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

9Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. 10Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 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. 12“If a fellow Hebrew sells himself or herself to be your servant and serves you for six years, in the seventh year you must set that servant free. 13“When you release a male servant, do 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

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 22:2The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both.
• Matthew 26:11You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.
• Mark 14:7You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. 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 15:8Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.
• Matthew 5:42Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
• Luke 12:33“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.
• Acts 2:45They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
• Acts 4:32All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.
• Acts 11:28One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.)
• 2 Corinthians 8:2They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
• 1 John 3:16We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up 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