Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 10:4

He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

4. He becometh poor ] It has been thought that the change of a single vowel point would give A slack hand maketh poor, which is an exact parallel to the second clause of the verse, and is adopted by the Vulg., egestatem operata est manus remissa.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Slack – The word is elsewhere translated as deceitful Job 13:7; Psa 120:2-3; Hos 7:16; Jer 48:10. The two thoughts run easily into each other.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Pro 10:4

The hand of the diligent maketh rich.

Diligent

Our life is dependent on our industry. It is good for man that he should have to labour. Were God to do all, We should truly leave Him to do it, not caring to co-operate with the Divine Husbandman in the culture of the field of life. By the diligent we are to understand the nimble-handed–those who are active and agile, who will lose nothing for want of rising early and peering about in the darkness if they may but catch a glimpse even of an outline of things. The persons referred to in the text are those who take account of microscopic matters–they are particular about the smallest coins, about moments and minutes, about so-called secondary engagements and plans. The true business man lives in the midst of his business. We are not far from the sanctuary of God when we are listening to such proverbs as these. (J. Parker, D.D.)

Idleness and industry

I. The hand of the one is diligent, the other is slack.

II. The soul of the one seizes opportunities, the other neglects them. The industrious man makes opportunities. He does the work of the season. The other lets opportunities pass. He sleepeth in harvest.

III. The destiny of the one is prosperity, that of the other ruin. The man in the gospel who employed his talents got the Well done! of his Master and the ruler-ship over many things. Laziness everywhere brings ruin. Drowsiness clothes man in rags. (D. Thomas, D.D.)

Diligent in business

This rule applies alike to the business of life and the concerns of the soul. The law holds good in common things. The earth brings forth thorns instead of grapes unless it be cultivated by the labour of man. A world bringing forth food spontaneously might have suited a sinless race, but it would be unsuitable for mankind as they now are. The fallen cannot be left idle with safety to themselves. The necessity of labour has become a blessing to man. The maxim has passed into a proverb, If you do not wait on your business, your business will not wait on you. That diligence in necessary to progress in holiness is witnessed by all the Word of God and all the experience of His people. It would be a libel on the Divine economy to imagine that the tender plant of grace would thrive in a sluggards garden. The work is difficult, the times are bad. He who would gain in godliness must put his soul into the business. But he who puts his soul into the business will grow rich. When all counts are closed he who is rich in faith is the richest man. (W. Arnot, D. D.)

Slack hand

Lazy hand. Sloth is the mother of poverty. Or the words may be rendered the hand of deceit. Without diligence honesty can scarcely be expected. Next unto virtue let children be trained up to industry, for both poverty and fraud are commonly the effect of sloth. (B. E. Nicholls, M.A.)

Diligence and prosperity

A connection exists between the bounty of God and the duty of man. All things are of God, and our dependence upon Him is absolute and imperative. There is a perfect accordance between the established law of nature and the law of grace. The former of these combines a dependence upon God for daily subsistence with the necessity of effort to procure it. The latter tells us, and insists upon it, that while by grace we are saved through faith which is the gift of God, we are nevertheless to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

I. Apply sentiment of text to the ordinary affairs of life. With respect to temporal blessings. The purposes of God are never carried into effect without the use of those means by which they are intended to be accomplished. The application of these means is indispensable to the attainment of the end. If we neglect these, it will be worse than folly to hope for any blessing. What are the appointed means by which a beneficent providence supplies the temporal wants of man?

1. Diligence or industry. An unoccupied and idle man countervails all the laws both of his animal and intellectual frame and wages war upon every organ of his material structure. The law of industry is a benevolent law. If you would make a man miserable, let him have nothing to do. Idleness is the nursery of crime.

