POOR. The tr. of several Biblical terms (discussed below) which describe the person who has little or nothing in the way of wealth, goods, or means of subsistence. Sometimes the term is used metaphorically of the humble and meek. See Poverty.

1. Hebrew terms. The main Heb. terms used for “poor” in the OT are עָנִי, H6714, אֶבְיﯴן, H36, and דַּל֮, H1924. Often they are used synonymously, and no distinction can be drawn between them. However, in many instances where two words are used in parallelism or linked by “and,” distinctions can be made in the tr. (Isa 26:6; 41:17; Amos 8:6; etc.).

The most frequent Heb. term tr. as “poor” is עָנִי, H6714, and its cognates. It is used of the poor and needy, such as those who have a right to the gleanings (Lev 19:10; 23:22). Others are called poor and weak, because they have been oppressed by the rich and powerful (Prov 30:14; Isa 3:14). Sometimes the poor are pious, individuals afflicted by the wicked (Ps 10:2; 12:5). But God has pity on them (Isa 49:13), saves them (Ps 34:6), and delivers them (Ps 35:10). The king of Israel does the same (Ps 72:2, 4, 12). Only rarely does the term refer to the humble (Zech 9:9).

Occurring almost as many times is אֶבְיﯴן, H36. It is used mostly of those who have little or no material possessions. These are the poor who are subject to oppression and abuse (Amos 2:6; 5:12). They are to be the special objects of concern (Exod 23:11; Deut 15:11; Prov 31:9). In Psalms and Proverbs, אֶבְיﯴן, H36, often is used in parallel with עָנִי, H6714, (Pss 35:10; 109:16; Prov 31:9, 20) and דַּל֮, H1924, (Pss 107:41; 132:15; Prov 14:31). God will deliver these poor people (Pss 9:18; 12:5; Isa 29:19).

דַּל֮, H1924, and דַּלָּה֮, H1930, come from the root דלל, “be low, languish.” דַּלָּה֮, H1930, is used only five times and always refers to the poorest class, left in Pal. during the Babylonian captivity. They were vine dressers and ploughmen (2 Kings 25:12; Jer 52:16). דַּלָּה֮, H1930, is esp. common in wisdom lit. and poetry. It is used of the poor whose situation was worsened due to oppression (Job 20:19; Prov 22:16; Amos 4:1). They are contrasted to the rich (Exod 30:15; Lev 14:21; Prov 10:15; 28:11). The word is used also to refer to weakness, whether of a family (2 Sam 3:1) or of cattle (Gen 41:19).

רוּשׁ, H8133, רֵישׁ, H8203, and רֵאשׁ, H10646, are related to יָרַשׁ֒, H3769, “to take possession of” or “dispossess.” These terms refer to dispossessed people who are in want and are therefore in the category of the poor. Physical hunger is a part of this term (Ps 34:10). The terms occur most frequently in Proverbs, often contrasting the rich and the poor (Prov 14:20; 22:7; 28:6).

The root חסר, meaning “lack,” “need,” “be lacking,” carries over to the needs of the poor. חֶ֫סֶר, H2895, and מַחְסﯴר, H4728, are used of those in want or poverty (Prov 6:11; 11:24; etc.), who even lack the basic necessities of life (2 Sam 3:29; Job 30:3; Prov 12:9). Of course the terms can be used of any lack (Deut 28:48), and in Proverbs they often are used of a lack of understanding (Prov 6:32; 15:21; etc.).

Two terms occurring only rarely are חֵלְכָה, H2724, and מִסְכֵּן, H5014. חֵלְכָה, H2724, occurs only three times (in the same ch.) in the sense of the poor man whose situation is hapless or unfortunate (Ps 10:8, 10, 14). מִסְכֵּן, H5014, “poor,” occurs only in Ecclesiastes and is related to the Akkad. muškênu, “beggar.” In each occurrence, the מִסְכֵּן, H5014, is wise (Eccl 4:13; 9:15, 16). In 4:13 he is said to be better than an old and foolish man who no longer takes advice, and in 9:15, 16 his wisdom saved the city, though he himself was forgotten and his wisdom was despised. This emphasis on his wisdom may indicate that he was not from the lowest social class, and perhaps he was voluntarily poor.

