in 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan tells a parable.
There is a rich man and a poor man. Thus, there seems to have been individual wealth in the OT times.
The parable shows the rich man to be selfish - not wanting to use any of his own flock; and corrupt, stealing the one dear (pet) sheep from the poor man.
While this is a parable meant to reveal and convict King David of his sin, we might wonder if it is also a stereotype of what people thought of rich men. Certainly, at this point, wealthy David fit that stereotype.
A few quotes from Sirach 13 about rich (CEB translation). I posit that this presents one of the biblical views of the rich. It's not so positive.
1 Whoever touches tar will get dirty,
and those who associate with the arrogant will become like them.
2 Don’t lift something that’s too heavy for you,
and don’t associate with people who are more powerful and rich than you are.
What does a clay pot have in common with a metal cauldron?
The one will knock against the other and be shattered.
3 Rich people inflict injury,
but then act as if they’re the ones who have been wronged;
the poor suffer injury,
but they’re the ones who must apologize.
4 If you are useful to the rich, they will work with you,
but if you are in need, they will abandon you.
5 If you own anything, they will live with you;
they will exhaust what you have, and they won’t suffer.
6 If they need you, they will deceive you
and smile at you and give you hope;
they will speak nicely to you and say, “What do you need?”
7 They will embarrass you with their fine foods,
until they have cleaned you out two or three times over.
In the end they will mock you,
and after these things,
they will see you and abandon you
and shake their heads at you.
8 Take care that you don’t go astray,
and don’t be humiliated by your own foolishness.
9 When powerful people invite you,
show yourself reluctant,
and they will invite you all the more.
10 Don’t be forward, or you might be rejected;
and don’t stand far off, or you might be forgotten.
11 Don’t think that you can speak with them as an equal,
and don’t trust in their lengthy conversations,
because they will test you with a lot of talking;
and when they are smiling, they are really examining you.
12 Those who won’t guard your secrets are cruel,
and they won’t spare you from mistreatment and imprisonment.
13 Be on guard and pay attention,
because you are tiptoeing around your own downfall.
15 All living creatures love what is like them,
and all people their neighbors.
16 All beings gather together with their own kind,
and people cling to those who are like them.
17 What does a wolf have in common with a lamb?
So sinners have nothing in common with the godly.
18 What peace is there between a hyena and a dog?
And what peace is there between the rich and the poor?
19 Wild asses in the desert are prey for lions;
so the poor are feeding grounds for the rich.
20 The arrogant detest humility;
so the rich detest the poor.
21 When rich people stumble,
they are supported by friends.
But when the humble fall,
their own friends push them away.
22 When the rich slip, their helpers are many;
they speak things that shouldn’t be spoken,
and people justify them.
The humble slip, and people criticize them as well;
they utter something sensible, and no one pays attention.
23 The rich speak, and everyone is silent,
and what they say is praised to the heavens.
The poor speak, and they say, “Who is this?”
And if the poor stumble,
others push them down all the more.
24 Wealth is good as long as it’s free of sin;
the ungodly speak of poverty as an evil in and of itself.
