Proverbs: Rich Rule & Borrower Serves
on Saturday, July 30, 2016Proverbs, 22:7 Bible Money Quote saying wealth has servants who owe payments on their loans to those with riches which they serve. Proverbs, 22:7 said:
“The rich is the one that rules over those of little means, and the borrower is servant to the man doing the lending” — Proverbs, 22:7
Share the Proverbs, 22:7 Money quote image above on your site:
Short Link to this Quote:
This verse from Proverbs is conveying two related ideas:
- It suggests that those who are wealthy have power and influence over those who have few possessions or little wealth. The rich “rule over” the poor in society.
- It reinforces the message from the previous verse discussion that borrowing places one in a position of subservience or obligation to the lender. As long as any debt is owed, the borrower essentially becomes the “servant” of the creditor they borrowed from.
The verse portrays the imbalance of power between the rich ruler and poor subject, and debtor and creditor. It cautions that borrowing can compromise one’s independence and autonomy if one is beholden to a lender as their creditor. Overall it comments on how wealth and debt affect social and economic relationships of power.