Reference: Poor
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Ps 12:5; 41:1-3, especially cared for in the Jewish dispensation, Ex 23:6; Pr 14:31, and even more so under the gospel, Mt 25:42-45; Jas 2:5. The slight offerings required of them by the law were as acceptable as the hecatombs of the rich, Le 5:7-13; Mr 12:41-44. The gleanings of the fields, the olive-trees, and the vines, were to be left for them, Le 19:9; De 24:19; Ru 2:2. Every seventh year, the spontaneous products of the ground were free to all, Le 25:7; and in the Jubilee their alienated inheritance returned to their possession. Compare also Le 25; De 24. Neglect and oppression of the poor were severely reproved by the prophets, Isa 10:2; Jer 5:28; Am 2:6; but charity to the poor was an eminent virtue among primitive Christians, Mt 6:2-4; Lu 10:33-35; 19:8; Ac 9:36-39; 10:2; 11:29-30.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his cause.
And if his hand cannot reach to a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass which he has committed, two turtle-doves or two young pigeons to Jehovah-- one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer for the sin offering first, and shall wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it. read more. And he shall sprinkle of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood shall be drained at the bottom of the altar. It is a sin offering. And he shall offer the second for a burnt offering, according to the ordinance. And the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he has sinned, and it shall be forgiven him. But if he is not able to bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, neither shall he put frankincense on it. For it is a sin offering. And he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his full handful of it, a memorial of it, and burn it on the altar, on the fire offering to Jehovah. It is a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin that he has sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him. And the rest shall be the priest's, as a food offering.
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field. And you shall not gather the gleaning of your harvest.
and for your cattle, and for the beast that is in your land, shall all the increase of it be for food.
When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to bring it. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand.
And Ruth of Moab said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, I will now arise, says Jehovah. I will set in safety, he pants for it.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Blessed is he who acts wisely toward the poor; Jehovah will deliver him in time of trouble. Jehovah will watch over him and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed on the earth; and You will not deliver him to the soul of his enemies. read more. Jehovah will hold him up on the bed of sickness; You will change all his bed in his illness.
He who presses the poor curses his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy upon the poor.
to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to steal the right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and they rob the orphans!
They have become fat, they shine. Yes, they go past the deeds of the wicked; they do not judge the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may get rich; and they do not judge the right of the needy.
So says Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, yea for four, I will not turn away from it; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals;
Therefore when you do your merciful deeds, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward. But when you do merciful deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand does, read more. so that your merciful deeds may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret Himself shall reward you openly.
For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me. read more. Then they will also answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You? Then He shall answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.
And sitting down opposite the treasury, Jesus watched how the people threw copper coins into the treasury. And many rich ones threw in much. And a certain poor widow came, and she threw in two lepta, which is a kodrantes. read more. And He called His disciples and said to them, Truly I say to you that this poor widow has cast in more than all those who have cast into the treasury. For all cast in from their abundance. But she, out of her poverty, has cast in all that she had, all her livelihood.
But a certain traveling Samaritan came upon him, and seeing him, he was filled with pity. And coming near, he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. read more. And going on the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him. And whatever more you spend, when I come again I will repay you.
And Zaccheus stood and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor. And in anything I accused anyone falsely, I restore it fourfold.
And in Joppa was a certain disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called Dorcas). She was full of good works and kind deeds which she did. And it happened in those days, becoming sick, she died. And washing her, they laid her in an upper room. read more. And, because Lydda was near Joppa, hearing that Peter is in it, the disciples sent two men to him, begging him not to delay to come to them. And rising up, Peter went with them. When he had come, they brought him into the upper room. And all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made while she was with them.
one devout and fearing God, with all his household, both doing many merciful deeds to the people, and praying continually to God.
And the disciples, as any were prospered, determined each of them to send for ministry to those brothers who lived in Judea, which they also did, sending to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?
Easton
The Mosaic legislation regarding the poor is specially important. (1.) They had the right of gleaning the fields (Le 19:9-10; De 24:19,21).
(2.) In the sabbatical year they were to have their share of the produce of the fields and the vineyards (Ex 23:11; Le 25:6).
(3.) In the year of jubilee they recovered their property (Le 25:25-30).
(4.) Usury was forbidden, and the pledged raiment was to be returned before the sun went down (Ex 22:25-27; De 24:10-13). The rich were to be generous to the poor (De 15:7-11).
(5.) In the sabbatical and jubilee years the bond-servant was to go free (De 15:12-15; Le 25:39-42,47-54).
(6.) Certain portions from the tithes were assigned to the poor (De 14:28-29; 26:12-13).
(7.) They shared in the feasts (De 16:11,14; Ne 8:10).
(8.) Wages were to be paid at the close of each day (Le 19:13).
In the New Testament (Lu 3:11; 14:13; Ac 6:1; Ga 2:10; Jas 2:15-16) we have similar injunctions given with reference to the poor. Begging was not common under the Old Testament, while it was so in the New Testament times (Lu 16:20-21, etc.). But begging in the case of those who are able to work is forbidden, and all such are enjoined to "work with their own hands" as a Christian duty (1Th 4:11; 2Th 3:7-13; Eph 4:28). This word is used figuratively in Mt 5:3; Lu 6:20; 2Co 8:9; Re 3:17.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
If you lend money to one of My people who is poor beside you, you shall not be to him as a money-lender, neither shall you lay upon him interest. If you at all take your neighbor's clothing as a pledge, you shall deliver it to him by the time the sun goes down. read more. For that is his covering only, it is his clothing for his skin. In what shall he sleep? And it will be, when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
But the seventh year you shall let it rest and let it alone, so that the poor of your people may eat. And what they leave, the animals of the field shall eat. In the same way you shall deal with your vineyard and with your oliveyard.
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field. And you shall not gather the gleaning of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard. And you shall not gather the leavings of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am Jehovah your God.
You shall not defraud your neighbor nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not stay with you until the morning.
And the sabbath of the land shall be food for you, for you and for your servant, and for your slave woman and for your hired servant, and for your stranger who stays with you,
If your brother has become poor, and has sold his property, and if any of his relatives comes to redeem it, then he shall redeem that which his brother sold. And if the man has no redeemer, and he himself is able to redeem it, and he has enough for its redemption; read more. then let him count the years of the sale of it, and restore the overplus to the man to whom he sold it, so that he may return to his possession. But if he is not able to restore to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that has bought it until the year of jubilee. And in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return to his possession. And if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold. He may redeem it within a full year. And if it is not redeemed within the time of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall be made sure forever to its buyer throughout his generations. It shall not go out in the jubilee.
And if your brother who lives beside you has become poor, and is sold to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a bond-servant. As a hired servant, as a temporary resident, he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the year of jubilee. read more. And he shall depart from you, he and his sons with him, and shall return to his own family. And he shall return to the possession of his fathers. For they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as a slave.
And if an alien or a tenant lifts up a hand among you, and your brother who dwells beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the alien or tenant by you, or to the offshoot of the alien's family, after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; read more. either his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him, or any that is near of kin to him of his family may redeem him. Or if he is able, he may redeem himself. And he shall count with his buyer from the year that he was sold to him, until the year of jubilee. And the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years, according to the time of a hired servant it shall be with him. If there are still many years, he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the silver that he was bought for, according to the years. And if there remain but few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall count with him, and according to his years he shall give him again the price of his redemption. As a yearly hired servant he shall be with him; he shall not rule with harshness in your sight. And if he is not redeemed in this way, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he and his sons with him.
At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year, and shall lay it up inside your gates. And the Levite, because he has no part nor inheritance with you, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are inside your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
If there is among you a poor man of one of your brothers inside any of your gates in your land which Jehovah your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother. But you shall open your hand wide to him, and shall surely lend him enough for his need, that which he lacks. read more. Beware that there is not a thought in your wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand, and your eye may be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing. And he may cry to Jehovah against you, and it is sin to you. You shall surely give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing Jehovah your God shall bless you in all your works, and in all that you put your hand to. For the poor shall never cease out of the land. Therefore, I command you saying, You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land. If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you send him out free from you, you shall not let him go away empty. You shall richly bestow on him from your flock, and from your grain floor, and from your winepress; with what Jehovah your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah your God redeemed you. Therefore I command you this thing today.
