Proverbs 14:20 - Exposition

The poor is hated even of his own neighbour ( Proverbs 19:4 , Proverbs 19:7 ). This sad experience of selfishness (comp. Ecclesiastes 6:8 , etc.; Ecclesiastes 12:8 ) is corrected by the following verse, which must be taken in connection with this; at the same time, it is a truth which has been expressed in various ways by many moralists and satirists. Says the Greek Theognis—

πᾶς τις πλούσιον ἄνδρα τίει ἀτίει δὲ πενιχρόν .

"The rich all honour, but the poor man slight."

Says Ovid, 'Trist.,' 1.9. 6—

" Donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos;

Tempora si fuerint nubila, solus eris ."

"Prosperous, you many friends will own;

In cloudy days you stand alone."

In the Talmud we find (Dukes, 'Rabb. Blum.'), "At the door of the tavern there are many brethren and friends, at the poor man's gate not one." The rich hath many friends. Says Theognis again—

εὖ μεν ἔχοντος ἐμοῦ πολλοὶ φίλοι ἢν δέ τι δεινον

συγκύρσῃ παῦροι πιστὸν ἔχουσι νόον

And again, a distich which might have been written today—

πλήθει δ ἀνθρώπων ἀρετὴ μία γίγνεται ἥδε

πλουτεῖν τῶν δ ἄλλων οὐδὲν ἄρ ἦν ὄφελος .

"One only virtue you must needs possess

(As say the most of men), and that is wealth;

All others are of small account."