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Proverbs 6:6-11
New English Translation

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;[a]
observe her[b] ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
overseer, or[c] ruler,
8 yet it would prepare[d] its food in the summer;
it gathered at the harvest what it will eat.[e]
9 How long, you sluggard, will you lie there?
When will you rise from your sleep?[f]
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to relax,[g]
11 and your poverty will come like a robber,[h]
and your need like an armed man.[i]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:6 sn The sluggard (עָצֵל, ʿatsel) is the lazy or sluggish person (cf. NCV “lazy person,” and NRSV and NLT “lazybones”).
  2. Proverbs 6:6 sn A fact seemingly unknown until recent centuries is that although worker ants are sterile, they are female. The gender of the word “ant” in Hebrew is feminine.
  3. Proverbs 6:7 tn The conjunction vav (ו) here has the classification of alternative, “or” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §433).
  4. Proverbs 6:8 tn The Hebrew imperfect verb occurs here in the sense of past habitual action.
  5. Proverbs 6:8 tc The LXX adds a lengthy section at the end of the verse on the lesson from the bee: “Or, go to the bee and learn how diligent she is and how seriously she does her work—her products kings and private persons use for health—she is desired and respected by all—though feeble in body, by honoring wisdom she obtains distinction.” The Greek translator thought the other insect should be mentioned (see C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 124).tn Heb “its food.”
  6. Proverbs 6:9 sn The use of the two rhetorical questions is designed to rebuke the lazy person in a forceful manner. The sluggard is spending too much time sleeping.
  7. Proverbs 6:10 sn The writer might in this verse be imitating the words of the sluggard who just wants to take “a little nap.” The use is ironic, for by indulging in this little rest the lazy one comes to ruin.
  8. Proverbs 6:11 tn Heb “like a wayfarer” or “like a traveler” (cf. KJV). The LXX has “swiftness like a traveler.” It has also been interpreted as a “highwayman” (cf. NAB) or a “dangerous assailant.” W. McKane suggests “vagrant” (Proverbs [OTL], 324); cf. NASB “vagabond.” Someone traveling swiftly would likely be a robber.
  9. Proverbs 6:11 tn The Hebrew word for “armed” is probably connected to the word for “shield” and “deliver” (s.v. גָּנַן). G. R. Driver connects it to the Arabic word for “bold; insolent,” interpreting its use here as referring to a beggar or an insolent man (“Studies in the Vocabulary of the Old Testament, IV,” JTS 33 [1933]: 38-47).
Listen to Proverbs 6:6-11, Proverbs 10:4-5, Proverbs 10:26, Proverbs 12:11, Proverbs 12:24, Proverbs 12:27, Proverbs 13:4, Proverbs 13:11, Proverbs 14:23, Proverbs 15:19, Proverbs 18:9
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Proverbs 6:6-11
New American Standard Bible

6 Go to the (A)ant, you [a](B)lazy one,
Observe its ways and be wise,
7 Which, having (C)no chief,
Officer, or ruler,
8 Prepares its food (D)in the summer
And gathers its provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, you [b]lazy one?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 “(E)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to [c]rest,”
11 (F)Then your poverty will come in like a [d]drifter,
And your need like [e]an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:6 Lit idle one
  2. Proverbs 6:9 Lit idle one
  3. Proverbs 6:10 Lit lie down
  4. Proverbs 6:11 Lit one who moves about
  5. Proverbs 6:11 Lit a man with a shield
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Proverbs 7
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Proverbs 10:4-5
New English Translation

