19:17

Notice the parallelism. The second line gives the result of the first line.

17a Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD,

17b and He will repay the lender.

19:17a

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD: This clause is a metaphor. It compares a gift to the poor with a loan to the LORD. The similarity is that the LORD will repay Kindness to the poor as if it were money that he borrowed. Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

He who is generous to the poor lends to the Lord (Revised English Bible)
-or-
If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord — (New Living Translation (2004))

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

Being kind to the poor is like lending to the Lord (New Century Version)
-or-
When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord (Good News Translation)

Kindness: This word refers here to a person who is generous, gracious, or kind.

to the poor: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as the poor refers to people who have low status in society. The word emphasizes their insignificance and helplessness as well as their material needs. This word does not refer primarily to people who are utterly poverty-stricken. See 10:4a for information on the four Hebrew words for poor that are used in Proverbs.

All the English versions used in preparing these Notes use the word “poor” here. In some languages, there may be a word or idiom that emphasizes the specific meaning of this Hebrew word. For example:

those who are low in status
-or-
people who have many needs
-or-
people who are helpless

See 14:31a for a list of verses where this word for poor occurs.

19:17b

and He will repay the lender: This clause indicates that the LORD will repay the person who was kind to the poor for the kind deed that he did.

repay: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as repay can refer to something desirable (a reward) or undesirable (revenge or punishment). In this context, it clearly refers to a reward. What the LORD gives to repay the figurative “loan” can include spiritual blessings as well as material benefits.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

and the Lord will repay him for his good deed (NET Bible)
-or-
and the Lord will pay you back (Good News Translation)

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