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A. Nouns.
(
, 6041), “poor; weak; afflicted; humble.” This word, which also appears in
early Aramaic and post-biblical Hebrew, occurs in biblical Hebrew about 76 times and in
all periods.
This noun is frequently used in synonymous parallelism with
(“needy”) and/or
(“poor”). It differs from both in emphasizing some kind of disability or distress. A
hired servant as one who is in a lower (oppressive) social and material condition is
described both as an
and
&
“Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor
and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within
thy gates: At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it;
for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it
be sin unto thee” (Deut. 24:14-15). If wrongly oppressed, he can call on God for defense.
Financially, the
lives from day to day and is socially defenseless, being subject to
oppression. In its first biblical occurrence the
is guaranteed (if men obey God’s law)
his outer garment for warmth at night even though that garment might be held as
collateral during the day: “If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee,
thou shall not be to him as a usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury” (Exod. 22:25).
The godly protect and deliver the “afflicted” (Isa. 10:2; Ezek. 18:17), while the ungodly
take advantage of them, increasing their oppressed condition (Isa. 58:7). The king is
especially charged to protect the
: “Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the
cause of the poor and needy” (Prov. 31:9.
*
can refer to one who is physically oppressed: “Therefore hear now this, thou
afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine” (Isa. 51:21).
Physical oppression is sometimes related to spiritual oppression as in Ps. 22:24: “For
he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his
face from him.…” Outward affliction frequently leads to inner spiritual affliction and
results in an outcry to God: “Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am
desolate and afflicted” (Ps. 25:16). Even apart from outward affliction, the pious are
frequently described as the “afflicted” or “poor” for whom God provides: “Thy
congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the
poor” (Ps. 68:10). In such cases spiritual poverty and want are clearly in view.
Sometimes the word means “humble” or “lowly,” as it does in Zech. 9:9, where it
describes the Messiah: “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having
salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass …” (cf. Ps. 18:27; Prov. 3:34; Isa. 66:2).
Related to
is the noun
, “affliction.” It appears about 36 times and in all
periods of biblical Hebrew.
>
represents the state of pain and/or punishment resulting
from affliction. In Deut. 16:3 the shewbread is termed the bread of “affliction” because it
is a physical reminder of sin, the cause of “affliction” (Ps. 25:18), the hardship involved
in sin (especially the Egyptian bondage), and divine deliverance from sin (Ps. 119:50).
*
is also related to the word
(
, “humility, gentleness.” This word occurs
only 5 times, setting forth the two characteristics gained from affliction. Applied to God,
it represents His submission to His own nature (Ps. 45:4).