The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
Parallel translations
- KJV A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
- BSB The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.
- NKJV A lazy man buries his hand in the bowl, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
- NASB The lazy one buries his hand in the dish, But will not even bring it back to his mouth.
- NLT Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
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 is too lazy even to feed himself. The proverb mocks laziness as absurdly self-defeating.
Overview
This proverb humorously pictures the sluggard burying his hand in the dish yet too lazy to lift the food to his mouth. Its exaggeration drives home how self-defeating and ridiculous idleness is. By satirizing sloth, the verse commends diligence and self-discipline, qualities Scripture honors as fitting for those who serve God faithfully in all their labor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Prov 15:19The way of the sluggard is like a thorn patch, but the path of the upright is a highway.
- Prov 26:13–16The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!”
- Prov 6:9–10How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?
- Prov 24:30–34I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
- Prov 19:15Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep. The idle soul shall suffer hunger.
- Prov 12:27The slothful man doesn’t roast his game, but the possessions of diligent men are prized.
- Mark 14:20He answered them, “It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish.
- Ps 74:11Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? Take it out of your pocket and consume them!
- Matt 26:23He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me.
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 19:24 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.