Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 15:11
For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses Israel on the plains of Moab, outlining communal economic obligations before they cross into the land.
The words — אֶבְי֖וֹן ('ev.Yon) means [the] needy, and יֶחְדַּ֥ל (yech.Dal) means he will cease, establishing the text's premise that poverty will persist in the land.
The thread — This factual observation is quoted in Matthew 26:11, Mark 14:7, and John 12:8 to frame a specific moment of devotion.
Why it lands — The text commands readers to open their hands to the poor and needy in their land, treating sustained generosity as a non-negotiable response to an ongoing condition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Matthew 26:11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.
- Mark 14:7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me.
- John 12:8 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.”
- Deuteronomy 15:8 Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.
- Proverbs 22:2 The rich and the poor have this in common: The LORD is Maker of them all.
- 1 John 3:16 By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
- Acts 4:32 The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned.
- Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
- Matthew 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
- Acts 2:45 Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.