4 The one who is lazy[a] becomes poor,[b]
but the one who works diligently[c] becomes wealthy.[d]
5 The one who gathers crops[e] in the summer is a wise[f] son,
but the one who sleeps[g] during harvest is a shameful son.[h]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:4 tn Heb “a palm of slackness.” The genitive noun רְמִיָּה (remiyyah, “slackness”) functions as an attributive adjective: “a slack palm” (BDB 941 s.v.). The term כַף (khaf, “palm”) is a synecdoche of part (= palm) for the whole person (= one who works with his hands). The hand is emphasized because it is the instrument of physical labor. The “slack hand” is contrasted with the “diligent hand.” A slack hand refers to a lazy worker or careless work that such hands produce. See N. C. Habel, “Wisdom, Wealth, and Poverty Paradigms in the Book of Proverbs,” BiBh 14 (1988): 28-49.
  2. Proverbs 10:4 tc The MT reads רָאשׁ (raʾsh, “poor”) which is the plene spelling of רָשׁ (rash, “poor [person]”; HALOT 1229-30 s.v. רֵישׁ). Both Tg. Prov 10:4 and LXX reflect an alternate vocalization רִישׁ (rish, “poverty”) which is from the same root, and essentially means the same thing.tn Heb “causes poverty.” The expression is literally, “the palm of slackness causes poverty.”
  3. Proverbs 10:4 tn Heb “but the hand of the diligent” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV). The genitive noun חָרוּצִים (kharutsim, “diligence”) functions as an attributive adjective: “a diligent hand.” The noun חָרוּצִים (kharutsim) uses the plural form because the plural is often used for abstract moral qualities. The term יָד (yad, “hand”) is a synecdoche of part (= “hand”) for the whole person (= “the one who works with his hands”). The hand is emphasized because it is the instrument of physical labor.
  4. Proverbs 10:4 tn Heb “makes rich” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hiphil verb is used in a causative sense; literally, “the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
  5. Proverbs 10:5 tn The direct object “crops” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the verb; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
  6. Proverbs 10:5 tn Heb “prudent.” The term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) refers to a wise and so successful person. He seizes the opportunity, knowing the importance of the season.
  7. Proverbs 10:5 sn The term “sleeps” is figurative, an implied comparison that has become idiomatic (like the contemporary English expression “asleep on the job”). It means that this individual is lazy or oblivious to the needs of the hour.
  8. Proverbs 10:5 tn Heb “a son who acts shamefully.”
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Proverbs 10:4-5
New American Standard Bible

4 Poor is one who works with [a]a lazy hand,
But the (A)hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:4 Lit an idle hand
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Proverbs 10:26
New English Translation

26 Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes,[a]
so is the sluggard to those[b] who send him.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:26 sn Two similes are used to portray the aggravation in sending a lazy person to accomplish a task. Vinegar to the teeth is an unpleasant, irritating experience; and smoke to the eyes is an unpleasant experience that hinders progress.
  2. Proverbs 10:26 tn The participle is plural, and so probably should be taken in a distributive sense: “to each one who sends him.”
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Proverbs 10:26
New American Standard Bible

26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the [a](A)lazy one to those who send him.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:26 Lit idle one
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Proverbs 12:11
New English Translation

11 The one who works[a] his field will have plenty[b] of food,
but whoever chases daydreams[c] lacks sense.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:11 sn In the biblical period agriculture was the most common occupation for the people; so “working a field” describes a substantial occupation, but also represents working in general. Diligent work, not get-rich-quick schemes, is the key to ensuring income.
  2. Proverbs 12:11 tn Heb “will have his fill of” or “will be satisfied with.”
  3. Proverbs 12:11 tn Heb “empty things” or “vain things.” The term רֵיקִים (reqim) refers to worthless pursuits in an effort to make money. The fact that the participle used is “chase after” shows how elusive these are. Cf. NIV “fantasies”; NCV “empty dreams”; TEV “useless projects.”
  4. Proverbs 12:11 tn Heb “lacking of mind.” The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) refers by metonymy to thinking, and by extension to discernment, wisdom, good sense.
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Proverbs 12:11
New American Standard Bible

11 One (A)who works his land will have plenty of bread,
But one who pursues worthless things lacks [a]sense.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:11 Lit heart
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Proverbs 12:24
New English Translation

24 The diligent[a] person[b] will rule,
but the slothful[c] will be put to forced labor.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:24 sn By their diligent work they succeed to management. The diligent rise to the top, while the lazy sink to the bottom.
  2. Proverbs 12:24 tn Heb “the hand of the diligent.” The term “hand” is a synecdoche of part (= hand) for the whole (= person): diligent person. The hand is emphasized because it is the instrument of physical labor; it signifies the actions and the industry of a diligent person—what his hand does.
  3. Proverbs 12:24 tn The term רְמִיָּה (remiyyah) can mean “slack, negligent, deceptive” (HALOT 1243 s.v.). By the feature of ellipsis and double duty we should probably understand it as “the hand of the negligent,” as a way of referring to a negligent person. The term refers to one who is not diligent, who perhaps tries deceive his employer about his work, which he has neglected.
  4. Proverbs 12:24 tn The term מַס (mas) refers to forced or conscripted labor and is sometimes translated as “slave labor” (NIV, cf. NLT “slave”) but it is far from clear that it means slavery (see NIDOTTE 984 s.v.). The term certainly describes imposed work requirements. For Israelites within Israel it is elsewhere used only in connection to conscription to work on royal building projects making it like a form of taxation (forced labor has often been used in world history as taxation instead of money). The precise use of the term here is unclear because of general lack of information, but perhaps the lazy person will not earn enough money to meet obligations and be required to pay via forced labor.
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Proverbs 12:24
New American Standard Bible

