Proverbs 19:24
in Proverbs 19The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
KJV
A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
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This verse in Proverbs 19
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
The slacker buries his hand in the dish
on Proverbs 19:24-25
The slacker buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth, a comic picture to make laziness visible. Strike a mocker and the simple will beware, while rebuking the discerning means "he will gain knowledge," the same correction landing differently on each hearer.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
The slothful man hides his hand under his armpit, etc. No one is so slothful that he considers it labor to bring his hand to his mouth while eating. But for the slothful, it is labor to bring the hand to the mouth, for a …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom,.... In cold weather to keep it warm, and at other times, as unwilling to use it in labour; it is the proper posture and just attitude of a slothful man.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
bosom--literally, a wide dish in which the hand was plunged in eating (Mt 26:23). Compare Pr 26:15, the sentiment expressed with equal irony and less exaggeration.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom - Is too lazy to feed himself, If he dip his hand once in the dish, he is too lazy to put it in a second time. It is a strange case that a man, through his excessive slothfulness, would rather starve than put himself to the trouble to eat.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Hideth his hand in his bosom - Better, dippeth his hand in the dish (compare 2Ki 21:13). The scene brought before us is that of an Eastern feast. There are no knives, or forks, or spoons. Every guest has to help himself, or be helped by the host. Compare Joh 13:26.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| טָ֘מַ֤ן | taman | he hides | H2934 → | |
| עָצֵ֣ל | ʾatzel | a sluggard | H6102 → | 14 times |
| יָ֭דוֹ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| בַּצַּלָּ֑חַת | batzalachat | in the dish | H6747 → | |
| גַּם־ | gam- | also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| פִּ֝֗יהוּ | pihu | mouth his | H6310 → | 498 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְשִׁיבֶֽנָּה׃ | yeshivenah | he brings back it | H7725 → | 1056 times |
טָ֘מַ֤ןhe hides
tamanH2934 →
עָצֵ֣לa sluggard
ʾatzelH6102 →14 times
יָ֭דוֹhand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
בַּצַּלָּ֑חַתin the dish
batzalachatH6747 →
גַּם־also
gam-H1571 →769 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
פִּ֝֗יהוּmouth his
pihuH6310 →498 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יְשִׁיבֶֽנָּה׃he brings back it
yeshivenahH7725 →1056 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 15:19The way of the slacker is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
it leads to
- Isaiah 35:8
And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it—only those who walk in the Way—and fools will not stray onto it.
- Proverbs 22:5
Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them.
- Isaiah 30:21
And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
- Proverbs 26:13
The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”
- Proverbs 22:13
The slacker says, “There is a lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!”
- Isaiah 35:8
Through
Mark 14:20He answered, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping his hand into the bowl with Me.
it leads to
- John 13:26
Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this morsel after I have dipped it.” Then He dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.
- Mark 14:43
While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, scribes, and elders.
- John 6:71
He was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.
- John 13:26
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.