The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
Parallel translations
- WEB The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.
- KJV The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
- BSB The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.
- NASB The soul of the lazy one craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made prosperous.
- NLT Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.
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
The sluggard craves but gets nothing, while the diligent are fully satisfied. Mere wanting accomplishes nothing without diligent effort.
Overview
The proverb contrasts the sluggard, whose desires go unmet because he will not work, with the diligent, whose efforts bring full satisfaction. It exposes the emptiness of desire without labor. This reflects God's good design for diligent work and stewardship, encouraging believers to pair their hopes with faithful effort.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Prov 12:24The hands of the diligent ones shall rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.
- Prov 12:11He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding.
- 2 Pet 1:5–11Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge;
- Prov 10:4He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.
- Prov 2:2–9So as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
- Prov 11:25The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself.
- Prov 28:25One who is greedy stirs up strife; but one who trusts in Yahweh will prosper.
- John 6:27Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”
- Heb 6:11We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,
- Prov 8:34Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts.
- Prov 26:13The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!”
- Isa 58:11and Yahweh will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters don’t fail.
- Num 23:10Who can count the dust of Jacob, or count the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous! Let my last end be like his!”
- Ps 92:14They will still produce fruit in old age. They will be full of sap and green,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 13:4 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.