And you shall rejoice before Jehovah your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male servant, and your slave girl, and the Levite inside your gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, those among you, in the place which Jehovah your God has chosen to place His name there.
And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male slave, and your slave-girl, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow inside your gates.
When you loan a loan of any kind to your brother, you shall not go into his house to bring forth his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you loan shall bring the pledge outside to you. read more. And if the man is poor, you shall not sleep with his pledge. You shall certainly give back to him the pledge at sundown, that he may sleep in his own clothing, and bless you. And it shall be righteousness to you before Jehovah your God.
When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to bring it. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand.
When you gather the grapes from your vineyard, you shall not glean afterward. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
When you have made an end of tithing all the tithes of your increase the third year, the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (that they may eat inside your gates and be filled), then you shall say before Jehovah your God, I have brought away the holy 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 Your commandments which You have commanded me. I have not broken Your commandments, neither have I forgotten.
Then he said to them, Go eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our LORD. And do not be sorry, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.
Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
He answered and said to them, He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise.
And lifting up His eyes to His disciples, He said, Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. But even the dogs came and licked his sores.
And in those days, the disciples having multiplied, a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews occurred, because their widows were overlooked in the daily serving.
Only they asked that we remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.
Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, so that he may have something to give to him who needs.
and that you try earnestly to be quiet and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,
If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and if one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them those things which are needful to the body, what good is it?
Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
Fausets
The considerate provisions of the law for the poor (based on principles already recognized by the patriarchs: Job 20:19; 24:3-4,9-10; especially Job 29:11-16; 31:17) were:
(1) The right of gleaning; the corners of the field were not to be reaped, nor all the grapes to be gathered, nor the olive trees to be beaten a second time; the stranger, fatherless, and widow might gather the leavings; the forgotten sheaf was to be left for them (Le 19:9-10; De 24:19,21; Ru 2:2).
(2) They were to have their share of the produce in sabbatical years (Ex 23:11; Le 25:6).
(3) They recovered their land, but not town houses, in the Jubilee year (Le 25:25-30).
(4) Usury, i.e. interest on loans to an Israelite, was forbidden; the pledged raiment was to be returned before sundown (Ex 22:25-27; De 24:10-13); generous lending, even at the approach of Jubilee release, is enjoined: (De 15:7-11) "thou shalt open thy hand wide to THY poor"; God designs that we should appropriate them as our own, whereas men say "the poor."
(5) Lasting bondservice was forbidden, and manumission, with a liberal present, enjoined in the sabbatical and Jubilee years (De 15:12-15; Le 25:39-42,47-54); the children were not enslaved; an Israelite might redeem an Israelite who was in bondage to a rich foreign settler.
(6) Portions from the tithes belonged to the poor after the Levites (De 14:28-29; 26:12-13).
(7) The poor shared in the feasts at the festivals of weeks and tabernacles (De 16:11,14; Ne 8:10).
(8) Wages must be paid at the day's end (Le 19:13); yet partiality in judgment must not be shown to the poor (Ex 23:3; Le 19:15).
In the New Testament, Christ lays down the same love to the poor (Lu 3:11; 14:13; Ac 6:1; Ga 2:10; Jas 2:15; Ro 15:26), the motive being "Christ, who was rich, for our sake became poor that we through His poverty might be rich" (2Co 8:9). Begging was common in New Testament times, not under Old Testament (Lu 16:20-21; 18:35; Mr 10:46; Joh 9:8; Ac 3:2.) Mendicancy in the ease of the able bodied is discouraged, and honest labour for one's living is encouraged by precept and example (1Th 4:11; Eph 4:28; 2Th 3:7-12).
