God’s Word Translation
Proverbs 20:4
4A lazy person does not plow in the fall. He looks for something in the harvest but finds nothing.
Proverbs 20:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
- New International Version (NIV)Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.
Context of Proverbs 20:4
2The rage of a king is like the roar of a lion. Whoever makes him angry forfeits his life. 3Avoiding a quarrel is honorable. After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight. A lazy person does not plow in the fall. He looks for something in the harvest but finds nothing. 5A motive in the human heart is like deep water, and a person who has understanding draws it out. 6Many people declare themselves loyal, but who can find someone who is ⌞really⌟ trustworthy?
Read all of Proverbs 20Proverbs 20:4 word by word
מֵ֭חֹרֶף עָצֵ֣ל לֹא־יַחֲרֹ֑שׁ וְשָׁאַ֖ל בַּקָּצִ֣יר וָאָֽיִן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 20:4
- Proverbs 10:4Lazy hands bring poverty, but hard-working hands bring riches.
- Proverbs 19:15Laziness throws one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will go hungry.
- Proverbs 26:13A lazy person says, “There’s a ferocious lion out on the road! There’s a lion loose in the streets!”
- Proverbs 6:10“Just a little sleep, just a little slumber, just a little nap.”
- Proverbs 24:34Then your poverty will come like a drifter, and your need will come like a bandit.
- Matthew 25:3The foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they didn’t take any extra oil.
- 2 Peter 1:5Because of this, make every effort to add integrity to your faith; and to integrity add knowledge;
Commentaries on Proverbs 20:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The sluggard will not plough - For other parts of this character, see the preceding chapter, Proverbs 19 (note). It is seldom that there is a season of very cold weather in Palestine; very cold days sometimes occur, with wind, rain, and sleet. They begin their ploughing in the latter end of September, and sow their early wheat by the middle of October. And this is often the case in England itself. The meaning of the proverb is: the slothful man, under the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Plowing time in Palestine is in November and December, when the wind blows commonly from the North.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4Verse 4 He who labours and endures hardship in his seed-time for eternity, will be properly diligent as to his earthly business.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. shall ... beg--literally, "ask" (in this sense, Psa 109:10).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 20:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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