A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
A poor person who mistreats other poor people is like a heavy rainstorm that washes away all the crops instead of helping them grow.
This verse is warning that when someone who has little takes advantage of others who also have little, it destroys everyone instead of helping anyone.
📚 Historical Context
In ancient Israel, during the time of King Solomon, the Book of Proverbs was compiled as a collection of wise sayings to guide people in everyday life and moral decisions. Poverty was a common challenge in this agrarian society, where the poor often depended on community support, and the verse uses the metaphor of a destructive rain to illustrate how one poor person's oppression of another leads to widespread harm, much like a storm that erodes the soil and leaves no harvest. This reflects the broader biblical emphasis on justice and wisdom in social interactions.
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