The prophets especially vindicate the claims of the poor: compare Eze 18:12,16-17; 22:29; Jer 22:13,16; 5:28; Isa 10:2; Am 2:7, "pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor," i.e., thirst after prostrating the poor by oppression, so as to lay their heads in the dust; or less simply (Pusey) "grudge to the poor debtor the dust which as a mourner he strewed on his head" (2Sa 1:2; Job 2:12). In De 15:4 the creditor must not exact a debt in the year of release, "save when there shall be no poor among you," but as De 15:11 says "the poor shalt never cease out of the land," translated "no poor with thee," i.e. release the debt for the year except when no poor person is concerned, which may happen, "for the Lord shall greatly bless thee": you may call in a loan on the year of release, when the borrower is not poor. Others regard the promise, De 15:11, conditional, Israel's disobedience frustrating its fulfillment. Less costly sacrifices might be substituted by the poor (Le 5:7,11).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
If you lend money to one of My people who is poor beside you, you shall not be to him as a money-lender, neither shall you lay upon him interest. If you at all take your neighbor's clothing as a pledge, you shall deliver it to him by the time the sun goes down. read more. For that is his covering only, it is his clothing for his skin. In what shall he sleep? And it will be, when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
But the seventh year you shall let it rest and let it alone, so that the poor of your people may eat. And what they leave, the animals of the field shall eat. In the same way you shall deal with your vineyard and with your oliveyard.
And if his hand cannot reach to a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass which he has committed, two turtle-doves or two young pigeons to Jehovah-- one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.
But if he is not able to bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it, neither shall he put frankincense on it. For it is a sin offering.
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field. And you shall not gather the gleaning of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard. And you shall not gather the leavings of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am Jehovah your God.
You shall not defraud your neighbor nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not stay with you until the morning.
You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment. You shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
And the sabbath of the land shall be food for you, for you and for your servant, and for your slave woman and for your hired servant, and for your stranger who stays with you,
If your brother has become poor, and has sold his property, and if any of his relatives comes to redeem it, then he shall redeem that which his brother sold. And if the man has no redeemer, and he himself is able to redeem it, and he has enough for its redemption; read more. then let him count the years of the sale of it, and restore the overplus to the man to whom he sold it, so that he may return to his possession. But if he is not able to restore to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that has bought it until the year of jubilee. And in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return to his possession. And if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold. He may redeem it within a full year. And if it is not redeemed within the time of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall be made sure forever to its buyer throughout his generations. It shall not go out in the jubilee.
And if your brother who lives beside you has become poor, and is sold to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a bond-servant. As a hired servant, as a temporary resident, he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the year of jubilee. read more. And he shall depart from you, he and his sons with him, and shall return to his own family. And he shall return to the possession of his fathers. For they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as a slave.
And if an alien or a tenant lifts up a hand among you, and your brother who dwells beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the alien or tenant by you, or to the offshoot of the alien's family, after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; read more. either his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him, or any that is near of kin to him of his family may redeem him. Or if he is able, he may redeem himself. And he shall count with his buyer from the year that he was sold to him, until the year of jubilee. And the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years, according to the time of a hired servant it shall be with him. If there are still many years, he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the silver that he was bought for, according to the years. And if there remain but few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall count with him, and according to his years he shall give him again the price of his redemption. As a yearly hired servant he shall be with him; he shall not rule with harshness in your sight. And if he is not redeemed in this way, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he and his sons with him.
At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year, and shall lay it up inside your gates. And the Levite, because he has no part nor inheritance with you, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are inside your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied, so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
except when there shall be no poor among you. For Jehovah shall greatly bless you in the land which Jehovah your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it,
If there is among you a poor man of one of your brothers inside any of your gates in your land which Jehovah your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother. But you shall open your hand wide to him, and shall surely lend him enough for his need, that which he lacks. read more. Beware that there is not a thought in your wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand, and your eye may be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing. And he may cry to Jehovah against you, and it is sin to you. You shall surely give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing Jehovah your God shall bless you in all your works, and in all that you put your hand to. For the poor shall never cease out of the land. Therefore, I command you saying, You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land.
For the poor shall never cease out of the land. Therefore, I command you saying, You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land.
For the poor shall never cease out of the land. Therefore, I command you saying, You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land. If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. read more. And when you send him out free from you, you shall not let him go away empty. You shall richly bestow on him from your flock, and from your grain floor, and from your winepress; with what Jehovah your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah your God redeemed you. Therefore I command you this thing today.
And you shall rejoice before Jehovah your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male servant, and your slave girl, and the Levite inside your gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, those among you, in the place which Jehovah your God has chosen to place His name there.
And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male slave, and your slave-girl, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow inside your gates.
When you loan a loan of any kind to your brother, you shall not go into his house to bring forth his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you loan shall bring the pledge outside to you. read more. And if the man is poor, you shall not sleep with his pledge. You shall certainly give back to him the pledge at sundown, that he may sleep in his own clothing, and bless you. And it shall be righteousness to you before Jehovah your God.
