Proverbs 11:26

11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. liberal: Heb. soul of blessing

He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

KJV

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People curse someone who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

He that withholds corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be on the head of him that sells it.

11:27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

What does Proverbs 11:26 mean?

Proverbs 11:26 is a verse in the book of Proverbs, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include מָנַע (mânaʻ), בָּר (bâr), לְאֹם (lᵉʼôm). It connects to 7 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

that

withholdethמָנַעmânaʻ/maw-nah'/H4513to debar (negatively or positively) from benefit or injury

corn,בָּרbâr/bawr/H1250grain of any kind (even while standing in the field); by extension the open country

the

peopleלְאֹםlᵉʼôm/leh-ome'/H3816a community

shall

curseנָקַבnâqab/naw-kab'/H5344to puncture, literally (to perforate, with more or less violence) or figuratively (to specify, designate, libel)

him:

but

blessingבְּרָכָהBᵉrâkâh/ber-aw-kaw'/H1293benediction; by implication prosperity

shall

upon

the

headרֹאשׁrôʼsh/roshe/H7218the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)

him

that

sellethשָׁבַרshâbar/shaw-bar'/H7666to deal in grain

it.

Commentary on Proverbs 11:26

HENRY_FULL · Proverbs 11:26

but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. See here, 1. What use we are to make of the gifts of God's bounty; we must not hoard them up merely for our own advantage, that we may be enriched by them, but we must bring them forth for the benefit of others, that they may be supported and maintained by them. It is a sin, when corn is dear and scarce, to withhold it, in hopes that it will still grow dearer, so to keep up and advance the market, when it is already so high that the poor suffer by it; and at such a time it is the duty of those that have stocks of corn by them to consider the poor, and to be willing to sell at the market-price, to be content with moderate profit, and not aim to make a gain of God's judgments. It is a noble and extensive piece of charity for those that have stores wherewithal to do it to help to keep the markets low when the price of our commodities grows excessive. 2. What regard we are to have to the voice of the people. We are not to think it an indifferent thing, and not worth heeding, whether we have the ill will and word, or the good will and word, of our neighbours, their prayers or their curses; for here we are taught to dread their curses, and forego our own profit rather than incur them; and to court their blessings, and be at some expense to purchase them. Sometimes, vox populi est vox Dei — the voice of the people is the voice of God. The Folly and Misery of Sinners. 27

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Isaiah 7:9

And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. If: or, Do ye not believe? it is because ye are not stable

Hebrews 3:12

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Hebrews 3:18

And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

Hebrews 3:19

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

1 John 5:10

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

Jude 1:5

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

Topics

Monopoly Selfishness

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Proverbs 11:26.

Amos 8:5

Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? new: or, month set: Heb. open falsifying: Heb. perverting the balances of deceit

Amos 8:6

That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

Genesis 42:3

And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

Genesis 49:26

The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

Proverbs 24:24

He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:

Frequently asked questions

What does Proverbs 11:26 say?

Proverbs 11:26 (King James Version) reads: "He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it."

Is Proverbs 11:26 in the Old or New Testament?

Proverbs 11:26 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Proverbs.

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As you read Proverbs 11:26, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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