Proverbs 21:7

7 The wicked get buried alive by their loot because they refuse to use it to help others.

Proverbs 21:7 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 21:7

The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them
Or cut them, so Ben Melech: dissect or "saw" F19 them; cut them to the heart; that is, when the sins they have been guilty of, in robbing God of his due, or doing injury to men in their properties, cheating them or stealing from them, are set home on their consciences, they are in the utmost agonies and distress; it is as if a saw was drawn to and fro over them, and will be their case for ever without true repentance: this is the worm that never dies, and the fire that is never quenched; this is everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and is very just and righteous; because they refuse to do judgment;
to do that which is just between man and man, to let everyone enjoy his own property: as it is true of private robbers, so of men in public offices, whose business it is to defend men in the quiet possession of property; which, if they refuse to do, as it is a refusal to do judgment, it is in effect a robbery of them; and will be charged on their consciences at one time or another.


FOOTNOTES:

F19 (Mrwgy) "dissecabit eos", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "serrabit eos", Aben Ezra & Kimchi in Mercer. Michaelis; "gravem ipsis uterum trahit", Schultens.

Proverbs 21:7 In-Context

5 Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.
6 Make it to the top by lying and cheating; get paid with smoke and a promotion - to death!
7 The wicked get buried alive by their loot because they refuse to use it to help others.
8 Mixed motives twist life into tangles; pure motives take you straight down the road. Do Your Best, Prepare for the Worst
9 Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack than share a mansion with a nagging spouse.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.