The Bible

 

Ezekiel 33:2

Study

       

2 Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and tell them, When I bring the sword on a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman;

Commentary

 

Needy

  
‘Brother Juniper and the Beggar,’ by Spanish Baroque painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Juniper, one of the original followers of St. Francis of Assissi, was renowned for his generosity. When told he could no longer give away his clothes, he instead simply told the needy, like the beggar in the painting, that he couldn’t give them his clothes, but wouldn’t stop them from taking them.

In most cases, "needy" in the Bible refers to people who lack true knowledge of the Lord and his teachings, but have a desire to learn. Often, especially in the New Testament, it relates to the Gentiles. In some cases, the Bible speaks of "the poor and needy" together; in these cases "poor" means those lacking the desire to be good and "needy" those lacking knowledge. Due to translation issues, though, "poor" and "needy" are often used interchangeably, and the term "beggar" is sometimes used as well.