He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.
He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house (by taking gifts as a judge, Exodus 23:8 , and therefore shall die): but he that hateth gifts shall live - and in the meantime troubleth not his house-namely, by introducing an element of evil ruinous to his house, as Achan's secreting of the Babylonian garment and the gold proved a "trouble" to his own house and to Israel, and brought death on himself at last (Joshua 7:21-25; Joshua 6:18; cf. Galatians 5:12). Seeking to aggrandize himself and his house, he only troubles it and ruins himself (Habakkuk 2:10). It is not enough to abstain from evil, we must also 'hate' it (Psalms 97:10).