Proverbs 18:23
New International Version
The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.

New Living Translation
The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.

English Standard Version
The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly.

Berean Standard Bible
The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly.

King James Bible
The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.

New King James Version
The poor man uses entreaties, But the rich answers roughly.

New American Standard Bible
A poor person utters pleadings, But a rich person answers defiantly.

NASB 1995
The poor man utters supplications, But the rich man answers roughly.

NASB 1977
The poor man utters supplications, But the rich man answers roughly.

Legacy Standard Bible
The poor man speaks supplications, But the rich man answers with strong words.

Amplified Bible
The poor man pleads, But the rich man answers roughly.

Christian Standard Bible
The poor person pleads, but the rich one answers roughly.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The poor man pleads, but the rich one answers roughly.

American Standard Version
The poor useth entreaties; But the rich answereth roughly.

Contemporary English Version
The poor must beg for help, but the rich can give a harsh reply.

English Revised Version
The poor useth entreaties: but the rich answereth roughly.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A poor person is timid when begging, but a rich person is blunt when replying.

Good News Translation
When the poor speak, they have to be polite, but when the rich answer, they are rude.

International Standard Version
The poor person pleads for mercy, but the wealthy man responds harshly.

Majority Standard Bible
The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly.

NET Bible
A poor person makes supplications, but a rich man answers harshly.

New Heart English Bible
The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.

Webster's Bible Translation
The poor useth entreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.

World English Bible
The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The poor speaks [with] supplications, "" And the rich answers fierce things.

Young's Literal Translation
With supplications doth the poor speak, And the rich answereth fierce things.

Smith's Literal Translation
The poor one will speak supplications; and the rich one will answer with vehemence.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The poor will speak with supplications, and the rich will speak roughly.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The poor will speak with supplications. And the rich will express themselves roughly.

New American Bible
The poor implore, but the rich answer harshly.

New Revised Standard Version
The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The poor speak humbly; but the rich talk of great things.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The poor man speaks humbly and the rich man speaks hard things.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The poor useth entreaties; But the rich answereth impudently.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Selfishness of the Unfriendly
22He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD. 23The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly. 24A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.…

Cross References
James 2:6
But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?

Luke 16:19-31
Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. / And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores / and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. ...

Job 34:28
They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him, and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.

Psalm 10:2
In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.

Psalm 72:4
May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.

Isaiah 3:14-15
The LORD brings this charge against the elders and leaders of His people: “You have devoured the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. / Why do you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:23-24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. / Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Ecclesiastes 9:16
And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

1 Samuel 2:7-8
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. / He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.

2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

Luke 6:20
Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Psalm 82:3-4
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed. / Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

Isaiah 32:7
The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.

Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.


Treasury of Scripture

The poor uses entreaties; but the rich answers roughly.

poor

Ruth 2:7
And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

1 Samuel 2:36
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

2 Kings 4:1,2
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen…

rich

Genesis 42:7,30
And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food…

Exodus 5:2
And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

1 Samuel 25:10,17
And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master…

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Answers Entreaties Fierce Gives Grace Harshly Makes Mercy Plead Pleads Poor Requests Rich Rough Roughly Speak Speaketh Supplications Use Useth Utters Wealth
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Proverbs 18
1. A fool delights not in understanding














The poor man pleads for mercy
This phrase highlights the socio-economic dynamics present in ancient Israelite society. The Hebrew word for "poor" is "רָשׁ" (rash), which refers to someone who is destitute or lacking in material wealth. In the biblical context, poverty was often associated with vulnerability and a lack of power. The verb "pleads" comes from the Hebrew "תַּחֲנוּן" (tachanun), which implies a heartfelt supplication or earnest request. This reflects the humble position of the poor, who often had to rely on the mercy and compassion of others for survival. The plea for mercy is not just a request for material assistance but also a cry for justice and dignity, resonating with the biblical theme of God's concern for the marginalized and oppressed.

but the rich man answers harshly
In contrast, the "rich man" is described using the Hebrew word "עָשִׁיר" (ashir), indicating someone with abundance and wealth. The phrase "answers harshly" is derived from the Hebrew "יַעֲנֶה עָז" (ya'aneh az), where "ya'aneh" means to respond or reply, and "az" conveys a sense of severity or cruelty. This reflects a common biblical critique of the wealthy who, insulated by their riches, may become indifferent or even contemptuous towards the needs of the poor. The harsh response underscores a moral failing, as it contrasts with the biblical call for the rich to act justly and show kindness. This dynamic serves as a cautionary tale about the spiritual dangers of wealth, echoing Jesus' teachings in the New Testament about the difficulty for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24). The verse challenges believers to reflect on their own attitudes towards wealth and to cultivate a spirit of generosity and compassion.

(23) The rich answereth roughly.--A warning against the hardening effect of riches. (Comp. Mark 10:23.)

Verse 23. - This and the following verse, and the first two verses of the next chapter, are not found in the chief manuscripts of the Septuagint, though in later codices they have been supplied from the version of Theodotion. The Codex Venetus Marcianus (23, Holmes and Parsons) is the only uncial that contains them. The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly. The irony of the passage is more strongly expressed by Siracides: "The rich man hath done wrong, and yet he threateneth withal: the poor is wronged, and he must intreat also" (Ecclus. 13:3). The rich man not only does wrong, but accompanies the injury with passionate language and abuse, as if he were the sufferer; while the poor man has humbly to ask pardon, as if he were in the wrong. Thus the Roman satirist writes -

"Libertas pauperis haec est:
Pulsatus rogat et pugnis concisus adorat,
Ut liceat paucis cum dentibus inde reverti."

(Juv., 'Sat.,' 3:299.) Aben Ezra explains the verse as denoting that a poor man making a submissive request from a rich man is answered cruelly and roughly. The hardening effect of wealth is seen in our Lord's parables of Dives and Lazarus (Luke 16), and the Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The poor man
רָ֑שׁ (rāš)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7326: To be in want or poor

pleads for mercy,
תַּחֲנוּנִ֥ים (ta·ḥă·nū·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8469: Supplication for favor

but the rich man
וְ֝עָשִׁ֗יר (wə·‘ā·šîr)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6223: Rich

answers
יַעֲנֶ֥ה (ya·‘ă·neh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

harshly.
עַזּֽוֹת׃ (‘az·zō·wṯ)
Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 5794: Strong, vehement, harsh


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 18:23 The poor plead for mercy (Prov. Pro Pr)
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