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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 15:7

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If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

7. with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren ] Heb. in thee as in Deu 15:4; poor, better needy.

in any of thy gates ] or townships; see on Deu 12:12.

harden thine heart ] See on Deu 2:30; cp. 1Jn 3:17.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

7 11. One of the most beautiful as it is one of the most characteristic passages in the laws of D: illustrating not only the humane spirit, and the practical thoughtfulness of this code, but its extension of the Law to the thoughts and interests of the heart: cp. Deu 5:21.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

7-11. If there be among you a poorman . . . thou shalt not harden thine heartLest the foregoinglaw should prevent the Israelites lending to the poor, Moses hereadmonishes them against so mean and selfish a spirit and exhorts themto give in a liberal spirit of charity and kindness, which willsecure the divine blessing (Rom 12:8;2Co 9:7).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren,…. As there would be, according to the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, if they did not keep the commandments of the law, and continue therein:

within any of thy gates, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee; a native of the land was to be preferred to a foreigner, and a brother, whether in relation or religion, to a proselyte of the gate; and the poor of a city to which a man belonged, to the poor of another city, as Jarchi observes; which he gathers from this phrase,

within any of thy gates: thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy brother; so as not to pity his distressed case, and have no bowels of compassion for him, and feel for his want, and so as not to distribute to his necessities, and relieve him.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

And in general Israel was to be ready to lend to the poor among its brethren, not to harden its heart, to be hard-hearted, but to lend to the poor brother , “the sufficiency of his need,” whatever he might need to relieve his wants.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Verses 7-11:

This statute provides for the relief of the poor and needy.

“Harden,” lit., “make strong,” in this instance, in resistance to the feeling of compassion toward the poor.

The command: to provide sufficiency for the needs of the poor, who lack the necessities of life.

“Wanteth,” lacking or needing, and not, “desiring to have.”

Verse 9: a warning that one is not to withhold from the poor what he needs because the time may be near the sabbatical year. This betrays a spirit of covetousness, which is a form of idolatry, Col 3:5.

Lending to the poor and needy should be an expression of joy that one has enough of this world’s goods to share with those in need. It should not be from a spirit of resentment, that one might not be repaid.

There is no conflict between verse 4 and verse 11. Verse 4 deals with the prevention of poverty. Verse 11 speaks of providing relief for one who is poor.

Jesus affirmed the truth of verse 11, in Mat 16:11; Mr 14:7; Joh 12:8.

This text deals with provision for genuine needs. It does not mandate a welfare system to support those who will not work, see 2Th 3:10-12.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

7. If there be among you a poor man The same word אביון, ebyon, is used, which we have seen just above, verse 4; nor is there any contradiction when He commands them to relieve beggars, whom He had before forbidden to exist among His people; for the object of the prohibition was, that if any were reduced to beggary, they should not be cast out and forsaken. Now, however, He explains the mode of preventing this, viz., that the hands of the rich should be open to assist them. In order to incline them to compassion, he again reminds them of their common brotherhood, and sets before them, as its token and pledge, the land in which by God’s goodness they dwell together. Again, that they may be willing and prompt in their humanity, He forbids them to harden their heart, thereby signifying that avarice is always cruel. Finally, He applies this instruction to the year of release, viz., that they should straightway relieve their poor brethren towards the beginning of that year, just as if they would receive back in a few days the money which the poor man would retain to its end.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(3) THE POOR (Deu. 15:7-11)

7 If there be with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother. 8 but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth. 9 Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou give him nought; and he cry unto Jehovah against thee, and it be sin unto thee. 10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. 11 For the poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 15:711

268.

How can we reconcile the thought of Deu. 15:4 with that of Deu. 15:7? Cf. Deu. 15:11.

269.

Are we not to inquire as to the worthiness of the poor brother? Suppose he can not pay back the debt?

270.

With what attitude should we give to the poor? Why is the attitude so important?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 15:711

7 If there is among you a poor man, one of your kinsmen in any of the towns of your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your [mind and] heart, or close your hand to your poor brother;
8 But you shall open your hand wide to him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, which he lacks.
9 Beware lest there be a base thought in your [mind and] heart, and you say, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and it be sin in you.
10 You shall give to him freely without begrudging it; because for this the Lord will bless you in all your work and in all you undertake.
11 For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land.

COMMENT 15:711

These verses (in spite of the comments above) cannot help but cause us to favor the interpretation of Deu. 15:1-3 as indicating a total relinquishing of all debts at the end of the seventh yearat least such debts as contracted by a poor man, especially if the year of release was only a year or two off. But it appears these verses were designed to guard against just such a base thought (Deu. 15:9). A magnanimous spirit and feelings of compassion, mercy, and generosity would take precedence over selfish or personal motives.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of thy hand to do it.
Say not unto thy neighbor
Go, and come again, And tomorrow I will give;
When thou hast it by thee.

Pro. 3:27-28

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(7) A poor man.-That needeth anything.

Within any of thy gates.The poor of thine own city come before the poor of another city.

Thou Shalt not harden.There are some men who grieve (grudge) whether they give or not; therefore it is said, Thou shalt not harden thy heart; there are some who stretch out the hand (to give), and yet close it; therefore it is said, Thou shalt not shut thine hand.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

7. If there be a poor man In view of the requirement not to exact the return of money loaned to the poor man there might be reluctance to aid the poor in his need. Hence the charge, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The Poverty-stricken Debtor Is Not To Be Despised ( Deu 15:7-11 ).

Having laid down the law for the relief of debtors the question of those who might seek to avoid it is now raised. They are not to seek to avoid their responsibility, otherwise Yahweh will be displeased and will act accordingly.

Analysis in the words of Moses:

a If there be with you a poor man, one of your brethren, within any of your gates in your land which Yahweh your God gives you (Deu 15:7).

b You shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wants.

c Beware that there be not a base thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,” and your eye be evil against your poor brother

c And you give him nothing, and he cry to Yahweh against you, and it be sin to you.

b You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because that for this thing Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work, and in all that you put your hand to

a For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you, saying, “You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land” (Deu 15:11).

Note than it ‘a’ a poor man is posited ‘in your land’ and in the parallel the poor will never cease out of the land, but they are to be generous to them ‘in your land’. In ‘b’ they are not to harden their hearts to such but must lend them all they need, and in the parallel they must give without grieving because for this very reason Yahweh will bless the work of their hands. In ‘c’ they must not view the seventh year with a cynical eye, and thus in the parallel avoid assisting the poor creditor, for Yahweh will see it and count it as a covenant sin against them.

Deu 15:7-10

‘ If there be with you a poor man, one of your brethren, within any of your gates in your land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wants. Beware that there be not a base thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,” and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to Yahweh against you, and it be sin to you. You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because that for this thing Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work, and in all that you put your hand to.’

This is a powerful demand. While looking at it only theoretically, and as a mental exercise away from the real world, this could be seen as having in mind postponement of a debt for one year as being something that hindered the lender from lending. But the realities of life and the depth of argument in fact demand that the sacrifice required is seen as something much greater. Postponement of a debt for one year would quite frankly hardly have such an influence as this. It would be shrugged off as slightly unfortunate but not too much of a problem.

The whole point here is that the creditor is required to face up to something more extreme, to go beyond what would seem reasonable, and is required to make a financial loss, because his ‘brother’ is poor, and because Yahweh is watching and may be appealed to, and because Yahweh Himself will reward him for willingly doing so. It is to be an exercise in loyalty and in compassion.

Once again we must reiterate that the reference is to a would be borrower who is in desperate straits. He is a ‘poor man’, a ‘poor brother’, who comes and appeals to the heart. And the point being made is that no godly Israelite could possibly close his heart to such a person, even though it involved real loss, for that would be un-Yahwehlike. To such they must not be tight-fisted but must be open-handed and lend whatever is needed at whatever reasonable cost. To do otherwise would put them in the wrong with Yahweh. Indeed to make such a refusal would be seen as a response to someone’s desperation that could only be made by someone utterly callous and totally ungodly. It would count before Yahweh as a sin against the covenant. Yet if the only thing against making the loan was that repayment would only be delayed for a year, it would hardly be seen as so big a matter. It is not seriously likely that any reasonable and serious lender would suggest a refusal for that reason.

