Bible Strands
Proverbs 19:7
All the brothers of a poor man hate him—how much more do his friends avoid him! He may pursue them with pleading, but they are nowhere to be found.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The wisdom teacher addresses a general audience, contrasting the preceding verse’s observation about favor-seeking with the social reality of a destitute person’s isolation.
The words — The text employs רָשׁ (rash), meaning a poor person, and שְֽׂנֵאֻהוּ (se.ne'uhu), meaning they hate him, to record the active hostility of a poor man’s relatives.
The thread — The theme of relational withdrawal runs through Psalms 88:8 and Psalms 38:11, while Proverbs 18:23 parallels the verse’s depiction of a poor man’s pleading met with harsh rejection.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that social bonds often fracture under economic pressure, requiring readers to examine their own willingness to maintain loyalty when utility disappears.
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
All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
Cross-references
- Psalms 88:8 You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.
- Psalms 38:11 My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.
- Proverbs 18:23 The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly.
- Proverbs 19:4 Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
- James 2:15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
- 1 John 3:17 If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
- Psalms 88:18 You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.
- Proverbs 21:13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.
- Ecclesiastes 9:15 Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.
- Proverbs 14:20 The poor man is hated even by his neighbor, but many are those who love the rich.