Rich, The

The wealthy as a class draw a long and uneven shadow across scripture. Patriarchal narrative treats abundance as the visible token of Yahweh's blessing; the regnal histories crown Solomon with it; the wisdom tradition probes its uses and its delusions; the prophets indict the rich oppressor by name; the Markan and Lukan Jesus tells the rich man to sell what he has and faces astonished disciples on the difficulty of his entering the kingdom; James bids the rich weep and howl; and the Pastoral charge keeps the rich in the assembly while loosening their grip on what they hold.

Patriarchal Wealth as Blessing

The earliest portraits set wealth alongside the patriarchs as the outward shape of covenant favor. Abram comes up out of Egypt "very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold" (Gen 13:2), and his servant tells Rebekah's family the same story in Yahweh's own register: "Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. And he has become great. And he has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male slaves and female slaves, and camels and donkeys" (Gen 24:35). Isaac, in turn, gathers "possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great household. And the Philistines envied him" (Gen 26:14). Jacob "increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and female slaves and male slaves, and camels and donkeys" (Gen 30:43), and reports to Esau "I have oxen, and donkeys, [and] flocks, and male slaves, and female slaves" (Gen 32:5). Esau's holdings are themselves so large the land cannot bear two such households together — "their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle" (Gen 36:7).

Job stands in this same line. Before the testing he is "the greatest of all the sons of the east," with "seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-donkeys" (Job 1:3). After the testing, Yahweh restores him doubly: "Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his companions: and Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10), kinsmen and former friends bring "every man also gave him a kesitah [of silver], and every one a ring of gold" (Job 42:11), and the new tally — "fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-donkeys" (Job 42:12) — is itself the verdict, with "seven sons and three daughters" (Job 42:13) restored alongside.

Solomon's Wealth

The Solomonic kingdom is the regnal high-water mark: "So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom" (1 Kings 10:23). Wealth here is paired with wisdom, both received as gift, not possession leveraged against neighbor.

The Proverbial Rich Man

Proverbs holds wealth at arm's length and turns it for inspection. Yahweh's blessing genuinely enriches — "The blessing of Yahweh, it makes rich; And he adds no sorrow with it" (Pr 10:22) — but the rich man's confidence in what he has is consistently exposed as illusion. "The rich man's wealth is his strong city: The destruction of the poor is their poverty" (Pr 10:15) is sharpened a few chapters later: "The rich man's wealth is his strong city, And as a high wall in his own imagination" (Pr 18:11). "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivers from death" (Pr 11:4). The man who pretends has nothing, and the man who hides his wealth may have everything: "There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing: There is one who makes himself poor, yet has great wealth" (Pr 13:7).

Proverbs is candid about the social weight of money. "The poor is hated even of his own fellow man; But the rich has many friends" (Pr 14:20), and "He who despises his fellow man sins; But he who has pity on the poor, he is happy" (Pr 14:21). "The poor uses entreaties; But the rich answers roughly" (Pr 18:23). "The rich rules over the poor; And the borrower is slave to the lender" (Pr 22:7), and the calculus of grasping cuts both directions: "He who oppresses the poor to increase his [gain], [And] he who gives to the rich, [will come] only to want" (Pr 22:16). Wealth is winged: "Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For [riches] certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flies toward heaven" (Pr 23:5). And the rich man's self-assessment is not the assessment that matters: "The rich man is wise in his own eyes; But the poor who has understanding searches him out" (Pr 28:11). Hurry compounds the problem: "A faithful man will abound with blessings; But he who hurries to be rich will not be unpunished" (Pr 28:20).

Prophetic Indictment of Wealthy Oppressors

The prophets break the proverb's restraint. Isaiah pronounces woe on those who consolidate land into single hands: "Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field, until there is no room, and you⁺ are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land! Yahweh of hosts [revealed] in my ears, Of a truth many houses will be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. For ten acres of vineyard will yield one bath, and a homer of seed will yield [but] an ephah" (Isa 5:8-10).

Jeremiah forbids the rich man his own ground for boasting: "Thus says Yahweh, Don't let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, don't let the rich man glory in his riches" (Jer 9:23).

Amos files the most pointed indictment of luxury indifference. "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who are secure in the mountain of Samaria... who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves on their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the viol... who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore they will now go captive with the first that go captive; and the revelry of those who stretched themselves will pass away" (Amos 6:1-7). The same prophet has already named the underside: Israel "sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals" (Amos 2:6), and "you⁺ trample on the poor, and take exactions from him of wheat: you⁺ have built houses of cut stone, but you⁺ will not dwell in them; you⁺ have planted pleasant vineyards, but you⁺ will not drink their wine" (Amos 5:11).

