Proverbs 29:13

13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.

Proverbs 29:13 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 29:13

The poor and the deceitful man meet together
Or "the usurer" F17; who by usury, by fraud and deception, is possessed of the mammon of unrighteousness, and is become rich; he and the poor man meet together; and so the sense is the same as in ( Proverbs 22:2 ) ; (See Gill on Proverbs 22:2); the Lord lighteneth both their eyes;
with the light of natural life, and with the light of natural reason, ( John 1:4 John 1:9 ) ; and so is the same as being "the Maker of them all", in the above place; or he bestows his providential favours on both; causes his sun to shine upon the rich and poor, the wicked and the righteous, ( Matthew 5:45 ) . Or it may be understood of the light of grace; for though, for the most part, God chooses and calls the poor of the world, and lightens their eyes with the light of his grace, when not many wise and noble are called and enlightened; yet this is not restrained wholly to men of one and the same condition of life; yea, God sometimes calls and enlightens publicans, tax gatherers, and extortioners, as Matthew and Zacchaeus.


FOOTNOTES:

F17 (Mybkt vya) "vir usurarum", Mercerus; "foenerator", Piscator, Tigurine version; "usurarius", Munster.

Proverbs 29:13 In-Context

11 A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.
12 If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.
13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
14 The king who judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever.
15 The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.