Proverbs 19:15

Pro 19:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

Ver. 15. Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep.] Sloth bringeth sleep, and sleep poverty. See this excellently set forth. {Pro 6:9-11; Pro 10:4} {See Trapp on "Pro 6:9"} {See Trapp on "Pro 6:10"} {See Trapp on "Pro 6:11"} {See Trapp on "Pro 10:4"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro_19:15

Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

Idlers and idleness

In the big, busy city, the one who seems out of touch with it is the idler. He who has no other business than the wretched one of killing time has no portion, right, or memorial in it; nor has he any right or portion in the age which we are serving. There is the rich idler, who lives to amuse himself. Such provide the demoralising element in our society. They lead the fashion in vice and frivolity. There is the poor idler. There are some who for the sake of equalising poverty and wealth would really equalise indolence and industry. In our great towns, more than half of our poverty is the result, direct or indirect, of that slothfulness which casts into a deep sleep. There is a hereditary pauperism. There is the poverty of recklessness and thoughtlessness and thriftlessness. A third type of idler is the idle-souled. Busy enough with earth, such have no business with heaven, no business with love, no business even with the ideals of duty. Leisure is very different from idleness. There is no leisure at all when the life is spent in idleness. It is the interval between work and work that gives the helpful leisure. Leisure is good, idleness is bad. Above all things, avoid heart indolence, moral and spiritual indolence, the indolence of the soul. (J. Marshall Lang, D. D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 19:15. Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep — “As labour makes men vigorous and rich, so sloth and idleness have these two miserable effects, that they insensibly sink the mind into a dull stupidity and unconcernedness about the most necessary things, and thereby reduce a man to extreme want and beggary; to which may be added a third, that they tempt him to shift and use dishonest arts for a livelihood.” — Bishop Patrick.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See here the evil of a sluggish slothful disposition. 1. It stupefies men, and makes them senseless, and mindless of their own affairs, as they were cast into a deep sleep, dreaming much, but doing nothing. Slothful people doze away their time, bury their talents, live a useless life, and are the unprofitable burdens of the earth; for any service they do when they are awake they might as well be always asleep. Even their souls are idle and lulled asleep, their rational powers chilled and frozen. 2. It impoverishes men and brings them to want. Those that will not labour cannot expect to eat, but must suffer hunger: An idle soul, one that is idle in the affairs of his soul, that takes no care or pains to work out his salvation, shall perish for want of that which is necessary to the life and happiness of the soul.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

a deep sleep--a state of utter indifference.

idle soul--or, "person" (compare Pro 10:4; Pro 12:24).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 15. Into a deep sleep] תרדמה tardemah, the same into which Adam was thrown, before Eve was taken from his side. Sloth renders a man utterly unconscious of all his interests. Though he has frequently felt hunger, yet he is regardless that his continual slothfulness must necessarily plunge him into more sufferings.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(15) Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep.—Or rather, makes it fall upon a man, as upon Adam (Gen_2:21).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep,.... Slothful persons are generally sleepy, and are very desirous of sleep, and indulge themselves in it; they spend their time, day and night, in sleep and drowsiness; and are quite careless and unconcerned about either their temporal or eternal good; see Pro 6:9;

and an idle soul shall suffer hunger; and perish with it, both in a temporal and spiritual sense: an idle person, that will not work, ought not to eat; and an idle soul, or one that is unconcerned about his soul, and the spiritual food of it, shall perish for want of it.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Casteth into a deep sleep - Better, causeth deep sleep to fall.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Hunger. Both temporal and eternal. (Calmet) --- Non progredi, regredi est. St. Bernard says, "Not to advance, is to go back."

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Casteth into a deep sleep; maketh a man careless and, negligent, and like one asleep in his business, whereby he cometh to want, as it follows.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

15. Casteth — Rather, causeth deep sleep to fall, amounting to stupor and lethargy.

A deep sleep — תרדמה, (tardemah,) the same word used in Gen_2:2, concerning Adam.

An idle soul — Or person. Comp. Pro_6:9-10; Pro_10:4; Pro_12:2.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; " causes deep sleep to fall upon a man". (comp. Pro_6:9 Pro_13:4) The word for "sleep" (hmdert, tardemah) is that used for the supernatural sleep of Adam when Eve was formed, (Gen_2:21) and implies pro. found insensibility. Aquila and Symmachus render it, ekstasin , "trance." Slothfulness enervates a man, renders him as useless for labour as if he were actually asleep in his bed; it also enfeebles the mind, corrupts the higher faculties, converts a rational being into a witless animal. Otium est vivi hominis sepultura, "Idleness is a living man"s tomb." An idle soul shall suffer hunger. We have many gnomes to this effect. (see Pro_10:4 Pro_12:24 Pro_20:13 Pro_23:21) The LXX has introduced something of this verse at Pro_18:8, and here render, Deilia katecei androgunon , "Cowardice holdeth fast the effeminate, and the soul of the idle shall hunger." "Sloth," as the proverb says, "is the mother of poverty."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Casteth - Makes a man careless, and like one asleep in his business.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

15 Slothfulness sinketh into deep sleep,

And an idle soul must hunger.

