Deuteronomy 15:11

My Notes

What Does Deuteronomy 15:11 Mean?

"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." God states a PERMANENT REALITY and draws a PERMANENT OBLIGATION from it: the poor will NEVER CEASE. Therefore: OPEN YOUR HAND WIDE. The poverty is PERMANENT (never ceasing). The generosity must be EQUALLY PERMANENT (always opening). The reality that poverty won't disappear doesn't produce RESIGNATION. It produces COMMAND — the ongoing existence of the poor requires the ongoing opening of the hand.

The phrase "the poor shall never cease out of the land" (ki lo yechdal evyon miqqerev ha'aretz — the needy one will not cease/stop from the midst of the land) is REALISTIC, not DEFEATIST: God doesn't say 'poverty will end if you try hard enough.' He says: the poor will ALWAYS be present. The realism prevents UTOPIAN thinking (we'll eliminate poverty) AND prevents RESIGNATION (since poverty is permanent, why bother helping). Instead, the permanent presence of the poor produces the permanent OBLIGATION to help.

The "open thine hand wide" (pato'ach tiftach et yadekha — opening you shall open your hand) uses EMPHATIC DOUBLING again: open-OPEN. The hand must be WIDELY opened (not grudgingly cracked). The doubling makes the opening EMPHATIC and GENEROUS. The hand doesn't SLIGHTLY open. It OPENS WIDE — patach, fully open, completely extended, without reservation. The open hand is the GENEROUS hand — unrestricted, unguarded, available. Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 26:11 ('the poor ye have always with you') — confirming the permanence and the obligation.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Is your hand wide open toward the poor — or slightly cracked?
• 2.What does poverty being PERMANENT producing generosity being COMMANDED teach about the obligation of giving?
• 3.How does the doubled 'open-open' describe the emphatic nature of the required generosity?
• 4.What does Jesus quoting this verse teach about the obligation carrying into the New Testament?

Devotional

The poor will NEVER cease from the land. THEREFORE: open your hand WIDE. The permanent reality of poverty produces the permanent obligation of generosity. The poor won't disappear. So the giving can't stop. The hand must stay OPEN — widely, emphatically, without end — because the need never ends.

The 'poor shall never cease' is DIVINE REALISM: God doesn't promise the END of poverty. He declares its PERMANENCE. The poor will ALWAYS exist in the land. The realism prevents two errors: UTOPIANISM (we can eliminate poverty — so work toward that day) and RESIGNATION (poverty is permanent — so why bother). Instead, the permanent presence produces the permanent OBLIGATION. The poor are always here. The hand must always be open.

The 'therefore I COMMAND thee' makes the generosity MANDATORY: the response to poverty isn't OPTIONAL compassion. It's COMMANDED generosity. The 'therefore' connects the REALITY (poor never ceasing) to the OBLIGATION (hand opening wide). Because THIS is true (permanent poverty), THEREFORE this is required (permanent generosity). The command flows from the reality. The obligation flows from the condition.

The 'open thine hand WIDE' (doubled: patho'ach tiftach — opening you shall open) is the MOST GENEROUS possible gesture: the hand opens WIDE — fully extended, completely available, unreserved. The doubling makes the opening EMPHATIC: don't just crack the hand slightly. OPEN it — all the way, without holding back, without calculating the minimum. The wide-open hand is the GENEROUS hand — the hand that gives without reservation.

Jesus quotes this verse (Matthew 26:11): the permanence and the obligation both carry into the New Testament. The poor are always with you. The hand must always be open.

Is your hand WIDE OPEN — or slightly cracked?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture