If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.
Parallel translations
- WEB If you take advantage of them at all, and they cry at all to me, I will surely hear their cry;
- KJV If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
- NKJV If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry;
- NASB If you oppress him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will assuredly hear his cry;
- NLT If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
If the vulnerable are mistreated and cry out, God will surely hear them. The oppressed have a direct advocate in the Lord.
Overview
God personally pledges to hear the cry of the afflicted widow and orphan, just as He heard Israel's groaning in Egypt. This assures the powerless that their suffering does not escape His notice. The God who hears the cry of the oppressed answers ultimately in Christ, who bore our griefs and intercedes for us.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Job 34:28They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him, and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.
- Ps 10:17–18You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear,
- Ps 18:6In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.
- Luke 18:7Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help?
- Deut 15:9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
- Job 35:9Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.
- Jas 5:4Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
- Ps 145:19He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.
- Ps 146:7–9He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,
- Job 31:38–39if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,
- Ps 140:12I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor and defends the cause of the needy.
- Deut 24:15You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
- Prov 23:10–11Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
- Prov 22:22–23Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 22:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.