Proverbs 11:24
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse doesn't just talk about giving and withholding; it points to a specific kind of withholding. It's not just being frugal, but holding back what is "meet" – what is right or just to give, often implying a debt or obligation to others. This highlights that generosity isn't merely a good deed, but a matter of faithfulness to what is rightfully owed.
This proverb sits within a larger section of Proverbs contrasting the righteous and the wicked, and their differing outcomes. It immediately follows a verse about the fleeting nature of ill-gotten gains and precedes verses that further expand on the paradox of generosity leading to abundance and stinginess leading to lack. The core idea here is that God's blessing operates counter-intuitively to human greed, rewarding open-handedness and punishing hoarding.
It sounds counterintuitive, doesn't it? The idea that giving things away actually makes you richer. But this ancient proverb claims just that. How can this be?
Proverbs 11:24 presents a profound paradox: 'One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.' The core idea here is divine blessing. When we are generous, especially with what God has entrusted to us, we aren't depleting our resources; we're engaging in a spiritual principle that invites God's favor. The commentaries highlight this as a 'secret blessing' or God 'secretly blasting' the estate of the covetous. This isn't about a magical formula for wealth, but about aligning our hearts and actions with God's economy, where faithfulness in stewardship, including generosity, is met with increase, both materially and spiritually.
The proverb doesn't just praise generosity; it also warns against a specific kind of holding back. What exactly is being withheld?
The second part of the proverb speaks of one who 'withholds what he should give.' The commentaries point out that this refers to withholding 'more than is meet,' or more than is right or just. This isn't just about holding back from the poor; it's about failing to give what is owed according to God's law and the principles of justice and compassion. It's a failure in stewardship, a refusal to share blessings that were never meant to be hoarded. This lack of generosity, this clinging to what should be shared, leads not to security, but to 'want'—a state of lack and poverty, brought about by a heart closed off to God's principles of giving.
Understand the original words
nathan · Hebrew Verb
To bestow favor, material support, or spiritual goodwill upon others, often implying a sacrificial or generous act.
This passage describes the righteous person who 'dispenses freely to the poor' and promises that 'their righteousness endures forever,' echoing the generous spirit and its lasting benefits mentioned in Proverbs.
2 Corinthians 9:6Paul directly links sowing sparingly with reaping sparingly, and sowing generously with reaping generously, illustrating the principle that giving often leads to increase, just as Proverbs suggests.
Luke 6:38Jesus teaches, 'Give, and it will be given to you,' presenting a clear parallel to the idea that generosity, rather than depletion, leads to abundance.
Proverbs 19:17This verse states, 'Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed,' reinforcing the divine promise that acts of kindness and generosity are not lost but will be rewarded.
Matthew 6:2-4Jesus warns against hypocrisy in giving, but the underlying principle is that God sees and rewards sincere generosity, even when it's done discreetly, aligning with the 'secret blessing' on the giver mentioned in Proverbs.
ellicottProverbs 11:24: "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty."
(24) There is that scattereth— i.e. , with bounteous hand (comp. Psalm 112:9 ), “and yet increaseth” in wealth and blessings (comp. Proverbs 19:17 , and the old epitaph, “What we spent, we had; what we saved, we lost; what we gave, we have.”)
jfbProverbs 11:24: "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty."
24-31. The scope of the whole is a comment on Pr 11:23. Thus liberality, by God's blessing, secures increase, while penuriousness, instead of expected gain, procures poverty.
The verse doesn't just talk about giving and withholding; it points to a specific kind of withholding. It's not just being frugal, but holding back what is "meet" – what is right or just to give, often implying a debt or obligation to others. This highlights that generosity isn't merely a good deed, but a matter of faithfulness to what is rightfully owed.
This proverb sits within a larger section of Proverbs contrasting the righteous and the wicked, and their differing outcomes. It immediately follows a verse about the fleeting nature of ill-gotten gains and precedes verses that further expand on the paradox of generosity leading to abundance and stinginess leading to lack. The core idea here is that God's blessing operates counter-intuitively to human greed, rewarding open-handedness and punishing hoarding.
This proverb sits within a larger section of Proverbs contrasting the righteous and the wicked, and their differing outcomes. It immediately follows a verse about the fleeting nature of ill-gotten gains and precedes verses that further expand on the paradox of generosity leading to abundance and stinginess leading to lack. The core idea here is that God's blessing operates counter-intuitively to human greed, rewarding open-handedness and punishing hoarding.
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"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." — The verse doesn't just talk about giving and withholding; it points to a specific kind of withholding. It's not just being frugal, but holding back what is "meet" – what is right or just to give, o…
