Ecclesiastes 10:18 BSB

Ecclesiastes 10:18

Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.

KJV

By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

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Commentary

2 voices

Jerome

Commentary on Ecclesiastes (420)

"Through slothfulness the ceiling sags, and through idleness of the hands the house leaks." Our house, which is held up by the condition of mankind, even that abode that we have in heaven, sags if we are lazy and slow to do good work. And every ceiling, which is supposed to hold the roof up high, falls to the ground and crushes its inhabitants. And when the help of hands and virtues has eventually gone numb a great storm of all tempests and rain clouds will fall down upon us from above.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

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.”

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

7 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
בַּעֲצַלְתַּ֖יִם	ba.'a.tzal.Ta.yim	in laziness<es>	H6103 →
יִמַּ֣ךְ	yi.Makh	it sinks	H4355 →
הַמְּקָרֶ֑ה	ha.me.ka.Reh	the rafter[s]	H4746 →
וּבְשִׁפְל֥וּת	u.ve.shif.Lut	and in lowering of	H8220 →
יָדַ֖יִם	ya.Da.yim	hands	H3027 →
יִדְלֹ֥ף	yid.Lof	it leaks	H1811 →
הַבָּֽיִת׃	ha.Ba.yit	the house	H1004 →

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Proverbs 14:1
Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
leads to
- Proverbs 31:10–31
  A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.
- Proverbs 24:3–4
  By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
- Proverbs 21:9
  Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- Proverbs 21:19
  Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.
- Ruth 4:11
  “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel.…
Through
Proverbs 20:4
The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.
leads to
- Proverbs 19:15
  Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Proverbs 13:4
  The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Proverbs 10:4
  Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

About Ecclesiastes

King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Ecclesiastes: the study guide →Read chapter 10 →The featured study →

Continue: Ecclesiastes 10 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

06About Ecclesiastes

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

About Ecclesiastes