New King James Version
Proverbs 6:11
11So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.
Proverbs 6:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
- New International Version (NIV)and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
- New Living Translation (NLT)then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Context of Proverbs 6:11
9How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? 10A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep— So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. 12A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth; 13He winks with his eyes, He shuffles his feet, He points with his fingers;
Read all of Proverbs 6Proverbs 6:11 word by word
וּבָֽא־כִמְהַלֵּ֥ךְ רֵאשֶׁ֑ךָ וּ֝מַחְסֹֽרְךָ֗ כְּאִ֣ישׁ מָגֵֽן׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 6:11
- Proverbs 10:4He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
- Proverbs 13:4The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
- Proverbs 20:4The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.
Commentaries on Proverbs 6:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth - That is, with slow, but surely approaching steps. Thy want as an armed man - That is, with irresistible fury; and thou art not prepared to oppose it. The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic add the following clause to this verse: - "But if thou wilt be diligent, thy harvest shall be as a fountain; and poverty shall flee far away from thee." It is also thus in the Old MS. Bible: If forsothe unslow thou shul…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11The similitude is drawn from the two sources of Eastern terror: the “traveler,” i. e., “the thief in the night,” coming suddenly to plunder; the “armed man,” literally “the man of the shield,” the armed robber. The habit of indolence is more fatally destructive than these marauders.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-11Verses 6-11 Diligence in business is every man's wisdom and duty; not so much that he may attain worldly wealth, as that he may not be a burden to others, or a scandal to the church. The ants are more diligent than slothful men. We may learn wisdom from the meanest insects, and be shamed by them. Habits of indolence and indulgence grow upon people. Thus life runs to waste; and poverty, though at first at a distance, gradually draws near, like a traveller…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-11Laziness leads to poverty. It will arrive quickly and harshly, like when a robber or bandit attacks and steals. See parallel passage Proverbs 24:33–34.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. and the fruits of their self-indulgence and indolence presented. as ... travelleth--literally, "one who walks backwards and forwards," that is, a highwayman. armed man--that is, one prepared to destroy.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 6:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 6
- 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries