Proverbs 18:11 (DBY)

Passage

The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high wall in his own imagination.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:9 He also who is indolent in his work is brother of the destroyer.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of Jehovah is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Proverbs 18:11 The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as a high wall in his own imagination.

Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty; and before honour [goeth] humility.

Proverbs 18:13 He that giveth answer before he heareth, it is folly and shame unto him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rich", "man's", "wealth", "strong", "city", "high", "wall", and "imagination". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rich" and "man's", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "The name of Jehovah is a strong..." into verse 12's "Before destruction the heart of man is...", so "rich" and "man's" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "rich" and "man's" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.