As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
Parallel translations
- WEB As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
- BSB Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the slacker to those who send him.
- ESV Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
- NKJV As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy man to those who send him.
- NASB Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy one to those who send him.
- NLT Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
A lazy person sent on an errand is as irritating and unreliable as vinegar on the teeth or smoke in the eyes. The proverb warns against the frustration the sluggard causes those who depend on him.
Overview
Using two vivid sensory images of discomfort, Proverbs pictures the exasperation of trusting work to a sluggard who fails to deliver. The point is practical: laziness is not a private fault but harms others who rely on us. Faithfulness in our tasks reflects the trustworthiness of God, who never fails those who depend on Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 26:6He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.
- Prov 25:13As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
- Matt 25:26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
- Prov 25:20As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.
- Isa 65:5Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
- Heb 6:12That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
- Rom 12:11Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 10:26 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.