24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the [a]lazy hand will be (A)put to forced labor.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:24 Lit idle
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Proverbs 12:27
New English Translation

27 The lazy person does not roast[a] his prey,
but personal possessions are precious to the diligent.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 tc The MT reads יַחֲרֹךְ (yakharokh) from II חָרַךְ (kharakh, “to roast”?). On the other hand, several versions (LXX, Syriac, Vulgate) reflect a Hebrew Vorlage of יַדְרִיךְ (yadrikh) from דָרַךְ (darakh, “to gain”), meaning: “a lazy person cannot catch his prey” (suggested by Gemser; cf. NAB). The MT is the more difficult reading, being a hapax legomenon, and therefore should be retained; the versions are trying to make sense out of a rare expression.tn The verb II חָרַךְ (kharakh) is a hapax legomenon, appearing in the OT only here. BDB suggests that it means “to start; to set in motion” (BDB 355 s.v.). The related Aramaic and Syriac verb means “to scorch; to parch,” and the related Arabic verb means “to roast; to scorch by burning”; so it may mean “to roast; to fry” (HALOT 353 s.v. I חרך). The lazy person can’t be bothered cooking what he has hunted. The Midrash sees an allusion to Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25. M. Dahood translates it: “the languid man will roast no game for himself, but the diligent will come on the wealth of the steppe” (“The Hapax harak in Proverbs 12:27, ” Bib 63 [1982]: 60-62). This hyperbole means that the lazy person does not complete a project.
  2. Proverbs 12:27 tn Heb “the precious possession of a man, diligent.” The LXX reads “but a valuable possession [is] a pure man” while Rashi, a highly esteemed 11th century Rabbi, interpreted it as “a precious possession of a man is to be diligent” (R. Murphy, Proverbs [WBC] 88). The translation assumes that the word יָקָר (yaqar, “precious”) should either be a construct form or transposed into predicate position. The implication is not to desire or overvalue possessions themselves but to take care of what one has.
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Proverbs 12:27
New American Standard Bible

27 [a]A lazy person does not [b]roast his prey,
But the (A)precious possession of a person is diligence.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 Lit An indolent
  2. Proverbs 12:27 Or catch
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Proverbs 13:4
New English Translation

4 The appetite[a] of the sluggard[b] craves[c] but gets nothing,
but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:4 tn The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally “soul”) has a broad range of meanings, and here denotes “appetite” (e.g., Ps 17:9; Prov 23:3; Eccl 2:24; Isa 5:14; Hab 2:5; BDB 660 s.v. 5.c) or “desire” (e.g., Deut 12:20; Prov 19:8; 21:10; BDB 660 s.v. 6.a).
  2. Proverbs 13:4 sn The contrast is between the “soul (= appetite) of the sluggard” (נַפְשׁוֹ עָצֵל, nafsho ʿatsel) and the “soul (= desire) of the diligent” (נֶפֶשׁ חָרֻצִים, nefesh kharutsim)—what they each long for.
  3. Proverbs 13:4 tn The Hitpael verb means “to lust after; to crave.” A related verb is used in the Decalogue’s prohibition against coveting (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21).
  4. Proverbs 13:4 tn Heb “will be made fat” (cf. KJV, NASB); NRSV “is richly supplied.”
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Proverbs 13:4
New American Standard Bible

4 The soul of the [a]lazy one craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made [b]prosperous.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:4 Lit idle
  2. Proverbs 13:4 Lit fat
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Proverbs 13:11
New English Translation