2. Economy. He who wastes what providence gives him may not complain of it being with-held or withdrawn. Nature and observation are constantly reading us this lesson. In all that God does there is nothing lost, nothing thrown away, nothing but what is designed for some useful purpose. Every natural substance that does not retain its original form passes into some other that is equally important in its way. There is no example of the entire destruction of anything in the universe. The Lord Jesus did not deem it mean to be frugal. Meanness is more justly chargeable to waste and prodigality. He that is regardless of little things will be very apt to be careless of those that are greater.

3. A sacred regard to the Lords day. If a man would make the most of human life, to say nothing of the life to come, he must be a conscientious observer of this consecrated day. Other collateral means are, a sacred regard to truth, honesty in every transaction, rectitude and integrity of character.

II. Apply sentiment of the text to the interests of the soul. Many events may transpire which will frustrate the most diligent in their enterprise. Sickness, infirmity, calamity, treachery. But it is never so in the case of the soul. There is an opulence in the Divine benignity which satisfies the desire of every praying spirit. Note there is a certainty in the promise. Labour for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life shall be rewarded in the issue to the extent of our largest expectations. And at the last his joy will be full. He has gained the true riches and is rich indeed. (J. Everitt.)

Advantages of virtuous industry

I. The industrious man accomplishes very many things which are profitable to himself and others in numberless respects. How many of his own wants and those of others does he not thus relieve! How many sources of welfare does he not open to himself and others!

II. If the industrious man executes many useful matters, he executes them with far more ease and dexterity than if he were not industrious. He has no need of any long previous contest with himself. He understands, he loves the work; has a certain confidence in himself, and is more or less sure of success.

III. The industrious man unfolds, exercises, perfects his powers; not only his mechanical, but also his nobler, his mental powers.

IV. The industrious man lives in the true, intimate, entire consciousness of himself, and of that which he is and does. He actually rejoices in his life, his faculties, his endowments, his time.

V. The industrious man, who is so from principle and inclination, experiences neither languor nor irksomeness. Never are his faculties, never is his time, a burden to him.

VI. The industrious man has a far greater relish for every innocent pleasure, for every relaxation, that he enjoys. He alone properly knows the pleasure of rest.

VII. The industrious man alone fulfils the design for which he is placed on earth, and may say so to himself, and may in the consciousness of it be contented and cheerful. (G. J. Zollikofer.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 4. He becometh poor] God has ordered, in the course of his providence, that he who will not work shall not eat. And he always blesses the work of the industrious man.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

With a slack hand; negligently and slothfully, as appears from the diligence opposed to it in the next branch, and from the use of this word in this sense, Pro 12:24,27; 19:15; Jer 48:10. Heb. with a deceitful hand; so called, partly because it seems and pretends to do something, when in truth it doth nothing; and partly because such persons usually endeavour to maintain themselves by deceit and wickedness, which they cannot or will not do by honest labour and diligence.

Maketh rich; not by itself, nor necessarily, as is manifest from experience, and is noted, Ecc 9:11, but through Gods blessing, which commonly is given to such, by comparing this verse with Pro 10:22, here following.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

4. slackliterally,”deceitful,” failing of its purpose (compare Ho7:16).

maketh rich(compare Pr10:22).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand,…. That is either remiss in giving to the necessities of others, according to his abilities, and as cases require; or that is negligent and slothful in his business. Or, “that worketh with a deceitful hand”; or, “with a hand of deceit” u, as it may be rendered; who pretends to work, but does not; makes a show as if he did, but acts deceitfully; or who uses many tricking and deceitful ways and methods to live, as usually slothful persons do. Aben Ezra observes, it may be rendered and interpreted, “he becomes poor that makes a deceitful balance”; thinking to enrich himself by such fraudulent practices: or, as others, “a deceitful balance maketh poor” w; such seldom or ever thrive, or it does not long prosper with them who use such unlawful methods;

but the hand of the diligent maketh rich; that is, with the blessing of God along with it, as in Pr 10:22; such who are “sharp” x and acute, as the word signifies; who are careful and industrious, mind their business, and do the honest part; these, with a divine blessing, frequently grow rich: or rather who are like those that dig in the earth for gold, who search for it with great eagerness and diligence; for from this root is a word often used for gold, Pr 3:14. All this is true in a spiritual sense; such who are slothful in attendance on the means of grace, the word and ordinances, are slack and negligent in duty, bring a spiritual poverty upon them; and like the Laodicean church, who, through her lukewarmness and carnal security, became poor and wretched, blind and naked: on the other hand, such who are diligent in the use of means are frequent at the throne of grace, forsake not the assembly of the saints, constantly wait at Wisdom’s gates; these grow rich in grace and in all good works.

