The Meaning of Proverbs 28:22 Explained

Proverbs 28:22

KJV: He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

YLT: Troubled for wealth is the man with an evil eye, And he knoweth not that want doth meet him.

Darby: He that hath an evil eye hasteth after wealth, and knoweth not that poverty shall come upon him.

ASV: he that hath an evil eye hasteth after riches, And knoweth not that want shall come upon him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He  that hasteth  to be rich  [hath] an evil  eye,  and considereth  not that poverty  shall come  upon him. 

What does Proverbs 28:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The evil eye represents the wicked purposes or intent of a person. In this case it is a selfish desire to get rich. The person with the evil eye is misanthropic, whereas the person with the good eye ( Proverbs 22:9) is philanthropic. [1] The person in view here fails to look far into the future when he will be in need before God, if not before men. Avarice leads to poverty.

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 28

1  general observations of impiety and integrity

What do the individual words in Proverbs 28:22 mean?

Hastens after riches a man evil with an eye and not does consider that poverty will come upon him
נִֽבֳהָ֥ל לַה֗וֹן אִ֭ישׁ רַ֣ע עָ֑יִן וְלֹֽא־ יֵ֝דַע כִּי־ חֶ֥סֶר יְבֹאֶֽנּוּ

נִֽבֳהָ֥ל  Hastens 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בָּהַל  
Sense: to disturb, alarm, terrify, hurry, be disturbed, be anxious, be afraid, be hurried, be nervous.
לַה֗וֹן  after  riches 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֹון  
Sense: wealth, riches, substance.
אִ֭ישׁ  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
רַ֣ע  evil 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
עָ֑יִן  with  an  eye 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
וְלֹֽא־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יֵ֝דַע  does  consider 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
חֶ֥סֶר  poverty 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֶסֶר  
Sense: poverty, want.
יְבֹאֶֽנּוּ  will  come  upon  him 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.