The point of the proximity of the seven year release being seen as affecting the would be creditor in this way is precisely because of the likelihood that the loan will still be outstanding at that time, and that therefore the silver will be lost. But to take that into account, says Moses, would, in God’s eyes, be evil. It would reveal a hardened heart and a mean spirit. And Moses warns that the man himself may cry to Yahweh against such a person because he has proved himself unwilling to obey the covenant, and it will be counted as a breach of covenant, a ‘sin’. He will be revealed for what he is. Thus he will lose the blessing of Yahweh. Rather he must be willing to suffer loss, aware that Yahweh knows, and aware that because of it Yahweh will bless all he puts his hand to. He will recover it a hundredfold. It is a response of faith and loyalty.

Deu 15:11

‘ For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you, saying, “You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land.’

Again it is emphasised that we are dealing with a loan to the poor. For the practical truth is that the poor will never cease out of the land. The promise of verse 4 was very true, but it was dependent on a condition that would never be fulfilled, and was to be alleviated by the third year tithe. Moses, and God, knew the heart of man too well. Moses was no dewy-eyed optimist. He had already made clear his opinion of those he was speaking to. They were ‘stiff-necked’ (Deu 9:6). But at least, he says, let them not be stiffnecked in this.

Thus the command came that they must be open-handed to their fellow-countrymen, both to the needy, and to the poor, and that at the end of every seven year period all debt owed by the poor should be cancelled. This was to be out of compassion for them, out of loyalty to Yahweh, and because the poverty was in the end the fault of all Israel.

The result of these provisions in Deu 14:28 to Deu 15:11 would be that no one in Israel would be left destitute, neither the helpless resident aliens, the fatherless and widows, nor the families hit by extreme poverty through circumstance not of their own choosing. There would be no ‘poor’, for all would be provided for.

The lesson for us is clear. We are to be concerned at the poverty of others and be willing to do what we can to help to alleviate that poverty, even making sacrifices in order to be able to do so. Indeed in many countries the laws of bankruptcy result in someone unable to repay a debt being finally released from it.

This glowing picture of a land where the poor were fully provided for (Deut. 13:28-29), and where debtors were treated with such compassion, fits neatly into their looking to the place which Yahweh Himself will choose. The third (and sixth) year, together with the seventh year will be a manifestation of the glorious covenant between Yahweh and the people who have received His inheritance. What a contrast it would be with the ways of the Canaanites who were to be destroyed.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

DISCOURSE: 208
THE DUTY OF CHARITY ENFORCED

Deu 15:7-11. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand: and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

THE existence of various ranks and orders among men is the necessary consequence of civilization. A perfect equality among them is impossible in the nature of things: nor, if it were made to exist, could it continue for any time. An inequality of condition is even far more conducive to the general good, not only in that it tends to keep up a due subordination of the lower to the higher classes, but that it binds all the classes of men together by the ties of mutual usefulness and dependence. Even in the state that was formed by God himself, it was ordained that such a diversity of ranks should subsist [Note: The poor shall never cease out of the land, ver. 11.]. Still, however, it never was the divine intention that some should be left destitute of all the comforts of life, while others rioted in opulence and prodigality. To prevent this he commanded his people to forgive the poor their debts at the year of release [Note: He assigns as his reason for this ordinance. to the end that there may be no poor among you. ver. 3; 4. See the translation in the margin of the Bible.], and required all who should enjoy a comparative state of affluence, to relieve the poor and indigent.

In discoursing on the words before us, we shall consider,

The duty enjoined

God commanded his people to exercise liberality to the poor
[He had appointed every seventh year to be a year of release [Note: ver. 1, 2.]. By this means the poor could not be oppressed for any length of time. But this very law might also tend to the disadvantage of the poor. To prevent any such evil consequence, God ordered that his people should be equally favourable to the poor notwithstanding the year of release. He enjoined the rich to lend to the poor, even under a moral certainty of losing their debt. Yea, they were to perform this duty in a bountiful and willing manner.]

