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Contemporary English Version
Ecclesiastes 10:18
Bible Study Resources
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Because of laziness the roof caves in,and because of negligent hands the house leaks.
By slothfulness the roof sinks in; And through idleness of the hands the house leaks.
By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
Through extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks.
If someone is lazy, the roof will begin to fall. If he doesn't fix it, the house will leak.
Through laziness the rafters [of state affairs] decay and the roof sags, and through idleness [the roof of] the house leaks.
By slothfulness the roof sinks in; And through idleness of the hands the house leaks.
By slouthfulnes the roofe of the house goeth to decaie, and by the ydlenesse of the handes the house droppeth through.
Through indolence the beams sag, and through slack hands the house leaks.
Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.
When the owner is lazy, the roof sags; when hands are idle, the house leaks.
By much sloth fulness the framework falleth in; and through idleness of the hands the house drippeth.
If someone is too lazy to work, their house will begin to leak, and the roof will fall in.
By slothfulness a roof shall be brought down; and through idleness of hands water drips through.
When you are too lazy to repair your roof, it will leak, and the house will fall in.
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through idleness of hands the house leaks.
The framework tumbles through laziness; and through lowering of hands, the house leaks.
Thorow slouthfulnesse the balkes fall downe, and thorow ydle hades it rayneth in at the house.
By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.
When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.
By slothfulness the rafters sink in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.
By much slouthfulnesse the building decayeth; and through idlenesse of the hands the house droppeth through.
Thorowe slouthfulnesse the balkes fall downe, and thorowe idle handes it rayneth in at the house.
By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.
By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.
The hiynesse of housis schal be maad low in slouthis; and the hous schal droppe in the feblenesse of hondis.
By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.
By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of idle hands the house leaks.
Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks.
Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.
When men are lazy, the roof begins to fall in. When they will do no work, the rain comes into the house.
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
By two lazy arms, the framework sinketh in, - and, by the hanging down of the hands, the house may leak.
By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through.
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.
A shiftless man lives in a tumbledown shack; A lazy woman ends up with a leaky roof.
Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Proverbs 12:24, Proverbs 14:1, Proverbs 20:4, Proverbs 21:25, Proverbs 23:21, Proverbs 24:30, Proverbs 24:31, Hebrews 6:11, 2 Peter 1:5-10
Reciprocal: Proverbs 10:4 - becometh Amos 6:11 - breaches
Cross-References
After that, it will run to Lebo-Hamath and across to Zedad, which is the northern edge of your land.
King Toi of Hamath and King Hadadezer had been enemies. So when Toi heard that David had attacked and defeated Hadadezer's whole army, he sent his son Joram to praise and congratulate David. Joram also brought him gifts made of silver, gold, and bronze.
The king of Assyria took people who were living in the cities of Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and forced them to move to Israel. They took over the towns where the Israelites had lived, including the capital city of Samaria.
The people from Babylonia made the god Succoth-Benoth; those from Cuthah made the god Nergal; those from Hamath made Ashima;
Abijah went to the top of Mount Zemaraim in the hills of Ephraim and shouted: Listen, Jeroboam and all you Israelites!
They have already captured the cities of Calno, Carchemish, Hamath, Arpad, Samaria, and Damascus.
Men from Sidon and Arvad did the rowing, and your own skilled workers were the captains.
Judgment will also fall on the nearby city of Hamath, as well as on Tyre and Sidon, whose people are clever.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
By much slothfulness the building decayeth,.... Or, "by slothfulnesses" g, The word is in the dual number, and so may signify the slothfulness of the hands, as Aben Ezra, of both hands, and of both feet; or the various kinds of slothfulness, as the Arabic version, slothfulness both of body and mind; or of all sorts of persons, superiors and inferiors, princes and subjects; and with respect to all things present and future: and, as through slothfulness a material building decays; or a "beam", as the word signifies, the raftering of a house, the roof, which consists of rafters and beams joined together when the tiling is decayed by winds and rains, or any breaches made in the rafters, and no care taken to repair, the whole falls in, and the house is in ruins: so figurative buildings, families, churches, and kingdoms, come to nothing, through the sluggishness of masters of families, ministers of the word, and civil magistrates; to the latter of which more especially this is to be applied, who give up themselves to luxury and sloth;
and, through idleness of the hands, the house droppeth through; or, "through the letting" or "hanging down of the hands" h; the remissness of them, as is to be observed in idle persons, who will not lift them up to work; particularly to repair a breach in a house, by means of which the rain drops through it, and makes it uncomfortable and unsafe being in it; and, in process of time, that itself drops to the ground: and this expresses the same thing, how, through the neglect of the civil magistrate, a commonwealth comes to nothing; or, however, the members of it become wretched and miserable.
g בעצלתים "in pigritiis", Montanus; "per duplicem pigritiam", Tigurine version; "pigritia amborum", Junius Tremellius. h בשקלות "per remissionem", Tigurine version "demissione", Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus so Cocceius, Rambachius.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Foolish rulers, by their weakness, self-indulgence and sloth, bring decay upon the state: nobleness and temperance insure prosperity: yet the subject must not rebel in word or thought against his king.
Ecclesiastes 10:16
A child - Rather, young. The word is applied to Rehoboam 2 Chronicles 13:7 at the time of his accession to the throne, when he was 41 years old.
Eat in the morning - A sign of intemperance (compare Isaiah 5:11).
Ecclesiastes 10:17
Son of nobles - i. e., of a noble disposition.
Ecclesiastes 10:18
The “building” or “house” represents the state. Compare Isaiah 3:6; Amos 9:10.
Droppeth through - i. e., Lets the rain through the roof.
Ecclesiastes 10:19
literally, For merriment they make a feast (bread), and wine gladdens the living, and money supplies all things.
Ecclesiastes 10:20
Curse - Compare Ecclesiastes 7:21-22.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. By much slothfulness — This is remarkably the case in some countries. Houses are not repaired till they almost fall about the ears of the inhabitants. We have an adage that applies to all such cases: "A stitch in time saves nine."
