BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Bible Basics Proverbs 10:15

I've been doing a personal study through Proverbs. When I came upon verse Proverbs 10:15 I could not understand what this verse was saying in regard to the poor. Looking at various translations did not help.

What would you say about it?

I am using the Amplified Bible. In it Proverbs 10:15 says "The rich man's wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin." Two other verses, Psalms 52:7 and I Timothy 6:17, are given as reference for further study.

Psalms 52:7 says "See, this is the man who made not God his strength (his stronghold and high tower) but trusted in and confidently relied on the abundance of his riches, seeking refuge and security for himself through his wickedness."

I Timothy 8:17 says "As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be proud and arrogant and contemptuous of others, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment."

A first reading of Proverbs 10:15 does cause one to think. What I see this verse as saying is that the rich man looks upon his wealth as making him invincible. His wealth is his strong city instead of God. The poor man, instead of depending upon God as his provider, only looks with gloom and despair upon his poverty. Therefore, his poverty will be his ruin, just as the wealth of the rich man will be his ruin. Whether rich or poor, you need to rely upon God as your wealth and security.

I hope this helps you out some.

Thanks for that, Lisa. Very good thoughts.
Proverbs are statements that describe how things usually work, or express a general truth about some common situation. The Proverbs in Scripture, being inspired by God, have layers of meaning and depths of truth beyond what is visible on the surface.
You can take Proverbs 10:15 and build a whole lesson around it, as Lisa did in her post.
One way to begin discovering the layers of truth in any passage of Scripture, is to meditate on it.Begin by letting the truth of the proverb speak for itself. In general, wealth does provide security in this world, and poverty is inherently ruinous. You can think about it, and sure enough, that's true. Then, let your mind begin coming up with dangers that wealth can't protect against, and how it's often possible to live happily with very little material wealth. Then delve deeper, to spiritual truths such as Lisa explored. Virtually any passage of Scripture will yield a treasure trove of insights if you do this, especially if you consult the cross-references in your study Bible, because letting Scripture interpret Scripture is a wise method of finding more truth. You don't want to come up with a wacky conclusion unsupported or contradicted by the rest of God's word.
Think I might have to write a column on this...

Hello Seahorse,
Great insights, thanks for contributing to the thread! And welcome to BellaOnline.

Thanks Leanne, Ihope I can contribute more information ,and receive some from members as well .