sell himself into slavery, on a temporary basis. (Lev. 25:25-28, 39-54) So as not to put a hardship on the poor, the Law permitted them to present less valuable offerings at the sanctuary.—Lev. 12:8; 14:21, 22; 27:8.

God’s law prescribed equal justice for rich and poor alike, not favoring either one because of his position. (Ex. 23:3, 6; Lev. 19:15) But as the nation of Israel lapsed into unfaithfulness, the poor suffered much oppression.—Isa. 10:1, 2; Jer. 2:34.

IN THE FIRST CENTURY C.E.

It appears that considerable poverty prevailed among the Jews in the first century C.E. Foreign domination from the time of the Babylonian exile had doubtless interfered with the application of the Mosaic law, which protected hereditary possessions. (Compare Nehemiah 9:36, 37.) The religious leaders, especially the Pharisees, were more concerned about tradition than instilling genuine love of neighbor and proper regard for aged and needy parents. (Matt. 15:5, 6; 23:23; compare Luke 10:29-32.) The money-loving Pharisees had little interest in the poor.—Luke 16:14.

Christ Jesus, though, ‘felt pity for the crowds, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.’ (Matt. 9:36) His declaring the good news to the poor and oppressed stood in such marked contrast with the attitude of the religious leaders of Judaism that it constituted one of the proofs that he was indeed the Messiah. (Matt. 11:5; Luke 4:18; 7:22) To responsive ones it also opened up the glorious privilege of inheriting the heavenly kingdom.—Matt. 5:3; Luke 6:20.

Being in a covenant relationship to God, the Jews were under obligation to assist needy fellow Israelites. (Prov. 14:21; 28:27; Isa. 58:6, 7; Ezek. 18:7-9) Appreciating this, Zacchaeus, upon accepting Jesus as the Messiah, exclaimed: “Look! The half of my belongings, Lord, I am giving to the poor.” (Luke 19:8) For the same reason, Christ Jesus could say: “When you spread a feast, invite poor people, crippled, lame, blind; and you will be happy, because they have nothing with which to repay you.” (Luke 14:13, 14) On another occasion he encouraged a rich young ruler: “Sell all the things you have and distribute to poor people, and you will have treasure in the heavens; and come be my follower.” (Luke 18:22) The fact that this man was unwilling to part with his possessions to aid others showed that he had no real concern for the oppressed and thus did not have the qualities required for being a disciple of Jesus.—Luke 18:23.

Jesus’ encouragement to assist the poor was in line with what he himself had done. As God’s Son in the heavens he had had everything. But “though he was rich he became poor.” As a poor man on earth he was able to redeem the human race, making available the greatest of riches, that is, the prospect for his followers to become sons of God. (2 Cor. 8:9) Additionally, other great spiritual riches became available to them.—Compare 2 Corinthians 6:10; Revelation 2:9; 3:17.

Also, while on earth, Jesus personally took an interest in the materially poor. He and his apostles had a common fund from which they gave to needy Israelites. (Matt. 26:9-11; Mark 14:5-7; John 12:5-8; 13:29) The same loving concern for the poor was manifested in later years by Christians, as they provided material assistance for their poor brothers. (Rom. 15:26; Gal. 2:10) But some did forget, making it necessary for the disciple James to reprimand them for bestowing favoritism on the rich and looking down on the poor.—Jas. 2:2-9.

Of course, only those who were deserving received material assistance. By no means was laziness encouraged. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: “If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.”—2 Thess. 3:10; see BEGGAR, BEGGING; GIFTS OF MERCY.

POPLARS

[Heb., ʽara·vimʹ (plural)].

The Hebrew name for this tree corresponds with the Arabic gharab, which continues to be used for the Euphrates poplar. Thus, although the poplar and willow are of the same genus of trees, similar in appearance, and both common to the Near East, modern lexicographers favor the poplar tree (Populus euphratica) in translation.—See Koehler-Baumgartner, Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros, page 733; Brown-Driver-Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, page 788; The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, page 639.

The poplar tree is very common along the banks of the Euphrates (while the willow is comparatively rare there) and thus fits well the reference at Psalm 137:1, 2, which describes the weeping Jewish captives as hanging their harps on the poplar trees. The small, crisp, heart-shaped leaves of the Euphrates poplar (also called aspen) are carried on flattened stems that hang obliquely from the main stalk, and this results in their swaying back and forth at the slightest breeze, a motion that might suggest the emotional swaying of persons weeping in grief.

Euphrates poplars are also found along the banks of rivers and streams from Syria to Palestine and particularly in the Jordan river valley. There, along with tamarisk trees, they often form dense thickets, while elsewhere they may grow to a height of from thirty to forty-five feet (9.1 to 13.7 meters). In all the Scriptural references these poplar trees are associated with water courses or ‘torrent valleys.’ They were included among the trees whose boughs were used at the Festival of Booths (Lev. 23:40); they provided cover for the mighty “Behemoth” (hippopotamus) along the river (Job 40:15, 22); and the ease with which they sprout along well-watered places is used at Isaiah 44:3, 4 to describe the rapid growth and increase resulting from Jehovah’s outpoured blessings and spirit.—See POPLARS, TORRENT VALLEY OF.

POPLARS, TORRENT VALLEY OF

At Isaiah 15:7 the prophet describes the escaping Moabites as fleeing with their goods across the “torrent valley of the poplars.” If their flight was to the S, as it seems likely to have been, this torrent valley would appear to refer to the “torrent valley of Zered” (Num. 21:12; Deut. 2:13), which acted as the frontier boundary between Moab and Edom to the S. The torrent valley of Zered is generally identified with the Wadi el-Hesa, which flows into the S end of the Dead Sea. In its lower course it is called the Seil el-Qurahi and as such passes through a small plain that is somewhat swampy in places and could thus be a suitable place for poplars to have grown.—See ZERED, TORRENT VALLEY OF.

PORATHA

(Po·raʹtha) [(perhaps of Persian origin) giving much, liberal].

One of Haman’s ten sons.—Esther 9:8, 10.

PORCH

A covered entrance to a building, or a place for waiting before entering. The Hebrew word ʼu·lamʹ basically means “the anterior part, front” and hence “vestibule, porch.” In the Hebrew Scriptures this word is not used in regard to an architectural portion of individual homes, private houses. Whether Israelite homes had a porch of some sort is difficult to determine. But the archaeological remains of some houses in Megiddo indicate that they were built around a courtyard and that “one ground floor room served as an entrance vestibule.” (The Biblical Archaeologist, May 1968, pp. 46, 48) In the Scriptures ʼu·lamʹ is applied to two of the public buildings Solomon constructed (see PORCH OF PILLARS; PORCH OF THE THRONE), the front part of Solomon’s temple and to certain parts of the gateways and temple that Ezekiel was shown in vision.