H7389b H7389b
poverty, want; state of lacking material resources, opposite of wealth
A noun denoting poverty or material deprivation. Proverbs uses it frequently, contrasting it with wealth (10:15) and riches (30:8). Proverbs 24:34 pairs it with 'lack' (מַחְסֹר) in parallel, emphasizing destitution. The term appears with possessive suffixes ('his poverty,' 'your poverty'), personalizing the condition. It represents the opposite of prosperity in wisdom literature's moral economy.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Denotes the state of poverty or material want, appearing exclusively in Proverbs. The word occurs in multiple forms (רִישׁ, רֵישׁ, רֵאשׁ) with subtle orthographic variation. It stands in consistent opposition to 'wealth' (עֹשֶׁר, עָשִׁיר) and is paralleled with 'lack' (מַחְסֹר). Proverbs 28:19 and 31:7 use possessive forms ('his poverty'), making the condition personal and immediate. Spanish 'pobreza' and the English/German 'poverty' uniformly capture the economic deprivation at the word's core—a cautionary theme in wisdom teaching. 2×
AR["فَقْرًا", "فَقْرَهُ"]·ben["তার-দারিদ্র্য", "দারিদ্র্যে"]·DE["[ריש]", "[רישו]"]·EN["his-poverty", "poverty"]·FR["pauvreté", "son-pauvreté-lui"]·heb["ריש", "רישו"]·HI["गरीबी-अपनी", "गरीबी-से।"]·ID["kemiskinan", "kemiskinannya"]·IT["poverty", "suo-poverty-suo"]·jav["kamlaratan", "kamlaratanipun"]·KO["가난으로", "그의-가난을"]·PT["pobreza", "sua-pobreza"]·RU["бедность-свою", "бедностью"]·ES["pobreza", "su-pobreza"]·SW["umaskini", "umaskini-wake"]·TR["yoksullukla", "yoksulluğunu"]·urd["غربت-اپنی-کو", "غربت-سے"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H1892 1. vanity, futility, absurdity (58×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† רִישׁ, רֵישׁ, רֵאשׁ n.m. poverty, only Pr;—רִישׁ 28:19, sf. רִישׁוֹ 31:7; רֵישׁ 13:18, sf. רֵישֶׁ֑ךָ 24:34 (‖ מַחְסֹרֶיךָ), רֵישָׁם 10:15 (opp. עָשִׁיר); רֵאשׁ 30:8 (opp. עֹשֶׁר), sf. רֵאשֶׁ֑ךָ 6:11 (= 24:34, ‖ id.).