Proverbs 21:17

17 A poor man loves mirth, loving wine and oil in abundance;

Proverbs 21:17 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 21:17

He that loveth pleasure [shall be] a poor man
Or "sport"


FOOTNOTES:

F3 and pastime, music and dancing, cards and dice, hunting and hawking, and other sensual gratifications; a man that indulges himself in these things, and spends his time and his money in such a way, is very likely to be a poor man, and generally is so in the issue; he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich;
that is, that loves them immoderately; otherwise in moderation they may be both loved and used; "wine" and "oil" are put for high living, luxurious feasts, costly entertainments; which being so, and continually made, will not suffer a man to be rich. The sense is, that an epicure, one that makes a god of his belly, that is both a winebibber and a glutton, that indulges to rich eating and drinking, in course lessens his substance, and leaves little for his heir: and this holds good with respect to spiritual as to temporal things; such persons are poor, and not rich in spiritual things, that indulge to carnal pleasure, and the gratification of their sensual appetite.
F3 (hxmv) "laetitiam", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus, Cocceius, Schultens.

Proverbs 21:17 In-Context

15 the joy of the righteous to do judgment: but a holy is abominable with evil-doers.
16 A man that wanders out of the way of righteousness, shall rest in the congregation of giants.
17 A poor man loves mirth, loving wine and oil in abundance;
18 and a transgressor is the abomination of a righteous man.
19 better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome and talkative and passionate woman.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.