πτωχός G4434
Poor, destitute; one who is reduced to begging, lacking material resources or spiritual self-sufficiency
Describes someone at the lowest rung of economic life — not merely humble, but genuinely destitute, dependent on others for survival. Jesus opens the Beatitudes with 'Blessed are the poor in spirit' (Matt 5:3), using this very word to redefine worth in God's kingdom. Elsewhere, the good news is proclaimed 'to the poor' (Matt 11:5), and disciples are urged to sell possessions and give to the poor (Matt 19:21). The Greek carries stronger connotations of abject need than its English translation sometimes conveys; Spanish 'pobres' and German 'arm' similarly span material and spiritual poverty. The word challenges readers to see the destitute as those closest to God's heart.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Materially and socially destitute — a beggar or person reduced to extreme poverty, dependent on charity. Jesus announces that the gospel is preached to such people as a messianic sign (Matt 11:5; Luke 4:18). The rich young ruler is told to give to the poor (Matt 19:21), and the poor are always present as objects of compassion (Matt 26:11). Multilingual evidence (Spanish 'pobres,' French 'pauvre,' German 'arm') uniformly points to material lack, though Jesus' phrase 'poor in spirit' (Matt 5:3) extends the concept to spiritual neediness before God. 34×
AR["-الفُقَراءِ", "-فُقَرَاءِ", "الفُقَراءَ", "الفُقَرَاءَ", "الفُقَرَاءِ", "الْفُقَرَاءَ", "الْفُقَرَاءِ", "فُقَراءُ", "فُقَرَاءَ", "فُقَرَاءِ", "لِـ-فُقَرَاءَ", "لِلفُقَراءِ", "لِلْفُقَرَاءِ", "لْمَسَاكِينِ"]·ben["গরিবদের", "দরিদ্র", "দরিদ্রদের", "দরিদ্ররা"]·DE["arm"]·EN["poor", "to-poor", "to-the-poor"]·FR["pauvre"]·heb["הָעֲנִיִּים", "לַעֲנִיִּים", "לָעֲנִיִּים", "עֲנִיִּים"]·HI["कंगाल", "गरिबोन-को", "गरीब", "गरीबों", "गरीबों-के-लिए", "गरीबों-को", "गरेएबोन-को"]·ID["kepada-orang-miskin", "miskin", "orang-miskin", "orang-orang-miskin"]·IT["povero"]·jav["dhateng-tiyang-mlarat", "mlarat", "tiyang-miskin", "tiyang-miskin,", "tiyang-miskin?", "tiyang-mlarat", "tiyang-mlarat."]·KO["가난한-사람들이", "가난한-사람들이여", "가난한-자들", "가난한-자들-에게", "가난한-자들-을", "가난한-자들에게", "가난한-자들을", "가난한-자들이"]·PT["pobres", "pobres,"]·RU["-святых", "бедным", "бедных", "нищие", "нищим", "нищим,", "нищим.", "нищих"]·ES["a-pobres", "pobres"]·SW["kwa-maskini", "maskini", "na"]·TR["yoksullar,", "yoksullara", "yoksulları", "yoksulların"]·urd["تمہاری", "غریب", "غریبوں", "غریبوں-کو", "غریبوں-کو۔", "غریبوں-کے"]
Matt 5:3, Matt 11:5, Matt 19:21, Matt 26:9, Matt 26:11, Mark 10:21, Mark 12:42, Mark 12:43, Mark 14:5, Mark 14:7, Luke 4:18, Luke 6:20 (+22 more)
Related Senses
G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)H0136 1. Lord (divine title) (440×)H0113 1. lord, human superior (249×)G1849 1. authority, power (91×)H6485a 2. Qal: punish, bring judgment (63×)H8198 1. maidservant, female slave (63×)G2962 2. master, lord (human authority) (61×)H0034 1. needy, poor, destitute (61×)H0519 1. female servant, maidservant (56×)H6041 1. poor, needy person (55×)H0113 2. master, owner of servants (49×)H4910 1. Qal: to have dominion, exercise power over (44×)H1800 1. poor, needy (socioeconomic) (38×)H3515 1. heavy, severe, grievous (36×)G5092 1. honor, esteem, respect (33×)H6485a 4. Qal: visit, attend to, care for (32×)H3513 1. honor / show respect (Piel) (30×)H4910 2. Qal: to rule, govern (administrative authority) (27×)H4513 1. withhold, restrain, hold back (25×)G1658 1. free (23×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
πτωχός, ή, όν, also ός, όν Refs 5th c.BC+:— beggar, Refs 8th c.BC+ beggar-woman, NT+5th c.BC+ __2 metaphorically, οἱ π. τῷ πνεύματι NT __II as adjective, beggarly, πτωχῷ διαίτῃ NT+5th c.BC+: with genitive, beggared of, poor in, [πηγὴ] π. νυμφῶν Refs 1st c.AD+ __II.2 comparative πτωχότερος Refs 4th c.BC+; proverbial, π. κίγκλου 'as poor as a church mouse', Refs 5th c.BC+: superlative πτωχότατος Refs 6th c.AD+ __II.3 adverb -χῶς poorly, scantily, ἠροτρία π. μέν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀναγκαίως Refs 2nd c.AD+