Proverbs 28:22

My Notes

What Does Proverbs 28:22 Mean?

Solomon warns about the haste for wealth: "He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him." The hurry to accumulate produces both a moral deficiency (evil eye — stinginess, covetousness) and a cognitive failure (doesn't consider the consequences). The rush for wealth blinds you to the poverty the rush will produce.

The "evil eye" (ra ayin — bad eye, stingy eye, the opposite of the bountiful eye in 22:9) is the moral consequence of wealth-haste: the person rushing to get rich develops a vision that can only see their own accumulation. Other people's needs become invisible. Generosity becomes impossible. The eye that should see need sees only opportunity for personal gain.

The "considereth not" (lo yada — does not know, is unaware, fails to perceive) describes willful blindness: the person rushing to be rich doesn't perceive that the very path they're on leads to poverty. The irony is precise: the rush to avoid poverty through rapid accumulation is the rush that produces poverty. The thing you're running from is what you're running toward.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Where is your rush to accumulate producing the 'evil eye' (stingy vision that can't see others' needs)?
• 2.What does 'considereth not' (willful blindness to consequences) look like in your financial decisions?
• 3.How does the irony (rushing from poverty toward poverty) describe the trajectory of wealth-haste?
• 4.What comprehensive poverty (relational, reputational, spiritual) might your accumulation habits be producing?

Devotional

Hurry to get rich. Develop evil eyes. End up poor. Solomon traces the trajectory of wealth-haste: the speed produces the blindness that produces the opposite of what the speed was chasing.

The evil eye (ra ayin) is the moral disease wealth-haste produces: you can only see what you want. The hunger for accumulation narrows your vision until other people's needs are invisible. The generous perception (tov ayin — good eye, 22:9) that sees the poor and gives bread has been replaced by the stingy perception that sees only opportunities for personal gain. The eyes that should serve compassion now serve covetousness.

The 'considereth not' (doesn't know, is unaware) is the cognitive failure: the person rushing to be rich can't see where the path leads. They're so focused on the immediate (getting rich quickly) that the ultimate (poverty arriving) is invisible. The irony Solomon identifies is devastating: the very path designed to prevent poverty produces it. The shortcuts, the exploitation, the stingy accumulation, the burned relationships — the things the wealth-haste requires are the things that eventually bankrupt the haster.

The poverty that 'shall come upon him' isn't just financial. The evil eye produces relational poverty (nobody wants to be around the stingy). The hasty accumulation produces reputational poverty (the community loses trust). The unconsidered consequences produce the comprehensive poverty that the original rush was designed to prevent.

Solomon's diagnostic is the wealthy-anxious person's mirror: you're hurrying because you're afraid of poverty. The hurrying is producing the evil eye. The evil eye is producing the blindness. And the blindness is ensuring you can't see the poverty your hurrying is creating.

What poverty is your hurry producing that your hurry prevents you from seeing?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture