The Meaning of Proverbs 10:5 Explained

Proverbs 10:5

KJV: He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

YLT: Whoso is gathering in summer is a wise son, Whoso is sleeping in harvest is a son causing shame.

Darby: He that gathereth in summer is a wise son; he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

ASV: He that gathereth in summer is a wise son; But he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He that gathereth  in summer  [is] a wise  son:  [but] he that sleepeth  in harvest  [is] a son  that causeth shame. 

What does Proverbs 10:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Proverbs 10:1-16 - The Righteous And The Wicked
Wealth has its advantages, which are more than apparent. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, Proverbs 10:15; but the treasures which have been obtained by wickedness are soon dissipated. They profit nothing, Proverbs 10:2. This book contains the striking thought that ill-earned wealth is never gathered for the benefit of the possessor, but rather for the benefit of the righteous, and must be useless until it gets into hands which will use it benevolently and rightly.
But there is another kind of wealth, which will never take wings to fly away, which no moth can corrupt nor thief steal, and which will avail not only here but here-after. Note the antithesis of Proverbs 10:2. If you would increase your wealth, give it away. See Proverbs 10:4.
The covering work of love, referred to in Proverbs 10:12, is emphasized in 1 Corinthians 13:7, r.v., margin, 1 Peter 4:8, and James 5:20. God covers sin, so that the memory of it is obliterated, Ezekiel 33:16. [source]

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 10

1  Proverbs of Solomon: observations of moral virtues, and their contrary vices

What do the individual words in Proverbs 10:5 mean?

He who gathers in summer [is] a son wise He who sleeps in harvest [is] a son who causes shame
אֹגֵ֣ר בַּ֭קַּיִץ בֵּ֣ן מַשְׂכִּ֑יל נִרְדָּ֥ם בַּ֝קָּצִ֗יר בֵּ֣ן מֵבִֽישׁ

אֹגֵ֣ר  He  who  gathers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָגַר  
Sense: to gather.
בַּ֭קַּיִץ  in  summer 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קַיִץ  
Sense: summer, summer-fruit.
בֵּ֣ן  [is]  a  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מַשְׂכִּ֑יל  wise 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׂכַל 
Sense: to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper.
נִרְדָּ֥ם  He  who  sleeps 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָדַם  
Sense: (Niphal) to be asleep, be unconscious, be in heavy sleep, fall into heavy sleep, be fast asleep.
בַּ֝קָּצִ֗יר  in  harvest 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קָצִיר 
Sense: harvest, harvesting.
בֵּ֣ן  [is]  a  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מֵבִֽישׁ  who  causes  shame 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בֹּושׁ 
Sense: to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed.