'Wealth' in the Bible

Then the victors took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply and provisions and left.

Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken away everything that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has acquired all this wealth and honor.”

they looted all their wealth, and [took captive] all their children and their wives, even everything that was in the houses.

The cities shall be theirs to live in; and their pasture lands shall be for their cattle and for their herds and for all their livestock.

Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’

But you shall remember [with profound respect] the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, as it is this day.

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a man of great wealth and influence, from the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

All the people at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the household of Israel. May you achieve wealth and power in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem.

There was a man of [the tribe of] Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of influence and wealth.

Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from all the wealthy, influential men, fifty shekels of silver from each man to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land.

Now Hezekiah had immense wealth and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of delightful articles,

“The hungry devour his harvestAnd take it even [when it grows] among the thorns;The trap opens for [his] wealth.

“Did I ever say, ‘Give me something,’Or, ‘Pay a bribe for me from your wealth,’

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.

“His sons favor the poor [and pay his obligations],And his hands give back his [ill-gotten] wealth.

“He sucks the poison of vipers [which ill-gotten wealth contains];The viper’s tongue slays him.

“He does not look at the rivers,The flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth].

“He gives back what he has labored for and attainedAnd cannot swallow it [down to enjoy it];As to the riches of his labor,He cannot even enjoy them.

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

If I gloated and rejoiced because my wealth was great,And because my [powerful] hand [alone] had obtained so much,

From men with Your hand, O Lord,From men of the world [these moths of the night] whose portion [of enjoyment] is in this life—idle and vain,And whose belly You fill with Your treasure;They are satisfied with children,And they leave what they have left [of wealth] to their children.

You sell Your people cheaply,And have not increased Your wealth by their sale.

Even those who trust in and rely on their wealthAnd boast of the abundance of their riches?

For he sees that even wise men die;The fool and the stupid alike perishAnd leave their wealth to others.

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

And strangers will be filled with your strengthAnd your hard-earned wealth will go to the house of a foreigner [who does not know God];

“Riches and honor are with me,Enduring wealth and righteousness (right standing with God).

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

Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches].

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for [the hands of] the righteous.

The crown of the wise is their wealth [of wisdom],But the foolishness of [closed-minded] fools is [nothing but] folly.

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

Wealth makes many friends,But a poor man is separated from his friend.

When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone.For wealth certainly makes itself wingsLike an eagle that flies to the heavens.

Now what will you do in the day of [God’s] punishment,And in the storm of devastation which will come from far away?To whom will you flee for help?And where will you leave your wealth [for safekeeping]?

“My hand has found the wealth of the people like a nest,And as one gathers eggs that are abandoned, so I have gathered all the earth;And there was not one that flapped its wing, or that opened its beak and chirped.”

Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,You merchants of Sidon;Your messengers crossed the sea

For this is what the Lord says,“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush (ancient Ethiopia)And the Sabeans, men of stature,Will come over to you and they will be yours;They will walk behind you, in chains [of subjection to you] they will come over,And they will bow down before you;They will make supplication to you, [humbly and earnestly] saying,‘Most certainly God is with you, and there is no other,No other God [besides Him].’”

“Then you will see and be radiant,And your heart will tremble [with joy] and rejoiceBecause the abundant wealth of the seas will be brought to you,The wealth of the nations will come to you.

“Your gates will be open continually;They shall not be shut day or night,So that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations—With their kings led in procession.

But you shall be called the priests of the Lord;People will speak of you as the ministers of our God.You will eat the wealth of nations,And you will boast of their riches.

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 [Jerusalem] My mountain in the countryside,I will give [to the Babylonians, as the cost of your sin] your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,And throughout your territory, your high places of sin.

Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness; none of them (Israel) will remain, none of their people, none of their wealth, nor anything eminent among them.

They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will be [discarded] like something unclean; their silver and their gold shall not be able to save them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. These [things] cannot satisfy their soul nor fill their stomachs, for they have become their stumbling block and source of sin.

