Proverbs 24:31

Proverbs 24:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
• New International Version (NIV)thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down.

Context of Proverbs 24:31

29Do not say, “I’ll treat him as he treated me. I’ll pay him back for what he has done to me.” 30I passed by a lazy person’s field, the vineyard belonging to a person without sense. I saw that it was all overgrown with thistles. The ground was covered with weeds, and its stone fence was torn down. 32When I observed ⌞this⌟, I took it to heart. I saw it and learned my lesson. 33“Just a little sleep, just a little slumber, just a little nap.”

Proverbs 24:31 word by word

וְהִנֵּ֨ה עָ֘לָ֤ה כֻלּ֨וֹ׀ קִמְּשֹׂנִ֗ים כָּסּ֣וּ פָנָ֣יו חֲרֻלִּ֑ים וְגֶ֖דֶר אֲבָנָ֣יו נֶהֱרָֽסָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And, lo, it was all grown overעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• with thornsקִמָּשׂוֹןqimmâshôn · thornH7063
• nettlesחָרוּלchârûl chârûl · nettleH2738
• had coveredכָּסָהkâsâh · to coverH3680
• the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
• thereof, and the stoneאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
• wallגֶּדֶרgeder · wallH1444
• thereof was broken downהָרַסhâras · to overthrowH2040

Cross-references for Proverbs 24:31

• Genesis 3:17Then he said to the man, “You listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree, although I commanded you, ‘You must never eat its fruit.’ The ground is cursed because of you. Through hard work you will eat ⌞food that comes⌟ from it every day of your life.
• Job 31:40⌞then⌟ let it grow thistles instead of wheat, and foul-smelling weeds instead of barley.” This is the end of Job’s words.
• Jeremiah 4:3This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: Plow your unplowed fields, and don’t plant among thorns.
• Matthew 13:7Other seeds were planted among thornbushes, and the thornbushes grew up and choked them.
• Hebrews 6:8However, if the earth produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
• Proverbs 19:23The fear of the Lord leads to life, and such a person will rest easy without suffering harm.
• Proverbs 20:4A lazy person does not plow in the fall. He looks for something in the harvest but finds nothing.
• Proverbs 22:13A lazy person says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be murdered in the streets!”
• Proverbs 23:21because both a drunk and a glutton will become poor. Drowsiness will dress a person in rags.
• Ecclesiastes 10:18A roof sags because of laziness. A house leaks because of idle hands.

Commentaries on Proverbs 24:31

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-34Verses 30-34 See what a blessing the husbandman's calling is, and what a wilderness this earth would be without it. See what great difference there is in the management even of worldly affairs. Sloth and self-indulgence are the bane of all good. When we see fields overgrown with thorns and thistles, and the fences broken down, we see an emblem of the far more deplorable state of many souls. Every vile affection grows in men's hearts; yet they compose…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 30-34Saying 5: Laziness and a love for sleep can lead to poverty (see Proverbs 10:4–5, 26; 12:11; 13:4; 15:19; 18:9; 19:15, 24; 20:4, 13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 30-3130-31. A striking picture of the effects of sloth.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 24:31

• Fence
• Idleness
• Instruction
• Nettles
• Slothfulness
• Vineyard
• Young Men

In the dictionaries

• Faint
• Gardens
• Nettle
• Respect
• Face
• Nettles
• Proverbs, the Book of
• Thorns, Thistles, Etc.
• Vine
• Agriculture

Commentaries on Proverbs 24

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings