New Living Translation
Proverbs 10:26
26Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
Proverbs 10:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
- New International Version (NIV)As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are sluggards to those who send them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy man to those who send him.
Context of Proverbs 10:26
24The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted. 25When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation. Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes. 27Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. 28The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.
Read all of Proverbs 10Proverbs 10:26 word by word
כַּחֹ֤מֶץ׀ לַשִּׁנַּ֗יִם וְכֶעָשָׁ֥ן לָעֵינָ֑יִם כֵּ֥ן הֶ֝עָצֵ֗ל לְשֹׁלְחָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 10:26
- Proverbs 25:13Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer. They revive the spirit of their employer.
- Isaiah 65:5Yet they say to each other, ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.
- Matthew 25:26“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,
- Romans 12:11Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
- Hebrews 6:12Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.
Commentaries on Proverbs 10:26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26As vinegar to the teeth - The acid softening and dissolving the alkali of the bone, so as to impair their texture, and render them incapable of masticating; and as smoke affects the eyes, irritating their tender vessels, so as to give pain and prevent distinct vision; so the sluggard, the lounging, thriftless messenger, who never returns in time with the desired answer.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26The teeth set on edge by the sour wine used by peasants Rth 2:14 ; Psalm 69:21, the eye irritated by wood-smoke, these shadow the annoyance of having a messenger who will loiter on the way.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26Verse 26 As vinegar sets the teeth on edge, and as the smoke causes the eyes to smart, so the sluggard vexes his employer.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. that is, causes vexation.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 10:26
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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