Proverbs 18:23 (YLT)

Passage

<FI> With<Fi> supplications doth the poor speak, And the rich answereth fierce things.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life <FI>are<Fi> in the power of the tongue, And those loving it eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:22 <FI> Whoso<Fi> hath found a wife hath found good, And bringeth out good-will from Jehovah.

Proverbs 18:23 <FI> With<Fi> supplications doth the poor speak, And the rich answereth fierce things.

Proverbs 18:24 A man with friends <FI>is<Fi> to show himself friendly, And there is a lover adhering more than a brother!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "supplications", "doth", "poor", "speak", "rich", "answereth", "fierce", and "things". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "supplications" and "doth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "FI Whoso Fi hath found a wife..." into verse 24's "A man with friends FI is Fi...", so "supplications" and "doth" 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 "supplications" and "doth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.