New Living Translation
Ecclesiastes 10:18
18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.
Ecclesiastes 10:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
- New International Version (NIV)Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks.
Context of Ecclesiastes 10:18
16What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning. 17Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk. Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. 19A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! 20Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom. For a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 10Ecclesiastes 10:18 word by word
בַּעֲצַלְתַּ֖יִם יִמַּ֣ךְ הַמְּקָרֶ֑ה וּבְשִׁפְל֥וּת יָדַ֖יִם יִדְלֹ֥ף הַבָּֽיִת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 10:18
- Proverbs 12:24Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
- Proverbs 14:1A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
- Proverbs 20:4Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.
- Proverbs 21:25Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.
- Proverbs 23:21for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags.
- Proverbs 24:30I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense.
- Hebrews 6:11Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.
- 2 Peter 1:5In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 10:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18By much slothfulness - This is remarkably the case in some countries. Houses are not repaired till they almost fall about the ears of the inhabitants. We have an adage that applies to all such cases: "A stitch in time saves nine."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-20Verses 16-20 Foolish rulers, by their weakness, self-indulgence and sloth, bring decay upon the state: nobleness and temperance insure prosperity: yet the subject must not rebel in word or thought against his king. Ecclesiastes 10:16 A child - Rather, young. The word is applied to Rehoboam 2 Chronicles 13:7 at the time of his accession to the throne, when he was 41 years old. Eat in the morning - A sign of intemperance (compare Isaiah 5:11). Ecclesiastes…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-20Verses 16-20 The happiness of a land depends on the character of its rulers. The people cannot be happy when their princes are childish, and lovers of pleasure. Slothfulness is of ill consequence both to private and public affairs. Money, of itself, will neither feed nor clothe, though it answers the occasions of this present life, as what is to be had, may generally be had for money. But the soul, as it is not redeemed, so it is not maintained with…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18Delaying roof repairs causes rafters to sag and eventually ruins the home (see Proverbs 12:27; 20:4). Government corruption has a similar impact (Ecclesiastes 10:15–16).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. building--literally, "the joining of the rafters," namely, the kingdom (Ec 10:16; Is 3:6; Am 9:11). hands--(Ec 4:5; Pr 6:10). droppeth--By neglecting to repair the roof in time, the rain gets through.Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 10:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 10
- 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 Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries