Poor

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

Atonement money of, uniform with that of the rich people

• Exodus 30:15 In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.

Inexpensive offerings of people who have very little money

• Leviticus 5:7 If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons — one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.
• Leviticus 12:8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
• Leviticus 14:21–22 If, however, the person is poor and cannot afford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, and two turtledoves or two young pige…

See Alms

See Beneficence

See Liberality

See Orphans

See Poverty

See Widows

Also see [3102]RICH

See Riches

Unclassified Scriptures Relating to

• Exodus 23:3 And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
• Exodus 23:6 You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
• Leviticus 19:15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
• 1 Samuel 2:7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
• Nehemiah 8:10 Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
• Nehemiah 8:12 Then all the people began to eat and drink, to send out portions, and to rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.
• Job 29:11–13 For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper. The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
• Job 29:15–16 I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.
• Job 30:25 Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?
• Job 31:15–22 Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb? If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail, if I have eaten my morsel alone, not sharing it with the fatherless — though from my youth I reared him as would a father, and f…

Duty to

• Exodus 22:25–27 If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in…
• Exodus 23:11 but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.
• Leviticus 19:9–10 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
• Leviticus 23:22 When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”
• Leviticus 25:25–28 If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold. Or if a man has no one to redeem it for him, but he prospers and acquires enough to redeem his land, he shall calculate the years since its sale, repay the balance…
• Leviticus 25:35–37 Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. You must…
• Leviticus 25:39–43 If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his c…
• Deuteronomy 14:28–29 At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it up within your gates. Then the Levite (because he has no portion or inheritance among you), the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come and eat and be satisfied. And the LORD your…
• Deuteronomy 15:2–14 This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed. You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother…
• Deuteronomy 24:12–21 If he is a poor man, you must not go to sleep with the security in your possession; be sure to return it to him by sunset, so that he may sleep in his own cloak and bless you, and this will be credited to you as righteousness before the LORD your God. Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and nee…

Figurative

Poor in spirit

• Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Luke 6:20 Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
• Isaiah 66:2 Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.

See Creditor

See Debtor

See Employee

See Employer

See Servants

See Wages

God' S Care of 1sa 2:7; Job 5:15,16; 31:15; 34:18,19,28; 36:6,15; Psa 9:18; 10:14; 12:5; 14:6; 34:6; 35:10; 68:10; 69:33; 72:2,4,12-14; 74:21; 102:17; 107:9,36,41; 109:31; 113:7,8; 132:15; 140:12; 146:5,7; Pro 22:2,22,23; 29:13; Ecc 5:8; Isa 11:4; 14:30,32; 25:4; 29:19; 41:17; Jer 20:13; Zep 3:12; Zec 11:7; Mat 11:5; Luk 4:18; 7:22; 16:22; Jas 2:5

See GOD, GOODNESS OF

See GOD, PROVIDENCE OF

Kindness to

Instances of

To Ruth

• Ruth 2:23 So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean grain until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

By Boaz

• Ruth 2:14–16 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over. When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz ordered his young men, “Even if she gathe…

To the Widow of Zarephath

• 1 Kings 17:12–24 But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread— only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.” “Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her.…

Prophet' s widow

• 2 Kings 4:1–7 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!” “How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house…

Jews

• Esther 9:22 as the days on which the Jews gained rest from their enemies and the month in which their sorrow turned to joy and their mourning into a holiday. He wrote that these were to be days of feasting and joy, of sending gifts to one another and to the poor.

By JOB

• Job 29:11–16 For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper. The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turb…
• Job 31:16–21 If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail, if I have eaten my morsel alone, not sharing it with the fatherless — though from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow — if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or…
• Job 31:38–40 if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together, if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants, then let briers grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.” Thus conclude the words of Job.

The Temanites

• Isaiah 21:14 Bring water for the thirsty, O dwellers of Tema; meet the refugees with food.

Nebuzaradan

• Jeremiah 39:10 But Nebuzaradan left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who had no property, and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

The Good Samaritan

• Luke 10:33–35 But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘…

Zacchaeus

• Luke 19:8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”

Congregations

• Acts 6:1 In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food .
• Acts 11:29 So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
• Romans 15:25–26 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem to serve the saints there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
• 2 Corinthians 8:1–4 Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia. In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity. For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord…

Dorcas

• Acts 9:36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas), who was always occupied with works of kindness and charity.

Cornelius

• Acts 10:2 He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.
• Acts 10:4 Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

The congregation at Antioch (in Syria)

• Acts 11:29–30 So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul.

Paul

• Romans 15:25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem to serve the saints there.

Congregations of Macedonia and Achaia

• Romans 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
• 2 Corinthians 8:1–5 Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia. In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity. For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord…

Oppressions of

• Nehemiah 5:1–13 About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.” Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to ge…
• Job 20:19–21 For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build. Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure. Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure.
• Job 22:6–7 For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing. You gave no water to the weary and withheld food from the famished,
• Job 22:9–11 You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed. Therefore snares surround you, and sudden peril terrifies you; it is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
• Job 24:4 They push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
• Job 24:7–10 Without clothing, they spend the night naked; they have no covering against the cold. Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against the rocks for want of shelter. The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt. Without clothing, they wander a…
• Psalm 10:2 In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.
• Psalm 10:8–10 He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless. He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket; he lurks to seize the oppressed; he catches the lowly in his net. They are crushed and beaten down; the helpless fall prey to his strength.
• Psalm 37:14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
• Proverbs 14:20 The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but many are those who love the rich.

See POOR, DUTY TO

Instances of

The widow' s son

• 2 Kings 4:1–7 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!” “How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house…

See Creditor

See Debtor

See Servants

See Wages