Proverbs 19:17

My Notes

What Does Proverbs 19:17 Mean?

Solomon describes generosity as lending to God: he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

He that hath pity (chanan — to be gracious, to show favor, to treat with kindness beyond what is owed) upon the poor (dal — the weak, the diminished, the one reduced by circumstances) — the action is pity: grace extended to someone who cannot reciprocate. The poor person is the dal — not merely lacking money but diminished in every way: power, status, resources, voice. The pity is chanan — the same word used for God's grace. When you show grace to the poor, you act like God.

Lendeth (lavah — to lend, to make a loan) unto the LORD — the stunning claim: generosity to the poor is lending to God. The transaction appears to be between you and the poor person. The proverb says the actual borrower is God. The LORD takes the debt: what you gave the poor, God owes. The poor person is the visible recipient. God is the invisible debtor. You lent to the poor. The LORD borrowed from you.

And that which he hath given (gemul — his dealing, his deed, his act of generosity) will he pay him again (shalam — to repay, to restore, to make whole, to recompense) — God repays. The generosity you showed is not lost. It is invested — and the investor receives repayment from the most reliable debtor in the universe. The paying again is God's guarantee: what you gave, I will return. The repayment is from God, not from the poor person. The poor person cannot repay. God can — and will.

The proverb transforms generosity from charity (giving with no return) into investment (giving with guaranteed divine return). The return is not from the recipient. It is from God — who treats every act of generosity to the poor as a personal loan to himself. The lending is to the LORD. The repayment is from the LORD. The transaction runs through the poor but settles with God.

Jesus intensifies this in Matthew 25:40: inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. What the proverb says about lending to the LORD, Jesus says about serving him: the poor are Christ in disguise. What you do for them, you do for God.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How does giving to the poor being 'lending unto the LORD' transform generosity from charity into investment?
• 2.What does God assuming the debt reveal about how he views acts of kindness to the poor?
• 3.How does the guarantee that God 'will pay him again' address the fear that generosity is loss?
• 4.How does Matthew 25:40 (doing it unto the least = doing it unto Christ) intensify this proverb?

Devotional

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD. When you give to the poor, you are not just helping a person. You are lending to God. The transaction looks like you-to-the-poor-person. The reality is you-to-the-LORD. God takes the debt. God assumes the obligation. God says: what you gave them, I owe you. The most reliable debtor in the universe has just borrowed from you — through the poor person you helped.

Lendeth unto the LORD. Lending. Not losing. Not throwing away. Lending — to the LORD himself. The generosity you show to the diminished, the weak, the ones who cannot repay — God receives as a personal loan. The money does not disappear. It enters God's ledger. And God's ledger always balances.

And that which he hath given will he pay him again. God repays. The guarantee is divine: what you gave, I will return. The repayment does not come from the poor person — they cannot repay. It comes from God — who can and will. The return is not maybe. Will he pay him again. The most trustworthy debtor in existence guarantees repayment for every act of generosity to the poor.

The proverb transforms how you see generosity. The world says: giving to the poor is a loss. The proverb says: giving to the poor is a loan — to the LORD. The world says: you will never see that money again. The proverb says: God will pay you back. The world measures generosity by what it costs. The proverb measures generosity by who owes you.

Jesus confirmed it: inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40). The poor person is Christ in disguise. The giving reaches God through the needy. And God does not forget — he pays back every pity-driven penny you invested in the poor.

What would change about your generosity if you believed — truly believed — that every dollar given to the poor was a loan to the LORD? That God himself was the debtor? That the repayment was guaranteed? The hesitation that keeps your hand closed would open — because lending to the LORD is the safest investment in the universe.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture