Lectionary Calendar
Friday, September 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

Proverbs 28:3

A poore man, if he oppresse the poore, is like a raging raine, that leaueth no foode.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Oppression;   Poor;   Thompson Chain Reference - Kindness-Cruelty;   Oppression;   Pitiless;   Pitilessness;   Sympathy-Pitilessness;   Unkindness;   The Topic Concordance - Oppression;   Poverty;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Rain;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Proverbs, Book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Rain;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Poor;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A destitute leader who oppresses the pooris like a driving rain that leaves no food.
Hebrew Names Version
A needy man who oppresses the poor Is like a driving rain which leaves no crops.
King James Version
A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
English Standard Version
A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.
New American Standard Bible
A poor man who oppresses the helpless Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.
New Century Version
Rulers who mistreat the poor are like a hard rain that destroys the crops.
Amplified Bible
A poor man who oppresses and exploits the lowly Is like a sweeping rain which leaves no food.
World English Bible
A needy man who oppresses the poor Is like a driving rain which leaves no crops.
Legacy Standard Bible
A poor man who oppresses the lowlyIs a driving rain which leaves no food.
Berean Standard Bible
A destitute leader who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.
Contemporary English Version
When someone poor takes over and mistreats the poor, it's like a heavy rain destroying the crops.
Complete Jewish Bible
A poor man who oppresses the weak is like a downpour that sweeps away all the food.
Darby Translation
A poor man who oppresseth the helpless is a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
Easy-to-Read Version
A leader who takes advantage of the poor is like a hard rain that destroys the crops.
George Lamsa Translation
A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a sweeping rain which is of no benefit.
Good News Translation
Someone in authority who oppresses poor people is like a driving rain that destroys the crops.
Lexham English Bible
A man who is poor and oppresses the impoverished is a beating rain that leaves no food.
Literal Translation
A poor man that oppresses the weak is like a sweeping rain that leaves no food.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
One poore man oppressinge another by violence, is like a contynuall rayne that destroyeth ye frute.
American Standard Version
A needy man that oppresseth the poor Is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
Bible in Basic English
A man of wealth who is cruel to the poor is like a violent rain causing destruction of food.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A poor man that oppresseth the weak is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
King James Version (1611)
A poore man that oppresseth the poore, is like a sweeping raine which leaueth no food.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
One poore man oppressing another by violence, is like a raging rayne that destroyeth the fruite.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
As a whip for a horse, and a goad for an ass, so is a rod for a simple nation.
English Revised Version
A needy man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A pore man falsli calengynge pore men, is lijk a grete reyn, wherynne hungur is maad redi.
Update Bible Version
A needy [noble] man that oppresses the poor Is [like] a sweeping rain which leaves no food.
Webster's Bible Translation
A poor man that oppresseth the poor [is like] a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
New English Translation
A poor person who oppresses the weak is like a driving rain without food.
New King James Version
A poor man who oppresses the poor Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.
New Living Translation
A poor person who oppresses the poor is like a pounding rain that destroys the crops.
New Life Bible
A poor man who makes it hard for the poor is like a heavy rain which leaves no food.
New Revised Standard
A ruler who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A poor man, who oppresseth the helpless, is like a rain beating down, leaving no food.
Douay-Rheims Bible
A poor man that oppresseth the poor, is like a violent shower, which bringeth a famine.
Revised Standard Version
A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.
Young's Literal Translation
A man -- poor and oppressing the weak, [Is] a sweeping rain, and there is no bread.
THE MESSAGE
The wicked who oppress the poor are like a hailstorm that beats down the harvest.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A poor man who oppresses the lowly Is like a driving rain which leaves no food.

Contextual Overview

3 A poore man, if he oppresse the poore, is like a raging raine, that leaueth no foode.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

poor man: Matthew 18:28-30

which leaveth no food: Heb. without food

Reciprocal: Leviticus 25:14 - General Judges 6:4 - left no Job 20:10 - His children Job 37:6 - great Proverbs 22:16 - that oppresseth Proverbs 30:14 - to devour Proverbs 30:22 - a servant Ecclesiastes 4:1 - and considered Ecclesiastes 10:17 - when Ezekiel 19:7 - and the land

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said to them, Bring forth fruite and multiplie, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the heauen, & ouer euery beast that moueth vpon the earth.
Genesis 9:1
And God blessed Noah and his sonnes, and said to them, Bring foorth fruite, and multiplie, and replenish the earth.
Genesis 13:16
And I will make thy seede, as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seede be numbred.
Genesis 24:60
And they blessed Rebekah, and sayde vnto her, Thou art our sister, growe into thousande thousands, and thy seede possesse the gate of his enemies.
Genesis 28:1
Then Izhak called Iaakob and blessed him, and charged him, and sayde vnto him, Take not a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
Genesis 28:6
When Esau sawe that Izhak had blessed Iaakob, and sent him to Padan Aram, to set him a wife thence, and giuen him a charge when he blessed him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan,
Genesis 28:17
And he was afraid, & said, How fearefull is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heauen.
Genesis 28:18
Then Iaakob rose vp early in the morning, and tooke the stone that hee had layde vnder his head, and set it vp as a pillar, and powred oyle vpon the top of it.
Genesis 35:11
Againe God said vnto him, I am God all sufficient. growe, and multiplie. a nation and a multitude of nations shall spring of thee, and Kings shall come out of thy loynes.
Genesis 41:52
Also hee called the name of the second, Ephraim: For God, sayde he hath made me fruitfull in the land of mine affliction.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A poor man that oppresseth the poor,.... Either one that is poor at the time he oppresses another like himself, either by secret fraud or open injury; from whom the oppressed can get no redress, as sometimes he may and does from a rich man: or rather one that has been poor, but now become rich, and got into some place of authority and profit, who should remember what he had been; and it might be expected that such an one would put on bowels of compassion towards the poor, as knowing what it was to be in indigent circumstances; but if, instead of this, he exercises his authority over the poor in a severe and rigid manner, and oppresses them, and squeezes that little out of them they have: he

[is like] a sweeping rain which leaveth no food: like a violent hasty shower of rain; which, instead of watering the seed, herbs, and plants, and causing them to grow, as moderate rain does, it washes away the very seed sown in the earth, or beats out the ripe corn from the ears, or beats it down, so that it riseth not up again; the effect of which is, there is no bread to the eater, nor seed to the sower, and consequently a famine. The design of the proverb is, to show how unnatural as well as intolerable is the oppression of the poor, by one that has been poor himself; even as it is contrary to the nature and use of rain, which is to fructify, and not to sweep away and destroy; and which when it does, there is no standing against it or diverting it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

People raise a man of the people, poor like themselves, to power. They find him the worst oppressor of all, plundering them to their last morsels, like the storm-rain which sweeps off the seed-corn instead of bringing fertility.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 28:3. A poor man that oppresseth the poor — Our Lord illustrates this proverb most beautifully, by the parable of the two debtors, Matthew 18:23, c. One owed ten thousand talents, was insolvent, begged for time, was forgiven. A fellow servant owed this one a hundred pence: he was insolvent but prayed his fellow servant to give him a little time, and he would pay it all. He would not, took him by the throat, and cast him into prison till he should pay that debt. Here the poor oppressed the poor; and what was the consequence? The oppressing poor was delivered to the tormentors; and the forgiven debt charged to his amount, because he showed no mercy. The comparatively poor are often shockingly uncharitable and unfeeling towards the real poor.

Like a sweeping rain — These are frequent in the East; and sometimes carry flocks, crops, and houses, away with them.


 
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