Esther 5:11

5:11 Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth, ¹  his many sons, ²  and how the king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and servants.

Proverbs 23:5

23:5 When you gaze upon riches, ³  they are gone,

for they surely make wings for themselves,

and fly off into the sky like an eagle! ⁴ 

Jeremiah 9:23

9:23 ⁵ The Lord says,

“Wise people should not boast that they are wise.

Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. ⁶ 

Rich people should not boast that they are rich. ⁷ 

Ezekiel 28:5

28:5 By your great skill ⁸  in trade you have increased your wealth,

and your heart is proud because of your wealth.

Luke 12:19

12:19 And I will say to myself, ⁹  “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’

Luke 16:19

The Rich Man and Lazarus

16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple ¹⁰  and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously ¹¹  every day.

Luke 16:25

16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, ¹²  remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. ¹³ 

¹ tn Heb “the glory of his riches” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “the splendor of his riches.”

² sn According to Esth 9:10 Haman had ten sons.

³ tc The Kethib is הֲתָעוּף (hata’uf), “do your eyes fly [light] on it?” The Qere is the Hiphil, הֲתָעִיף (hata’if) “do you cause your eyes to fly on it?” But the line is difficult. The question may be indirect: If you cast your eyes on it, it is gone – when you think you are close, it slips away.

⁴ sn This seventh saying warns people not to expend all their energy trying to get rich because riches are fleeting (cf. Instruction of Amememope, chap. 7, 9:10-11 which says, “they have made themselves wings like geese and have flown away to heaven”). In the ancient world the symbol of birds flying away signified fleeting wealth.

⁵ sn It is not always clear why verses were placed in their present position in the editorial process of collecting Jeremiah’s sermons and the words the Lord spoke to him (see Jer 36:4, 32 for reference to two of these collections). Here it is probable that vv. 23-26 were added as a further answer to the question raised in v. 12.

⁶ tn Or “Strong people should not brag that they are strong.”

⁷ tn Heb “…in their wisdom…in their power…in their riches.”

⁷ tn Or “wisdom.”

⁹ tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.

¹¹ sn Purple describes a fine, expensive dye used on luxurious clothing, and by metonymy, refers to clothing colored with that dye. It pictures someone of great wealth.

¹² tn Or “celebrated with ostentation” (L&N 88.255), that is, with showing off. Here was the original conspicuous consumer.

¹³ tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.

¹⁴ tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.