how to say “poverty” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-1.m4a” /]עֹנִי
The Hebrew Bible having exported to the world the value of helping the weak, it should come as no surprise that Hebrew has more than ten ways to say poverty, including דלות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-2.m4a” /], אביונות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-3.m4a” /] and מסכנות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-4.m4a” /].
The common word used today to describe this state lacking is עוני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-1.m4a” /], the same word used to describe Matzah as bread of poverty or bread of affliction – לחם עוני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-5.m4a” /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-6.m4a” /]בשכונות מסוימות בעיר ניתן לראות עוני מחריד.
In certain neighborhoods in the city (one) can see horrific poverty.
עוני when standing alone in a sentence refers to the physical state of lacking. But when connected to another word, עוני can refer to other states of poverty as well:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-7.m4a” /]יש עוני חומרי, ויש גם עוני רוחני.
There’s material poverty, and there’s also spiritual poverty.
A poor person is עני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-8.m4a” /] if he’s a male and ענייה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-9.m4a” /] if she’s a female.