Riches and Poverty in Proverbs

[273 words] The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: The destruction of the poor is their poverty (Proverbs 10:15, ASV). Surely, as one can see, this proverb teaches that wealth is a strength and poverty is a weakness. As one makes use of his strength, he weathers battles much easier. On the other hand, as the poor man weathers battles he is overcome. Is this what we are to understand? The Greek translation (LXX or Septuagint) of the proverb reads this way: The wealth of rich men is a strong city; but poverty is the ruin of the ungodly (Brenton’s English translation). What you notice is the last half of the verse. It gives a different sense. Wealth is associated with strength, but the ungodly is associated with poverty. Here is another reading of the verse, this time from the New English Translation (NET): The wealth of a rich…