This article, published in Biblical Illustrator, Summer 2013, examines how wealth was accumulated and understood across ancient Near Eastern cultures and connects it to biblical texts.

Mesopotamia was the cradle of wealth creation, driven by fertile land, irrigation systems, textile manufacturing, and trade. Society was stratified — landholding elites, free citizens, and slaves — with kings, priests, and ruling elites controlling the most wealth. Writing itself emerged partly from the need to track commercial transactions.

In Israel, early wealth was more equally distributed since it came from the land, with families farming and trading surpluses within clans. Personal wealth was measured in flocks, herds, and slaves (as seen with Abraham, Job, and Nabal). The monarchy changed this dynamic — kings like Saul and Solomon concentrated wealth, expanded trade (notably with Tyre), and forced families to pay taxes, creating new wealthy classes while burdening common people.

By the 8th century B.C., wealth had become a tool of oppression. Prophets like Isaiah, Amos, and Micah condemned the wealthy for luxurious living, excessive taxation, and mistreating the poor.

Ecclesiastes 5:8–6:12 frames the theological conclusion: wealth is ultimately a gift from God, not a personal achievement, and those who obsessively pursue it will never be satisfied — wealth gained dishonestly or selfishly leaves one “inwardly poor.”

You can download a PDF copy of the article by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

If you enjoyed reading this post, you will enjoy reading my books.

VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR’S PAGE

BUY MY BOOKS ON AMAZON (Click here).

NOTE: Did you like this post? Do you think other people would like to read this post? Be sure to share this post on Facebook and share a link on X so that others may enjoy reading it too!

If you are looking for other series of studies on the Old Testament, visit the Archive section and you will find many studies that deal with a variety of Old Testament topics.