Proverbs 16:8

Five proverbs of the king, together with three of righteousness in action and conduct: 8 Better is a little with righteousness, Than rich revenues with unrighteousness. The cogn. proverb Pro 15:16 commences similarly. Of רב תּבוּאות, multitude or greatness of income, vid., Pro 14:4 : "unrighteous wealth profits not." The possessor of it is not truly happy, for sin cleaves to it, which troubles the heart (conscience), and because the enjoyment which it affords is troubled by the curses of those who are injured, and by the sighs of the oppressed. Above all other gains rises ἡ εὐσέβεια μετ ̓ αὐταρκείας (Ti1 6:6).

Here, 1. It is supposed that an honest good man may have but a little of the wealth of this world (all the righteous are not rich), - that a man may have but little, and yet may be honest (though poverty is a temptation to dishonesty, Pro 30:9, yet not an invincible one), - and that a man may grow rich, for a while, by fraud and oppression, may have great revenues, and those got and kept without right, may have no good title to them nor make any good use of them. 2. It is maintained that a small estate, honestly come by, which a man is content with, enjoys comfortably, serves God with cheerfully, and puts to a right use, is much better and more valuable than a great estate ill-got, and then ill-kept or ill-spent. It carries with it more inward satisfaction, a better reputation with all that are wise and good; it will last longer, and will turn to a better account in the great day, when men will be judged, not according to what they had, but what they did.

16:8 Better to have little: See also 15:16.