Penury, a term denoting extreme poverty or destitution, is a condition that is addressed in various contexts throughout the Bible. The Scriptures provide insight into the causes, consequences, and responses to penury, emphasizing both the spiritual and practical dimensions of this state.

Biblical References and Context

The Bible frequently addresses the plight of the poor and the responsibility of the community to care for those in penury. In the Old Testament, the Mosaic Law includes numerous provisions for the poor, such as the gleaning laws found in 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."

The wisdom literature also speaks to the condition of penury. Proverbs 14:31 states, "Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him." This verse highlights the moral and spiritual implications of how one treats those in poverty, suggesting that kindness to the poor is a form of honoring God.

In the New Testament, Jesus' teachings further illuminate the spiritual significance of penury. In the Beatitudes, Jesus declares, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). This statement suggests a spiritual dimension to poverty, where recognition of one's spiritual neediness is a pathway to divine blessing.

Causes and Consequences

The Bible acknowledges various causes of penury, including laziness, injustice, and calamity. Proverbs 6:10-11 warns, "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit." This passage suggests that personal negligence can lead to poverty.

Conversely, the Bible also recognizes that penury can result from external factors such as oppression and injustice. Ecclesiastes 4:1 observes, "Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors, and they have no comforter."

Responses to Penury

Scripture calls for a compassionate response to those in penury. The early church exemplified this in Acts 4:34-35 : "There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need." This communal sharing reflects the Christian ethic of generosity and care for the poor.

Moreover, the Bible encourages believers to trust in God's provision. Philippians 4:19 assures, "And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This promise underscores the belief that God is attentive to the needs of His people, even in times of penury.

Spiritual Implications

Penury is not only a physical condition but also carries spiritual implications. The Bible often contrasts material wealth with spiritual richness, urging believers to prioritize their relationship with God over earthly possessions. In Revelation 3:17-18 , the church in Laodicea is admonished: "You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich; white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see."

Thus, penury in the biblical sense encompasses both a material and spiritual dimension, calling for a response of compassion, trust in divine provision, and a focus on spiritual wealth.1. (n.) Absence of resources; indigence; extreme poverty; destitution.

2. (n.) Penuriousness; miserliness.

PENURY

pen'-u-ri (machcor): In Proverbs 14:23, with sense of "poverty," "want": "The talk of the lips tendeth only to penury." In the New Testament the word in Luke 21:4 (husterema) is in the Revised Version (British and American) translated "want" (of the widow's mites).

PLAIN OF THE VINEYARDS

See ABEL-CHERAMIM.

PLAIN, CITIES OF THE

See CITIES OF THE PLAIN.

SEA OF THE PLAIN (ARABAH)

ar'-a-ba).

See DEAD SEA.

5304. husteresis -- need, want
... need, want, poverty. A falling short, ie (specially), penury -- want. (ustereseos) --
1 Occurrence. (usteresin) -- 1 Occurrence. 5303, 5304. husteresis. 5305 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5304.htm - 6k

5303. husterema -- that which is lacking, need
... need, want. From hustereo; a deficit; specially, poverty -- that which is behind,
(that which was) lack(-ing), penury, want. see GREEK hustereo. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5303.htm - 7k

4270. machsor -- a need, thing needed, poverty
... lack, need, penury, poor, poverty, want. Or machcor {makh-sore'}; from chacer;
deficiency; hence, impoverishment -- lack, need, penury, poor, poverty, want. ...
/hebrew/4270.htm - 6k

Matt. xxvi. 17, 18
... "But those do not aim blows at the face." In the first place, the covetous do even
this, and if not all, yet do all inflict by famine and penury more grievous ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily lxxxi matt xxvi 17.htm

Healing for the Wounded
... the mourner need not despair. Penury has also contributed its share to
the number of the army of misery. Pinching want, a noble ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/healing for the wounded.htm

The Duty of Remembering the Poor
... control. But he does not choose to do so; he allows them to suffer want,
he allows them to pine in penury and obscurity. Why is this? ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the duty of remembering the.htm

Ephesians v. 15, 16, 17
... all things.". What then? Are we to give thanks for everything that befalls
us? Yes; be it even disease, be it even penury. For if ...
/.../homily xix ephesians v 15.htm

George Buchanan, Scholar
... went to France once more; and "fell," he says, "into the flames of the Lutheran
sect, which was then spreading far and wide." Two years of penury followed; and ...
/.../kingsley/historical lectures and essays/george buchanan scholar.htm

The Exaltation of Christ
... stage of man"to have no wish, no thought, no desire but Christ"to feel that to die
were bliss, if it were for Christ"that to live in penury and woe, and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the exaltation of christ.htm

The Great Proclamation
... thee and me, and all our brethren, in the amplitude of its promise, than it does
when it sets up as the sole qualifications thirst and penury"that we ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the great proclamation.htm

The Epistle of Ignatius to St. John the Apostle
... And, as they report, she is cheerful in persecutions and afflictions, free from
murmuring in the midst of penury and want, grateful to those that injure her ...
/.../the epistle of ignatius to.htm

Carey's Last Days
... Not in the penury of Hackleton and Moulton, not in the hardships of Calcutta and
the Soondarbans, not in the fevers of the swamps of Dinapoor, not in the ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter xvi careys last days.htm

The Lessons from Olivet
... And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than
they all;"for she of her penury hath cast in all the living she had ...
/.../newton/the life of jesus christ for the young/the lessons from olivet.htm

Penury (4 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Penuriousness; miserliness. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. PENURY. ...
ar'-a-ba). See DEAD SEA. Multi-Version Concordance Penury (4 Occurrences). ...
/p/penury.htm - 8k

Roving (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Roving (4 Occurrences). Proverbs 6:11 So shall thy poverty
come as a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man. (DBY). ...
/r/roving.htm - 7k

Plunderer (4 Occurrences)
... plunderer.' (YLT). Proverbs 6:11 So shall thy poverty come as a roving
plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man. (DBY). Proverbs ...
/p/plunderer.htm - 7k

People (13047 Occurrences)

/p/people.htm - 14k

Offering (850 Occurrences)
... Luke 21:4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God:
but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. ...
/o/offering.htm - 39k

Offerings (480 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Luke 21:4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings
of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. ...
/o/offerings.htm - 38k

Want (607 Occurrences)
... and clothing. 2. (vi) Specifically, absence or lack of necessaries;
destitution; poverty; penury; indigence; need. 3. (vi) That ...
/w/want.htm - 7k

Tendeth (7 Occurrences)
... (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). Proverbs 14:23 In all labour there is profit: but the
talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). ...
/t/tendeth.htm - 8k

Tends (8 Occurrences)
... doing. (See RSV). Proverbs 14:23 In all labour there is profit; but the talk
of the lips tendeth only to penury. (See RSV). Proverbs ...
/t/tends.htm - 8k

Penu'el (7 Occurrences)
Penu'el. Penuel, Penu'el. Penury . Multi-Version Concordance Penu'el (7
Occurrences). ... (See RSV). Penuel, Penu'el. Penury . Reference Bible.
/p/penu'el.htm - 8k

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