What does הוֹן (hon) mean in the Bible?
Wealth names material resources that can be possessed, acquired, spent or trusted. The noun does not announce that its owner is righteous, nor does it make poverty a verdict on a person's faith.
Hebrew · H1952
הוֹן
Wealth names material resources that can be possessed, acquired, spent or trusted. The noun does not announce that its owner is righteous, nor does it make poverty a verdict on a person's faith.
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הוֹןH1952
Pronunciationhon
What does הוֹן (hon) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for הוֹן (H1952) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H1952?
The BSB source-word alignment has 26 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Wealth (6), the wealth (3), Enough (2), his wealth (2), riches (2).
Where does הוֹן (hon) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Psalms 44:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Proverbs (18), Ezekiel (4), Psalms (3), Song Of Solomon (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Wealth names material resources that can be possessed, acquired, spent or trusted. The noun does not announce that its owner is righteous, nor does it make poverty a verdict on a person's faith. Proverbs 3:9 directs wealth toward honoring the Lord. Proverbs 13:11 contrasts dishonest gain with earnings gathered through work, while Proverbs 11:4 denies that riches can secure deliverance in the day of wrath.
These settings ask different questions: whom resources honor, how they are obtained and what they cannot accomplish. Wisdom commends responsible provision without treating money as an ultimate refuge. Its observations about increase must be read as wisdom within the book, not as a bargain guaranteeing financial returns for a religious donation. Resources have real uses, but they cannot purchase God's favor or protect their owner from His judgment.
Passage contextPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
Wisdom evaluates wealth through worship, acquisition and its limits before judgment. These three witnesses resist both treating resources as inherently evil and treating their abundance as proof of righteousness.
- Prov.3.9
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops;
The command places material resources and firstfruits under the honor due to the Lord; the surrounding wisdom instruction also includes discipline rather than a transactional donation scheme.
- Prov.13.11
Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.
Dishonest acquisition is contrasted with earnings through work; the saying commends the character of gathering rather than promising identical outcomes to every worker.
- Prov.11.4
Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
Wealth loses its protective value in the day of wrath, so material strength must not be confused with the righteousness the saying commends.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItWealth6×Psalms 112:3, Proverbs 8:18, Proverbs 13:7, Proverbs 13:11
the wealth3×Proverbs 6:31, Proverbs 10:15, Song Of Solomon 8:7
Enough2×Proverbs 30:15, Proverbs 30:16
his wealth2×Proverbs 28:8, Proverbs 29:3
riches2×Psalms 119:14, Proverbs 11:4
wealth of goods2×Ezekiel 27:12, Ezekiel 27:18
after wealth1×Proverbs 28:22
and wealth1×Proverbs 19:14
goods1×Proverbs 1:13
his possession1×Proverbs 12:27
man’s wealth1×Proverbs 18:11
profit1×Psalms 44:12
treasure1×Proverbs 24:4
with your wealth1×Proverbs 3:9
Your wealth1×Ezekiel 27:27
Show sample aligned rows
Psalms 44:12ה֑וֹןtoprofitNoun - masculine singularPsalms 112:3הוֹן־toWealthNoun - masculine singularPsalms 119:14הֽוֹן׃torichesNoun - masculine singularProverbs 1:13ה֣וֹןtogoodsNoun - masculine singularProverbs 3:9מֵהוֹנֶ֑ךָtowith your wealthPreposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singularProverbs 6:31ה֖וֹןtothe wealthNoun - masculine singular constructProverbs 8:18ה֥וֹןtowealthNoun - masculine singularProverbs 10:15ה֣וֹןtoThe wealthNoun - masculine singularProverbs 11:4ה֭וֹןtoRichesNoun - masculine singularProverbs 12:27וְהוֹן־tohis possessionConjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowPsalms 44:12
Aligned rows26
Books represented4
Psalms3Proverbs18Song Of Solomon1Ezekiel4
Source forms
הֽוֹן׃4xhō·wnPsalms 119:14, Proverbs 29:3, Proverbs 30:15, Proverbs 30:16
ה֑וֹן3xhō·wnPsalms 44:12, Ezekiel 27:12, Ezekiel 27:18
