who made the poor man, both as a man and as a poor man; and who could have made him rich if he would, as well as the man that mocks at him; whose riches are not of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 17:5

He that is glad at calamity - He who is pleased to hear of the misfortune of another will, in the course of God's just government, have his own multiplied. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:1-9

Traits of outward dad inward happiness. Happiness depends more on the inward state than on the outward condition Hence— I. CONTENTMENT AS AN ELEMENT OF HAPPINESS . ( Proverbs 17:1 .) The dry morsel, with rest and quiet in the spirit, is better, says the preacher, than the most luxurious meal; the allusion being to slaughtered sacrificial animals as the chief constituents of a rich repast ( Proverbs 9:2 ; Genesis 43:16 ). It suggests the picture of "holy love, found... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:5

Whoso mocketh the poor (see Proverbs 14:31 , which is nearly identical). He that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished ( Proverbs 11:21 ; Proverbs 24:17 , Proverbs 24:18 ). The particular calamity primarily intended seems to be that which reduces a person to poverty. Delight in others' misfortunes, even those of enemies, is a most detestable form of selfishness and malice. Job, testifying to his own integrity, was thankful to think that he was free from this vice ( Job... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:5

Mocking the poor The terrible inequality of human lots was never more apparent than it is in the present day. England is renowned for her wealth; yet England is a haunt of hungry misery. It is nothing but selfish hypocrisy to justify this condition of affairs by quoting the words of our Lord, "The poor always ye have with you" ( John 12:8 ). If they are always with us in abject need and distress, so much the worse for the condition of society. The statement of a distressing fact is no... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 17:5

Proverbs 17:5. Whoso mocketh the poor See on Proverbs 14:31; and he that is glad at calamities At the miseries of other men; shall not be unpunished The cup shall be put into his hands, Ezekiel 25:6-7. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Proverbs 17:1-28

Friends and fools (17:1-28)A peaceful family life, no matter how simple, is a great blessing, but a son may miss out on his family inheritance through his own folly (17:1-2). God’s dealings with his people are always for a good purpose, to make them better than they were before (3). To listen to evil talk is as bad as to speak evil oneself; to take pleasure in another’s troubles is as bad as to cause those troubles (4-5).Other proverbs concern the appreciation that the old and the young should... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Proverbs 17:5

mocketh. Illustrations: princes of Judah (Isaiah 3:14 , Isaiah 3:15 ; Isaiah 10:1 , Isaiah 10:2 .Jeremiah 34:10 , Jeremiah 34:11 ); rich (James 5:4 ). the poor = a needy one. Hebrew. rush. See note on Proverbs 6:11 . Maker. See note on Proverbs 14:31 . unpunished = held guiltless. Illustrations: Tyrians (Ezekiel 26:2-6 ); Edom (Obadiah 1:10-15 ). read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 17:5

"Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker; And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.""Some people make fun of poor people. They laugh at people who have problems. This shows that those bad people don't respect God who made them. These bad people will be punished."[9] "He who mocks a poor man insults his Maker, and one who makes fun of calamity will not escape punishment."[10] Most of these various versions and translations speak truth, but not always in conformity with the... read more

Group of Brands