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Wednesday, May 14th, 2025
the Fourth Week after Easter
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Proverbs 14:20

No one likes the poor, not even their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Flattery;   Poor;   Rich, the;   Thompson Chain Reference - Needy, the;   Poor, the;   Poverty-Riches;   The Topic Concordance - Poverty;   Wealth;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Friend, Friendship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Friend, Friendship;   Poor, Orphan, Widow;   Proverbs, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A poor person is hated even by his neighbor,but there are many who love the rich.
Hebrew Names Version
The poor person is shunned even by his own neighbor, But the rich person has many friends.
King James Version
The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.
English Standard Version
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.
New American Standard Bible
The poor is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many.
New Century Version
The poor are rejected, even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
Amplified Bible
The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many.
World English Bible
The poor person is shunned even by his own neighbor, But the rich person has many friends.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The poore is hated euen of his own neighbour: but the friendes of the rich are many.
Legacy Standard Bible
The poor is hated even by his neighbor,But those who love the rich are many.
Berean Standard Bible
The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but many are those who love the rich.
Contemporary English Version
You have no friends if you are poor, but you have lots of friends if you are rich.
Complete Jewish Bible
The poor are disliked even by their peers, but the rich have many friends.
Darby Translation
He that is poor is hated even of his own neighbour; but the rich hath many friends.
Easy-to-Read Version
The poor have no friends, not even their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
George Lamsa Translation
The poor is hated even of his own neighbors; but the rich has many friends.
Lexham English Bible
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the lovers of the rich are many.
Literal Translation
The poor is hated even by his own neighbor, but the rich has many friends.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The poore is hated euen of his owne neghbours, but the riche hath many frendes.
American Standard Version
The poor is hated even of his own neighbor; But the rich hath many friends.
Bible in Basic English
The poor man is hated even by his neighbour, but the man of wealth has numbers of friends.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The poor is hated even of his own neighbour; but the rich hath many friends.
King James Version (1611)
The poore is hated euen of his owne neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The poore is hated euen of his owne neyghbours: but the riche hath many frendes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Friends will hate poor friends; but the friends of the rich are many.
English Revised Version
The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A pore man schal be hateful, yhe, to his neiybore; but many men ben frendis of riche men.
Update Bible Version
The poor is hated even of his own neighbor; But the rich has many friends.
Webster's Bible Translation
The poor is hated even by his own neighbor: but the rich [hath] many friends.
New English Translation
A poor person is disliked even by his neighbors, but those who love the rich are many.
New King James Version
The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor, But the rich has many friends.
New Living Translation
The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many "friends."
New Life Bible
The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but the rich man has many friends.
New Revised Standard
The poor are disliked even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even by his neighbour, is poor man hated, but, the lovers of the rich man, are many.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The poor man shall be hateful even to his own neighbour: but the friends of the rich are many.
Revised Standard Version
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.
Young's Literal Translation
Even of his neighbour is the poor hated, And those loving the rich [are] many.
THE MESSAGE
An unlucky loser is shunned by all, but everyone loves a winner.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The poor is hated even by his neighbor, But those who love the rich are many.

Contextual Overview

20 No one likes the poor, not even their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

poor: Proverbs 10:15, Proverbs 19:7, Job 6:21-23, Job 19:13, Job 19:14, Job 30:10

but: Proverbs 19:4, Proverbs 19:6, Esther 3:2, Esther 5:10, Esther 5:11

the rich hath many friends: Heb. many are the lovers of the rich.

Reciprocal: Genesis 14:17 - to Leviticus 25:35 - thy brother 1 Samuel 18:23 - a poor man Ecclesiastes 7:12 - wisdom Luke 14:12 - when

Cross-References

Genesis 9:26
Give praise to the Lord , the God of Shem! Canaan will be the slave of Shem.
Genesis 14:3
These five kings had formed an alliance and joined forces in Siddim Valley, which is now the Dead Sea.
Genesis 14:4
They had been under the control of Chedorlaomer for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled against him.
Genesis 14:5
In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and his allies came with their armies and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in the plain of Kiriathaim,
Genesis 14:6
and the Horites in the mountains of Edom, pursuing them as far as Elparan on the edge of the desert.
Genesis 14:9
against the kings of Elam, Goiim, Babylonia, and Ellasar, five kings against four.
Genesis 14:17
When Abram came back from his victory over Chedorlaomer and the other kings, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in Shaveh Valley (also called King's Valley).
Genesis 14:19
blessed him, and said, "May the Most High God, who made heaven and earth, bless Abram!
Genesis 24:27
He said, "Praise the Lord , the God of my master Abraham, who has faithfully kept his promise to my master. The Lord has led me straight to my master's relatives."
Genesis 28:22
This memorial stone which I have set up will be the place where you are worshiped, and I will give you a tenth of everything you give me."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The poor is hated even of his own neighbour,.... As well as of strangers; that is, he is shy of him; he does not care to take any notice of him, or be friendly with him, lest he should be burdensome to him. Poverty brings a man into contempt and disgrace; the same man, in affluence and indigence, is respected or disrespected: this is true, as Gersom observes, of a man that is poor, whether in money or in knowledge, in his purse or in his understanding;

but the rich [hath] many friends; or, "many [are] the lovers of the rich" r: for the sake of their riches; either for the sake of honour or profit, or because the rich want nothing of them, or because they themselves may gain something by them: this also is observed by the above Jewish commentator to be true of the rich in substance or in wisdom; but the former sense is best; for a wise man, if poor in the world, is but little regarded.

r ואהבי עשיר רבים "et amatores divitiis spissi", Schultens; "dilectores autem divitis multi sunt", Piscator. "Donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos", Ovid. Trist. Eleg. 8. "Dat census honores, census amicitias", ib. Fasti, l. 1. so Phocylides, v. 925, 926.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The maxim, jarring as it is, represents the generalization of a wide experience; but the words which follow Proverbs 14:21 show that it is not to be taken by itself. In spite of all the selfish morality of mere prudence, the hearer is warned that to despise his “neighbor” (Christians must take the word in all the width given to it by the parable of the Good Samaritan) is to sin. The fullness of blessing comes on him who sees in the poor the objects of his mercy.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 14:20. But the rich hath many friends. — Many who speak to him the language of friendship; but if they profess friendship because he is rich, there is not one real friend among them. There is a fine saying of Cicero on this subject: Ut hirundines festivo tempore praesto sunt, frigore pulsae recedunt: ita falsi amici sereno tempore praesto sunt: simul atque fortunae hiemem viderint, evolant omnes. - Lib. iv., ad Herenn. "They are like swallows, who fly off during the winter, and quit our cold climates; and do not return till the warm season: but as soon as the winter sets in, they are all off again." So Horace: -

Donec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos:

Nullus ad amissas ibit amicus opes.


"As long as thou art prosperous, thou shalt have many friends: but who of them will regard thee when thou hast lost thy wealth?"


 
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