“He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who has pity on the poor.”
— WEB
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Translations sourced from the public-domain WEB, KJV, and ASV. See all sources.
“He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who has pity on the poor.”
— WEB
“He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.”
— KJV
“He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth; But he that hath pity on the poor, happy is he.”
— ASV
See here how men's character and condition are measured and judged of by their conduct towards their poor neighbours. 1. Those that look upon them with contempt have here assigned them a bad character, and their condition will be accordingly: He that despises his neighbour because he is low in the world, because he is of a mean extraction, rustic education, and makes but a mean figure, that thinks it below him to take notice of him, converse with him, or concern himself about him, and sets him with the dogs of his flock, is a sinner, is guilty of a sin, is in the way to worse, and shall be dealt with as a sinner; unhappy is he. 2. Those that look upon them with compassion are here said to be in a good condition, according to their character: He that has mercy on the poor, is ready to do all the good offices he can to him, and thereby puts an honour upon him, happy is he; he does that which is pleasing to God, which he himself will afterwards reflect upon with great satisfaction, for which the loins of the poor will bless him, and which will be abundantly recompensed in the resurrection of the just.
— Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary (public domain)
For such contempt of the poor is contrasted as sinful with the virtuous compassion of the good.
— Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary (public domain)
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