When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to bring it. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand.
When you gather the grapes from your vineyard, you shall not glean afterward. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
When you have made an end of tithing all the tithes of your increase the third year, the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (that they may eat inside your gates and be filled), then you shall say before Jehovah your God, I have brought away the holy 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 Your commandments which You have commanded me. I have not broken Your commandments, neither have I forgotten.
And Ruth of Moab said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.
on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes torn and earth upon his head. And it happened when he came to David, he fell to the earth and bowed to him.
Then he said to them, Go eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our LORD. And do not be sorry, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.
And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and did not know him, they lifted up their voice and wept. And each one tore his robe, and they sprinkled dust upon their heads toward Heaven.
For he pressed down and forsook the poor; he stole a house, but he had not built it.
They drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They turn the needy out of the way; the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge from the poor. They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
For the ear heard and blessed me. And the eye saw me and witnessed to me. For I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help him. read more. The blessing of the perishing came on me; and I caused the widow's heart to sing. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my judgment was like a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the poor; and the cause which I did not know, I searched out.
or have eaten my bit alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it,
to turn aside the needy from judgment, and to steal the right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and they rob the orphans!
They have become fat, they shine. Yes, they go past the deeds of the wicked; they do not judge the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may get rich; and they do not judge the right of the needy.
Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his upper rooms without justice; his neighbor serves without pay, and he does not give him for his work;
He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him. Was this not to know Me? says Jehovah.
has ill-treated the poor and needy; thieving, he stole; has not given back the pledge; and has lifted up his eyes to the idols; has committed abomination;
nor has ill-treated any man; has not withheld the pledge; nor has robbed by violence; but has given his bread to the hungry; and has covered the naked with clothes; has withdrawn his hand from the poor; has not received usury nor increase; has done My judgments; has walked in My statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father; he shall surely live.
The people of the land have used oppression and practiced robbery, and they have troubled the poor and needy. Yea, they have oppressed the stranger without right.
panting after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turning aside the way of the meek. And a man and his father will go in to the same woman, to defile My holy name.
And they came to Jericho. And as He with His disciples and a large crowd went out of Jericho, blind Bartimeus, the son of Timeus, was sitting by the side of the highway, begging.
He answered and said to them, He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise.
But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. But even the dogs came and licked his sores.
And as He came near Jericho, it happened that a certain blind man sat by the roadside begging.
Then the neighbors and those who had seen him before, that he was blind, said, Is this not he who was sitting and begging?
And a certain man, who was lame from his mother's womb, was being carried. And they laid him daily at that temple gate which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered into the temple.
And in those days, the disciples having multiplied, a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews occurred, because their widows were overlooked in the daily serving.
For it has pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints in Jerusalem.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, in order that you might be made rich through His poverty.
Only they asked that we remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.
Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, so that he may have something to give to him who needs.
and that you try earnestly to be quiet and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,
If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
Hastings
Morish
It was said in the O.T. that "the poor should never cease out of the land," and in the enactments of the law they were cared for by Jehovah. The Lord said, "Ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good." Mr 14:7. "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." Ps 41:1. "The poor have the gospel preached unto them." Mt 11:5. "When thou makest a feast call the poor." Lu 14:13. "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord." Pr 19:17. Other passages show that the working of the love of God in the soul issues in a special regard for the poor. Ga 2:10. Of the Lord Jesus it is said, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor. 2Co 8:9.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Blessed is he who acts wisely toward the poor; Jehovah will deliver him in time of trouble.
He who has pity upon the poor lends to Jehovah, and He will reward his dealing to him.
the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them.
For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you desire you may do them good. But you do not have Me always.
But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, in order that you might be made rich through His poverty.
Only they asked that we remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.
Smith
Poor.
The general kindly spirit of the law toward the poor is sufficiently shown by such passages as
De 15:7
for the reason that (ver. 11) "the poor shall never cease out of the land." Among the special enactments in their favor the following must be mentioned:
1. The right of gleaning.
Le 19:9-10; De 24:19,21
2. From the produce of the land in sabbatical years the poor and the stranger were to have their portion.
3. Re-entry upon land in the jubilee year, with the limitation as to town homes.
4. Prohibition of usury and of retention of pledges.
Ex 22:25-27; 5/3/type/mkjv'>Le 25:3,5,37
etc.
