Proverbs 12:24

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
hand	יַד yad-	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders singular construct
diligent	חָרוּצִ֥ים cha.ru.Tzim	H2742	properly · adjective, masculine plural absolute
rule	תִּמְשׁ֑וֹל tim.Shol	H4910	to rule · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
slothful	ו֝רְמִיָּ֗ה u.re.mi.Yah	H7423	remissness · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
tribute	לָמַֽס la.Mas	H4522	properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 12:27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Proverbs 21:25-26 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Proverbs 19:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
Proverbs 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
Genesis 49:15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
1 Kings 11:28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the ch…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:24

Note, 1. Industry is the way to preferment. Solomon advanced Jeroboam because he saw that he was an industrious young man, and minded his business, Kg1 11:28. Men that take pains in study and serviceableness will thereby gain such an interest and reputation as will give them a dominion over all about them, by which means many have risen strangely. He that has been faithful in a few things shall be made ruler over many things. The elders, that labour in the word and doctrine, are worthy of double honour; and those that are diligent when they are young will get that which will enable them to rule, and so to rest, when they are old. 2. Knavery is the way to slavery: The slothful and careless, o…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:24

slothful--(Compare Margin), so called because he fails to meet his promises. under tribute--not denoting legal taxes, but the obligation of dependence.

John Gill on Proverbs 12:24

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule,.... "Shall become rich", so Jarchi interprets it, according to Proverbs 10:4; Through diligence men get riches, and through riches they arrive to power and authority over others: from apprentices and journeymen workmen they become masters of their business; diligent men become masters of families, and have servants and workmen under them; become magistrates in cities, and bear rule over their fellow citizens, and are advanced to places of power and authority in the commonwealth; see Proverbs 22:29; but the slothful shall be under tribute; the "slothful" or "deceitful hand" (l), for so it may be rendered and supplied; for usually such who are slothfu…

Read the whole note in the console

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:24

We take Pro 12:24-28 together as a group. In these verses the subject is the means of rising (in the world), and the two ways, the one of which leads to error, and the other to life. 24 The land of the diligent attains to dominion, But slothfulness will become tributary. In Pro 10:4 רמיּה was adj., but to כּף standing beside it; here it is to be regarded as adj. to יד (sluggish hand) supplied from 24a, but may be equally regarded as a subst. (slothfulness) (vid., at Pro 12:27). Regarding חרוּץ, vid., p. 211. מס signifies tribute and service, i.e., tributary service rendered to a master. In Pro 11:29 עבד stands for it. It is still the experience of to-day, as it was of Solomon's time, that sl…

The Church Fathers

The hand of the diligent will rule, etc. The perfect not only overcome the battles of vices but also govern the chosen brethren with greater grace of virtues. But those lax in spirit, not fearing to be entangled in sins, daily pay the tribute of vices to the worst tax collector, the devil, and if not escaping his dominion by live repentance, after death they are handed over to him, being cast by him into the prison of eternal punishments, as the Lord testifies in the parable from the gospel. For the repentance of such people is not to be despaired of, since it is immediately added:
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Diligence · Honor — Honor
Idleness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Idleness And Sloth · Lead to: Bondage — Lead to: Bondage
Industry · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Slothfulness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 12:24

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:24

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:24

John Gill on Proverbs 12:24

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:24

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 12:24

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:24

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:24

John Gill on Proverbs 12:24

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:24

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 12:17

Rashi on Proverbs 12:24