New Living Translation
Proverbs 20:4
4Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.
Proverbs 20:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
- New International Version (NIV)Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.
Context of Proverbs 20:4
2The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar; to rouse his anger is to risk your life. 3Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest. 5Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out. 6Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?
Read all of Proverbs 20Proverbs 20:4 word by word
מֵ֭חֹרֶף עָצֵ֣ל לֹא־יַחֲרֹ֑שׁ וְשָׁאַ֖ל בַּקָּצִ֣יר וָאָֽיִן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 20:4
- Proverbs 10:4Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
- Proverbs 19:15Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.
- Proverbs 26:13The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
- Proverbs 6:10A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
- Proverbs 24:34then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
- Matthew 25:3The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps,
- 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 Proverbs 20:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The sluggard will not plough - For other parts of this character, see the preceding chapter, Proverbs 19 (note). It is seldom that there is a season of very cold weather in Palestine; very cold days sometimes occur, with wind, rain, and sleet. They begin their ploughing in the latter end of September, and sow their early wheat by the middle of October. And this is often the case in England itself. The meaning of the proverb is: the slothful man, under the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Plowing time in Palestine is in November and December, when the wind blows commonly from the North.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4Verse 4 He who labours and endures hardship in his seed-time for eternity, will be properly diligent as to his earthly business.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. shall ... beg--literally, "ask" (in this sense, Psa 109:10).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 20:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 20
- 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
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