Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
- BSB He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over 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 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 14:31He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
- Job 31:29If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:
- 1 Jn 3:17But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
- Obad 1:11–13In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.
- Prov 24:17–18Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
- Prov 14:21He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
- Prov 16:5Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
- Rom 12:15Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
- Ps 69:9For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
- Jer 17:16As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.
- Obad 1:16For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.
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
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.