POOLS OF WATER (Eccl. ii:6). See Cis TERN; WATER.
POOR (purr), (Heb. eb•one', desirous, needy, poor).
This word often denotes the humble, afflicted, mean in their own eyes, low in the eyes of God. Not so much a man destitute of the good things of the earth as a man sensible of his spiritual misery and indigence, who applies for succor to the mercy of God. In this sense the greatest and richest men of the world are level with the poorest, in the eyes of God.
In Exod. xxiii :3, Moses forbids the judges "to countenance a poor man in his cause ;" or as in Lev. "Thou shalt not respect the per son of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty ; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor." In a word, judge without re spect of persons; have only truth and justice before your eyes ; consider that you stand in the place of God on the earth.
One of the characters of the Messiah was, to judge the poor (Ps. lxxii :2, 4), and to preach the gospel to them (Is. xi :4; Matt. xi :5). Hence, Jesus chose disciples that were poor, and the greater part of the first believers were really poor men, as we may see in their history.
Solomon says (Prov. xxii :2), "The rich and poor meet together;" they are like each other in one thing—God created them both; and both riches and poverty are of his bestowing. Hence the rich should not be supercilious, nor the poor despondent ; both are equal in the eyes of God (Prov. xxix :13). Amos (viii :6) reproaches the Israelites with having sold the poor for a con temptible price; as for shoes and sandals. Prob
ably the rich actually thus sold their poor debtors for things of no value. James ii :1 seems to carry the obligation of not respecting persons so far as to allow no mark of distinction to persons in power, or in civil dignities, in the public as semblies of religion. But this ought to be under stood of an inward preference, and of the senti ments of the heart, rather than of external marks of respect.
Figurative. Poverty was considered by the Jews as a great evil and a punishment from God.
(1) Job speaks of it as of a prison, and a state of bondage (ch. xxxvi :8).
(2) Isaiah (xlviii :to) compares it to a furnace or crucible wherein metals are purified.
(3) Poor in spiritual estate are those who, how ever full they may be of self-conceit, and abound ing in outward wealth and honor, are destitute of Jesus' righteousness and grace, and have no saving interest in the favor of God (Rev. iii :i7).
(4) A Jew was poorer than the priest's estima tion when he could not pay the price at which the priest valued his redemption (Lev. xxvii :8).
(5) Poor in sfiirit (Gr. irnexas rip irve4Lart, fito khos' to finyoo'nzah-tee, destitute), denotes those who, though possessed of an interest in the new covenant, and all its fullness, are sensible of their own sinfulness and emptiness, and humbly suppli cate every gracious supply from our all-liberal Redeemer (Matt. v:3).