Proverbs 21:26

Pro 21:26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.

Ver. 26. He coveteth greedily all day long.] But these greedy constant coverings come to nothing he makes nothing of them. Meteors have matter enough in the vapours themselves to carry them above the earth, but not enough to unite them to the element of fire, therefore they fall and return to their first principles. So it is with our wishers and woulders. Many came out of Egypt, that never came into Canaan; and why? The land they liked well, but complained, with those spies, of the strength of the Anakims, and the impossibility of the conquest, therefore their carcases fell in the wilderness; their sluggishness slew them. "They lusted and had not, they killed" themselves with coveting, as in the former verse, and "desired to have," as here, "but could not obtain." {Jas 4:2}

But the righteous giveth and spareth not.] Neither necessity nor niggardice hindereth him; he hath it, and he holds that he hath no more than he giveth. He is both painful and pitiful, and what he cannot do for the poor himself, he stirs up others to do; so far is he from forbidding, or hindering any from showing mercy. Some render the words thus: The righteous giveth, and forbiddeth not. "Give a portion," saith he to his richer friend, "to seven, and also to eight, for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth." {Ecc 11:2} {See Trapp on "Ecc 11:2"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21:26 Generosity is a trait of the godly, while stinginess is characteristic of fools (29:7, 14). Paradoxically, the more you give, the more you get (11:24).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The sin of covetousness marks the sluggard, as the virtue of benevolence the righteous.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(26) He coveteth greedily all the day long, that he may “consume it on his lusts” (Jas_4:3), while the righteous (Pro_21:21) gives to all who need, remembering that he is a steward (Luk_16:9), not an owner, and that blessing will attend upon him for so doing (Act_20:35).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26. He coveteth] We may thus with A.V., Vulg., and others supply the subject of this clause from the preceding verse, or introduce a new subject, suggested perhaps by the preceding proverb and by contrast with the succeeding clause of this verse (ἀσεβὴς, LXX.), and so make the verse a complete proverb: There is that coveteth greedily &c.

giveth] Unlike the parched ground that covets ever, he resembles the perennial spring that gives forth unceasingly.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He coveteth greedily all the day long,.... The slothful man does, as he has nothing to do to employ his time and his thoughts with; he is always craving something to eat and drink, or wishing he had such an estate, or so much wealth and riches, that he might live as such and such persons do; and this is what his head runs upon all the day long;

but the righteous giveth and spareth not; not gives to the slothful, which does not restrain his desire, as Aben Ezra interprets it; but to the poor and necessitous, to proper objects; a good man will work with his hands, that he may have a sufficiency for himself and his family, and may have something to give to others that are in want; and "he spares not", or withholds not his hands, neither from working nor from giving.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

All the day long - Better, every day. The wish of the slothful man passes into restless, covetous, dissatisfied desire; the righteous, free from that desire, gives without grudging.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He coveteth; the slothful man, mentioned in the last verse. But because the verses in this book are for the most part independent one upon another, this clause is and may be otherwise rendered, There is that coveteth, &c.; or, the wicked (which may be understood from the opposition of the righteous in the next clause) coveteth, &c.

All the day long; spends his whole time in vain and lazy desires, but will not labour to get any thing, either to use himself, or to give to others.

The righteous giveth and spareth not; by God’s blessing upon his industry he procures enough, not only for his own support, but also for the liberal relief of others.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

26. Coveteth greedily — Literally, he desireth a desire; a common Hebrew idiom expressive of intensity. This verse is supposed to refer to the preceding, the subject of the verb being the “slothful” of Pro_21:25. All the day long — Or, every day. The language seems to suggest that he is nothing and does nothing but desire. He spends his life in wishing and longing. The righteous is the opposite. He acts on his desires so effectually that he has enough for himself and some to spare for others. As he does not stop at wishing for himself, so he does not put others off with mere good wishes. On second clause compare Psa_112:9.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

St. Jerome and many commentators connect this verse with the preceding, considering the two to form a tetrastich, thus: The desire of the slothful... he coveteth greedily all the day long, but the righteous giveth and spareth not. But in this division of our book there are only pure distichs; and, as Delitzsch observes, to make the contrast, one requires in the first hemistich an expression like, "and hath nothing". (Pro_13:4; comp. Pro_20:4) So it is correct to consider this distich independent, and to translate, There is that (or one) desireth greedily always, but the righteous giveth and withholdeth not. There are claims made on all sides, demands for help, importunate prayers, such as one would think no man could satisfy; but the righteous has means enough and to spare, he is generous and charitable, he is industrious, and uses his stewardship well, (Luk_16:9) and so arranges his expenditure that he has to give to him that needeth. (Eph_4:28) Septuagint, "An ungodly man devises evil devices all the day long, but the righteous pitieth and showeth compassion unsparingly."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Coveteth - Spends his whole time in vain and lazy desires. Giveth - By God's blessing upon his industry he procures enough, not only for his own support, but for the relief of others.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

26 One always desireth eagerly;

But the righteous giveth and holdeth not back.

Otherwise Fleischer: per totum diem avet avidus, i.e., avarus; but that in התאוּה תּאוה the verb is connected with its inner obj. is manifest from Num 11:4; it is the mode of expression which is called in the Greek syntax schema etymologicum, and which is also possible without an adj. joined to the obj., as in the ὕβριν θ ̓ ὑβρίζεις (Eurip. Herc. fur. 706), the Arab. mârâhu miryatn: he had a strife with him. Euchel impossibly: necessities will continually be appeased, which would have required תּתאוּה or מתאוּה. The explanation also cannot be: each day presents its special demand, for כּל־היּום does not mean each day, but the whole day, i.e., continually. Thus we render התאוה with the most general subject (in which case the national grammarians supply המּתאוּה): continually one longs longing, i.e., there are demands, solicitations, wishes, importunate petitions; but still the righteous is not embarrassed in his generosity, he gives as unceasingly (cf. Isa 14:6; Isa 58:1) as one asks. Thus the perf. is explained, which is related hypothetically to the fut. following: though one, etc.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

v. 26. He coveteth greedily all the day long, his needs clamor to be met; but the righteous giveth and spareth not, his industry providing not only for his own needs, but for those in actual need as well.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

but the righteous gives all the necessities of his house, for the Holy One, blessed be He, prepares them for him.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.