Proverbs 19:17
in Proverbs 19Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto Jehovah, And his good deed will he pay him again.
KJV
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
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This verse in Proverbs 19
Commentary
9 notes on this verseIf you help a poor person in the Name of the Lord, you are making a gift and at the same time granting a loan. You are making a gift because you have no expectation of being reimbursed by that poor person. You are granting a loan because the Lord will settle the account. It is not much that the Lord receives by means of the poor, but He will pay a great deal on their behalf.
This site's exposition
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord is the book's boldest banking image, giving to the poor recast as a loan made to God himself, who will repay what was given. Bridges reads the verse as turning ordinary charity into an act of faith, since the borrower named is one who cannot default. The promise is stated without qualification, and the commentators let the verse's own boldness stand rather than softening it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
The lesson, therefore, which he teaches us is love for the poor, which is precious in the sight of God. Do you feel pleasure in being praised when you have any friends or relatives feasting with you? I tell you of something far better: angels shall praise your bounty, and the rational powers above, and holy men as well; and he too shall accept it who transcends all, and who loves mercy and is kind. Lend to him fearing nothing, and you will receive with interest whatever you gave, for "he," it says, "who has pity on the poor lends unto God."
A commentator
John ChrysostomHOMILIES ON REPENTANCE AND ALMSGIVING 7:6.23 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
Let us lend to God almsgiving so we may receive from him clemency in exchange. Oh, how wise is this statement! "Whoever has mercy upon the poor lends to God." Why did he not say, "Whoever has mercy upon the poor gives to God" instead of "lends"? Scripture recognizes our greediness; it understood that our insatiate desire, which looks longingly toward greediness, asks for an excess. This is why it did not say simply, "Whoever has mercy upon the poor gives to God," so you may not think that the recompense will be customary; rather, it said, "Whoever has mercy upon the poor lends to God." Since God borrows from us, then, he is our debtor. How do we want to have him, as judge or debtor? The debtor is ashamed before his lender; the judge does not put to shame the one who borrows.
If a trustworthy man said to you, Give me one gold coin, and I will repay you one hundred solid gold coins, would you not gladly give him the one in order that you might receive the hundred? Now the God of heaven and earth …
The Medieval Church1 voice
"He who has mercy on the poor lends to the Lord," etc. The Lord himself proves the truth of this statement, when he predicts that he will say to those who give alms: "Insofar as you did it to one of these least of my …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He that hath pity unto the poor lendeth unto the Lord,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Note the original greatness of the thought. We give to the poor. Have we lost our gift? No, what we gave, we have lent to One who will repay with usury. Compare the yet nobler truth of our Lord’s teaching Mat 25:40.
Lendeth unto the Lord - O what a word is this! God makes himself debtor for every thing that is given to the poor! Who would not advance much upon such credit? God will pay it again. And in no case has he ever forfeited his word.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
He who keeps a commandment keeps his soul; he who despises his ways will die He does not take heed to weigh them.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מַלְוֵ֣ה | malveh | [is] lending to | H3867 → | 26 times |
| יְ֭הוָה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| ח֣וֹנֵֽן | chonen | [one who] shows favor to | H2603 → | 78 times |
| דָּ֑ל | dal | a poor [person] | H1800 → | 47 times |
| וּ֝גְמֻל֗וֹ | ugemulo | and recompense his | H1576 → | |
| יְשַׁלֶּם־ | yeshalem- | he will repay | H7999 → | 116 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ | lo | to him |
מַלְוֵ֣ה[is] lending to
malvehH3867 →26 times
יְ֭הוָהYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
ח֣וֹנֵֽן[one who] shows favor to
chonenH2603 →78 times
דָּ֑לa poor [person]
dalH1800 →47 times
וּ֝גְמֻל֗וֹand recompense his
ugemuloH1576 →
יְשַׁלֶּם־he will repay
yeshalem-H7999 →116 times
לֽוֹ׃to him
lo
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Luke 6:38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured…
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 9:6–8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
- Deuteronomy 15:10
Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything…
- Mark 4:24
He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.
- Proverbs 3:9–10
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;
- Matthew 7:2
For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
- 2 Corinthians 9:6–8
Through
Matthew 25:40And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
it leads to
- Matthew 10:42
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 14:31
Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
- Matthew 10:42
Through
Hebrews 6:10For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
it leads to
- Hebrews 13:16
And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
- Hebrews 13:16
About Proverbs
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Basil of Caesarea, Commentary (church-history corpus); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 158:6; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 103; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON REPENTANCE AND ALMSGIVING 7:6.23; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.