11 Wealth gained quickly[a] will dwindle away,[b]
but the one who gathers it little by little[c] will become rich.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:11 tc The MT reads מֵהֵבֶל (mehevel) “from vanity” and is followed by KJV and ASV. The word הֵבֶל (hevel) means “vapor” and figuratively refers to that which is unsubstantial, fleeting, or amounts to nothing (BDB 210 s.v.). The Greek and Latin versions, followed by RSV, reflect מְבֹהָל (mevohal, “in haste”) which exhibits metathesis. A different pointing of the MT has also been proposed: מְהֻבָּל (mehubbal) “obtained by fraud” (HALOT 236 s.v. הבל), cf. NASB, NIV, CEV. The proverb favors steady disciplined work and saving over get-rich-quick schemes, be they by fraud or by empty dreams (cf. Prov 20:21; 28:20, 22).
  2. Proverbs 13:11 tn Heb “will become small.” The verb מָעָט (maʿat) means “to become small; to become diminished; to become few.” Money gained without work will diminish quickly, because it was come by too easily. The verb forms a precise contrast with רָבָה (ravah), “to become much; to become many,” but in the Hiphil, “to multiply; to make much many; to cause increase.”
  3. Proverbs 13:11 tn Heb “by hand”; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “by labor.”
  4. Proverbs 13:11 tn Heb “will increase.”
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Proverbs 13:11
New American Standard Bible

11 Wealth obtained from [a]nothing dwindles,
But one who gathers [b]by labor increases it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:11 Prob. referring to fraud
  2. Proverbs 13:11 Lit by hand
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Proverbs 14:23
New English Translation

23 In all hard work[a] there is profit,
but merely talking about it[b] only brings[c] poverty.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:23 sn The Hebrew term עֶצֶב (ʿetsev, “painful toil; labor”) is first used in scripture in Gen 3:19 to describe the effects of the Fall. The point here is that people should be more afraid of idle talk than of hard labor.
  2. Proverbs 14:23 tn Heb “word of lips.” This construct phrase features a genitive of source (“a word from the lips”) or a subjective genitive (“speaking a word”). Talk without work (which produces nothing) is contrasted with labor that produces something.
  3. Proverbs 14:23 tn The term “brings” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
  4. Proverbs 14:23 sn The noun מַחְסוֹר (makhsor, “need; thing needed; poverty”) comes from the verb “to lack; to be lacking; to decrease; to need.” A person given to idle talk rather than industrious work will have needs that go unmet.
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Proverbs 14:23
New American Standard Bible

23 In all labor there is profit,
But [a]mere talk leads only to poverty.

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  1. Proverbs 14:23 Lit word of lips
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Proverbs 15
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Proverbs 15:19
New English Translation

19 The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,[a]
but the path of the upright is like[b] a highway.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:19 tn Heb “like an overgrowth”; NRSV “overgrown with thorns”; cf. CEV “like walking in a thorn patch.” The point of the simile is that the path of life taken by the lazy person has many obstacles that are painful—it is like trying to break through a hedge of thorns. The LXX has “strewn with thorns.”
  2. Proverbs 15:19 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
  3. Proverbs 15:19 sn The contrast to the “thorny way” is the highway, the Hebrew word signifying a well built-up road (סָלַל, salal, “to heap up”). The upright have no reason to swerve, duck, or detour, but may expect “clear sailing.” Prov 28:19 pairs similar concepts while Prov 6:10 and 10:26 speak of the hardships associated with laziness.
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Proverbs 15:19
New American Standard Bible

19 The way of the [a]lazy one is like a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.

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  1. Proverbs 15:19 Lit idle
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Proverbs 18:9
New English Translation

9 The one who[a] is slack[b] in his work
is a brother[c] to one who destroys.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:9 tn Heb “Also, the one who.” Many commentators and a number of English versions omit the word “also.”
  2. Proverbs 18:9 tn The form מִתְרַפֶּה (mitrappeh) is the Hitpael participle, “showing oneself slack.” The verb means “to sink; to relax,” and in the causative stem “to let drop” the hands. This is the lazy person who does not even try to work.
  3. Proverbs 18:9 sn These two troubling types, the slacker and the destroyer, are closely related.
  4. Proverbs 18:9 tn Heb “possessor of destruction.” This idiom means “destroyer” (so ASV); KJV “a great waster”; NRSV “a vandal.”
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Proverbs 18:9
New American Standard Bible

9 He also who is (A)lax in his work
(B)Is a brother to him who destroys.

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