Reference: Alms
Easton
Not found in the Old Testament, but repeatedly in the New. The Mosaic legislation (Le 25:35; De 15:7) tended to promote a spirit of charity, and to prevent the occurrence of destitution among the people. Such passages as these, Ps 41:1; 112:9; Pr 14:31; Isa 10:2; Am 2:7; Jer 5:28; Eze 22:29, would also naturally foster the same benevolent spirit.
In the time of our Lord begging was common (Mr 10:46; Ac 3:2). The Pharisees were very ostentatious in their almsgivings (Mt 6:2). The spirit by which the Christian ought to be actuated in this duty is set forth in 1Jo 3:17. A regard to the state of the poor and needy is enjoined as a Christian duty (Lu 3:11; 6:30; Mt 6:1; Ac 9:36; 10:2,4), a duty which was not neglected by the early Christians (Lu 14:13; Ac 20:35; Ga 2:10; Ro 15:25-27; 1Co 16:1-4). They cared not only for the poor among themselves, but contributed also to the necessities of those at a distance (Ac 11:29; 24:17; 2Co 9:12). Our Lord and his attendants showed an example also in this (Joh 13:29).
In modern times the "poor-laws" have introduced an element which modifies considerably the form in which we may discharge this Christian duty.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And if thy brother shall have become poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he may be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.
If there shall be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD the God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother:
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in the time of trouble.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.
He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoreth him hath mercy on the poor.
To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!
They have become fat, they shine: yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have oppressed the poor and needy: yes, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in to the same maid, to profane my holy name:
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen by them: otherwise ye have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest thy alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Verily, I say to you, they have their reward.
And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples, and a great number of people, blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus, sat by the highway-side begging.
He answereth and saith to them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath provisions, let him do likewise.
Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.
But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said to him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.
Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, who by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms-deeds which she did.
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Thy prayers and thy alms are come up for a memorial before God.
Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren who dwelt in Judea.
I have shown you all things, that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Now after many years, I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings.
But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor of the saints who are at Jerusalem. read more. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in carnal things.
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
But he who hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
Fausets
From Greek eleemosyne. The Hebrew "righteousness" in Old Testament and the Greek in many manuscripts of Mt 6:1, stands for ALMS. So Da 4:27, "Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor." The poor were entitled to leavings from the produce of the field, the vineyard, and the olive yard (Le 19:9-10; 23:22; De 15:11; 24:19; 26:2-13), the third year's tithing for the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, the widow.
Compare Job 31:17; 29:16; "I was a father to the poor." Ne 8:10; Pr 10:2; 11:4; Es 9:22; Ps 41:1; 112:9. Dorcas (Ac 9:36). Cornelius (Ac 10:2). God prefers such neighborly love to fasting (Isa 58:7). Thirteen receptacles for free offerings were in the women's court of the temple (Mr 12:41-44). Begging was a practice only known after the captivity. In every city there were three collectors who distributed alms of two kinds:
1. Of money collected in the synagogue chest every sabbath for the poor of the city, "the alms of the chest."
2. Of food and money received in a dish, "alms of the dish." The Pharisees gave much alms, but with ostentation, figuratively blowing the trumpet before them (the figure being from the trumpet blowing in religious feasts): Mt 6:1-2. The duty was recognized among Christians as a leading one (Lu 14:13; Ro 15:25-27; Ga 2:10). A laying by for alms in proportion to one's means on every Lord's day is recommended (1Co 16:1-4; Ac 11:29-30; 20:35). Jesus and the twelve, out of their common purse, set the pattern (Joh 13:29). Not the costliness, but the love and self denial, and the proportion the gift bears to one's means, are what God prizes (Mr 12:42-44). Such "come up as a memorial before God" (Ac 9:36; 10:2,4). The giving was not imposed as a matter of constraint, but of bounty, on Christians (Ac 5:4).
The individual was not merged in the community, as in socialism; each freely gave, and distribution was made, not to the lazy who would not work, but to the needy (Ac 2:45; 2Th 3:10). A mendicant order is the very opposite of the Christian system. The Jewish tithe was not imposed, but the principle of proportionate giving having been laid down, the definite proportion is left to each one's faith and love to fix (2Co 9:5-7). Love will hardly give less than legalism. An ecclesiastical order of widowhood attended to charitable ministrations in the early church (1Ti 5:10). The deacons were appointed primarily for the distribution of alms (Acts 6). Alms are "righteousness," not that they justify a man (which Romans 3; 4; 5 prove they do not), but they are the doing that which is right and which our neighbor has a rightful claim upon us for, in the court of God's equity, though not of human law. God gives us means for this very end (Eph 4:28).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them to the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them to the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
For the poor shall never cease from the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand wide to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
For the poor shall never cease from the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand wide to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
When thou cuttest down thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands.
When thou cuttest down thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands.
That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go to the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.
That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go to the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go to the priest that shall be in those days, and say to him, I profess this day to the LORD thy God, that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.
And thou shalt go to the priest that shall be in those days, and say to him, I profess this day to the LORD thy God, that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us. And the priest shall take the basket from thy hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.
And the priest shall take the basket from thy hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down to Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down to Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: And the Egyptians ill-treated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:
And the Egyptians ill-treated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: And when we cried to the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression:
And when we cried to the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression: And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an out-stretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders;
And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an out-stretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders; And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first-fruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me: and thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:
And now, behold, I have brought the first-fruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me: and thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given to thee, and to thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.
