The word “oppression” is found 34 times in the Old and New Testament. The image below reveals the locations of each occurrence. This cool graph starts with Genesis in the top left and ends with Revelation in the bottom right.
Here are the 30 most powerful Bible scriptures on oppression.
Psalm 9:9
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Proverbs 14:31
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
Psalm 72:4
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
1 Timothy 5:8
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Amos 4:1
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring, that we may drink!”
Ecclesiastes 10:4
If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.
Ecclesiastes 7:7
Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Isaiah 30:12
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them.”
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!
Isaiah 54:14
In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
James 2:6
But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?
Jeremiah 22:13
Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages.
John 14:26
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Luke 11:46
And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”
Malachi 3:5
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me,” says the Lord of hosts.
Proverbs 22:16
Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
Proverbs 25:26
Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
Psalm 103:6
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
Psalm 119:134
Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts.
Psalm 12:5
“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
Psalm 146:7
Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free.
Psalm 43:2
For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Psalm 46:1
To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 82:3
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Romans 12:19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Zechariah 7:10
Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.
Zechariah 9:8
Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that none shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again march over them, for now I see with my own eyes.
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60 Transcendent Verses on Trust
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68 Powerful Verses on Forgiveness
40 Uplifting Scriptures on Patience
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Natalie Regoli is a child of God, devoted wife, and mother of two boys. She has a Master's Degree in Law from The University of Texas. Natalie has been published in several national journals and has been practicing law for 18 years.