Proverbs 10:15
The substance of a rich man is the city of his strength: the fear of the poor is their poverty.
Open Proverbs 10:15 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Substantia divitis, urbs fortitudinis ejus ; pavor pauperum egestas eorum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- κτῆσις πλουσίων πόλις ὀχυρά, συντριβὴ δὲ ἀσεβῶν πενία.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- ה֣וֹן עָ֭שִׁיר קִרְיַ֣ת עֻזּ֑וֹ מְחִתַּ֖ת דַּלִּ֣ים רֵישָֽׁם
Haydock's commentary
Poverty. Diffidence hinders the advancement of the poor, as presumption is too common among the rich. A happy mediocrity is best, ver. 16.
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Ambrose Epistle LXIII: To the Church at Vercellæ
92. But riches themselves are not blameable. For “the ransom of a man’s life are his riches,” since he that gives to the poor redeems his soul. So that even in these material riches there is place for virtue. You are like steersmen in the vast sea. If a man steers his course well, he quickly passes over the sea so as to attain to the port, but one who knows not how to direct his property is drowned together with his freight. And so it is written: “The wealth of rich men is a most strong city.”