His injunctions to them are, as far as it respects the spirit of them, equally binding upon us
[God requires us to do good and lend, hoping for nothing again [Note: Luk 6:35.]. And certainly this is our duty. The relation which the poor bear to us necessarily involves in it this obligation [Note: They are four times in the text called our brethren. The force of this idea is admirably expressed. Job 31:15-19 and it is further confirmed by the words of our Lord. Mat 25:40.]. The Scriptures at large, as well as the immediate expressions in the text, inculcate this duty in the strongest terms [Note: Thou shall not harden thy heart thine hand Thou shalt surely lendsurely giveI command thee saying. Thou shalt open thine hand wide, &c. See this enjoint on all generally, Luk 11:41.; on all individually, 1Co 16:2.; and in the most solemn manner, 1Ti 6:17. Charge, &c.].

The manner also of performing this duty is as strongly enjoined as the duty itself. We must act bountifully towards the poor, proportioning our alms to our own ability, and, as far as possible, to their necessities [Note: Thou shalt open thine hand wide lend him sufficient for his need. See true bountifulness defined, 2Co 8:12.; exemplified, 2Co 8:2.; encouraged, 2Co 9:6.]. We must also administer relief cheerfully. Grudging and niggardly thoughts are apt to arise in our minds: but they proceed from a wicked heart; and must be guarded against with all possible circumspection [Note: Beware, &c.and thine eye be evil against thy poor brotherthine heart shall not be grieved when than givest, &c. See similar directions, Rom 12:8; 1Ti 6:18. Ready to distribute; willing to communicate.]. Our alms are then only acceptable to God, when they are offered with a willing mind [Note: 2Co 9:7.].]

To call forth a just sense of our duty, let us consider,

II.

The arguments with which it is enforced

Waving all other arguments that might be adduced, we shall confine our attention to those specified in the text. There are two considerations urged as inducements to the performance of this duty:

The danger of neglecting it

[Men are apt to think themselves sole proprietors of what they have; but, in fact, they are only Gods stewards. The poor have, from Gods command, a claim upon us; and when their distresses are not relieved, he will hear their complaints. He expressly warns us that, when they cry to him, it shall be sin to us. Our guilt contracted by want of liberality, shall surely be visited upon our own heads; it shall bring upon us the execration of our fellow-creatures [Note: Pro 28:27.], a dereliction from our God [Note: Pro 21:13.], yea, an everlasting dismission from his presence and glory [Note: Mat 25:41-43. For.] Who that reflects a moment on these consequences, will not beware of indulging a disposition that must infallibly entail them upon him?]

The reward of practising it

[Heaven cannot be purchased by almsgiving: and to think it could, would be a most fatal delusion. Nevertheless God has annexed a blessing to the performance of this duty; For this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest. Supposing our motives and principles be such as the Gospel requires, and our alms be really the fruits of faith and love, the Scriptures assure us that they shall be followed with blessings temporal [Note: Luk 6:35, last part. and Pro 3:9-10.]spiritual [Note: Isa 58:7; Isa 58:10-11.]eternal [Note: Luk 16:9; Luk 14:14 and 1Ti 6:19 and Mat 25:34-35. For.]. Yea, God, speaking after the manner of men, condescends to say, that we make him our debtor; and to promise, that He will repay us the full amount of whatever we give to others for his sake [Note: Pro 19:17 and 2Co 9:6.]. What greater encouragement can we have than such assurances as these?]

Application

[The occasion on which we now solicit your alms, is urgent; the objects of distress are manythe season inclementwork scarcewants numerousprovisions highand few to administer relief.
Consider then the urgency of the callthe danger of non-compliancethe blessings promisedand especially, the great account. Guard against a grudging spirit: and act towards the poor at this time, as you, in a change of circumstances, would think it right for them to act towards you.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

Reader! dwell particularly on that endearing word, thy brother, while reading this precept. Then, turn thy thoughts to JESUS, a brother born for adversity; and call to mind, in every instance of a real brother in JESUS who is in distress, that he is his image, and representative. Read that scripture with this; and may GOD the HOLY GHOST give energy to it, both in your mind and mine. Few have ever entered into the full meaning of it. Mat 25:40 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Deu 15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

Ver. 7. Thou shalt not harden thy heart. ] But “draw out thy soul to the hungry.” Isa 58:10 Many have iron bowels and withered hands. See my “Commonplace of Alms.”

