Bible Strands
Proverbs 13:23
Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but without justice it is swept away.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The wisdom teacher addresses a general audience within a collection of practical instructions on wealth, family, and discipline. The verse functions as a direct observation about the vulnerability of unsecured resources.
The words — נִיר (nir) denotes unplowed fallow ground, while מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) translates literally to justice or legal right. Together they frame the contrast between hidden agricultural potential and exposed vulnerability.
The thread — Proverbs 12:11 and Proverbs 28:19 share the text's agricultural focus by contrasting working the land with chasing fantasies. Ecclesiastes 5:9 similarly notes that the produce of the earth is harvested by all, with the king profiting from the fields.
Why it lands — The text states that unsecured wealth will be taken away when justice is absent, requiring legal or social protection to remain. The reader must practice active stewardship and secure resources rather than assume permanent possession.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 12:11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
- Proverbs 28:19 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
- Ecclesiastes 5:9 The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
- Psalms 112:5 It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.
- Ecclesiastes 8:5 Whoever keeps his command will come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.
- Proverbs 27:18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.
- Proverbs 27:23 Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds;
- Proverbs 6:6 Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.
- Proverbs 11:5 The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
- Proverbs 12:14 By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.