ה֣וֹן3xhō·wnProverbs 1:13, Proverbs 10:15, Proverbs 18:11
ה֖וֹן2xhō·wnProverbs 6:31, Proverbs 24:4
ה֭וֹן2xhō·wnProverbs 11:4, Proverbs 13:11
ה֥וֹן1xhō·wnProverbs 8:18
ה֗וֹן1xhō·wnProverbs 19:4
ה֤וֹן1xhō·wnSong Of Solomon 8:7
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular16xPsalms 44:12, Psalms 112:3, Psalms 119:14, Proverbs 1:13
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular3xProverbs 12:27, Proverbs 13:7, Proverbs 19:14
Noun - masculine singular construct2xProverbs 6:31, Song Of Solomon 8:7
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular1xEzekiel 27:33
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person feminine singular1xEzekiel 27:27
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular1xProverbs 28:8
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular1xProverbs 28:22
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular1xProverbs 3:9
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Discuss stewardship without using another household's limited means as evidence of personal spiritual failure.
- Acknowledge the actual pressures of work and provision rather than promising a predictable return on religious giving.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim wealth can buy deliverance from judgment; Proverbs 11:4 directly denies its value in that setting.
- Do not claim Proverbs 3:9 guarantees a donation's financial return; the command calls for honor within wisdom instruction.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Wealth as sufficiency—material abundance that provides adequately for one's needs and security
Source Gloss
wealth ; by implication, enough
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Wealth as sufficiency—material abundance that provides adequately for one's needs and security
wealth; by implication, enough BDB: wealth Usage: enough, for nought, riches, substance, wealth.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
material riches or resources
Showing 1 selected witness from 26 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
Why This Word Matters
The term highlights the material resources that can provide protection or influence.Proverbs 10:15
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Proverbs 11:4 places a boundary around what wealth can do. Resources may purchase supplies or provide ordinary protection, yet their usefulness does not extend to buying deliverance in the day of wrath. That boundary changes how Proverbs 3:9 should be taught. Honoring God with wealth acknowledges His authority over possessions; it is not a way to hire Him as a guarantor of financial success.
Proverbs 13:11 also brings the manner of acquisition into view. A larger amount is not automatically a better outcome if dishonesty produced it. Teachers can commend work, generosity and stewardship while refusing to rank the poor as spiritually inferior. The gospel locates salvation in Christ's work, not the quantity a household accumulates or contributes.
Anchor passage
Prov.11.4
Doctrinal connections
- Proverbs 3:9-11 places firstfruits and wealth within honor for the Lord and a willingness to receive His discipline.
- Proverbs 13:11 distinguishes dishonest gain from resources earned through work, making acquisition an ethical question.
- Proverbs 11:4 denies riches ultimate protective value when divine judgment confronts their owner.
- Proverbs 19:4 observes wealth's social effects without declaring that purchased companionship is faithful friendship.
- Song of Songs 8:7 refuses to price love by the total wealth of a household.
- First Timothy 6:17-19 directs the rich toward God, generosity and good works rather than confidence in uncertain riches.
The noun supplies the material-resource category. Verbs of honoring, acquiring and trusting determine its role, and a proverb's contrast supplies the moral assessment rather than an imagined spiritual quality of money itself.
From Old to New Testament
Proverbs limits wealth before judgment and directs its use toward honoring God. First Timothy 6:17-19 similarly challenges confidence in uncertain riches and calls for generosity. This is an ethical and canonical comparison; the Hebrew noun is not a promise of Christian prosperity, and the passages do not make financial giving the price of salvation.
Passage contextCanonical parallelPastoral application