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.
• 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.’
• New Living Translation (NLT)There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

Context of Deuteronomy 15:11

9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 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. 12If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. 13And when you release them, do not send them 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• For the poorאֶבְיוֹן'ebyôn · needyH34
• shall never ceaseחָדַלchâdal · to ceaseH2308
• out ofקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
• the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• therefore I commandצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
• thee, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Thou shalt openפָּתַחpâthach · to openH6605
• thine handיָדyâd · handH3027
• unto thy brotherאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
• to thy poorעָנִי‛ânîy · afflictedH6041

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 15:11

• Proverbs 22:2Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.
• Matthew 26:11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.
• Mark 14:7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.
• John 12:8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
• Deuteronomy 15:8Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.
• Matthew 5:42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
• Luke 12:33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
• Acts 2:45They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
• Acts 4:32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
• Acts 11:28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)
• 2 Corinthians 8:2In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
• 1 John 3:16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

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