Deuteronomy 15:11

Deuteronomy 15:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
• New International Version (NIV)There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

Context of Deuteronomy 15:11

9Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. 10You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’ 12“If your kinsman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, then he shall serve you six years, but in the seventh year you shall set him free. 13When you set him free, you shall not send him away empty-handed.

Deuteronomy 15:11 word by word

כִּ֛י לֹא־יֶחְדַּ֥ל אֶבְי֖וֹן מִקֶּ֣רֶב הָאָ֑רֶץ עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָנֹכִ֤י מְצַוְּךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פָּ֠תֹחַ תִּפְתַּ֨ח אֶת־יָדְךָ֜ לְאָחִ֧יךָ לַעֲנִיֶּ֛ךָ וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ בְּאַרְצֶֽךָ׃ סRead the interlinear

• For the poorאֶבְיוֹן'ebyôn · needyH34
• will neverלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• ceaseחָדַלchâdal · to ceaseH2308
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• thereforeעַל‛al · uponH5921
• thereforeכֵּןkên · soH3651
• I commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
• you, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• You shall freelyפָּתַחpâthach · to openH6605
• your handיָדyâd · handH3027
• to your brotherאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
• to your needyעָנִי‛ânîy · afflictedH6041

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 15:11

• Proverbs 22:2The rich and the poor have a common bond, The Lord is the maker of them all.
• Matthew 26:11For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.
• Mark 14:7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me.
• John 12:8For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
• Deuteronomy 15:8but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.
• Matthew 5:42Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
• Luke 12:33“Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.
• Acts 2:45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
• Acts 4:32And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.
• Acts 11:28One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius.
• 2 Corinthians 8:2that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
• 1 John 3:16We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 15:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11For the poor shall never cease out of the land - To this passage our Lord appears to allude Mark 14:7; : For ye have the poor with you always. God leaves these in mercy among men to exercise the feelings of compassion, tenderness, mercy, etc. And without occasions afforded to exercise these, man would soon become a Stoic or a brute.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-11Verses 1-11 The year of release is no doubt identical with the sabbatical year of the earlier legislation (Exodus 23:10 ff, and Leviticus 25:2 ff), the command of the older legislation being here amplified. The release was probably for the year, not total and final, and had reference only to loans lent because of poverty (compare Deuteronomy 15:4, Deuteronomy 15:7). Yet even so the law was found to be too stringent for the avarice of the people, because…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11The fact that some people will always be poor in an imperfect world is not an excuse to ignore their struggles. Instead, it emphasizes the need for wealthy individuals to help improve the lives of the poor (Matthew 26:6–13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-117-11. If there be among you a poor man ... thou shalt not harden thine heart--Lest the foregoing law should prevent the Israelites lending to the poor, Moses here admonishes them against so mean and selfish a spirit and exhorts them to give in a liberal spirit of charity and kindness, which will secure the divine blessing (Ro 12:8; 2Co 9:7).Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 15:11

• Alms
• Beneficence
• Fraternity
• Lending
• Liberality
• Poor
• Reward

In the dictionaries

• Beg
• Bless
• Cease
• Debt
• Debtor
• Firstling
• Necromancer
• Poor
• Release
• Sabbatical year

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings