'Rich' in the Bible

Now Abram was extremely rich in livestock and in silver and in gold.

that I would not take anything that is yours, from a thread to a sandal strap, so you could not say, ‘I [the King of Sodom] have made Abram rich.’

So Jacob became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks [of sheep and goats], and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

“Asher’s food [supply] shall be rich and bountiful,And he shall yield and deliver royal delights.

The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give this contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves.

‘Now if the financial means of a stranger or temporary resident among you become sufficient, and your fellow countryman becomes poor in comparison to him and sells himself to the stranger who is living among you or to the descendants of the stranger’s family,

“Water [that is, great blessings] will flow from his buckets,And his offspring will live by many waters,And his king will be higher than Agag,And his kingdom shall be exalted.

“Sing of it, you who ride on white donkeys,You who sit on rich carpets,And you who walk by the way.

Then he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made your last kindness better than the first; for you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.

“The Lord makes poor and makes rich;He brings low and He lifts up.

Now there was a man in Maon whose business and possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel

And the Lord sent Nathan [the prophet] to David. He came and said to him,“There were two men in a city, one rich and the other poor.

“The rich man had a very large number of flocks and herds,

“Now a traveler (visitor) came to the rich man,And to avoid taking one from his own flock or herdTo prepare [a meal] for the traveler who had come to him,He took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for his guest.”

Now there came a day when Elisha went over to Shunem, where there was a prominent and influential woman, and she persuaded him to eat a meal. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he stopped there for a meal.

They found rich, good pasture, and the [cleared] land was wide, quiet, and peaceful; for those who had lived there previously came from Ham [and had left it a better place for those who came after them].

“They captured fortified cities and a fertile land.They took possession of houses full of all good things,Hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,And fruit trees in abundance.So they ate and were filled and became fat,And they reveled and were delighted in Your great goodness.

“But they, in their kingdom,With Your great goodness which You gave them,With the broad and rich land which You set before them,Did not serve You or turn from their wicked deeds.

“Its abundant produce is for the kingsWhom You have set over us because of our sins;They also rule over our bodiesAnd over our cattle as they please,So we are in great distress.

He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;And his grain will not bend to the earth nor his possessions be extended on the earth.

“For you say, ‘Where is the house of the noble man?And where is the tent, the dwelling place of the wicked?’

“He lies down rich, but never will again;He opens his eyes, and it is gone.

When my steps [through rich pastures] were washed with butter and cream [from my livestock],And the rock poured out for me streams of oil [from my olive groves].

“Who is not partial to princes,Nor does He regard the rich above the poor,For they all are the work of His hands.

Both low and high,Rich and poor together:

Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich,When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;

[Growing in grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age;They will flourish and be vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment];

Poor is he who works with a negligent and idle hand,But the hand of the diligent makes him rich.

The rich man’s wealth is his fortress;The ruin of the poor is their poverty.

The blessing of the Lord brings [true] riches,And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God].

There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing at all;Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

The ransom for a man’s life is his wealth,But the poor man does not even have to listen to a rebuke or threats [from the envious].

The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,But those who love the rich are many.

Better is a little with the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LordThan great treasure and trouble with it.

The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,And like a high wall [of protection] in his own imagination and conceit.

The poor man pleads,But the rich man answers roughly.

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrityThan a [rich] man who is twisted in his speech and is a [shortsighted] fool.

He who loves [only selfish] pleasure will become a poor man;He who loves and is devoted to wine and [olive] oil will not become rich.

The rich and poor have a common bond;The Lord is the Maker of them all.

The rich rules over the poor,And the borrower is servant to the lender.

He who oppresses or exploits the poor to get more for himselfOr who gives to the rich [to gain influence and favor], will only come to poverty.

Do not weary yourself [with the overwhelming desire] to gain wealth;Cease from your own understanding of it.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrityThan he who is crooked and two-faced though he is rich.

The rich man [who is conceited and relies on his wealth instead of God] is wise in his own eyes,But the poor man who has understanding [because he relies on God] is able to see through him.

A faithful (right-minded) man will abound with blessings,But he who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished.

He who has an evil and envious eye hurries to be richAnd does not know that poverty will come upon him.

The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach (greed) of the rich [who hungers for even more] will not let him sleep.

folly is set in many exalted places and in great dignity while the rich sit in humble places.

Moreover, do not curse the king, even in your bedroom, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry the sound and a winged creature will make the matter known.

Now it will come to pass that instead of the sweet fragrance of spices there will be [the stench of] rottenness;Instead of a belt, a rope;Instead of well-set hair, baldness;Instead of fine clothes, a robe of sackcloth;And branding [of captives by the scorching heat] instead of beauty.

Then the lambs will graze [among the ruins] as in their own pasture,And strangers will eat in the desolate places of the [exiled] wealthy.

