Proverbs 22:16 (YLT)

Passage

He is oppressing the poor to multiply to him, He is giving to the rich--only to want.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:14 A deep pit <FI>is<Fi> the mouth of strange women, The abhorred of Jehovah falleth there.

Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a youth, The rod of chastisement putteth it far from him.

Proverbs 22:16 He is oppressing the poor to multiply to him, He is giving to the rich--only to want.

Proverbs 22:17 Incline thine ear, and hear words of the wise, And thy heart set to my knowledge,

Proverbs 22:18 For they are pleasant when thou dost keep them in thy heart, They are prepared together for thy lips.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "oppressing", "poor", "multiply", "giving", "rich--only", and "want". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "oppressing" and "poor", 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 "Incline thine ear and hear words of...", so "oppressing" and "poor" 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 "oppressing" and "poor" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.