The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
Ver. 3. The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous.] That refuseth to enrich himself by evil arts, and to rise by wicked principles. For it might be objected, If I strain not my conscience, I may starve for it. Fear not that, saith the wise man; faith fears not famine. Necessaries thou shall be sure of; Psalms 37:25,26 ; Psa 34:15 superfluities thou art not to stand upon a 1Ti 6:8 The Hebrews by "righteousness" in the former verse understand alms deeds, as Daniel 4:24; Daniel 4:27 See Trapp on " Mat 7:1 " and so the sense here may be. The righteous, though he give much to the poor, shall be never the poorer, since not getting, but giving, is the way to thrive. See my "Common Place of Alms."
But he casteth away the substance of the wicked.] For either they lose it, or live beside it, and are little the better for it. "He that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and in his end be a fool." Jer 17:11 God will make a poor fool of him quickly. b And the like may be said of the illiberal and tenacious person. See Trapp on " Pro 3:27 " Niggards fear to lose their wealth by giving, but fear not to lose their wealth, and souls, and all, by keeping it.
a τροφην ου τρυφην: σκηπασματα ου κοσμηματα .
b Quo mihi divitias queis non conceditur uti?