This saying should be compared with 13.11 and 20.21.

“A faithful man will abound with blessings”: “A faithful man” here refers to a person who is honorable and trustworthy in his dealings, particularly in business relations. “Blessings” are the good things or rewards of honest work. This line may be translated, for example, “A person who can be trusted will receive many rewards.” They may come from God, as Contemporary English Version says: “God blesses his loyal people.”

“But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished”: As Whybray observes, in the small farming community of ancient Israel there were few honest opportunities to make a fortune. The same is true in other face-to-face societies where nearly all that a person does is known by everyone. “Hastens to be rich” may be expressed as “tries to get rich quick.” “Will not go unpunished”, as in 6.29 and 11.21, is literally “shall not be acquitted,” which may be expressed positively as “will be punished.” In some languages translators supply “God” as the actor: “God will punish those who. . ..” Scott says “will be held accountable,” which may be expressed in some languages as “will have to explain how he got his wealth.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .