Proverbs 29:13

13 The poor and a man of oppression have [this] in common: Yahweh gives {light to the eyes of them 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 gives all his breath, but [the] wise holds back in quiet.
12 A ruler listening to a word of falsehood, all his officials are wicked.
13 The poor and a man of oppression have [this] in common: Yahweh gives {light to the eyes of them both}.
14 A king who judges with truthfulness [to] the poor, his throne will be established forever.
15 As for a rod and reproof, they will give wisdom, but a neglected child is disgraced [by] his mother.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Literally "light of the eyes of the two of them"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.