Help the Poor: Bible Verses
Scripture has much to say about poverty and caring for those in need. The Old Testament law, for example, included provisions for fair treatment of the poor. In the New Testament, Jesus indicated that when one feeds or clothes the poor, it’s as if it was done for Him (see Matthew 25:34–40). To learn more about why believers should help the poor, the Bible verses below offer some insight.
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God.”
Leviticus 19:9–11
“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother… You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 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.’”
Deuteronomy 15:7, 10–11
“Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.”
Psalm 41:1
“He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.”
Proverbs 14:31
“He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.”
Proverbs 19:17
“Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.”
Proverbs 21:13
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’”
Matthew 19:21
“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
Matthew 25:40
“He answered and said to them, ‘He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’”
Luke 3:11
“Then He also said to him who invited Him, ‘When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’”
Luke 14:12–14
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
James 1:27
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
1 John 3:16–18