By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
Parallel translations
- WEB By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.
- BSB Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.
- NKJV Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks.
- NASB Through extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks.
- NLT Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Through laziness the roof sags, and through idle hands the house leaks. Neglect leads quietly to decay and ruin.
Overview
Qoheleth uses a household image to show how sloth produces gradual collapse. What is left untended slowly falls apart. The proverb commends diligence and faithful stewardship, a theme Scripture applies to all areas of life, including watchful care of the soul (Proverbs 24:30-34; Hebrews 6:11-12).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Prov 14:1Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
- Prov 20:4The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
- Prov 24:30–34I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
- Prov 23:21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
- Heb 6:11And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
- Prov 21:25The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
- 2 Pet 1:5–10And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
- Prov 12:24The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
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Christ at the center
The search that finds everything 'under the sun' to be vapor exposes the emptiness of life without God and drives us to the one who alone gives meaning, the resurrection that makes our labor not in vain.
How Ecclesiastes 10:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.