Bible Strands
Proverbs 12:11
The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — A wisdom teacher (traditionally Solomon) instructs a student on practical conduct. No narrative scene; the verse stands as a standalone maxim within a collection.
The words — מְרַדֵּף (me.ra.Def), "one who chases," pairs with רֵיקִים (rei.Kim), "worthless things" (lit. "empties"), making the second half an image of active pursuit of nothing.
The thread — Proverbs 28:19 repeats the verse almost verbatim, swapping "lacks judgment" for "fill of poverty." Proverbs 14:23 and 1 Thessalonians 4:11 extend the labor-versus-idleness contrast.
Why it lands — It asks the reader to name what they are actually chasing and whether it is land or emptiness. The diagnosis is structural, not moralistic: the orientation of your energy determines the outcome.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 28:19 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
- Proverbs 14:23 There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.
- Psalms 128:2 For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.
- Ephesians 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
- Proverbs 9:6 Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
- Proverbs 7:7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,
- Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of the ox.
- Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”