Proverbs 17:5
Mocking the poor or rejoicing in calamity dishonors God and invites judgment.
5 Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
Mocking the poor or rejoicing in calamity dishonors God and invites judgment.
To warn that mocking the poor or rejoicing over another person's misfortune reveals contempt for God and invites divine judgment.
Proverbs 17 belongs to the short, tightly packed sayings that form practical wisdom for daily life. In this cluster, moral character is repeatedly revealed through speech and relational posture. The verse immediately before (17:4) portrays the corrupt heart listening gladly to corrupt speech, setting a backdrop for how sin uses words to damage others. Proverbs 17:5 then addresses two specific distortions: contempt toward the economically vulnerable and delight in disaster. The verse after (17:6) turns to family honor and generational relationships, keeping the chapter’s focus on social bonds under God’s moral governance. The form is a two-line proverb that links human-to-human treatment directly to honor or dishonor of God as Maker and Judge.
Israel’s wisdom tradition addressing covenant-shaped daily life in community, where economic vulnerability and public honor/shame dynamics could tempt the strong to ridicule the weak.
Wisdom in Household Peace, Tested Hearts, Just Speech, and Relational Restraint
Wisdom prizes peace over abundance, receives the LORD's testing of the heart, rejects injustice and corrupt speech, and practices loyal love, restraint, and discernment in relationships.