Below are some of the main passages that use the Hebrew term, “anawim”, defined as “the poor who seek the Lord for deliverance”:
Psalm 9:18
The anawim will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
Psalm 10:17
O Yahweh, You have heard the desire of the anawim
You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear.
Psalm 22:26
The anawim will eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise Yahweh.
Psalm 25:9
He leads the anawim in justice
And He teaches the anawim His way.
Psalm 37:11
The anawim will inherit the earth
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity
Psalm 147:6
Yahweh supports the anawim
He brings down the wicked to the ground.
Psalm 149:4
Yahweh takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the anawim with salvation.
Proverbs 3:34
Toward the scorners Yahweh is scornful,
But He gives grace to the anawim.
Proverbs 14:21
He who despises his neighbor sins,
But happy is the one who has mercy on the anawim.
Proverbs 16:19
It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the anawim than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Isaiah 11:4
The messiah will judge the lowly, and determine with equity for the anawim of the earth.
Isaiah 29:19
The anawim will increase their gladness in Yahweh
And the needy of humanity will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me to bring good news to the anawim: He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.
Zechariah 2:3
Seek Yahweh, all you anawim of the earth who do His commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Below are some passages that significant passages about the anawim, whether it uses the Hebrew term or not:
Psalm 37:1-11
Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
But the anawim will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
Matthew 5:3-12
How fortunate are the depressed because they will rule God’s kingdom!
How fortunate are the sorrowful, because God will cheer them up.
How fortunate are the lowly, because God will give them the earth.
How fortunate are those who desperately desire justice, because they will get just what they want.
How fortunate are those who act in compassion, for God will be compassionate to them.
How fortunate are those single-minded on God, for they will see Him.
How fortunate are the creators of peaceful communities, for God will make them rulers.
How fortunate are the sufferers for righteousness, because they will rule God’s kingdom!
How fortunate you are when your enemies verbally abuse you and do and speak evil against you because you follow me. When that happens, you are like the prophets of the past who suffered for their message they received from God. Even as they are now rewarded by God, so will you be. So when you are persecuted for me, be happy about what you will receive—jump up and down in joy and praise God!
Psalm 82
God stands in the Divine Council
He judges among the gods.
"How long will you judge unjustly
And show favor to the wicked?
Vindicate the needy and fatherless;
Give justice to the lowly and poor.
Rescue the weak and needy
Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.”
“I had thought you to be gods
And all of you to be sons of the Most High
But you will all die like mortals
And fall like any prince."
Arise, O God, bring justice to the earth!
For all the nations are Your possession.
Psalm 42:1-3
How blessed is he who acts with wisdom for the needy;
Yahweh will deliver him in a day of trouble.
Yahweh will watch over him and keep him alive
And he will be called blessed on the earth;
And not hand him over into the power of his enemies.
Yahweh will sustain him upon his sickbed;
When he is ill You will restore him to health.
Isaiah 61:1-4
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
James 2:1-9
My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Isaiah 58:1-12
"Cry loudly, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done righteousness
And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight in the nearness of God.
Why have we fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?'
Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire,
And drive hard all your workers.
Behold, you fast for contention and strife
and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.
Is it a fast like this which I choose,
a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it for bowing one's head like a reed
And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast,
even an acceptable day to the LORD?
Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
Luke 14:7-14
And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."