The Meaning of Proverbs 12:27 Explained

Proverbs 12:27

KJV: The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.

YLT: The slothful roasteth not his hunting, And the wealth of a diligent man is precious.

Darby: The slothful roasteth not what he took in hunting; but man's precious substance is to the diligent.

ASV: The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting; But the precious substance of men is to the diligent.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The slothful  [man] roasteth  not that which he took in hunting:  but the substance  of a diligent  man  [is] precious. 

What does Proverbs 12:27 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The lazy man does not finish his projects; he does not roast and eat the game he has hunted. He throws away his chances for something better by quitting too soon. However, the person who has mastered diligence and finishes his task has a precious tool at his disposal, namely: perseverance.
"I recall hearing some of my student friends say at seminary graduation, "Thank the Lord, no more Greek and Hebrew!" They had spent several years learning to use the Bible languages, and now they were selling their valuable language tools and thereby wasting their gains." [1]

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 12

1  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge

What do the individual words in Proverbs 12:27 mean?

Not does roast the lazy [man] what he [took] in hunting but possession man's precious diligence [is]
לֹא־ יַחֲרֹ֣ךְ רְמִיָּ֣ה צֵיד֑וֹ וְהוֹן־ אָדָ֖ם יָקָ֣ר חָרֽוּץ

יַחֲרֹ֣ךְ  does  roast 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָרַךְ  
Sense: (Qal) to set in motion, start.
רְמִיָּ֣ה  the  lazy  [man] 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: רְמִיָּה 
Sense: laxness, slackness, slackening, deceit, treachery.
צֵיד֑וֹ  what  he  [took]  in  hunting 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: צַיִד 
Sense: hunting, game.
וְהוֹן־  but  possession 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֹון  
Sense: wealth, riches, substance.
אָדָ֖ם  man's 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
יָקָ֣ר  precious 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: יְקִפָּאֹון 
Sense: valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid.
חָרֽוּץ  diligence  [is] 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: חָרוּץ 
Sense: sharp-pointed, sharp, diligent.