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Great Treasures to the Righteous but the Wealth of the Wicked Bring Trouble

Proverbs 15:6 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
⁶In the house^[1] of the righteous there is much treasure,
but the income of the wicked brings trouble.

In the house of the righteous there is much treasure. In Proverbs 8:18, 21, we saw that wisdom has wealth and prosperity to hand out to the good, righteous people. In the house of the righteous (בֵּית צַדִּיק bet saddiq) means the house of a righteous person. Treasure translates a Hebrew word (חֹסֶן chosen) meaning accumulated wealth, stored treasure, i.e., valuable material possessions in the form of money, jewels, and other valuables.

But the income of the wicked brings trouble. The righteous acquire treasure for themselves, while the wicked earn trouble. Income renders a word (תְּבוּאָה tebuah) we ran into back in Proverbs 10:16, which means financial gain, income, i.e., what is valuable that is acquired over time. There is no treasure for the wicked as whatever gain they make financially is squandered through vices like abusing alcohol, gambling, buying things on payment, and running up debt. Their income brings them trouble because it is only enough to cause them more trouble than life throws at them for their poor decision-making skills, as they lack wisdom. The Hebrew word for trouble (עָכַר akar) is related to the name for Achan in Joshua chapter 7 and is a sad, striking illustration of the truth of this verse.

[1] MT VG “the house” AT LXX SYR “in the house(s)”