Damascus traded with you because of the abundance of your handiworks and the immense wealth of every kind, with the wine of Helbon [Aleppo] and the white wool [of Sachar in Syria].

‘When your wares went out to the sea,You met the desire, and the demand, and the necessities of many people;You enriched the kings of the earthWith your abundant wealth and merchandise.

By your great wisdom and by your tradeYou have increased your riches and power,And your heart is proud and arrogant because of your wealth;

‘Thus says the Lord God,“I will also make the great people of Egypt ceaseBy the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

“Which among the trees of Eden do you equal in glory and in greatness [O Egypt]? Yet you [also] will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath (nether world). You will lie among the uncircumcised (the barbaric, the boorish, the crude) with those who were slain by the sword. This is how it shall be with Pharaoh and all his hordes!”’ says the Lord God.”

I will make your horde [of people] fall by the swords of the mighty—all of them are tyrants among the nations,And they will devastate the pride and presumption of Egypt,And all its hordes will be destroyed.

This is the dirge (funeral poem to be sung) and they shall sing it [for her]. The daughters of the nations shall sing it; for Egypt and for all her hordes they shall sing it,” says the Lord God.

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.”

“On the day that [Jerusalem was destroyed] you stood aloof [from your brother Jacob]—On the day that strangers took his forces captive and carried off his wealth,And foreigners entered his gatesAnd cast lots for Jerusalem [dividing the city for plunder]—You too were like one of them [collaborating with the enemy].

Plunder the silver!Plunder the gold!For there is no end to the treasure—Wealth from every precious object.

“Moreover, wine is treacherous and betrays the arrogant man,So that he does not stay at home.His appetite is large like Sheol,And he is like death, never satisfied.He gathers to himself all nationsAnd collects to himself all peoples [as if he owned them].

“Furthermore, their wealth will become plunderAnd their houses a desolation.Yes, they will build houses but not live in them,And plant vineyards but not drink their wine.”

She did not listen and heed the voice [of God];She accepted no correction.She did not trust in the Lord [but trusted her own power];She did not draw near to her God [but to the pagan gods of Baal or Molech].

Judah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered together—gold and silver and garments in great abundance.

acts of greed and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and foolishness (poor judgment).

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who are wealthy [and cling to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of God!”

And looking toward His disciples, He began speaking: “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are you who are poor [in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for the kingdom of God is yours [both now and forever].

Then He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions.”

Jesus looked at him and said, “How difficult it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!

These [craftsmen] he called together, along with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you are well aware that we make a good living from this business.

Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]?

And what if He has done so to make known the riches of His glory to the objects of His mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory,

for during an ordeal of severe distress, their abundant joy and their deep poverty [together] overflowed in the wealth of their lavish generosity.

To me, [though I am] the very least of all the saints (God’s people), this grace [which is undeserved] was graciously given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the incomprehensible riches of Christ [that spiritual wealth which no one can fully understand],

[For my hope is] that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in [unselfish] love, so that they may have all the riches that come from the full assurance of understanding [the joy of salvation], resulting in a true [and more intimate] knowledge of the mystery of God, that is, Christ,

not addicted to wine, not a bully nor quick-tempered and hot-headed, but gentle and considerate, free from the love of money [not greedy for wealth and its inherent power—financially ethical].

Deacons likewise must be men worthy of respect [honorable, financially ethical, of good character], not double-tongued [speakers of half-truths], not addicted to wine, not greedy for dishonest gain,

For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane,

He considered the reproach of the Christ [that is, the rebuke he would suffer for his faithful obedience to God] to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt; for he looked ahead to the reward [promised by God].

Your wealth has rotted and is ruined and your [fine] clothes have become moth-eaten.

For all the nations have drunk from the wine of the passion of her [sexual] immorality, and the kings and political leaders of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth and economic power of her sensuous luxury.”

because in one hour all the vast wealth has been laid waste.’ And every ship captain or navigator, and every passenger and sailor, and all who make their living by the sea, stood a long way off,

And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her great wealth, because in one hour she has been laid waste!’