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Read the Bible

King James Version

Proverbs 30:25

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Ant;   Industry;   Riddle;   Summer;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ant;   Insects;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Summer;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ant;   Proverb, the Book of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ant;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Fable;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Insects;   Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agur;   Ant;   Jakeh;   Massa;   Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ant;   Proverbs, Book of;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ant;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Summer;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Ant;  

Encyclopedias:

- Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ant;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ant in Jewish Literature, the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
ants are not a strong people,yet they store up their food in the summer;
Hebrew Names Version
The ants are not a strong people, Yet they provide their food in the summer;
English Standard Version
the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;
New American Standard Bible
The ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer;
New Century Version
Ants are not very strong, but they store up food in the summer.
Amplified Bible
The ants are not a strong people, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
World English Bible
The ants are not a strong people, Yet they provide their food in the summer;
Geneva Bible (1587)
The pismires a people not strong, yet prepare they their meate in sommer:
Legacy Standard Bible
The ants are not a strong people,But they prepare their food in the summer;
Berean Standard Bible
the ants are not a strong species, yet they store up their food in the summer;
Contemporary English Version
Ants, who seem to be feeble, but store up food all summer long;
Complete Jewish Bible
the ants, a species not strong, yet they store up their food in the summer;
Darby Translation
The ants, a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;
Easy-to-Read Version
Ants are small and weak, but they save their food all summer;
George Lamsa Translation
The ants which have no strength, yet they provide their food in the summer;
Good News Translation
Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.
Lexham English Bible
The ants are a people who are not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer;
Literal Translation
The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in summer;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The Emmettes are but a weake people, yet gather they their meate together in ye haruest.
American Standard Version
The ants are a people not strong, Yet they provide their food in the summer;
Bible in Basic English
The ants are a people not strong, but they put by a store of food in the summer;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;
King James Version (1611)
The Ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meate in the summer.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The emmets are [but] a weake people, which yet gather their meate in the sommer:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
An unbelieving man judges rashly: but he that trusts in the Lord will act carefully.
English Revised Version
The ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their meat in the summer;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
amtis, a feble puple, that maken redi mete in heruest to hem silf;
Update Bible Version
The ants are not a strong people, Yet they provide their food in the summer;
Webster's Bible Translation
The ants [are] a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer;
New English Translation
ants are creatures with little strength, but they prepare their food in the summer;
New King James Version
The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
New Living Translation
Ants—they aren't strong, but they store up food all summer.
New Life Bible
The ants are not a strong people, but they store up their food in the summer.
New Revised Standard
the ants are a people without strength, yet they provide their food in the summer;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The ants, a people, not strong, - yet prepare they, in summer, their food;
Douay-Rheims Bible
The ants, a feeble people, which provide themselves food in the harvest:
Revised Standard Version
the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;
Young's Literal Translation
The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer;

Contextual Overview

24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: 25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The ants may truly be called a people, as they have houses, towns, public roads, etc.; and shew their wisdom and prudence by preparing their meat in due season. Proverbs 6:6-8

Reciprocal: Proverbs 6:8 - General Proverbs 10:5 - gathereth Joel 1:6 - nation

Cross-References

Genesis 18:33
And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Genesis 24:54
And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
Genesis 24:56
And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
Genesis 26:3
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
Genesis 28:13
And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Genesis 28:15
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Genesis 30:4
And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
Genesis 30:5
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
Genesis 30:6
And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.
Genesis 30:7
And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The ants [are] a people not strong,.... Far from it; what is weaker than an ant? a multitude of them may be destroyed at once, with the crush of a foot. Pliny calls it "minimum animal", the least animal; and the Arabians use it as a proverb, to call a weak man one weaker than an ant: and there is one sort of ants called "dsar", so small that one hundred of them will not weigh more than a barley corn g: they are called a people, because they associate together in great numbers; though small in bulk, and weak as to power and strength; and which is a figure elsewhere used in the sacred Scriptures; see Joel 1:6; and by profane writers, as Homer and Virgil, who speak of bees as a people and nation h; and of nations of flies, and of flying birds, geese, cranes, and swans i;

yet their prepare their meat in the summer; build granaries with great art and wisdom, carry in grains of corn with great labour and industry, in the summer season, when only to be got, and lay them up against winter. Phocylides k the poet says much the same things of them; he calls them a tribe or nation, small but laborious, and says, they gather and carry in their food in summer for the winter, which is a proof of their wisdom. Cicero l says, the ant has not only sense, but mind, reason, and memory. Aelianus m ascribes unspeakable wisdom to it; and Pliny n discourse and conversation; Joel 1:6- :,

Joel 1:6- :;

Joel 1:6- :. It is a pattern of industry and diligence both as to temporal and spiritual things, Ecclesiastes 9:10.

g Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 4. c. 22. col. 598. h εθνεα μελισσαων Iliad. 2. v. 87. "Et populos et proelia dicam", Georgic. l. 4. v. 4, 5. i Iliad. 2. v. 459, 469. & 15. v. 690, 691. k Poem. Admon. v. 158, 159. l De Natura Deorum, l. 3. m De Animal. l. 16. c. 15. n Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 30.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the marginal reference note. Note the word “people” applied here to ants, as to locusts in Joel 1:6. The marvel lies in their collective, and, as it were, organized action.


 
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