Micah states the moral profile of the urban rich plainly: "For its rich men are full of violence, and its inhabitants have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth" (Mic 6:12). Habakkuk takes up the taunt: "Woe to him who increases that which is not his! How long? And that loads himself with pledges!" (Hab 2:6), and again, "Woe to him who gets an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil! You have devised shame to your house, by cutting off many peoples, and have sinned against your soul" (Hab 2:9-10). Ezekiel applies the same charge to Tyre: "by your wisdom and by your understanding you have gotten you riches, and have gotten gold and silver into your treasures" (Eze 28:4); "by your great wisdom [and] by your traffic you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches" (Eze 28:5). The day of Yahweh closes the file: "Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh's wrath; but the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he will make an end, yes, a terrible end, of all those who dwell in the land" (Zep 1:18).

Jeremiah's own praise of Josiah pivots on the same axis as the prophetic critique: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Wasn't this the knowledge of me? says Yahweh" (Jer 22:16).

Sirach on the Rich and Their Dealings

Sirach reads the rich man's character with cold attention. The first warning is against unequal partnership: "Why would you lift what is too heavy for you? Then why join yourself with someone richer than you? Why would a [clay] pot join itself with a [metal] cauldron? When it is snared with it, then it is broken" (Sir 13:2). The asymmetry runs through the rich man's whole bearing: "When the rich afflicts, he is proud of himself; But the needy who was wronged, he pleads for mercy. If you prosper him, he will be served by you; And if you bow, he will spare you. If you have anything, his words will be good with you; But he will impoverish you without him having any pain" (Sir 13:3-5). His friendship lasts as long as use: "While he needs you, he will be with you; And he will flatter you, and laugh with you, and make you promises. As long as he profits, he will deceive you; Three times he will strip you. And then he will see you and be furious with you; And he will wag his head at you" (Sir 13:6-7).

The same chapter generalizes the relation between rich and needy: "From a man there can be peace between a hyena and a dog. From where can there be peace between the rich and the poor? The lion feeds on wild donkeys in the wilderness; Likewise, the rich pastures on those who are needy" (Sir 13:18-19). Pride and disgust travel in one direction: "Pride is disgusted by meekness; And the rich is disgusted by the needy" (Sir 13:20). Society catches the rich man when he stumbles and lets the poor fall further: "The rich who slips is upheld by a fellow man; But the needy who is tripped will be driven from one fellow man to another" (Sir 13:21). The rhetorical asymmetry follows: "The rich speaks out and his helpers are many. And his repulsive words are made beautiful. The needy is tripped [saying], Reach out! Reach out! And lift me! And he spoke out wisely, but there is no place for him" (Sir 13:22). "When the rich speaks, all have stopped. And they exalt his understanding to reach the clouds. When the needy speaks, they say, Who is this? And if he has stumbled, they also thrust him away" (Sir 13:23). The chapter's verdict is fine-grained, not flat: "Riches are good if they are without iniquity; And poverty is evil if it comes from pride" (Sir 13:24). And the pinched hoarder is no use to anyone: "To the small of heart, riches are not seemly; And to the man who has an evil eye, gold is not seemly" (Sir 14:3).

The thirty-first chapter takes the rich man's interior life. "Watching over wealth is a weariness to the flesh, And the worry of it disturbs sleep" (Sir 31:1); "The worry of [getting] sustenance disturbs slumber, And drives away sleep more than severe sickness" (Sir 31:2); "The rich man labors in gathering wealth, And if he rests it is to gather luxuries" (Sir 31:3); "The poor man toils to the lessening of his house, And if he rests he becomes needy" (Sir 31:4); "He who runs after gold will not be guiltless, And he who loves gain will go astray by it" (Sir 31:5); "There are many who have been entangled through gold, And those who put their trust in pearls [have been ensnared]" (Sir 31:6); "It is a stumbling-block for the foolish, And the simpleton is ensnared by it" (Sir 31:7); "Blessed is the man who is found perfect, Who has not gone astray after mammon" (Sir 31:8); "Who is he, that we may call him blessed? For he has done a wonderful thing among his people" (Sir 31:9); "Who has been tested by it, and has remained unharmed? Let it be [accounted] to him for honor. Who might have fallen away, and did not fall away, And might have inflicted harm on his neighbor, but would not?" (Sir 31:10); "Therefore his prosperity will abide, And the assembly will declare his praise" (Sir 31:11). The blessing in Sirach is not the fact of riches but the rare honor of having held them without corruption.

