“Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.”
—Proverbs 28:6
Throughout his writings, Solomon had a penchant for using proverbial comparisons of the “better is” or “better than” variety (see, for instance, Proverbs 8:11; 12:9; 15:16-17; 16:32; 27:5; Ecclesiastes 7:1-3, 5; etc.). We would do well not to consider these admonitions in a black-and-white, right-and-wrong sense in every case because Solomon, knowing the complexities of life, offers his wisdom in this way to deal with issues and problems that are not simply good-versus-evil situations. The “better” sayings are provided to give general guidance to the reader on which way is ultimately more profitable.
This is the second time that Solomon has contrasted the principled poor with the perverse in a “better” saying. In Proverbs 19:1, he writes, “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.” Clearly, Solomon deems integrity vital to true wisdom, while perversity in speech or deed is foolish. Perversity, literally “crookedness,” must be avoided at all costs, not the least of which is God’s condemnation (Psalm 125:5).
There are two intertwined comparisons here: poor opposed to rich and integrity contrasted with perversity. Just about everyone would prefer riches to poverty, but Solomon cautions us, “Not so fast.” Poverty and riches do not exist in a vacuum. An individual is far more complex than his net worth. In every situation in life, the godly person must factor in God’s will, as well as morals and ethics and many other things as well. So Solomon presents a case in which the natural human preference for wealth is turned on its head: When riches are coupled with perversity, we should prefer poverty with integrity.
There are two intertwined comparisons in Proverbs 28:6: poor opposed to rich and integrity contrasted with perversity. Just about everyone would prefer riches to poverty, but Solomon cautions us, “Not so fast.” Poverty and riches do not exist in a vacuum. An individual is far more complex than his net worth. In every situation in life, the godly person must factor in God’s will, as well as morals and ethics and many other things as well. So Solomon presents a case in which the natural human preference for wealth is turned on its head: When riches are coupled perversity, we should prefer poverty with integrity.
Harvard professor Crawford H. Toy writes in his commentary on the book of Proverbs that this saying can be simply stated as, “Honest poverty is better than dishonest wealth” (p. 497). This is true as far as it goes. However, the Hebrew hints at a specific sin that makes this rich man crooked in God’s eyes. The Hebrew word translated as “ways” (derāḵayim) is dual, which suggests that the rich man’s perversity runs in multiple channels, that is, he is crooked no matter what face he may present to those with whom he interacts.
To put it more simply, he is a hypocrite. He acts in different ways to different people to get what he wants. He is a double-dealer, treacherous and deceitful, working both sides of the fence to make himself richer. He does not care in the least about lying to buyers and sellers; all he cares about is lining his pockets. He may publicly express concern for the workers in his factories, but he will not hesitate to throw them out on the street on their first request for higher wages. He will make pledges not to rape the land or otherwise pollute the environment, then at the first opportunity renege on them to increase his profits. The “double-minded man,” the apostle James writes, is “unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).
The same apostle had such hypocritically wealthy people in mind when he penned James 5:1-7:
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
Seeing the calamity that God will bring on the deceitful rich, we can understand why “poor but upright” is the preferred state. The Septuagint’s succinct rendering of this verse makes its point memorable: “A poor man walking in truth is better than a rich liar.”
