He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty.
- KJV He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
- BSB Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.
- NASB One who oppresses the poor to make more for himself, Or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
- NLT A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.
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
Oppressing the poor for gain or bribing the rich both lead to loss. It matters because exploiting and flattering for self-interest ends in poverty.
Overview
Whether crushing the poor to enrich oneself or lavishing on the already wealthy to curry favor, both selfish strategies ultimately come to ruin (Proverbs 28:8; 11:24). The verse warns that unjust and self-serving uses of wealth backfire. God's justice overturns the schemes of those who oppress the weak.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 22:22–23Don’t exploit the poor, because he is poor; and don’t crush the needy in court;
- Jas 2:13For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Jas 5:1–5Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.
- Ps 12:5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”
- Luke 6:33–35If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
- Luke 14:12–14He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back.
- Prov 14:31He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors him.
- Prov 28:3A needy man who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain which leaves no crops.
- Job 20:19–29For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor. He has violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up.
- Prov 28:22A stingy man hurries after riches, and doesn’t know that poverty waits for him.
- Luke 16:24He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’
- Mic 2:2–3They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
- Zech 7:9–14“Thus has Yahweh of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.
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 22:16 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.