John Gill Commentary Proverbs 3:27

"Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thy hand to do it." — Proverbs 3:27 (ASV)

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due

Honour, reverence, and tribute, to civil magistrates, (Romans 13:7Romans 13:8); just payment of debts to creditors, and alms to the poor, which, by what follows, seems to be chiefly intended; and the Septuagint render it, ``do not abstain to do well to the needy;'' and Aben Ezra interprets it of the poor.

To them alms are due because of their wants, and by the appointment of God; hence called "righteousness", in some copies of (Matthew 6:1); so money kept from the poor "mammon of unrighteousness", (Luke 16:9). They are, as the word in the Hebrew text signifies, "the owners thereof" ^F8 : rich men are not so much proprietors of good things as they are God's alms givers or stewards to distribute to the poor;

And, as often as men have opportunity, they should do good in this way to all, especially to the household of faith, (Galatians 6:10); this will hold true, as of temporal good things, so of spiritual; as good advice, exhortation, and doctrine.

The Vulgate Latin version is, "do not forbid him to do well that can"; which sense is favoured by Jarchi: and as we should not abstain from doing good ourselves, so neither should we forbid, hinder, or discourage others; but the former sense is best;

when it is in the power of your hand to do [it]; not to hinder others, as Jarchi, but to do good; when a man has a sufficiency in his hands to do good with; has not only enough for himself and his family, but something to spare; when he has both opportunity and ability; and when he can do it at once and without delay, as follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F8: (wylebm) "a dominis suis", Vatablus, Mercerus, Gejerus, Michaelis.