She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
Parallel Translations
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She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
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She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
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She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
Cross-references (15)
Passages linked to Proverbs 31:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Ephesians 4:28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.
- Hebrews 13:16 But don’t forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
- Proverbs 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to Yahweh; he will reward him.
- Proverbs 22:9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed; for he shares his food with the poor.
- Deuteronomy 15:11 For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land.
- Psalms 41:1 Blessed is he who considers the poor. Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.
- Acts 20:34-35 You yourselves know that these hands served my necessities, and those who were with me. In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
- Romans 12:13 contributing to the needs of the saints; given to hospitality.
- Job 31:16-20 “If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it (no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, I have guided her from my mother’s womb); if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering; if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;
- Psalms 112:9 He has dispersed, he has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted with honor.
- Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.
- Mark 14:7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want to, you can do them good; but you will not always have me.
- Acts 9:39-41 Peter got up and went with them. When he had come, they brought him into the upper room. All the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter sent them all out, and knelt down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand, and raised her up. Calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
- Romans 10:21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
- Proverbs 1:24 Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (12 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the…
Pro 31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
Ver. 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor.] She laboureth with her hands to that purpose, {Eph 4:28} and findeth by experience that not getting but giving is the way to thrive. See my Common Place of Alms.
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Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.] ‘Nittily needy,’ as one phraseth it. To those that are extremely poor she not only stretcheth but reacheth, not her hand only, but both hands; yea, she hath her almoners to give to those that she cannot go to, as Queen Anne Boleyn had. {a} For, besides what she dealt and distributed by the hands of others, she carried ever about her a certain little purse; out of which she was wont to scatter about daily some alms to the needy, thinking no day well spent wherein some man had not fared the better by some benefit at her hands. The like is told of Placilla, wife to the Emperor Theodosius, that for her courtesy and bounty to the poor she was called φιλοπτωχως, The poor man’s friend.
{a} Acts and Mon., fol. 957.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain To relieve their necessities. Her designs are generous and…
To relieve their necessities. Her designs are generous and noble; for she labours not only to supply her own and her household necessities, or to support her own state, much less to feed her pride and luxury, but that she may have wherewith to supply the wants of others who crave or need her assistance; which also procures God’s blessing upon her husband, and children, and whole family, to whom, by this means, she brings both honour and advantage.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain She stretcheth out her hand to the poor,.... Her…
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor,.... Her liberality is very extensive, reaches to many, and at a distance; it is done with great cheerfulness and readiness; to do good and communicate, she forgets not, it being acceptable to her Lord and husband, Heb 13:16;
yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy; she gives with both hands, liberally and largely. It may be applied to the church, giving spiritual food by her ministers to those who are poor in spirit, spiritually poor and needy, and who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the…
Verse 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor]
11. She is truly charitable. She knows that in every portion of a man's gain God requires a lot for the poor; and if this is not given, God's blessing is not in the rest. And she is not contented to give common alms. While with one hand (יד yad) she relieves the general poor, with both hands (ידיה yadeyha) she gives to the needy, לעני leaney, to the afflicted poor.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Pro 31:20. She stretcheth out her hand to the…
Pro 31:20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor — To relieve their necessities. Her designs are generous and noble; for she labours not only to supply her own and her household’s necessities, or to support her own state, much less to feed her pride and luxury; but that she may have wherewith to supply the wants of others, who crave or need her assistance. Which also procures God’s blessing upon her husband and children, and whole family, to whom, by this means, she brings both honour and advantage.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The industry is not selfish, but bears the fruit…
The industry is not selfish, but bears the fruit of an open-handed charity.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Industry enables her to be charitable.
Industry enables her to be charitable.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 20. Stretcheth out… to the poor — She spreads…
20. Stretcheth out… to the poor — She spreads out or opens her palm. While exceedingly thrifty and industrious, she is not “close-fisted;” but generously opens her hand to every case of distress and need: an example of good economy and liberality — two virtues but rarely blended, unhappily, in the same person, either man or woman.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. stretcheth out] Rather, spreadeth out.
20. stretcheth out] Rather, spreadeth out.
her hand] Lit. her palm. The whole expression, spreadeth out her palm (holding out the gift for acceptance) denotes the open-handed liberality with which she disperses abroad and gives to the poor (Psa_112:9; 2Co_9:9).
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“The hand which is thus held out to the poor is precisely the hand which has been laid on the distaff and the spindle; not the lazy hand or the useless hand, but the hand which is supple with toil, dexterous with acquired skill.” Horton.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (20) She streteheth out her hand to the poor.—Either…
(20) She streteheth out her hand to the poor.—Either in sympathy or with alms; “yea, she reacheth forth (both) her hands to the needy;” she is keenly alive to their sorrows, and pities them and aids them with all her power.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain CAPH. She is not impelled by selfish greed to…
CAPH. She is not impelled by selfish greed to improve her means and enlarge her revenues. She is sympathizing and charitable, and loves to extend to others the blessings which have rewarded her efforts. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. "Hand" is here caph, "the palm," evidently containing alms. She knows the maxim, (Pro_19:17) "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord," etc.; and she has no fear of poverty. Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. "Hand," is here yod, with its nerves and sinews ready for exertion; (see on Pro_10:4) and the idea is that she puts forth her hand to raise and soothe the poor man, not being satisfied with dealing alms to him, but exercising the gentle ministries of a tender love. Septuagint, "She opens her hands to the needy, and reaches forth her wrist (karpon ) to the poor." Like Dorcas, she is full of good works and alms deeds. (Act_9:36) It is doubtless implied that the prosperity which she experiences is the reward of this benevolence. (Pro_22:9)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 reaches out with her hand to poor
reaches out with her hand to poor
The hand is a metonym for the help the woman uses her hand to give. AT: "helps poor" (See: Metonymy)
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reaches out with her hands to
These words translate the same words translated "puts her hands on" in Proverbs 31:19.
are clothed in scarlet
Here "scarlet" does not refer to the color of the cloth, but that the clothing is expensive and warm. AT: "have expensive, warm clothing" (See: Metonymy)
scarlet
The color red, but with a hint of orange.
translationWords
snow
household
clothe
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.