the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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Proverbs 24:30
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I passed by the field of the sluggardAnd by the vineyard of the man lacking a heart of wisdom,
I passed by the field of the sluggard And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense,
I went by the fielde of the slouthfull, and by the vineyarde of the foolishe man:
I went by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of a man void of understanding;
I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
I went over the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man lacking heart,
I walked past a field that belonged to a lazy man. It was a vineyard that belonged to someone who understood nothing.
I went by the field of the sluggard, By the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
I went by the field of the slouthfull, and by the vineyard of the man voyd of vnderstanding:
I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
I wente by ye felde of ye slouthfull, & by ye vynyarde of the foolish ma.
One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones, and then passed the vineyard of a lout; They were overgrown with weeds, thick with thistles, all the fences broken down. I took a long look and pondered what I saw; the fields preached me a sermon and I listened: "A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, with poverty as your permanent houseguest!"
I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man lacking understanding and common sense;
I went by the field of the sluggard, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
I went by the field of the hater of work, and by the vine-garden of the man without sense;
I went by the field of the sluggard, And by the vineyard of [the] man void of understanding;
I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
I once walked by the field and the vineyard of a lazy fool.
I passed by the field of the lazy man and the vineyard of the man lacking sense.
I passed by the fielde of the slouthfull, and by the vineyarde of the man destitute of vnderstanding.
I passed by the field of a sluggard, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding,
I went by the field of the sluggard, By the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense.
I passed by the field of the lazy man, by the grape-vines of the man without understanding.
I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
I passed by the field of one who was lazy, by the vineyard of a stupid person;
By the field of the sluggard, I passed, and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense;
I passed by the field of the slothful man, and by the vineyard of the foolish man:
I passed by the field of a lazy person, and over the vineyard of a person lacking sense;
I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
I passed by the field of a lazy one, And by the vineyard of a person lacking sense,
I passed by a lazy person's field and by the vineyard of someone with no sense.
I walked through the fields and vineyards of a lazy, stupid person.
I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense.
I passide bi the feeld of a slow man, and bi the vyner of a fonned man; and, lo!
I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man without sense;
Near the field of a slothful man I passed by, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
went: Proverbs 6:6-19, Job 4:8, Job 5:27, Job 15:17, Psalms 37:25, Psalms 107:42, Ecclesiastes 4:1-8, Ecclesiastes 7:15, Ecclesiastes 8:9-11
void: Proverbs 10:13, Proverbs 12:11
Reciprocal: Genesis 9:20 - planted Psalms 112:5 - he will Proverbs 7:7 - void Proverbs 10:4 - becometh Proverbs 12:24 - but Proverbs 18:9 - that is slothful Proverbs 19:24 - General Proverbs 20:13 - Love Proverbs 21:25 - General Proverbs 23:21 - drowsiness Ecclesiastes 10:18 - General Song of Solomon 7:12 - let us see Isaiah 56:10 - loving Luke 16:3 - I cannot Romans 12:11 - slothful 2 Thessalonians 3:10 - that Hebrews 6:12 - ye
Gill's Notes on the Bible
I went by the field of the slothful,.... This very probably was a real matter of fact; King Solomon's way lay at a certain time by the field of a slothful man, who never went into it himself, there being a lion in the way; and which he took no care of to manure and till, to plough and sow, but let it lie waste and uncultivated; an emblem of a carnal and worldly professor, and especially an unregenerate man, neglecting the affairs of his soul, his heart remaining like the fallow field unopened and unbroken, hard, obdurate, and impenitent; nothing sown in it, no seed of grace; nor has the seed of the word any place in it, but falling on it lies like seed by the wayside, caught up by every bird;
and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; as the slothful man is, that takes no care to plant and dress it, that it may bring forth fruit to his own profit and advantage; and as every unregenerate man is, who is unconcerned about his soul, and the welfare of it; whatever understanding he may have of things natural and civil, he has no knowledge of spiritual things, of God in Christ, of himself, his state and condition; of Christ, and the way of peace, life, and salvation by him; of the Spirit, and his work of grace upon the heart; and of the Gospel, and the mysteries of it; and so has no regard to the vineyard of his soul, and the plantation and fruitfulness of it; see Song of Solomon 1:6.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The chapter ends with an apologue, which may be taken as a parable of something yet deeper. The field and the vineyard are more than the man’s earthly possessions. His neglect brings barrenness or desolation to the garden of the soul. The “thorns” are evil habits that choke the good seed, and the “nettles” are those that are actually hurtful and offensive to others. The “wall” is the defense which laws and rules give to the inward life, and which the sluggard learns to disregard, and the “poverty” is the loss of the true riches of the soul, tranquility, and peace, and righteousness.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Proverbs 24:30. I went by the field of the slothful — This is a most instructive parable; is exemplified every day in a variety of forms; and is powerfully descriptive of the state of many a blackslider and trifler in religion. Calmet has an excellent note on this passage. I shall give the substance of it.
