Deuteronomy 15:11
New International Version
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

New Living Translation
There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

English Standard Version
For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Berean Standard Bible
For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

New American Standard Bible
For the poor will not cease to exist in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall fully open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

NASB 1995
“For 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.’

NASB 1977
“For 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.’

Legacy Standard Bible
For the needy will never cease to be in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your afflicted and needy in your land.’

Amplified Bible
For 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 to your poor in your land.’

Christian Standard Bible
For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘Open your hand willingly to your poor and needy brother in your land.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land.’”

American Standard Version
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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For the poor does not cease from within the land, because of this, I command you and I say to you that you shall open your hand to your poor brother and to the afflicted who is in your land.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For the poor shall not fail off thy land, therefore I charge thee to do this thing, saying, Thou shalt surely open thine hands to thy poor brother, and to him that is distressed upon thy land.

Contemporary English Version
There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That's why I am commanding you to be generous with them.

Douay-Rheims Bible
There will not be wanting poor in the land of thy habitation: therefore I command thee to open thy hand to thy needy and poor brother, that liveth in the land.

English Revised Version
For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt surely open thine hand unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
There will always be poor people in the land. That's why I command you to be generous to other Israelites who are poor and needy.

Good News Translation
There will always be some Israelites who are poor and in need, and so I command you to be generous to them.

International Standard Version
Since poor people won't cease to exist in the land, therefore I'm commanding you: Be sure to be generous to your poor and needy relatives in your land."

JPS Tanakh 1917
For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy brother, in thy land.'

Literal Standard Version
because the poor does not cease out of the land, therefore I am commanding you, saying, You certainly open your hand to your brother, to your poor and to your needy one in your land.

Majority Standard Bible
For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.

New American Bible
The land will never lack for needy persons; that is why I command you: “Open your hand freely to your poor and to your needy kin in your land.”

NET Bible
There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open your hand to your fellow Israelites who are needy and poor in your land.

New Revised Standard Version
Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”

New Heart English Bible
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.

Webster's Bible Translation
For the poor shall never cease from the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand wide to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

World English Bible
For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land.

Young's Literal Translation
because the needy one doth not cease out of the land, therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Thou dost certainly open thy hand to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy one, in thy land.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Generosity in Lending and Giving
10Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand. 11For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.

Cross References
Matthew 26:11
The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.

Mark 14:7
The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me.

John 12:8
The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me."

Deuteronomy 15:7
If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother.

Proverbs 31:20
She opens her arms to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

Ezekiel 18:7
He does not oppress another, but restores the pledge to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.


Treasury of Scripture

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command you, saying, You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land.

Proverbs 22:2
The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.

Matthew 26:11
For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

Mark 14:7
For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

Thou shalt

Deuteronomy 15:8
But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

Matthew 5:42
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Luke 12:33
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

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Always Cease Command Commanding Countrymen Hand Need Needy Open Openhanded Orders Poor Surely Time Wide Within
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Always Cease Command Commanding Countrymen Hand Need Needy Open Openhanded Orders Poor Surely Time Wide Within
Deuteronomy 15
1. The seventh year a year of release for the poor
7. one must be generous in lending or giving
12. A Hebrew servant, except by choice, must be freed in the seventh year
19. All firstborn males of the cattle are to be sanctified unto the Lord.














(11) For the poor shall never cease.--There is no contradiction between this verse and Deuteronomy 15:4 above. There will always be some men falling into poverty; but it is our business to see that they do not remain in want. The poor will never cease, except by the provision made for them by their brethren. God will never make all men absolutely equal in this world.

Thy brother, thy poor, and thy needy.-According to Rashi, the word translated "needy" is stronger than the word for "poor." The "poor" are in humble circumstances; the "needy" are actually in want. In commenting on this verse, Rashi asks a similar question to that of the lawyer in Luke 10:29, "Who is this brother? Thy poor man." He might have added that "thy poor" and "thy needy" are expressions teaching the truth that we are "members one of another." We may not pass by our poorer brethren, and say we have nothing to do with them. Jehovah calls them ours--"thy poor man," and "thy needy man." The words are both in the singular number in the Hebrew. We cannot shake off the relationship or the responsibility in any one case.

Verse 11. - They were to open their hand wide to their poorer brethren, for there should always be such in the land. This statement is not inconsistent with that in ver. 4, for there it is the prevention of poverty by not dealing harshly with the poor that is spoken of; here it is the continuance of occasion for the relief of the poor that is referred to.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֛י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

there will never
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

cease
יֶחְדַּ֥ל (yeḥ·dal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2308: To be flabby, desist, be lacking, idle

to be poor
אֶבְי֖וֹן (’eḇ·yō·wn)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 34: In want, needy, poor

in
מִקֶּ֣רֶב (miq·qe·reḇ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

the land;
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

that is why
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

I
אָנֹכִ֤י (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

am commanding you
מְצַוְּךָ֙ (mə·ṣaw·wə·ḵā)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

to
לֵאמֹ֔ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

open
פָּ֠תֹחַ (pā·ṯō·aḥ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 6605: To open wide, to loosen, begin, plough, carve

wide
תִּפְתַּ֨ח (tip̄·taḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6605: To open wide, to loosen, begin, plough, carve

your hand
יָדְךָ֜ (yā·ḏə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

to your brother
לְאָחִ֧יךָ (lə·’ā·ḥî·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

and to the poor
לַעֲנִיֶּ֛ךָ (la·‘ă·nî·ye·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6041: Poor, afflicted, humble

and needy
וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ (ū·lə·’eḇ·yō·nə·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 34: In want, needy, poor

in your land.
בְּאַרְצֶֽךָ׃ (bə·’ar·ṣe·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 15:11 For the poor will never cease out (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 15:10
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