Proverbs 22:22

22:22 Do not exploit ¹  a poor person because he is poor

and do not crush the needy in court, ² 

Proverbs 31:5

31:5 lest they drink and forget what is decreed,

and remove ³  from all the poor ⁴  their legal rights. ⁵ 

[22:22]  ¹ tn Two negated jussives form the instruction here: אַל־תִּגְזָל (’al-tigzal, “do not exploit”) and וְאַל־תְּדַכֵּא (ve’al-tÿdakke’, “do not crush”).

[22:22]  ² tn Heb “in the gate” (so KJV); NAB, NASB, NRSV “at the gate.” The “gate” of the city was the center of activity, the place of business as well as the place for settling legal disputes. The language of the next verse suggests a legal setting, so “court” is an appropriate translation here.

[31:5]  ³ tn The verb means “change,” perhaps expressed in reversing decisions or removing rights.

[31:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “all the children of poverty.” This expression refers to the poor by nature. Cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV “the afflicted”; NIV “oppressed.”

[31:5]  ⁵ sn The word is דִּין (din, “judgment”; so KJV). In this passage it refers to the cause or the plea for justice, i.e., the “legal rights.”