Regarding תּרדּמה and its root-word רדם, vid., at Pro 10:5. הפּיל, to befall, to make to get, is to be understood after Gen 3:21; the obj. על־האדם, viz., העצל, is naturally to be supplied. In 15b the fut. denotes that which will certainly happen, the inevitable. In both of its members the proverb is perfectly clear; Hitzig, however, corrects 15a, and brings out of it the meaning, "slothfulness gives tasteless herbs to eat." The lxx has two translations of this proverb, here and at Pro 18:8. That it should translate רמיה by ἀνδρόγυνος was necessary, as Lagarde remarks, for the exposition of the "works of a Hebrew Sotades." But the Hebrew literature never sunk to such works, wallowing in the mire of sensuality, and ἀνδρόγυνος is not at all thus enigmatical; the Greek word was also used of an effeminate man, a man devoid of manliness, a weakling, and was, as the lxx shows, more current in the Alexandrine Greek than elsewhere.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

All experience and observation attest the fact, that slothful habits destroy mental energy, and idleness is the road to want. What could we expect from a sluggard lying in his bed all the day? As little from the slothful, who goes about his work, as if he was cast into a deep sleep. (Pro 6:9-11 .) And even where the slumber is not a deep sleep, its partial influence is the dead palsy upon active perseverance. He has not the thorough use of his wakeful faculties. And if he has (as who has not?) made a false step, there is no energy of effort to repair it.†1 And if there be any reward of perseverance, sloth will never find it; the idle soul will suffer hunger.

Thoughtless sinner! Think how this applies to the work of God. You persuade yourself that all is well, because you will not trouble yourself to open your eyes to the truth; and you are content to let things run their course. You do not rebel against the Gospel. But has not our Divine Master said — "He that is not with me is against me"? (Mat 12:30 .) You conceive that you have done no harm. But is it no harm to have hitherto wasted every opportunity for eternity? to have wandered about in vanity from your cradle, instead of living to God? You are determined to sleep at any rate. And though the two grand treasures — the favor of God, and your own soul — are in imminent peril; yet still you "say to your soul — Soul, take thine ease." (Luk 12:19 .) Instead of weeping love, wrestling prayer, and working diligence — you are cast into a deep sleep. "Awake, thou that sleepest" (Eph 5:14 ); else wilt thou sleep the sleep of eternal death.

Often do we find men active and laborious, all eyes, all ears, all heart in worldly matters, hating sloth, yet themselves devoured by it. They know that something must be done. But in the vital exercises of denying self, crucifying the flesh, coming to Christ, loving the Lord, and devotedness to his service — here it is a deep sleep. Is then the grace of God to work as a charm, without, or independent of, means? This were a deadly delusion, casting into the deep sleep of presumption. Such an idle soul shall suffer hunger! (Pro 10:4-5 ; Pro 20:4 .) The enduring meat is the gift of God; but, like every other blessing of the Gospel, it is given only to labour.†2 The idle mouth — full only of heartless complaints, perhaps sending up a dull prayer for the present quiet of conscience — shall suffer hunger. The soul can never flourish, if it be not in earnest with God. It may be roused for a while; but only to be cast into a deeper sleep than ever. For godliness can never thrive with this deadly malady. If the slothful may be sincerely religious; so far as he is slothful, he deducts from the privilege and sincerity of his religion. And undoubtedly a slothful habit is utterly inconsistent with the vitality of true godliness. Soon nothing will remain, but the dead form of religion, the bare walls of the house, instead of the temple filled with his glory.

And now let us look at the child of God awakened out of a deep sleep. He has set out in good earnest for the kingdom; he has begun to fight — yea — to conquer. But sleep has followed; and, instead of improving the advantage, a sudden assault of the enemy has laid him low.†3 Mind thy work and thy conflict more than thine ease and comfort; else wilt thou be, not a conqueror, but a captive. In time of ease, how naturally, as Bunyan’s pilgrim found it, does the air of the plain tend to make us drowsy! And then the soul, instead of being "satisfied as with marrow and fatness" (Psa 63:5 ), suffers hunger, and becomes faint for want of its proper nourishment. The heartless externals of godliness will abide. But the spirit that breathed life into them is gone. Nothing but the unceasing prayer and exercise of a mortified spirit can shake off this "evil disease that cleaveth to us." Be thou, Lord, our Helper, our Strength, our Physician!

Footnotes:

†1 Marshall Turénne expressed his warm obligation to a friend, who had given him the following advice, when first setting out in life — ’When you have made a false step, spend not a moment in vexing yourself, and moaning over it; but think how it may best be repaired, and instantly set about it.’

†2 Joh 6:27, with Heb 6:11-12 . 2Pe 1:5-11 .

†3 Invadunt urbem somno vinoque sepultam. — Virg. Æn. ii. 265.

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

v. 15. Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep, causing a man to sink into stupor and lethargy, sapping the last bit of his energy, and an idle soul shall suffer hunger, that being the result of sloth.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Laziness throws a person into a deep sleep

This speaks of how laziness causes a person to sleep a lot as if laziness forcefully throws the person into sleep. AT: "Laziness makes a person sleep a lot" or "A lazy person sleeps a lot" (See: Personification)

go hungry

This is an idiom which means to not eat. AT: "not eat" or "be hungry" (See: Idiom)

the command

"the command that he was taught"

guards his life

"protects his life"

his ways

This is an idiom which refers to how he lives. AT: "the way that he lives" or "how he lives" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

obey

command

life

die

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Laziness causes one to fall into a deep sleep Laziness causes one to fall asleep. This is the figure, but the allegory is that it concerns one who neglects his studies; it will ultimately come about that people will ask him words of wisdom, and he will be sound asleep.

and a deceitful soul shall suffer hunger He will ultimately become poor. Similarly, one who is deceitful in his studies, making his Torah into “bundles,” will ultimately forget.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.