Bible Strands
Proverbs 29:7
The righteous consider the cause of the poor, but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The passage functions as wisdom instruction delivered to a general audience, positioned directly between observations on the downfall of the wicked and the social damage of mockers. It frames ethical behavior as the visible marker of a righteous life.
The words — The verse hinges on צַדִּיק (Tza.dik), meaning a righteous person, and דַּלִּים (da.Lim), meaning poor people. It contrasts the righteous who know the case of the poor with the wicked who do not understand knowledge.
The thread — This concern for the vulnerable appears in Job 29:16, where the speaker acts as a father to the needy, and Psalms 41:1, which blesses the one who cares for the poor. Proverbs 21:13 warns that ignoring the poor's cry results in unanswered cries.
Why it lands — The text demands readers examine whether their attention aligns with the righteous or the wicked. It requires active consideration of the poor rather than passive indifference.
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
The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.
Cross-references
- Job 29:16 I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.
- Psalms 41:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble.
- Proverbs 21:13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.
- Proverbs 31:8 Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed.
- Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
- 1 Samuel 25:9 When David’s young men arrived, they relayed all these words to Nabal on behalf of David. Then they waited.
- Job 31:13 If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me,
- Job 31:21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,
- Jeremiah 5:28 They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.
- Jeremiah 22:15 Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.