Bible Strands
Proverbs 28:20
A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — A wisdom teacher addresses a student within a series of antithetical sayings on economic conduct (vv. 19–21), contrasting honest labor with shortcuts.
The words — אֱמוּנוֹת ('emunot) is plural "faithfulnesses," marking a settled disposition of reliability rather than a single act.
The thread — Proverbs 13:11 pairs dishonest wealth with diminishment, and Luke 16:10 extends the principle: faithfulness with little predicts faithfulness with much.
Why it lands — The verse places the pursuit of wealth under moral judgment, not merely practical risk; the eager one faces accountability, not just failure.
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
A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
Cross-references
- Luke 16:10 Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
- Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.
- Nehemiah 7:2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
- Psalms 101:6 My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me.
- Psalms 112:4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
- Proverbs 10:6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
- Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
- 1 Samuel 22:14 Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard and honored in your house?
- Proverbs 20:6 Many a man proclaims his loving devotion, but who can find a trustworthy man?
- Proverbs 20:21 An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.