He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
- KJV Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.
- ESV Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
- NKJV He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
- NASB One who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; One who rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.
- NLT Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Mocking the poor insults God their Maker, and gloating over disaster invites punishment. It matters because how we treat the poor reflects our reverence, or contempt, for God.
Overview
This proverb teaches that scorn for the poor is an affront to the Creator who made them, and that rejoicing over others' calamity brings judgment. All people bear God's image, so despising the lowly dishonors Him. It reflects God's tender concern for the poor and warns against a cruel, gloating heart (Proverbs 14:31).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Prov 14:31Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
- Job 31:29If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin, or exulted when evil befell him—
- 1 Jn 3:17If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
- Obad 1:11–13On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them.
- Prov 24:17–18Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
- Prov 14:21He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor.
- Prov 16:5Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.
- Rom 12:15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
- Ps 69:9because zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.
- Jer 17:16But I have not run away from being Your shepherd; I have not desired the day of despair. You know that the utterance of my lips was spoken in Your presence.
- Obad 1:16For as you drank on My holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and gulp it down; they will be as if they had never existed.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 17:5 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.