Proverbs 22:22-23·~1 min
Saying 2
The hearer is told not to rob the poor because of their weakness or crush the afflicted in court, since the LORD will plead their cause and take the life of those who prey on them. Wisdom here requires refusing to leverage another's vulnerability for gain.
D22o not rob a poor man because he is poor, 23for the LORD will take up their case
Section summaryThe second saying forbids exploiting the poor either by direct robbery or by manipulating the vulnerable in court, because the LORD himself takes up their case. It makes clear that social weakness does not mean divine neglect and that injustice toward the poor becomes a direct contest with God's own advocacy.
Role in the chapterThis section functions as a warning against predatory advantage. Its work is to bind justice for the poor to reverence for the LORD's active defense of them.