Please Support the Bible Translation Work of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

$5.00

Enough Is Enough

Proverbs 10:22 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
²²The blessing of Jehovah, it makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow to it.

The blessing of Jehovah makes rich: When we talk about the blessing of God, it is referring to the goodness and the kindness that he bestows upon his people. The emphasis here is on the good things that happen and come to those who heed the words of the Wise One. The Hebrew third-person pronoun (hi), which is rendered it was added by the author here for emphasis, referring back to where all the good things (blessings) come from, namely, Jehovah.

The Hebrew verb (עָשַׁר ashar) means simply to be or become rich or wealthy. This is relative to the context. Rich here in this context is a contrast of one who has the basic needs of life over one who does not. If you have never lived on both sides of the poverty line, you will have a difficult time visualizing how a person who does not have enough income to acquire the bare necessities of life for their family can see a neighbor who has such basics as being rich. Riches (having basic necessities of life) are the result of hard work and poverty (not having bare necessities) is brought on by laziness. The bare necessities of life are food, clothing, shelter, and health.

and he adds no sorrow to it: If and when we ever gain a measure of wealth or riches because we have truly lived by the rules, principles, and moral values, ethics found in God’s Word, it will be a blessing to us and others, as there will be no love of money involved. Many times, the wealthy unbelievers have sorrows over their riches because they have gained them or try to maintain them unscrupulously, through dishonesty, or deceit. If this is not the case, the sorrows come from being fraught with tax problems, legal issues, and, of course, everyone now wants to be their friend. This is largely not the case with one who is living a just life and applying the words of the Wise One.

God blesses those who have a righteous standing before him (an approved condition) by protecting them, prospering their biblically-based decisions, guiding them in the way that they should go, giving them success in the things they attempt, and supplying them with the basic needs, with a beneficial outcome for them.