2. The poor in the OT. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt and immediately after the Exodus all were at the mercy of the desert. Under such conditions no sharp class or economic distinctions could develop. The conquest of the Promised Land brought a hereditary portion of land to every Israelite, and with it a settled life. It also brought contact with the Canaanites who already lived in towns with class distinctions. The new life in the Promised Land produced the conditions which resulted in social differences. With a special concern to prevent permanent and hopeless poverty, Yahweh gave specific commands to His people regarding the poor. If a man’s need caused him to be sold into slavery, he must be freed after six years (Exod 21:2). What grew of itself during the fallow year belonged to the poor (23:10, 11). The poor were not to be exploited (22:22ff.), nor oppressed in the courts (23:3, 6). Yahweh stood as protector of the poor and by legislation sought social justice for the poor (the laws concerning the poor are concentrated in Exod 22:25; 23:3; Lev 19:10; 23:22, etc.; Deut 15:4-11; 24:12).

The monarchy brought economic development and prosperity for some, but poverty for others. As the situation of the poor worsened, the prophets took up their cause, criticizing esp. forced labor (Amos 5:11, 12), the enslaving of fellow countrymen (Jer 34:8-11), and the depriving of widows, orphans, and the poor of their rights (Isa 10:1, 2). The socially strong were guilty of oppression (Amos 2:7; 4:1; 5:11) and an inordinate desire to increase wealth (Isa 3:15; Amos 8:4). Their hunger for land was driving the poor from their inheritance (Isa 5:8ff.; Mic 2:2). The injustice was so great that the poor are almost equated with God’s people (Isa 3:15; 10:2; 14:32). Such injustice could not go unpunished (Amos 2:13ff.).

The situation of the poor often seemed hopeless, but God would not forget them (Pss 9:12; 40:17; etc.). He pities them and comforts them (Ps 34:6; Isa 49:13; etc.). The OT king likewise had a special responsibility to the weak and poor (Ps 72:4, 12) and he established his throne by fair treatment of them (Prov 29:14). Anyone who has a concern for the poor is blessed and rewarded by God (Ps 41:1; Prov 14:21), and to honor the poor is to honor God (Prov 14:31).

3. Greek terms. In the NT, πτωχός, G4777, is the usual term for “poor.” It is used of beggars (Luke 16:20) and those who are poor in a material sense (Matt 19:21; Luke 19:8; John 13:29). Christ Himself became poor (πτωχεύω, G4776) to make others rich. Often the poor are singled out as having the good news preached to them (Matt 11:5; Luke 4:18; 7:22). Sometimes the term is used fig. for the poor in spirit who are esp. blessed (Matt 5:3; Luke 6:20). In the LXX, πτωχός, G4777, (and πτωχεία, G4775) most frequently trs. עָנִי, H6714, and also almost all of the Heb. words above.

Three other terms are used only once each in the NT. Πένης occurs in 2 Corinthians 9:9, where Psalm 112:9 is quoted; it refers to the poor who need help. This term is used in the LXX for most of the Heb. terms above. Closely related to πένης, G4288, is πενιχρός, G4293, used only in Luke 21:2 for the poor widow (cf. Mark 12:42, 43; Luke 21:3, which use πτωχός, G4777). In the LXX it is used for עָנִי, H6714, and דַּל֮, H1924. ̓Ενδεής occurs in Acts 4:34, where it is used of the poor or impoverished in the community of faith whose needs were supplied as others sold their goods and distributed the proceeds.

4. The poor in the NT. Jesus was a realist when He said that there would always be poor people (Matt 26:11), but this did not diminish His concern for them and aid to them. He preached the good news to the poor (11:5). He and His disciples had a common treasury from which contributions were made to the poor (John 13:29). He encouraged the rich man to distribute his wealth to the poor (Matt 19:21), and inculcated an attitude of mercy toward debtors (Luke 7:41ff.). The guests for a banquet should be the poor, maimed, lame, and blind, because they could not repay (14:13, 14). Likewise, in the parable about the heavenly banquet, God seeks the poor and needy (14:15-24).

The Early Church cared for its own poor (Acts 2:45; 4:34) and its widows (6:1). Paul was anxious to remember the poor (Gal 2:10) and to promote the collection for the poor (Rom 15:26). James criticized the disrespect shown to the poor by the Church in contrast to their attitude to the rich (James 2:2-7). Here the poor are considered to be the rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom (2:5).

Finally, the term “poor” sometimes occurs in the Bible in the combination “rich and poor,” which indicates completeness. This is similar to the use of other pairs of antonyms such as “great and small” (2 Chron 34:30; 36:18), “good and evil” (Gen 2:17; Prov 15:3), etc. to mean “all,” “everything,” or “everyone.” Thus “rich and poor” (Ps 49:2) means “all the inhabitants of the world” (cf. v. 1). This usage also occurs in Proverbs 22:2 and Revelation 13:16.

Bibliography AIs (1961), 68-79, 164-177; TDNT VI (1968), 37-40, 318-332, 865-915.