New International Version
Proverbs 14:21
21It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.
Proverbs 14:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
- New Living Translation (NLT)It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor.
Context of Proverbs 14:21
19Evildoers will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 20The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. 22Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. 23All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Read all of Proverbs 14Proverbs 14:21 word by word
בָּז־לְרֵעֵ֥הוּ חוֹטֵ֑א וּמְחוֹנֵ֖ן עֲנָוִ֣ים אַשְׁרָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 14:21
- Proverbs 11:12Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.
- Proverbs 17:5Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
- Proverbs 18:3When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach.
- Job 31:13“If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female, when they had a grievance against me,
- Job 35:5Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you.
- Psalms 22:24For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
- Luke 18:9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:
- James 2:5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
- Proverbs 14:31Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
- Proverbs 11:24One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
- Proverbs 19:17Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
- Daniel 4:27Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”
- Matthew 25:34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
- Luke 6:30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
- Acts 20:35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
- Hebrews 6:12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Commentaries on Proverbs 14:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth - To despise a man because he has some natural blemish is unjust, cruel, and wicked. He is not the author of his own imperfections; they did not occur through his fault or folly; and if he could, he would not retain them. It is, therefore, unjust and wicked to despise him for what is not his fault, but his misfortune. But he that hath mercy on the poor - Who reproaches no man for his poverty or scanty intellect, but…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21Verse 21 To despise a man for his employment or appearance is a sin.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor: See also Proverbs 3:27–28; 11:24; 28:27; 29:7, 14.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. For such contempt of the poor is contrasted as sinful with the virtuous compassion of the good.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 14:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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