Proverbs 18:23 Meaning: Why the Poor Plead but the Rich Answer Harshly

The Hebrew word behind “plead for mercy” is tachanunim, meaning “supplications” or “entreaties for favor.” It is the word someone uses when they come with empty hands, asking, not demanding. The poor man has no leverage. He can only ask. On the other side, the rich man answers with “harshly”, the Hebrew word azzot means strong, fierce, even violent. Where the poor man speaks softly, the rich man answers with force. The contrast is about the heart’s posture, not just the wallet.

The verse also uses two different verbs for speech. The poor “speaks” (y’daber), he initiates his request. The rich “answers” (ya’aneh), he responds to what he hears. The harshness is not random; it is directed at someone who asked gently. That makes the pain more personal. The proverb does not tell us which person we should be. It simply holds up a mirror and asks us to recognize ourselves in one of them.

Christians have read this verse in several ways. Matthew Henry saw it as a practical observation: poverty often teaches humility, while wealth can breed a rough spirit. Gill emphasized that this is a description of what commonly happens, not what ought to happen, the rich man’s harshness is a failure, not a model. Barnes pointed out the paradox: we expect the poor to be rough and the rich to be courteous, but the reverse is often true. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown added that the rich man is tolerated simply because he is rich, which reveals a wrong way of valuing people. Across these readings, there is agreement that the verse holds a mirror to how money can affect the way we treat others, and that mirror is meant to lead us toward humility, not pride.

Some read this verse as if it endorses the rich man’s harshness, assuming the poor should plead and the rich can answer roughly because they are wealthy. In fact, the proverb describes a sad reality, not God’s ideal. The surrounding verses remind us that the tongue holds death and life (Proverbs 18:21). Other proverbs call for kindness and justice toward the poor (Proverbs 14:31, 22:22). The rich man’s rough answer is not wisdom; it is a warning.

This week, you will likely be on one side of a request or the other. Maybe a coworker asks a favor, a child interrupts you, or a stranger needs help. Notice your first impulse. Do you answer impatiently, as if your time is more valuable than theirs? This proverb invites you to see yourself in both roles. When you are the one in need, you know how fragile asking feels. When you are the one with resources, you are tempted to answer roughly. But the gospel turns the mirror: Christ, who had everything, did not answer us harshly. He became poor so that we could become rich in mercy. Because we have received gentleness, we can give it.