Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Proverbs 3:27
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, etc.] Honour, reverence, and tribute, to civil magistrates, (<451307>Romans 13:7,8); just payment of debts to creditors, and alms to the poor, which, by what follows, seems to be chiefly intended; and the Septuagint render it, “do not abstain to do well to the needy;” and Aben Ezra interprets it of the poor; to them alms are due because of their wants, and by the appointment; of God; hence called “righteousness”, in some copies of (<400601>Matthew 6:1); so money kept from the poor “mammon of unrighteousness”, (<421609>Luke 16:9). They are, as the word in the Hebrew text signifies, “the owners thereof”f80: rich men are not so much proprietors of good things as they are God’s alms givers or stewards to distribute to the poor; and, as often as men have opportunity, they should do good in this way to all, especially to the household of faith, (<480610>Galatians 6:10); this will hold true, as of temporal good things, so of spiritual; as good advice, exhortation, and doctrine. The Vulgate Latin version is, “do not forbid him to do well that can”; which sense is favoured by Jarchi: and as we should not abstain from doing good ourselves, so neither should we forbid, hinder, or discourage others; but the former sense is best; when it is in the power of thine hand to do [it]; not to hinder others, as Jarchi, but to do good; when a man has a sufficiency in his hands to do good with; has not only enough for himself and his family, but something to spare; when he has both opportunity and ability; and when he can do it at once and without delay, as follows.
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