Markan and Lukan Teaching

Mark sets the rich young inquirer at the road's edge: "And as he was going forth into the way, one ran to him, and knelt to him, and asked him, Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). Jesus rehearses the commandments (Mark 10:18-19), the man answers, "Teacher, all these things I have observed from my youth" (Mark 10:20), and the demand goes beyond the decalogue: "Jesus looking on him loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me" (Mark 10:21). "But his countenance fell at the saying, and he went away sorrowful: for he was one who had great possessions" (Mark 10:22).

The disciples then hear the saying that defines the topic: "And Jesus looked around, and says to his disciples, How hardly will those who have riches enter into the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:23). The disciples are amazed; he sharpens it: "Children, how hard it is to enter into the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:24). Then the famous figure: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25). The disciples' reply — "Then who can be saved?" (Mark 10:26) — draws the answer that holds the whole episode together: "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:27). Peter's protest, "Look, we have left all, and have followed you" (Mark 10:28), pulls the promise out: there is no one who has left house or family or lands "for the sake of me, and for the sake of the good news, but he [who] will receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30). The episode closes with the leveling refrain: "But many [who are] first will be last; and the last first" (Mark 10:31). Mark 4 has already given the parabolic gloss on what tends to defeat the seed: "the cares of the age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful" (Mark 4:19).

Luke's beatitudes name the rich directly in their own person: "But woe to you⁺ who are rich! For you⁺ have received your⁺ consolation" (Luke 6:24); "Woe to you⁺, you⁺ who are full now! For you⁺ will hunger. Woe [to you⁺], you⁺ who laugh now! For you⁺ will mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25). The parable of the rich fool grows out of an inheritance dispute: "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me. But he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you⁺? And he said to them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all greed: for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses" (Luke 12:13-15). The parable then runs: "And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he reasoned to himself, saying, What shall I do, because I don't have a place to bestow my fruits? And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there I will bestow all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, You foolish one, this [is] the night they demand back your soul from you; and the things which you have prepared, whose will they be? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21).

The rich man and Lazarus is the Lukan picture in its sharpest form: "Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day: and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the [crumbs] that fell from the rich man's table; yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you⁺ there is a great gulf fixed, that those who would pass from here to you⁺ may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us. And he said, I pray you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house; for I have five brothers; that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment. But Abraham says, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, No, father Abraham: but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent. And he said to him, If they don't hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one would rise from the dead" (Luke 16:19-31).

The Lukan rich ruler episode tracks Mark closely. "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18); the commandments are rehearsed (Luke 18:19-21); then the demand, "And when Jesus heard it, he said to him, One thing you lack yet: sell all that you have, and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me" (Luke 18:22); the response, "But when he heard these things, he became exceedingly sorrowful; for he was very rich" (Luke 18:23); the saying, "How hard it is for those having riches to enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:24-25); and the same astonishment and reply: "Then who can be saved? But he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:26-27). The promise closes the scene: "Truly I say to you⁺, There is no man who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who will not receive manifold more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life" (Luke 18:29-30).

James 5: Weep and Howl

James addresses the rich in the second person and in the imperative. "Come now, you⁺ rich, weep and howl for your⁺ miseries that are coming upon you⁺" (Jas 5:1). "Your⁺ riches are corrupted, and your⁺ garments are moth-eaten" (Jas 5:2). "Your⁺ gold and your⁺ silver are corroded; and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you⁺, and will eat your⁺ flesh as fire. You⁺ have laid up your⁺ treasure in the last days" (Jas 5:3). The specific charges follow: "Look, the wages of the workers who mowed your⁺ fields, which you⁺ kept back by fraud, cries out: and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of Yahweh of hosts" (Jas 5:4); "You⁺ have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your⁺ pleasure; you⁺ have nourished your⁺ hearts in a day of slaughter" (Jas 5:5); "You⁺ have condemned, you⁺ have killed the righteous; he does not resist you⁺" (Jas 5:6). Earlier in the same letter the diagnosis is just as direct: "did not God choose those who are poor as to the world [to be] rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? But you⁺ have dishonored the poor man. Don't the rich oppress you⁺, and themselves drag you⁺ into court?" (Jas 2:5-6).

The Charge to the Rich

Paul's pastoral instruction does not require the rich to leave the assembly; it tells the rich how to be rich. "Charge those who are rich in this present age, not to be highminded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is [life] indeed" (1 Tim 6:17-19). The same letter has already named the danger that meets a person on the road to wealth: "those who are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful desires, such as drown men in ruin and destruction" (1 Tim 6:9), "for we brought nothing into the world, neither can we carry anything out" (1 Tim 6:7).