And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given to thee, and to thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you. When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thy increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled:
When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thy increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled: Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:
Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:
Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy to our Lord: neither be ye sad; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy to our Lord: neither be ye sad; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
As the days in which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day, that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
As the days in which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day, that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten of it;
Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten of it;
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in the time of trouble.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in the time of trouble.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou shouldst bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou shouldst cover him; and that thou shouldst not hide thyself from thy own flesh?
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou shouldst bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou shouldst cover him; and that thou shouldst not hide thyself from thy own flesh?
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thy iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thy iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen by them: otherwise ye have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen by them: otherwise ye have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen by them: otherwise ye have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen by them: otherwise ye have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest thy alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Verily, I say to you, they have their reward.
Therefore, when thou doest thy alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Verily, I say to you, they have their reward.
And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called his disciples, and saith to them, Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more, than all they who have cast into the treasury.
And he called his disciples, and saith to them, Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more, than all they who have cast into the treasury.
And he called his disciples, and saith to them, Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more, than all they who have cast into the treasury.
And he called his disciples, and saith to them, Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more, than all they who have cast into the treasury. For all they cast in of their abundance: but she of her want cast in all that she had, even all her living.
For all they cast in of their abundance: but she of her want cast in all that she had, even all her living.
For all they cast in of their abundance: but she of her want cast in all that she had, even all her living.
For all they cast in of their abundance: but she of her want cast in all that she had, even all her living.
But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said to him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said to him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
While it remained, was it not thy own? and after it was sold, was it not in thy own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart? thou hast not lied to men, but to God.
While it remained, was it not thy own? and after it was sold, was it not in thy own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart? thou hast not lied to men, but to God.
Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, who by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms-deeds which she did.
Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, who by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms-deeds which she did.
Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, who by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms-deeds which she did.
Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, who by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms-deeds which she did.
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Thy prayers and thy alms are come up for a memorial before God.
And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Thy prayers and thy alms are come up for a memorial before God.
Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren who dwelt in Judea.
Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren who dwelt in Judea. Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
I have shown you all things, that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
I have shown you all things, that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.
But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor of the saints who are at Jerusalem.
For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor of the saints who are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in carnal things.
It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in carnal things.
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no collections when I come.
Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality to Jerusalem.
And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality to Jerusalem. And if it be proper that I should go also, they shall go with me.
Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before to you, and make up before hand your bounty, of which ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not of covetousness.
Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before to you, and make up before hand your bounty, of which ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not of covetousness. But this I say, He who soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly; and he who soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully.
But this I say, He who soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly; and he who soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or by constraint: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or by constraint: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Well reported of for good works; if she hath brought up children, if she hath lodged strangers, if she hath washed the saints' feet, if she hath relieved the afflicted, if she hath diligently followed every good work.
Well reported of for good works; if she hath brought up children, if she hath lodged strangers, if she hath washed the saints' feet, if she hath relieved the afflicted, if she hath diligently followed every good work.
Morish
Offerings given to the poor. It was righteous to do so: hence, giving to the poor is called righteousness. Ps 112:9; 2Co 9:9. In the law provision was made for the poor. Ex 23:11; Le 19:10. It is declared that the poor would never cease out of the land; and if not relieved and they cried to the Lord, it would be accounted a sin against those who should have aided them. De 15:7-11. On the other hand, we read that "he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth to the Lord, and that which he hath given will he pay him again." Pr 19:17. In the N.T. the same thing is enforced. We are exhorted to do good unto all men, especially unto them of the household of faith. Ga 6:10. "He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly . . . . the Lord loveth a cheerful giver;" and whole chapters were written to stir up the saints to give liberally to the poor in Judaea. "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
See Verses Found in Dictionary
But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave, the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy olive-yard.
And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
If there shall be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD the God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thy hand wide to him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. read more. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thy eye shall be evil against thy poor brother, and thou shalt give him naught; and he shall cry to the LORD against thee, and it shall be sin to thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest to him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thy hand to. For the poor shall never cease from the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand wide to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.
He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth to the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith.
Smith
Alms.
The duty of alms-giving, especially in kind, consisting chiefly in portions to be left designedly from produce of the field, the vineyard and the oliveyard,
Le 19:9-10; 23:22; De 15:11; 24:19; 26:2-13; Ru 2:2
is strictly enjoined by the law. Every third year also,
De 14:28
each proprietor was directed to share the tithe of his produce with "the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow." The theological estimate of alms-giving among the Jews is indicated in the following passages:
Job 31:17; Pr 10:2; 11:4; Es 9:22; Ps 112:9; Ac 9:36
the case of Dorcas;
of Cornelius; to which may be added Tobit 4:10,11; 14:10,11, and Ecclus. 3:30; 40:24. The Pharisees were zealous in almsgiving, but too ostentatious their mode of performance, for which our Lord finds fault with them.
The duty of relieving the poor was not neglected by the Christians.
Mt 6:1-4; Lu 14:13; Ac 20:35; Ga 2:10
Regular proportionate giving was expected.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them to the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thy increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
For the poor shall never cease from the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand wide to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
When thou cuttest down thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands.
That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go to the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go to the priest that shall be in those days, and say to him, I profess this day to the LORD thy God, that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us. read more. And the priest shall take the basket from thy hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down to Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: And the Egyptians ill-treated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: And when we cried to the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression: And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an out-stretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders; And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first-fruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me: and thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given to thee, and to thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you. When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thy increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled: Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.
As the days in which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day, that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten of it;
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen by them: otherwise ye have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest thy alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Verily, I say to you, they have their reward.
Therefore, when thou doest thy alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Verily, I say to you, they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: read more. That thy alms may be in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself will reward thee openly.
But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, who by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms-deeds which she did.
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
I have shown you all things, that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor of the saints who are at Jerusalem. read more. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in carnal things.
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.