Solomon often recommends diligence and economy to his disciples. In those primitive times when agriculture was honourable, no man was respected who neglected to cultivate his grounds, who sunk into poverty, contracted debt, or engaged in ruinous securities. With great propriety, a principal part of wisdom was considered by them as consisting in the knowledge of properly conducting one's domestic affairs, and duly cultivating the inheritances derived from their ancestors. Moses had made a law to prevent the rich from utterly depressing the poor, by obliging them to return their farms to them on the Sabbatic year, and to remit all debts at the year of jubilee.
In the civil state of the Hebrews, we never see those enormous and suddenly raised fortunes, which never subsist but in the ruin of numberless families. One of the principal solicitudes of this legislator was to produce, as far as possible in a monarchical state, an equality of property and condition. The ancient Romans held agriculture in the same estimation, and highly respected those who had applied themselves to it with success. When they spoke in praise of a man, they considered themselves as giving no mean commendation when they called him a good husbandman, an excellent labourer. From such men they formed their most valiant generals and intrepid soldiers. CATO De Re Rustica, cap. 1. The property which is acquired by these means is most innocent, most solid, and exposes its possessor less to envy than property acquired in any other way. See CICERO De Officiis, lib. 1. In Britain the merchant is all in all; and yet the waves of the sea are not more uncertain, nor more tumultuous, than the property acquired in this way, or than the agitated life of the speculative merchant.
But let us look more particularly into this very instructive parable:-
I. The owner is described.
1. He was איש עצל ish atsel, the loitering, sluggish, slothful man.
2. He was אדם חסר לב adam chasar leb, a man that wanted heart; destitute of courage, alacrity, and decision of mind.
II. His circumstances. This man had,
1st, שדה sadeh, a sowed field, arable ground. This was the character of his estate. It was meadow and corn land.
2. He had כרם kerem, a vineyard, what we would call perhaps garden and orchard, where he might employ his skill to great advantage in raising various kinds of fruits and culinary herbs for the support of his family.
III. The state of this heritage:
1. "It was grown over with thorns." It had been long neglected, so that even brambles were permitted to grow in the fields:
2. "Nettles had covered the face thereof." It was not weeded, and all kinds of rubbish had been suffered to multiply:
3. "The stone wall was broken down." This belonged to the vineyard: it was neither pruned nor digged; and the fence, for want of timely repairs, had all fallen into ruins, Proverbs 24:31.
IV. The effect all this had on the attentive observer.
1. I saw it, אחזה אנכי echezeh anochi, I fixed my attention on it. I found it was no mere report. It is a fact. I myself was an eyewitness of it.
2. I considered it well, אשית לבי ashith libbi, I put my heart on it. All my feelings were interested.
3. I looked upon it, רעיתי raithi, I took an intellectual view of it. And
4. Thus I received instruction, לקחתי מוסר lakachti musar, I received a very important lesson from it: but the owner paid no attention to it. He alone was uninstructed; for he "slumbered, slept, and kept his hands in his bosom." Proverbs 24:33. "Hugged himself in his sloth and carelessness."
V. The consequences of this conduct.
1. Poverty described as coming like a traveller, making sure steps every hour coming nearer and nearer to the door.
2. Want, מחסר machsor, total destitution; want of all the necessaries, conveniences, and comforts of life; and this is described as coming like an armed man כאיש מגן keish magen, as a man with a shield, who comes to destroy this unprofitable servant: or it may refer to a man coming with what we call an execution into the house, armed with the law, to take even his bed from the slumberer.
From this literal solution any minister of God may make a profitable discourse.
