Wealth and Poverty in the Old Testament (I): The Pentateuch and Narratives

Wealth and Poverty in the Old Testament (I): The Pentateuch and Narratives

TAI Ho-fai Nicholas

Discussing the issue of wealth and poverty in the Old Testament is a broad and profound task. It can be examined in various contexts such as Old Testament ethics and social history. In addition, the long history of the Old Testament Israel increases the difficulty, and how we understand the formation history of the Old Testament itself also affects how we approach this topic. Therefore, the article will only give a brief overview of the concepts of wealth and poverty in the Pentateuch. The usage of Hebrew words for wealth and poverty in the Pentateuch will be analyzed so as to see how these concepts function in their respective contexts.

From the perspective of the laws in the Pentateuch, poverty is a reality. The laws do not demand the elimination of it, but as the people of Yahweh (free Israelites), Israel is obliged to care for the poor. On the other hand, based on the stories of the patriarchs, several points about the concept of wealth can be established: First, wealth is a symbol of God's blessing. Second, the stories are not about wealth but God's promises and His providence. Third, the patriarchs all realized that wealth was a gift from God. Finally, the process of getting rich is not necessarily a glorious one. Many times, they were in difficult situations, but with the protection and blessing of God, their difficulties were turned into blessings.