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Deu 15:7-11

7If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; 8but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. 9Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the LORD against you, and it will be a sin in you. 10You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. 11For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

Deu 15:7 if there is a poor man with you The reality is stated in Deu 15:11. Poverty could be defined as the lack of respect and honor. Here that lack is caused by the loss of family land caused by borrowing money with it as collateral.

one of your brothers The Mosaic Law shows YHWH’s special concern about and mercy to:

1. other poor covenant brothers/sisters

2. widows

3. orphans

4. alien residents

5. aliens

It is this compassion across socio-economic lines that makes the Israeli legal code unique. The other ancient law codes favored the elite, the wealthy, and the royal. Israel favored the weak, socially and economically deprived, legally vulnerable, and disenfranchised!

in any of your towns in your land Notice it is not just local poor, but how society treats the poor. YHWH wants His people to act to the needy the way He acts toward them!

you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand from your poor brother Both motive and deed are involved (cf. 2Co 9:7):

1. You shall not harden your heart, Piel IMPERFECT, BDB 54, KB 65, cf. 2Ch 36:13

2. Nor close your hand, Qal IMPERFECT, BDB 891, KB 1118

Deu 15:8 Notice the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTES matched to their corresponding IMPERFECTS for emphasis:

1. you shall freely open your hand to him – Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and Qal IMPERFECT of BDB 834, KB 986. This metaphor is parallel to Deu 15:7.

a. open your heart (do not be hard hearted)

b. open your hand (do not be tight fisted) cf. Deu 15:11; Deu 15:13

2. shall generously lend him – Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and Hiphil IMPERFECT of BDB 716, KB 778

lend him sufficient for his need This is BDB 191 CONSTRUCT BDB 341, which denotes enough to meet the brother’s need, not just a token in passing (cf. Jas 2:15-26; 1Jn 3:16-17).

Deu 15:9 Beware This is a Niphal IMPERATIVE (BDB 1036, KB 1581), which is a recurrent theme (cf. Deu 4:9; Deu 4:15; Deu 4:23; Deu 6:12; Deu 8:11; Deu 11:16; Deu 12:13; Deu 12:19; Deu 12:28; Deu 12:30; Deu 15:9; Deu 24:8). There are covenant consequences for obedience and disobedience.

base thought The word base is from the same root (BDB 116) as Belial. It refers to a worthless, thoughtless, evil person (cf. Pro 6:12). See note at Deu 13:14.

NASBeye is hostile

NKJVeye be evil

NRSVview. . .with hostility

TEV——

NJBscowl

The term hostile (BDB 949, KB 1269, Qal PERFECT) means bad or evil. A similar idiom is used in Deu 28:54; Deu 28:56. This same VERB is repeated in Deu 15:10, where it is translated grieved. This idiom relates to an attitude which swells up in a person in certain circumstances and/or toward certain persons. Motives are crucial in both the OT and NT. God looks at the heart!

he may cry to the LORD against you, and it will be a sin in you The poor man’s prayer does not make it a sin (i.e., illegal), but it highlights to YHWH the sin in the heart of the selfish, conspiring man (cf. Deu 24:18; Exo 22:23). YHWH’s blessings are conditional on appropriate covenant motives and actions. His people are to model His character!

Deu 15:10 This is a summary of the context from Deu 15:7.

You shall generously give See Contextual Insights, C, 1, e.

Deu 15:11 You shall freely open your hand See Contextual Insights, C, 1, f.

