The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich [hath] many friends.
Ver. 20. The poor is hated,] i.e., Less loved, little respected, as Gen 29:31 Mal 1:5 Luke 14:26. The heathen could say, Aφιλον το δυστοχες - adversity finds few friends. Et cum fortuna statque caditque fides. Few will appear for suffering saints. This Job and David much complain of; but when a deer is shot, the rest of the herd push him out of their company, so here, Tempora si fuerint nubila, solus eris. The same Hebrew word that signifies winter, an emblem of poverty, signifies reproach. "This thy son"; Luk 15:30 not this "my brother," because in poverty. The Samaritans would not once own the Jews when they were in a poor estate, but disavow them, as they did to Antiochus Epiphanes; a but when in prosperity, then they would curry favour with them, and call them their sweet cousins. When it was sometimes disputed among the Romans in the council, using to deify great men, whether Christ, having done many wonderful works, should be received into the number of the gods, it was resolved that he should not, Propter hoc, quod paupertatem predicarit et elegerit, quam mundus contemnit, because he preached poverty and chose poor men whom the world cares not for.
But the rich man hath many friends.] Such as they are, ollares amici - trencher flies, such as follow the scent, and, like Bohemian curs, will fawn upon a good suit. b As for faithful friends, divitibus ideo amicus deest, quia nihil deest, saith one; few such to be found such as, with Ittai the Gittite and Hushai the Archite, will stick close to a David when stripped of all. Josephus relates of the Jews that they were very careful how they received proselytes in Solomon's time, because then the state of the Jews flourished.
a Josephus.
b Purchas.