Throw in your lot with us
This phrase invites the listener to join a group in sharing their fate or fortune. The Hebrew root for "lot" is "goral," which often refers to a portion or destiny determined by casting lots, a practice used in ancient times to make decisions or divide land. In the context of Proverbs, this phrase is a caution against joining with those who pursue ill-gotten gain. Historically, casting lots was seen as leaving the decision to divine providence, but here it is used to lure someone into a morally dubious alliance. The wisdom literature of the Bible frequently warns against aligning oneself with those who engage in wickedness, emphasizing the importance of maintaining integrity and trusting in God's provision rather than succumbing to the temptation of easy wealth.

let us all have one purse
This phrase suggests a communal sharing of resources, which on the surface might seem appealing as it promises unity and shared prosperity. However, the Hebrew word for "purse" is "kis," which can also imply a bag or a container for money. In the context of Proverbs, this is a warning against joining with those who seek to enrich themselves through dishonest means. The idea of a "one purse" is deceptive, as it masks the underlying greed and potential for betrayal among those who are united by selfish motives. Scripturally, this serves as a reminder that true fellowship and community are built on righteousness and trust in God, not on the pursuit of wealth through unethical means. The Bible consistently teaches that wealth gained through sin is fleeting and ultimately destructive, urging believers to seek treasures in heaven rather than on earth.

Verse 14. - Cast in thy lot among us. The fourth and last enticement put forward, viz. honourable union and frank and open hearted generosity. It has distinct reference to the preceding verse, and shows how the prospect of immediate wealth is to be realized (see Delitzsch, Wardlaw). Cast in thy lot cannot mean, as Mercerus, "cast in your inheritance with us, so that we all may use it in common," though גּורָל (goral) does mean "inheritance" in the sense of that which comes to any one by lot (Judges 1:3) (Gesenius), since that would be no inducement to youth to join the robbers. Goral properly is "a little stone or pebble," κλῆρος, especially such as were used in casting lots, and so equivalent to a "lot" here - that with which the distribution was made, as in Leviticus 16:8; Nehemiah 10:34; and the custom of freebooters dividing the spoil by lot is here alluded to (Holden); comp. Psalm 22:18 in illustration of the practice of casting lots, "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." The sense is, "you shall equally with the others cast lots for your share of the spoil" (Zockler, Delitzsch). Let us all have one parse. Purse; כִּיס (kis), the βαλάντιον of the LXX., the marsupium of the Vulgate, is the receptacle in which money is placed for security. In Proverbs 15:11 it is used for the bag in which traders kept their weights, "the weights of the bag;" and in Proverbs 23:31 it is translated "cup," the wine cup. It here signifies the common stock, the aggregate of the gains of the robbers contributed to a common fund. The booty captured by each or any is to be thrown into one common stock, to form one purse, to be divided by lot among all the members of the band. On this community of goods among robbers, compare the Hebrew proverb, In localis, in poculis, in ira. Community of goods among the wicked carries with it community in crime, just as the community of goods among the early Christians implied community in good works and in the religious sentiments of the Christian body or Church. The Rabbi Salomon Isacides offers another explanation (which leaves the choice open to youth either to share in the spoil by lot, or to live at the expense of a common fund, as he may prefer): "Si voles, nobiscum spolia partieris, si etiam magis placebit, sociali communique marsupio nobiscum vives" - "If thou wilt, thou shalt share with us the booty; ay, if it like thee more, thou halt live with us on a confederate and common purse" (see Cornelius a Lapide).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Throw in
תַּפִּ֣יל (tap·pîl)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

your lot
גּ֭וֹרָ֣לְךָ (gō·w·rā·lə·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1486: Lot -- a lot (for casting)

with us,
בְּתוֹכֵ֑נוּ (bə·ṯō·w·ḵê·nū)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre

let us all
לְכֻלָּֽנוּ׃ (lə·ḵul·lā·nū)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

have
יִהְיֶ֥ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

one
אֶ֝חָ֗ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

purse”—
כִּ֥יס (kîs)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3599: A cup, a bag for, money, weights


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 1:14 You shall cast your lot among us (Prov. Pro Pr)