Proverbs 19:7All the relatives of the poor shun him: how much more do his friends avoid him! He pursues them with pleas, but they are gone.
The setting
Ancient Israel, ~950 BC. The royal court where Solomon observes how quickly people distance themselves from those who've lost their wealth and status.
The emotion here: deeply saddened by human nature's cruelty
The original word
rāchaq (רָחַק) — to be far, distant, remove oneself deliberately
Why it matters
In ancient Near East, poverty meant loss of legal protection and social standing
Read with care
What most readers miss in Proverbs 19:7
The Hebrew shows friends don't just drift away - they actively flee from the poor
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about lazy people who deserve abandonment. It's actually about how financial crisis reveals who your real friends are - even good people get abandoned when money runs out.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Proverbs 19:7
Bible Genome reading
Proverbs 19:7 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Proverbs 19:7 comes from the book of Proverbs, written during the United Kingdom period. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the wisdom genre of biblical literature. Key themes include poverty, abandonment, social isolation. Notable phrases: relatives of the poor shun him; pursues them with pleas.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Proverbs 19:7 mean to you, today?
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