Proverbs 18:23

A poor person makes supplications, ¹  but a rich man answers harshly. ² 

Ge 42:7,30; Ex 5:2; Ru 2:7; 1Sa 2:36; 1Sa 25:10,17; 2Ki 4:1,2; Isa 66:2; Mt 5:3; Jas 1:9-11; Jas 2:3

¹ tn Heb “speaks supplications”; NIV “pleads for mercy.” The poor man has to ask for help because he has no choice (cf. CEV). The Hebrew term תַּחֲנוּן (takhanun) is a “supplication for favor” (related to the verb חָנַן [khanan], “to be gracious; to show favor”). So the poor man speaks, but what he speaks is a request for favor.

² sn The rich person responds harshly to the request. He has hardened himself against such appeals because of relentless demands. The proverb is an observation saying; it simply describes the way the world generally works, rather than setting this out as the ideal.