The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
Parallel translations
- WEB The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
- BSB The craving of the slacker kills him because his hands refuse to work.
- 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 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 soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
- 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 12:24The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
- Prov 19:24A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
- Prov 12:27The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
- Prov 15:19The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.
- Prov 26:16The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
- Prov 24:30–34I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
- Prov 20:4The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
- Prov 22:13The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
- Prov 26:13The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
- Prov 6:6–11Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
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 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.