Bible Strands
Proverbs 26:15
The slacker buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Book of Proverbs presents this as wisdom instruction from a sage addressing a general audience regarding human folly. The verse occurs in a chapter that juxtaposes the repetitive inertia of the lazy with the practical conduct of the discerning.
The words — The Hebrew noun עָצֵל (‘a.Tzel) identifies the subject as a sluggard, while the verb נִלְאָה (nil.'Ah) literally means "he is weary." These terms frame the slacker’s paralysis not as rest but as exhaustion from minimal physical effort.
The thread — This exact image of the slacker burying his hand in a dish and refusing to lift it appears in Proverbs 19:24. The parallel passage confirms the proverb’s focus on the self-defeating inertia of sloth.
Why it lands — The text states that avoiding work and refusing to complete basic tasks only produces fatigue and stagnation. It asks the reader to recognize that procrastination is a futile cycle and to choose immediate, practical action over imagined preservation of energy.
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
The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 19:24 The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.