On this mountain [Zion] the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples [to welcome His reign on earth],A banquet of aged wines—choice pieces [flavored] with marrow,Of refined, aged wines.

Woe (judgment is coming) to [Samaria] the splendid crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,Which is at the head of the rich valleyOf those who are overcome with wine!

And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,Which is at the head of the rich valley,Will be like the early fig before the summer,Which one sees,And as soon as it is in his handHe [greedily] swallows it [and so will the Assyrians rapidly devour Samaria, Israel’s capital].

Then He will give you rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread [grain] from the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and plentiful. In that day your livestock will graze in large and roomy pastures.

Wild oxen will also fall with themAnd the young bulls with the strong bulls;And their land will be soaked with blood,And their dust made greasy with fat.

He who is too impoverished for such an offering [to give to his god]Chooses a tree that will not rot;He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsmanTo [carve and] set up an idol that will not totter.

His grave was assigned with the wicked,But He was with a rich man in His death,Because He had done no violence,Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

‘As a cage is full of birds,So are their houses full of deceit and treachery;Therefore they have become influential and rich.

Thus says the Lord, “Let not the one who is wise and skillful boast in his insight; let not the one who is mighty and powerful boast in his strength; let not the one who is rich boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] abundance;

[O Babylon] you who live by many waters,Rich in treasures,Your end has come,And the line measuring your life is cut.

saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “A great eagle (Nebuchadnezzar) with great wings, long pinions and a rich plumage of many colors came to Lebanon (Jerusalem) and took away the top of the cedar (Judah).

They traded with you in choice fabrics and garments, in clothes of blue or violet and embroidered work, and in [treasures of] multi-colored damask and knotted carpets bound with tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise.

The king assigned a daily ration for them from his finest food and from the wine which he drank. They were to be educated and nourished this way for three years so that at the end of that time they were [prepared] to enter the king’s service.

But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile (taint, dishonor) himself with the king’s finest food or with the wine which the king drank; so he asked the commander of the officials that he might [be excused so that he would] not defile himself.

Then let our appearance and the appearance of the young men who eat the king’s finest food be observed and compared by you, and deal with your servants in accordance with what you see.”

At the end of ten days it seemed that they were looking better and healthier than all the young men who ate the king’s finest food.

So the overseer continued to withhold their fine food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.

Yes, those who eat his fine food will betray and destroy him (Ptolemy VI), and his army will be swept away, and many will fall down slain.

Ephraim said, “I have indeed become rich [and powerful as a nation];I have found wealth for myself.In all my labors they will not find in meAny wickedness that would be sin.”

“For the rich men of the city are full of violence [of every kind];Her inhabitants speak liesAnd their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

Therefore, they offer sacrifices to their netAnd burn incense to their fishing net;Because through these things their catch is large and they live luxuriously,And their food is plentiful.

He spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And He said to Joshua, “See, I have caused your wickedness to be taken away from you, and I will clothe and beautify you with rich robes [of forgiveness].”

And I (Zechariah) said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with [rich] garments. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

whose buyers slay them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I have become rich!’ And their own shepherds have no pity on them nor protect them [from the wolves].

Jesus said to His disciples, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, it is difficult for a rich man [who clings to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth and status] to enter the kingdom of God.”

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.”

And He sat down opposite the [temple] treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury. And many rich people were putting in large sums.

“He has filled the hungry with good things;And sent the rich away empty-handed.

Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way.

But woe (judgment is coming) to you who are rich [and place your faith in possessions while remaining spiritually impoverished], for you are [already] receiving your comfort in full [and there is nothing left to be awarded to you].

But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Then He told them a parable, saying, “There was a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive.

So it is for the one who continues to store up and hoard possessions for himself, and is not rich [in his relationship] toward God.”

Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master’s] possessions.

“Now there was a certain rich man who was habitually dressed in expensive purple and fine linen, and celebrated and lived joyously in splendor every day.

He [eagerly] longed to eat the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

Now it happened that the poor man died and his spirit was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (paradise); and the rich man also died and was buried.

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “You still lack one thing; sell everything that you have and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].”

But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.

For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.”

And there was a man called Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector [a superintendent to whom others reported], and he was rich.

Looking up, He saw the rich people putting their gifts into the treasury.

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone [just one grain, never more]. But if it dies, it produces much grain and yields a harvest.

Personally I am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge, and competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another.

[You behave as if] you are already filled [with spiritual wisdom and in need of nothing more]. Already you have become rich [in spiritual gifts]! You [in your conceit] have ascended your thrones and become kings without us; and how I wish [that it were true and] that you did reign as kings, so that we might reign with you.

For you are recognizing [more clearly] the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [His astonishing kindness, His generosity, His gracious favor], that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich (abundantly blessed).

And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),