Amsal 14:20

14:20 A poor person is disliked ¹  even by his neighbors,

but those who love the rich are many.

Amsal 19:4

19:4 Wealth adds many friends,

but a poor person is separated ²  from his friend. ³ 

[14:20]  ¹ tn Heb “hated.” The verse is just a statement of fact. The verbs “love” and “hate” must be seen in their connotations: The poor are rejected, avoided, shunned – that is, hated; but the rich are sought after, favored, embraced – that is, loved.

[19:4]  ² tn The Niphal imperfect probably should be taken in the passive sense (the poor person is deserted by his “friend,” cf. NAB, NIV) rather than as a direct middle (the poor person deserted his friend).

[19:4]  ³ sn This proverb simply makes an observation on life: People pursue wealthy folk hoping that they can gain something from the rich, but the poor are deserted even by friends, who fear that the poor will try to gain something from them.