Deuteronomy 15:11

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
poor	אֶבְי֖וֹן 'ev.Yon	H34	destitute · adjective, masculine singular absolute
cease	יֶחְדַּ֥ל yech.Dal	H2308	properly · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
of	מִקֶּ֣רֶב mi.Ke.rev	H7130	properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
land	הָאָ֑רֶץ ha.'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
command	מְצַוְּךָ֙ me.tza.ve.Kha	H6680	(intensively) to constitute · verb, piel active participle, masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
saying	לֵאמֹ֔ר le.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
open	פָּ֠תֹחַ Pa.to.ach	H6605	to open wide (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal infinitive absolute
hand	יָדְךָ֜ ya.de.Kha	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
wide	תִּפְתַּ֨ח tif.Tach	H6605	to open wide (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
brother	לְאָחִ֧יךָ le.'a.Chi.kha	H251	a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relation… · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
poor	לַעֲנִיֶּ֛ךָ la.'a.ni.Ye.kha	H6041	depressed · preposition + adjective, masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
needy	וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ u.le.'ev.yo.ne.Kha	H34	destitute · conjunction + preposition + adjective, masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
land	בְּאַרְצֶֽךָ be.'ar.Tze.kha	H776	the earth (at large · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Matthew 26:11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
Mark 14:7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
John 12:8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
Deuteronomy 15:8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
Proverbs 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
1 John 3:16-18 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Acts 4:32-35 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he posses…
Luke 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief appr…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Here is, I. A law for the relief of poor debtors, such (we may suppose) as were insolvent. Every seventh year was a year of release, in which the ground rested from being tilled and servants were discharged from their services; and, among other acts of grace, this was one, that those who had borrowed money, and had not been able to pay it before, should this year be released from it; and though, if they were able, they were afterwards bound in conscience to repay it, yet thenceforth the creditor should never recover it by law. Many good expositors think it only forbids the exacting of the debt in the year of release, because, no harvest being gathered in that year, it could not be expected t…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 15:11

For the poor shall never cease out of the land--Although every Israelite on the conquest of Canaan became the owner of property, yet in the providence of God who foresaw the event, it was permitted, partly as a punishment of disobedience and partly for the exercise of benevolent and charitable feelings, that "the poor should never cease out of the land."

John Gill on Deuteronomy 15:11

For the poor shall never cease out of the land,.... There would be always such objects to exercise their charity and beneficence towards, John 12:8, which is no contradiction to Deuteronomy 15:4 for had they been obedient to the laws of God, they would have been so blessed that there would have been none; so the Targums; but he foresaw that they would not keep his commands, and so this would be the case, and which he foretells that they might expect it, and do their duty to them, as here directed: therefore I command thee, saying, thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother; not give sparingly, but largely, in proportion to the necessities of the poor, and according to the abilities of…

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John Calvin on Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Dictionary and topics

Beg — That the poor existed among the Hebrews we have abundant evidence (Ex. 23:11; Deut. 15:11), but there is no mention of beggars properly so called in the Old Testament. The poor were provided for by…
Debt — The Mosaic law encouraged the practice of lending (Deut. 15:7; Ps. 37:26; Matt. 5:42); but it forbade the exaction of interest except from foreigners. Usury was strongly condemned (Prov. 28:8; Ezek.…
Debtor — Various regulations as to the relation between debtor and creditor are laid down in the Scriptures. (1.) The debtor was to deliver up as a pledge to the creditor what he could most easily dispense…
Necromancer — (Deut. 15:11), i.e., “one who interrogates the dead,” as the word literally means, with the view of discovering the secrets of futurity (comp. 1 Sam. 28:7). (See DIVINATION.)
Poor — The Mosaic legislation regarding the poor is specially important. (1.) They had the right of gleaning the fields (Lev. 19:9, 10; Deut. 24:19, 21). (2.) In the sabbatical year they were to have their…
Sabbatical year — Every seventh year, during which the land, according to the law of Moses, had to remain uncultivated (Lev. 25:2-7; comp. Ex. 23:10, 11, 12; Lev. 26:34, 35). Whatever grew of itself during that year…
Beneficence · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Feast Of Sabbatical Year, The · Release of, not to hinder the exercise of benevolence — Release of, not to hinder the exercise of benevolence
Fraternity · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Lending · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Liberality

Deuteronomy 15:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 15:11

John Gill on Deuteronomy 15:11

John Calvin on Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Dictionary and topics

Deuteronomy 15:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 15:11

John Gill on Deuteronomy 15:11

John Calvin on Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Deuteronomy 15:11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Deuteronomy 15:11

Rashi on Deuteronomy 15:11