The craving of the slacker kills him because his hands refuse to work.
Parallel translations
- WEB The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
- KJV The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
- ESV The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
- NKJV The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.
- NASB The desire of the lazy one puts him to death, For his hands refuse to work;
- NLT Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.
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
The sluggard's cravings destroy him because he refuses to work. It matters as a warning that laziness is self-destructive.
Overview
The lazy person desires much but will not labor to obtain it, and his idleness brings him to ruin (Proverbs 13:4; 6:9-11). Desire without diligence is deadly. The verse commends honest work as the God-ordained means of provision and dignity.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Prov 13:4The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.
- Matt 25:26‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.
- Prov 12:24The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
- Prov 19:24The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.
- Prov 12:27A lazy man does not roast his game, but a diligent man prizes his possession.
- Prov 15:19The way of the slacker is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
- Prov 26:16The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
- Prov 24:30–34I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
- Prov 20:4The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.
- Prov 22:13The slacker says, “There is a lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!”
- Prov 26:13The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”
- Prov 6:6–11Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 21:25 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.