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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 10:15

This may be taken two ways:?1. As a reason why we should be diligent in our business, that we may avoid that sinking dispiriting uneasiness which attends poverty, and may enjoy the benefit and comfort which those have that are beforehand in the world. Taking pains is really the way to make ourselves and our families easy. Or, rather, 2. As a representation of the common mistakes both of rich and poor, concerning their outward condition. (1.) Rich people think themselves happy because they are... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 10:15

The rich man's wealth is his strong city ,.... What a fortified city is to persons in time of war, that is a rich man's wealth to him; by it he can defend himself from the injuries of others, and support himself and family in times of public calamity; for money is a defence, and answers all things, Ecclesiastes 7:12 . Or his wealth is so in his own apprehension and conceit; he puts his trust and confidence in it, and thinks himself safe and secure by it; when he is trusting to uncertain... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 10:15

The rich man's wealth is his strong city - Behold a mystery in providence; there is not a rich man on earth but becomes such by means of the poor! Property comes from the labor of the poor, and the king himself is served of the field. How unjust, diabolically so, is it to despise or oppress those by whose labor all property is acquired! The destruction of the poor is their poverty - A man in abject poverty never arises out of this pit. They have no nucleus about which property may... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 10:1-32

The service of speech, etc "Man is a talking animal," we say. But if we are distinguished from the brute creation by the mere fact of speech, how truly are we divided from one another by the use we make of that human faculty! To what height of worthiness one man may rise, and what inestimable service he may render, but to what depth of wrong another man may fall, and what mischief he may work, by the use of his tongue! I. THE SERVICE OF SPEECH . "By our words" we may do great... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 10:15

His strong city ( Proverbs 18:11 ). Wealth is a help in many ways, securing from dangers, giving time and opportunity for acquiring wisdom, making one independent and free in action ( Ecclesiastes 7:12 ; Ec 40:25, etc.). The destruction of the poor is their poverty. The poor are crushed, exposed to all kinds of evil, moral and material, by their want of means. The word for poor is here dal, which implies weakness and inability to help one's self; the other word commonly used for... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 10:15-21

A sevenfold strain of experience For the most part these sayings relate to earthly goods—their value, and the means for their acquisition. Godliness has the promise of both lives. Equally incredible would a religion which ignored the future be with one which ignored the present. Equally one-sided is the expectation only of earthly good from wisdom, and the expectation only of heavenly good. We must beware of a false materializing and of a false spiritualizing of religion. I. THE ... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 10:15

Proverbs 10:15. The rich man’s wealth is his strong city It often redeems him from dangers and calamities: or it is such in his own imagination, as it is explained Proverbs 18:11. It makes him confident and secure. The destruction of the poor The cause of their destruction; is their poverty Which often renders them friendless, defenceless, and exposed to the injuries of the malicious and cruel. Or, as מחתת may be rendered, it is their terror, or consternation. It deprives them of... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Proverbs 10:1-32

10:1-22:16PROVERBS OF SOLOMONThe proverbs in this section are usually written in a simple two-line form, each proverb usually being equal to one verse in our Bible. Although the editor of the book has in parts brought together proverbs dealing with a similar subject or principle, each proverb must be considered by itself.Clearly there is not enough space in a commentary of this size to explain each separate proverb. Readers will gain most benefit from Proverbs by reading it over a period (for... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Proverbs 10:15

his strong city. Hebrew city of his strength. Figure of speech Antimereia. App-6 . destruction = that which destroys them. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Effect). poor = weak. Hebrew. dal. See note on Proverbs 6:11 . poverty = rush. See note on Proverbs 6:11 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 10:15

"The rich man's wealth is his strong city: The destruction of the poor is their poverty."The grand emphasis throughout Proverbs is altogether worldly, material, and economic. Riches and poverty are viewed as the opposite poles of successful and unsuccessful lives. Practical and usable in the every-day affairs of life, these proverbs surely are; but they fall far short of the ideals of Him "Who for our sakes became poor" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Here and there in Proverbs there are fleeting glimpses... read more

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