Proverbs 13:8

“The ransom of a man’s life [are] his riches, etc.] As Benhadad’s were to him, when he was in the hands of the king of Israel, (<112034>1 Kings 20:34); and as the treasures the ten men had in the field were to them, for the sake of which Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, slew them not, (<244108>Jeremiah 41:8). This is the advantage of riches when a man is taken captive in war, or by pirates, or is in the hands of thieves and robbers, he can redeem himself by his money; or when his life is in danger by diseases, he can procure healing medicines; or by famine, he can get food to preserve it, when a poor man cannot: but this is not to be done always, and is only to be understood of a temporal life;…”

“Riches save some from punishment, while others suffer because they will not heed the rebuke of sloth, which makes and keeps them poor.”

“On the one side is the seeming advantage of wealth. The rich man who gets out of many troubles often escapes from a just retribution by his money. But then the poor man in his turn is free from the risk of the threats and litigation that beset the rich. He “hears no rebuke” (the words are not used as in Proverbs 13:1) just as the dead “hear not the voice of the oppressor” Job 3:18 or the abuse of the envious. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Riches - Riches enable a man to redeem his life when it is in greatest danger, and poverty preserves a man from many injuries. Because they are cautious, that they may not provoke others; and because they are esteemed objects of pity. Proverbs 13:9”

“13:8 Money can be a blessing or a curse (see 3:9-10; 21:6).”

“ransom: Pro 6:35; Exo 21:30; Job 2:4; Psa 49:6-10; Jer 41:8; Mat 16:26; Pe1 1:18, Pe1 1:19 the poor: Kg2 24:14, Kg2 25:12; Jer 39:10; Zep 3:12 Proverbs 13:9”

“8 A ransom for a man's life are his riches; But the poor heareth no threatening. Bertheau falls into error when he understands גּערה of warning; the contrast points to threatening with the loss of life. The wealth of the rich before the judgment is not here to be thought of; for apart from this, that the Tor only in a single case permits, or rather ordains ( Exo 21:29.), ransom from the punishment of death, and declares it in all other cases inadmissible, Num 35:31. (one might indeed think of an administration of justice not strictly in accordance with the Mosaic law, or altogether accessible to bribery), 8b does not accord therewith, since the poor in such cases would fare ill, because one…”