Proverbs 28:20

28:20 A faithful person ¹  will have an abundance of blessings,

but the one who hastens ²  to gain riches will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 28:1

28:1 The wicked person flees when there is no one pursuing, ³ 

but the righteous person is as confident ⁴  as a lion.

Proverbs 6:9

6:9 How long, you sluggard, will you lie there?

When will you rise from your sleep? ⁵ 

[28:20]  ¹ tn Heb “a man of faithfulness,” although the context does not indicate this should be limited only to males.

[28:20]  ² sn The proverb is not rebuking diligent labor. One who is eager to get rich quickly is the opposite of the faithful person. The first person is faithful to God and to the covenant community; the second is trying to get rich as quickly as possible, at the least without doing an honest day’s work and at the worst dishonestly. In a hurry to gain wealth, he falls into various schemes and will pay for it. Tg. Prov 28:20 interprets this to say he hastens through deceit and wrongdoing.

[28:1]  ³ sn The line portrays the insecurity of a guilty person – he flees because he has a guilty conscience, or because he is suspicious of others around him, or because he fears judgment.

[28:1]  ⁴ tn The verb בָּטַח (batakh) means “to trust; to be secure; to be confident.” Cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “bold.”

[6:9]  ⁵ sn The use of the two rhetorical questions is designed to rebuke the lazy person in a forceful manner. The sluggard is spending too much time sleeping.