Exodus 11:6

11:6 There will be a great cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.

Proverbs 21:13

21:13 The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,

he too will cry out and will not be answered.

Amos 5:17

5:17 In all the vineyards there will be wailing,

for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord.

Matthew 25:6

25:6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’

James 2:13

2:13 For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment.


tn Heb “which like it there has never been.”

tn Heb “and like it it will not add.”

sn The imagery means “pay no attention to” the cry for help or “refuse to help,” so it is a metonymy of cause for the effect.

sn “Cry” here would be a metonymy of effect for the cause, the cause being the great needs of the poor.

sn The proverb is teaching that those who show mercy will receive mercy. It involves the principle of talionic justice – those who refuse the needs of others will themselves be refused when they need help (so Luke 16:19-31).

sn The expression pass through your midst alludes to Exod 12:12, where the Lord announced he would “pass through” Egypt and bring death to the Egyptian firstborn.

tc ‡ Most witnesses have αὐτοῦ (autou, “[with] him”) after ἀπάντησιν (apanthsin, “meeting”), a reading which makes explicit what is already implied in the shorter text (as found in א B 700). The translation likewise adds “him” for clarity’s sake even though the word is not considered part of the original text. NA27 has αὐτοῦ in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

tn Grk “boasts against, exults over,” in victory.