Bible Strands
Proverbs 18:9
Whoever is slothful in his work is brother to him who destroys.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The verse is a standalone wisdom saying addressed to a general reader, placed between a warning about gossip and a declaration about divine refuge.
The words — מִתְרַפֶּה (mitraPeh) means “one who shows himself idle,” and מַשְׁחִֽית (mashChit) means “destroyer” or “one who ruins.”
The thread — The contrast between idleness and diligence appears in Proverbs 10:4, Hebrews 6:12, and Proverbs 24:30.
Why it lands — The text states that neglecting work aligns a person with a destroyer, demanding active responsibility and warning that sloth produces the same ruin as deliberate destruction.
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 also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 10:4 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
- Hebrews 6:12 Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
- Proverbs 24:30 I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
- Proverbs 23:20 Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat.
- Romans 12:11 Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
- Proverbs 28:24 He who robs his father or mother, saying, “It is not wrong,” is a companion to the man who destroys.
- Matthew 25:26 ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.
- Luke 15:13 After a few days, the younger son got everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth in wild living.
- Luke 16:1 Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
- Job 30:29 I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of ostriches.