Proverbs 22:16 (WEB)

Passage

Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit. He who is under Yahweh’s wrath will fall into it.

Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child: the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

Proverbs 22:16 Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty.

Proverbs 22:17 Turn your ear, and listen to the words of the wise. Apply your heart to my teaching.

Proverbs 22:18 For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whoever", "oppresses", "poor", "increase", "gives", "rich", and "both". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whoever" and "oppresses", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Folly is bound up in the heart..." into verse 17's "Turn your ear and listen to the...", so "whoever" and "oppresses" 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 "whoever" and "oppresses" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.