u “vola doli”, Montanus; “fraudulenta manu”, Tigurine version, Cocceius, Schultens; so Junius & Tremellius, Michaelis. w So Mercerus. x “acuti”, Bochart. Hierizoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 55. col. 668.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

There follow two proverbs which say how one man fails and another succeeds:

He becomes poor who bears a sluggish hand;

But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

These three proverbs, Pro 19:15; Pro 12:24, Pro 12:27, are similar. From the last two it is seen that is a subst., as also from Psa 120:2. ( , from a crafty tongue) that it is an adject., and from Lev 14:15. (where is fem.) that it may be at the same time an adject. here also. The masc. is , like to ot , but neither of these occur; “the fundamental idea is that of throwing oneself down lazily, when one with unbent muscles holds himself no longer erect and stretched, Arab. taramy ” (Fl.). The translation: deceitful balances (Lwenstein after Rashi), is contrary to biblical usage, which knows nothing of in this Mishnic meaning. But if is here regarded as fem., then it cannot be the subject (Jerome, egestatem operata est manus remissa ), since we read , not . But also is not suitable as the subject (lxx, Syr., Targ.), for poverty is called , , ; on the contrary, , plur. or , is used adjectively. Since now the adject. , 1Sa 12:14, is also written , it may be translated: Poor is he who… (Bertheau); but we much rather expect the statement of that which happens to such an one, thus: Poor will he be… , 3 praet. = , Psa 34:11, with the same (grammatically incorrect) full writing as , Hos 10:14. In the conception of the subject, , after Jer 48:10, is interpreted as the accus. of the manner (Berth.: whoever works with sluggish hand); but since (in another sense indeed: to practise cunning) is a common phrase, Psa 52:4; Psa 101:7, so also will be regarded as the object: qui agit manum remissam , whoever carries or moves such a hand (Hitzig). In 4b working is placed opposite to bearing: the diligent hand makes rich, ditat or divitias parit ; but not for itself (Gesen. and others: becomes rich), but for him who bears it. The diligent man is called , from , to sharpen, for, as in , acer , sharpness is transferred to energy; the form is the same as , smooth (for the a is unchangeable, because recompensative), a kindred form to like , and Arab. fa’ul as fashawsh , a boaster, wind-bag, either of active (as ) or (as , , , ) of passive signification.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

      4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

      We are here told, 1. Who those are who, though rich, are in a fair way to become poor–those who deal with a slack hand, who are careless and remiss in their business, and never mind which end goes foremost, nor ever set their hands vigorously to their work or stick to it; those who deal with a deceitful hand (so it may be read); those who think to enrich themselves by fraud and tricking will, in the end, impoverish themselves, not only by bringing the curse of God on what they have, but by forfeiting their reputation with men; none will care to deal with those who deal with sleight of hand and are honest only with good looking to. 2. Who those are who, though poor, are in a fair way to become rich–those who are diligent and honest, who are careful about their affairs, and, what their hands find to do, do it with all their might, in a fair and honourable way, those are likely to increase what they have. The hand of the acute (so some), of those who are sharp, but not sharpers; the hand of the active (so others); the stirring hand gets a penny. This is true in the affairs of our souls as well as in our worldly affairs; slothfulness and hypocrisy lead to spiritual poverty, but those who are fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, are likely to be rich in faith and rich in good works.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary