Proverbs 14:31

He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
oppresseth	עֹ֣שֵֽׁק 'O.shek-	H6231	to press upon · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
poor	דָּ֭ל dal	H1800	properly · adjective, masculine singular absolute
reproacheth	חֵרֵ֣ף che.Ref	H2778	to pull off · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Maker	עֹשֵׂ֑הוּ 'o.Se.hu	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
honoureth	וּ֝מְכַבְּד֗וֹ u.me.kha.be.Do	H3513	to be heavy · conjunction + verb, piel active participle, masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
mercy	חֹנֵ֥ן cho.Nen	H2603	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
poor	אֶבְיֽוֹן 'ev.Yon	H34	destitute · adjective, masculine singular absolute

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

Proverbs 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
Proverbs 17:5 Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.
Proverbs 22:16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
Proverbs 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
1 John 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Ecclesiastes 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he tha…
Psalms 12:5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffe…
1 John 3:17-21 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 14:31

God is here pleased to interest himself more than one would imagine in the treatment given to the poor. 1. He reckons himself affronted in the injuries that are done them. Whosoever he be that wrongs a poor man, taking advantage against him because he is poor and cannot help himself, let him know that he puts an affront upon his Maker. God made him, and gave him his being, the same that is the author of our being; we have all one Father, one Maker; see how Job considered this, Job 31:15. God made him poor, and appointed him his lot, so that, if we deal hardly with any because they are poor, we reflect upon God as dealing hardly with them in laying them low, that they might be trampled upon.…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 14:31

reproacheth his Maker--who is the God of such, as well as of the rich (Pro 22:2; Job 31:15; and specially Sa1 2:8; Psa 113:7).

John Gill on Proverbs 14:31

He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker,.... That does him any injury, either by scoffing at him, and reproaching him for his poverty; or by vexatious law suits; or by withholding from him his wages; or not giving him that relief which he ought: such an one not only injures the poor man; but reproaches God that made him, not only a man, but a poor man; and who is the Maker of the rich man also, Proverbs 22:2; but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor; he that is desirous of honouring God, and glorifying him, will give of his substance to the poor; having compassion on him in his necessitous circumstances, will relieve him; and in so doing he honours God, whose image the poo…

Read the whole note in the console

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 14:31

31 He who oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker; And whosoever is merciful to the poor, it is an honour to him. Line first is repeated in Pro 17:5 somewhat varied, and the relation of the idea in 31b is as Pro 19:17, according to which וּמכבּדו is the predicate and חונן אביון the subject (Symmachus, Targ., Jerome, Venet., Luther), not the reverse (Syr.); חונן is thus not the 3 per. Po. (lxx), but the part. Kal (for which 21b has the part. Po. מחונן). The predicates חרף עשׂהוּ (vid., regarding the perf. Gesen. 126, 3) and ומכבדו follow one another after the scheme of the Chiasmus. עשׁק has Munach on the first syllable, on which the tone is thrown back, and on the second the העמדה sign (vi…

The Church Fathers

"He who slanders the poor irritates his own Maker." Here there are two sins: slander and opposition to the poor. Why does he irritate his Maker? His Maker certainly made him and made it easy for him to be subjected to a tongue of a slanderer. "He who really honors God has pity upon the needy." If God made the poor, why must the poor be pitied? Certainly I heard many saying: Is there any need to pity the poor man whom God would have not made poor if he loved him? How long will we play with our salvation? How long will we laugh at things in which the one who is wicked and loaded with countless sins should tremble and fear and be terrified? Tell me then whom God did favor: did he favor either Lazarus or the rich man? This is what ruins us, the fact that we easily slip into [bad] jokes.
— John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON, FRAGMENT 14:31

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Alms — Not found in the Old Testament, but repeatedly in the New. The Mosaic legislation (Lev. 25:35; Deut. 15:7) tended to promote a spirit of charity, and to prevent the occurrence of destitution among…
Mercy · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Oppression · 23:15,16;24:14,15; — 23:15,16;24:14,15;
Poor · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Poor, The · By oppressing, God is reproached — By oppressing, God is reproached
Reviling And Reproaching · The wicked utter, against: God, by opposing the poor — The wicked utter, against: God, by opposing the poor

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 14:31

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 14:31

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 14:31

John Gill on Proverbs 14:31

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 14:31

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 14:31

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 14:31

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 14:31

John Gill on Proverbs 14:31

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 14:31

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 14:31

Rashi on Proverbs 14:30