5. Permanent bondage forbidden, and manumission of Hebrew bondmen or bondwomen enjoined in the sabbatical and jubilee years.
Le 25:39-42,47-54; De 15:12-15
6. Portions from the tithes to be shared by the poor after the Levites.
De 14:28; 26:12-13
7. The poor to partake in entertainments at the feasts of Weeks and Tabernacles.
De 16:11,14
see Nehe 8:10
8. Daily payment of wages.
Principles similar to those laid down by Moses are inculcated in the New Testament, as
See Verses Found in Dictionary
If you lend money to one of My people who is poor beside you, you shall not be to him as a money-lender, neither shall you lay upon him interest. If you at all take your neighbor's clothing as a pledge, you shall deliver it to him by the time the sun goes down. read more. For that is his covering only, it is his clothing for his skin. In what shall he sleep? And it will be, when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
But the seventh year you shall let it rest and let it alone, so that the poor of your people may eat. And what they leave, the animals of the field shall eat. In the same way you shall deal with your vineyard and with your oliveyard.
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field. And you shall not gather the gleaning of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard. And you shall not gather the leavings of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am Jehovah your God.
You shall not defraud your neighbor nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not stay with you until the morning.
You shall sow your field six years, and you shall prune your vineyard six years, and gather in the fruit of it.
You shall not reap that which grows of its own accord of your harvest, neither gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It is a year of rest to the land.
If your brother has become poor, and has sold his property, and if any of his relatives comes to redeem it, then he shall redeem that which his brother sold. And if the man has no redeemer, and he himself is able to redeem it, and he has enough for its redemption; read more. then let him count the years of the sale of it, and restore the overplus to the man to whom he sold it, so that he may return to his possession. But if he is not able to restore to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that has bought it until the year of jubilee. And in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return to his possession. And if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold. He may redeem it within a full year. And if it is not redeemed within the time of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall be made sure forever to its buyer throughout his generations. It shall not go out in the jubilee.
You shall not give him your silver on interest, nor lend him your food for increase.
And if your brother who lives beside you has become poor, and is sold to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a bond-servant. As a hired servant, as a temporary resident, he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the year of jubilee. read more. And he shall depart from you, he and his sons with him, and shall return to his own family. And he shall return to the possession of his fathers. For they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as a slave.
And if an alien or a tenant lifts up a hand among you, and your brother who dwells beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the alien or tenant by you, or to the offshoot of the alien's family, after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; read more. either his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him, or any that is near of kin to him of his family may redeem him. Or if he is able, he may redeem himself. And he shall count with his buyer from the year that he was sold to him, until the year of jubilee. And the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years, according to the time of a hired servant it shall be with him. If there are still many years, he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the silver that he was bought for, according to the years. And if there remain but few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall count with him, and according to his years he shall give him again the price of his redemption. As a yearly hired servant he shall be with him; he shall not rule with harshness in your sight. And if he is not redeemed in this way, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he and his sons with him.
At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year, and shall lay it up inside your gates.
If there is among you a poor man of one of your brothers inside any of your gates in your land which Jehovah your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother.
If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you send him out free from you, you shall not let him go away empty. read more. You shall richly bestow on him from your flock, and from your grain floor, and from your winepress; with what Jehovah your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah your God redeemed you. Therefore I command you this thing today.
And you shall rejoice before Jehovah your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male servant, and your slave girl, and the Levite inside your gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, those among you, in the place which Jehovah your God has chosen to place His name there.
And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male slave, and your slave-girl, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow inside your gates.
When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to bring it. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand.
When you gather the grapes from your vineyard, you shall not glean afterward. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
When you have made an end of tithing all the tithes of your increase the third year, the year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (that they may eat inside your gates and be filled), then you shall say before Jehovah your God, I have brought away the holy 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 Your commandments which You have commanded me. I have not broken Your commandments, neither have I forgotten.
And in those days, the disciples having multiplied, a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews occurred, because their widows were overlooked in the daily serving.
Only they asked that we remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.
If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,