The Meaning of Proverbs 19:24 Explained

Proverbs 19:24

KJV: A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

YLT: The slothful hath hidden his hand in a dish, Even unto his mouth he bringeth it not back.

Darby: A sluggard burieth his hand in the dish, and will not even bring it to his mouth again.

ASV: The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

A slothful  [man] hideth  his hand  in [his] bosom,  and will not so much as bring  it to his mouth  again. 

What does Proverbs 19:24 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This humorous picture is of a person so lazy that he cannot even lift his food from his plate to his mouth (cf. Proverbs 26:15). The point is that a lazy person will bear the consequences of his own laziness. This warning is applicable to those who are too lazy to finish the projects they begin. [1]

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 19

1  Life and Conduct

What do the individual words in Proverbs 19:24 mean?

Buries a lazy [man] his hand in the bowl so much as to His mouth not and will bring it again
טָ֘מַ֤ן עָצֵ֣ל יָ֭דוֹ בַּצַּלָּ֑חַת גַּם־ אֶל־ פִּ֝֗יהוּ לֹ֣א יְשִׁיבֶֽנָּה

טָ֘מַ֤ן  Buries 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: טָמַן  
Sense: to hide, conceal, bury.
עָצֵ֣ל  a  lazy  [man] 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָצֵל  
Sense: sluggish, lazy.
יָ֭דוֹ  his  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
בַּצַּלָּ֑חַת  in  the  bowl 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: צַלַּחַת 
Sense: dish, bowl.
גַּם־  so  much  as 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
פִּ֝֗יהוּ  His  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
יְשִׁיבֶֽנָּה  and  will  bring  it  again 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.