English Standard Version
Proverbs 13:11
11Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Proverbs 13:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
- New International Version (NIV)Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.
Context of Proverbs 13:11
9The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. 10By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom. Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. 12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. 13Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
Read all of Proverbs 13Proverbs 13:11 word by word
ה֭וֹן מֵהֶ֣בֶל יִמְעָ֑ט וְקֹבֵ֖ץ עַל־יָ֣ד יַרְבֶּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 13:11
- Proverbs 10:2Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.
- Proverbs 20:21An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.
- Proverbs 28:8Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.
- Job 15:28and has lived in desolate cities, in houses that none should inhabit, which were ready to become heaps of ruins;
- Job 20:15He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly.
- Job 27:16Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay,
- Ecclesiastes 5:14and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand.
- Jeremiah 17:11Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.
- Habakkuk 2:6Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, "Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own— for how long?— and loads himself with pledges!"
- James 5:1Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
- Proverbs 13:22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.
- Proverbs 27:23Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds,
- Psalms 128:2You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
Commentaries on Proverbs 13:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Wealth gotten by vanity - Wealth that is not the result of honest industry and hard labor is seldom permanent. All fortunes acquired by speculation, lucky hits, and ministering to the pride or luxury of others, etc., soon become dissipated. They are not gotten in the way of Providence, and have not God's blessing, and therefore are not permanent.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11By vanity - literally, “by a breath,” i. e., by a windfall, or sudden stroke of fortune, not by honest labor. The general meaning seems to be that the mere possession of riches is as nothing; they come and go, but the power to gain by skill of hand (“labor”) is everything.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11Verse 11 Wealth gotten by dishonesty or vice, has a secret curse, which will speedily waste it.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. by vanity--or, "nothingness," that is, which is vain or useless to the public (as card playing or similar vices). gathereth ... labour--(Compare Margin), little by little, laboriously.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 13:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries