Bridging the gap between ourselves and the Anawim.
What does “anawim” mean, anyway?
Anawim (pronounced ah-nah-weem) is a Hebrew word that means, “the poor who depend on the Lord for deliverance.” It is used frequently in the Bible, especially the Psalms and is the basis for Jesus’ statement “Blessed are the poor.”
“Trust in the Lord and do good. Those who wait for the Lord, the anawim, will inherit the earth.” (Psalm 37:3,9,11)
We should all try to understand, respect, even admire the Anawim to the point of using them as models of simplicity, humility, and faith.
In the Old Testament they the “poor ones” who remained faithful to God in times of difficulty. These humble people became known as the anawim or the “faithful remnant.”
The anawim, “the poor and lowly ones”. The expression turns up often in the bible. It indicates not just the oppressed, the miserable, the persecuted, the needy, but also those who, in following the word of God, are rejected and despised by those who prefer to use violence, wealth, and power to dominate. These poor are not a demographic, statistical group but a social and spiritual one.
We are recalled to know them in the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5,3).
The prophet Zephaniah spoke of the anawim as special: “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the wrath of the Lord” (Zep 2,3).
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