Proverbs 18:23 (KJV)

Passage

The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

Proverbs 18:23 The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.

Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "poor", "useth", "intreaties", "rich", "answereth", and "roughly". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "poor" and "useth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good..." into verse 24's "A man that hath friends must shew...", so "poor" and "useth" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "poor" and "useth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.