22:16 The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain
and the one who gives to the rich 1 – both end up only in poverty.
23:6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits.
29:12 for I rescued the poor who cried out for help,
and the orphan who 2 had no one to assist him;
29:13 the blessing of the dying man descended on me, 3
and I made the widow’s heart rejoice; 4
29:14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, 5
my just dealing 6 was like a robe and a turban;
29:15 I was eyes for the blind
and feet for the lame;
29:16 I was a father 7 to the needy,
and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;
31:16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, 8
or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
31:21 if I have raised my hand 9 to vote against the orphan,
when I saw my support in the court, 10
3:5 “I 11 will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, 12 and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, 13 who refuse to help 14 the immigrant 15 and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.
1 tn Heb “oppressing the poor, it is gain; giving to the rich, it is loss.” The Hebrew is cryptic, but two sins are mentioned here that will be punished by poverty: extortion and bribery. Perhaps the proverb is simply saying it is easy to oppress the poor for gain, but it is a waste of money to try to buy or bribe a patron (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 149).
2 tn The negative introduces a clause that serves as a negative attribute; literally the following clause says, “and had no helper” (see GKC 482 §152.u).
3 tn The verb is simply בּוֹא (bo’, “to come; to enter”). With the preposition עַל (’al, “upon”) it could mean “came to me,” or “came upon me,” i.e., descended (see R. Gordis, Job, 320).
4 tn The verb אַרְנִן (’arnin) is from רָנַן (ranan, “to give a ringing cry”) but here “cause to give a ringing cry,” i.e., shout of joy. The rejoicing envisioned in this word is far greater than what the words “sing” or “rejoice” suggest.
5 tn Both verbs in this first half-verse are from לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe; to put on clothing”). P. Joüon changed the vowels to get a verb “it adorned me” instead of “it clothed me” (Bib 11 [1930]: 324). The figure of clothing is used for the character of the person: to wear righteousness is to be righteous.
6 tn The word מִשְׁפָּטִי (mishpati) is simply “my justice” or “my judgment.” It refers to the decisions he made in settling issues, how he dealt with other people justly.
7 sn The word “father” does not have a wide range of meanings in the OT. But there are places that it is metaphorical, especially in a legal setting like this where the poor need aid.
8 tn Heb “kept the poor from [their] desire.”
9 tn The expression “raised my hand” refers to a threatening manner or gesture in the court rather than a threat of physical violence in the street. Thus the words “to vote” are supplied in the translation to indicate the setting.
10 tn Heb “gate,” referring to the city gate where judicial decisions were rendered in the culture of the time. The translation uses the word “court” to indicate this to the modern reader, who might not associate a city gate complex with judicial functions.
11 tn The first person pronoun (a reference to the
12 tn Heb “those who swear [oaths] falsely.” Cf. NIV “perjurers”; TEV “those who give false testimony”; NLT “liars.”
13 tn Heb “and against the oppressors of the worker for a wage, [the] widow and orphan.”
14 tn Heb “those who turn aside.”
15 tn Or “resident foreigner”; NIV “aliens”; NRSV “the alien.”