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

there be: Lest the preceding law might render the Israelites cautious in lending to the poor, Moses here warns them against being led by so mean a principle; but to lend liberally, and God would reward them.

thou shalt: Deu 15:9, Pro 21:13, Mat 18:30, Jam 2:15, Jam 2:16, 1Jo 3:16, 1Jo 3:17

Reciprocal: Lev 25:35 – thy brother 1Sa 30:11 – gave him Neh 5:1 – their brethren Neh 5:3 – mortgaged Neh 10:31 – the exaction Job 22:7 – not given Job 31:16 – withheld Psa 41:1 – Blessed Psa 112:5 – showeth Pro 19:17 – lendeth Pro 22:9 – He that hath a bountiful eye Pro 28:27 – that giveth Ecc 11:1 – thy bread Isa 58:10 – thou draw Eze 18:7 – hath given Zec 7:9 – saying Mat 5:42 – General Mat 25:35 – I was an Luk 6:30 – Give 2Co 9:7 – not 1Ti 6:18 – ready Jam 1:9 – the brother

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

THY POOR BROTHER

If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.

Deu 15:7-8; Deu 15:11

I. God has made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell upon the face of the whole earth.This is the announcement of a grand fact, which has never yet been successfully disproved. This relates man to man everywhere, makes all the world a neighbourhood, and founds upon universal affinity a universal claim. This general law, however, must be divided into minor modifications, or it will be practically useless. Hence all private affections are recognised and hallowed, and are indeed the sources from which all public virtues spring. We are bound to love our neighbour as ourselves, and if in a contracted Hebrew spirit you are inclined to press the inquiry, And who is my neighbour? there comes a full pressure of utterance to authenticate and enforce the answer, Man.

II. The last clause of the text is as true to-day as in the time of its original utterance.The poor shall never cease out of the land; in every age and in every clime there are distinctions of society in the world. Society could not cohere as a union of equals; there must be gradation and dependence. In the text benevolence to the poor is positively enjoined, and enjoined because of their abiding existence as a class of the community. Once recognise the relationship, and the claim will inevitably follow; the sense of service rendered and obligation created thereby will make that claim more sacred; and Religion, attaching her holiest sanction, lifts the recognition of the claim into a duty which may not be violated without sin.

III. Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these, ye did it unto Me.This is our Divinely furnished argument. She hath done what she could. This is to be the measure of our giving.

Illustration

(1) Freely we have received, let us freely give. The Hebrews were taught to live a generous, bountiful life, giving to him that asked, not turning away from him that borrowed, not exacting money which had been lent. They were not only to give because of the Divine law, but without compunction and reluctance, prompted by the spirit of love. Thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest. The open hand was to be sign of an open heart, and right behind this free bestowment of benefaction there lay the perpetual memory that God would bless them and give to them. Giving is also pre-eminently the Christians duty. We are meant to be channels, and not receptacles; Gods stewards, entrusted with wealth and talent and spiritual gift that we may pass them on.

(2) It is well for me that the poor never cease out of the land.

Let me imagine a world where all are strong and independent, requiring nothing and asking nothing. There is no sickness. There is no sorrow. Penury is absolutely unknown. There are no weaknesses and no fears. It is a thrice-blessed world, I am inclined to say. Ah, but let me stay a moment. There are many desirable qualities, many heavenly graces, which can have no dwelling-place at all within its borders.

What room can be found for the grace of tenderness, where everyone is serene and resolute and still and calm and self-possessed? What room can be found for the grace of trust, where everyone is rich and increased with goods and has need of nothing? What room can be found for the grace of gratitude, where none requires to give praise for blessing received and enjoyed? What room can be found for the grace of endurance, where happiness and comfort and unbroken prosperity and unruffled peace prevail from January to December?

My soul would grow hard when there was nothing but flowers and fruits, and silver and gold, and gladness and joy!

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

Deu 15:7-8. Thou shalt not shut thy hand from thy poor brother Because this law might tend to make some people cautious and niggardly in lending to the poor, as being assured they should lose the debt at the seventh year, if it were not paid before; or, upon this account, might make them sparing of their charities in other matters; Moses here cautions them against being influenced by so mean a principle, and charges every Israelite to look upon his poor neighbour as a brother, equally related to God as himself, who therefore would be sure to punish all uncharitableness to such as were his own people, as he would be to bless and reward those who, with a generous and bountiful heart, gratefully depended on his providence, and obeyed his commands. Open thy hand That is, deal bountifully and liberally with him.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

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