King James Version
Romans 12:11
11Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Romans 12:11 in other versions
- New International Version (NIV)Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
- New Living Translation (NLT)Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Context of Romans 12:11
9Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Read all of Romans 12Romans 12:11 word by word
τῇ σπουδῇ μὴ ὀκνηροί, τῷ πνεύματι ζέοντες, τῷ κυρίῳ δουλεύοντες,Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Romans 12:11
- Exodus 5:17But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.
- Proverbs 6:6Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
- Proverbs 10:26As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
- Proverbs 13:4The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
- Proverbs 18:9He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
- Proverbs 22:29Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
- Proverbs 24:30I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
- Proverbs 26:13The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
- Ecclesiastes 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
- Isaiah 56:10His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
- Matthew 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:
- Acts 20:34Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
- Ephesians 4:28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:11And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
- 1 Timothy 5:13And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
Commentaries on Romans 12:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Not slothful in business - That God, who forbade working on the seventh day, has, by the same authority, enjoined it on the other six days. He who neglects to labor during the week is as culpable as he is who works on the Sabbath. An idle, slothful person can never be a Christian. Fervent in spirit - ͅ · Do nothing at any time but what is to the glory of God, and do every thing as unto him; and in every thing let your hearts be engaged. Be always in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Not slothful - The word rendered “slothful” refers to those who are slow, idle, destitute of promptness of mind and activity; compare Matthew 25:16. In business - ͂ͅ ͂ͅ tē spoudēThis is the same word which in Romans 12:8 is rendered “diligence.” It properly denotes haste, intensity, ardor of mind; and hence, also it denotes industry, labor. The direction means that we should be diligently occupied in our proper employment. It does not refer to any…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-16Verses 9-16 The professed love of Christians to each other should be sincere, free from deceit, and unmeaning and deceitful compliments. Depending on Divine grace, they must detest and dread all evil, and love and delight in whatever is kind and useful. We must not only do that which is good, but we must cleave to it. All our duty towards one another is summed up in one word, love. This denotes the love of parents to their children; which is more tender…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord: This means a deep commitment to God that motivates a person to serve faithfully and actively. Christians should eagerly serve the Lord by caring for and supporting others within the church.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. not slothful in business--The word rendered "business" means "zeal," "diligence," "purpose"; denoting the energy of action. serving the Lord--that is, the Lord Jesus (see Ep 6:5-8). Another reading--"serving the time," or "the occasion"--which differs in form but very slightly from the received reading, has been adopted by good critics [Luther, Olshausen, Fritzsche, Meyer]. But as manuscript authority is decidedly against it, so is internal evidence…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 12:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
King James Version — Public Domain except in the United Kingdom (Crown rights)
Commentaries