Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 19:24
A slothful [man] hideth his hand in [his] bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
24. hideth his hand in his bosom ] Rather, burieth his hand in the dish (R.V.), after the Oriental fashion of eating. See Pro 26:15, where this clause occurs again. Comp. Mat 26:23. The Heb. word is rendered dish, 2Ki 21:13; and (in a slightly different form) cruse (A.V. and R.V.) in 2Ki 2:20; pan, 2Ch 35:13. “It was probably a flat metal saucer of the form still common in the East,” Smith’s Dict. of Bible, Art. cruse.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Hideth his hand in his bosom – Better, dippeth his hand in the dish (compare 2Ki 21:13). The scene brought before us is that of an Eastern feast. There are no knives, or forks, or spoons. Every guest has to help himself, or be helped by the host. Compare Joh 13:26.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 19:24
A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom.
A protest against laziness
Most critics substitute the word dish for bosom here: A slothful man hideth his hand in his dish. This certainly makes the description of the lazy man more graphic. His repast is provided for him; it is spread before him, but he is too lazy to take it: he drops his hand in the dish. This laziness may be seen in different departments of life.
I. In worldly concerns.
II. In intellectual matters. The dish of knowledge is laid before a lazy man; he has books, leisure, money, everything in fact to enable him to enrich his mind with knowledge, and train his faculties for distinguished work in the realm of science, but he is too lazy. His mind becomes enfeebled and diseased for the want of exercise. It may be seen–
III. In spiritual interests. Gospel provisions are laid before the lazy man. There are the unsearchable riches of Christ; but he is too indolent to make any exertion to participate in the heavenly blessings. (David Thomas, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 24. A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom] Is too lazy to feed himself, If he dip his hand once in the dish, he is too lazy to put it in a second time. It is a strange case that a man, through his excessive slothfulness, would rather starve than put himself to the trouble to eat.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Hideth his hand in his bosom; either to keep it warm in cold weather; or to give it rest, being loth to oppress it with the labour of any action. It is a sarcastical hyperbole.
Will not so much as bring it to his mouth again, to wit, to feed himself; he expects that the meat should drop into his mouth.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24. bosomliterally, a widedish in which the hand was plunged in eating (Mt26:23). Compare Pr 26:15,the sentiment expressed with equal irony and less exaggeration.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
A slothful [man] hideth his hand in [his] bosom,…. In cold weather to keep it warm, and at other times, as unwilling to use it in labour; it is the proper posture and just attitude of a slothful man. The word for “bosom” is sometimes used for a “pot” or “platter” u; and then the sense is, that he puts his hands under a pot over a fire to warm them; or in one removed at some distance from the fire, as Jarchi; or rather it may signify his putting his hand into a plate of food, and yet so slothful, as it follows,
and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again; so sluggish, that he will rather starve than be at the pains to feed himself; he will not take his hand out of his bosom, to take food out of the dish to feed himself with; and even when his hand is in the dish, he will not take it from thence again, and lift it to his mouth; an hyperbolical expression. Gussetius w thinks, it may have respect to such slothful men, who are careless and negligent to their souls; who, though they have the holy Scriptures in their hands, like a vessel full of wholesome food for the soul, yet will not make use of the least mite out of them, that they may receive eternal life.
u “in patinam”, Tigurine version; “in lebete”, Mercerus, Michaelis; “in patinia”, Cocceius; “in paropsidem”, Schultens. w Ebr. Comment. p. 715.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
24 The slothful hath thrust his hand into the dish;
He bringeth it not again to his mouth.
This proverb is repeated in a different form, Pro 26:15. The figure appears, thus understood, an hyperbole, on which account the lxx understand by the bosom or lap, ; Aquila and Symmachus understand by it the arm-pit, or ; and the Jewish interpreters gloss it by (Kimchi) or , the slit (Ita. fenditura) of the shirt. But the domestic figure, 2Ki 21:13, places before us a dish which, when it is empty, is wiped and turned upside down;
(Note: While , sahfat , in the sense of dish, is etymologically clear, for , neither salah (to be good for), nor salakh (to be deaf, mangy), offers an appropriate verbal meaning. The Arab. zuluh (large dishes) stands under zalah (to taste, of the tasting of good), but is scarcely a derivative from it. Only , which in the meaning of good for, proceeding from the idea of penetrating through, has retained the root-meaning of cleft, furnishes for and a root-word in some measure useful.)
and that the slothful when he eats appears too slothful to bring his hand, e.g., with the rice or the piece of bread he has taken out of the dish, again to his mouth, is true to nature: we say of such a man that he almost sleeps when he eats. The fut. after the perf. here denotes that which is not done after the former thing, i.e., that which is scarcely and only with difficulty done; … may have the meaning of “yet not,” as at Psa 129:2; but the sense of “not once” = ne … quidem , lies here nearer Deu 23:3.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
A sluggard is here exposed as a fool, for, 1. All his care is to save himself from labour and cold. See his posture: He hides his hand in his bosom, pretends he is lame and cannot work; his hands are cold, and he must warm them in his bosom; and, when they are warm there, he must keep them so. He hugs himself in his own ease and is resolved against labour and hardship. Let those work that love it; for his part he thinks there is no such fine life as sitting still and doing nothing. 2. He will not be at the pains to feed himself, an elegant hyperbole; as we say, A man is so lazy that he would not shake fire off him, so here, He cannot find in his heart to take his hand out of his bosom, no, not to put meat into his own mouth. If the law be so that those that will not labour must not eat, he will rather starve than stir. Thus his sin is his punishment, and therefore is egregious folly.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Ultimate of Laziness
Verse 24 pictures the extreme laziness of the sluggard as a man placing his hand in the common dish of food but too lazy to lift the hand with food to his mouth, Pro 12:27; Pro 20:4; Pro 26:15. (No knives, forks or spoons were provided in that day. Each person reached into the common dish for himself, or was helped by the host, Joh 13:26.)
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(24) A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom.Better, in the dish that stood in the middle of the table at an Oriental dinner, into which the guests dipped their hands to take out the food for themselves (Mat. 26:23).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. Hideth in his bosom Better, in a dish. He does not even return it to his own mouth. A sarcastic hyperbole, like “too lazy to eat.” The allusion is to the Oriental mode of eating. Pro 12:27; Pro 15:19; Pro 26:13; Pro 26:15; Mat 26:23; Joh 13:26. Our version follows the Septuagint and Vulgate. The word occurs in the sense of dish, 2Ki 21:13.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
v. 24. A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 19:24. A slothful man This verse contains a most elegant but hyperbolical description of a man who has given himself up to sloth; who refuses to do things as easy pulling his hand out of his bosom, and as necessary as eating and drinking. See Psa 74:11.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 19:24 A slothful [man] hideth his hand in [his] bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
Ver. 24. A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom. ] The Latins say, He wraps it in his cloak; Manum habet sub pallio, He puts it in his pocket, say we. Erewhiles we had him fast asleep; and here going about his business, as if he were still asleep; so lazy that any the least labour is grievous to him, he can hardly find in his heart to feed himself, so to uphold the life of his hands, which he should maintain with “the labour of his hands” 2Th 3:10 and with “the sweat of his brow.” Gen 3:19 Very sucklings get not their milk without much tugging and tiring themselves at the dug.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
bosom = bowl or wide dish. 2Ki 21:13. Compare Mat 26:23.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 19:24
Pro 19:24
“The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.”
We have here a classical example of hyperbole. Can anyone imagine a man so lazy that, when he is eating, he will not even lift his hand from the dish to his mouth? “The scene here is a meal and the example extremely comical.; Pro 26:15 repeats this. This must be classified as a humorous proverb.
Pro 19:24. Proverbs has much to say about lazy people: they spend much time sleeping (Pro 6:9; Pro 24:30-34; Pro 20:4; Pro 26:13). This verse out-lazies the others as it pictures a man putting his hand into the dish to get something to eat and then being too lazy to lift it to his mouth (Pro 26:15). When one is too lazy to feed himself, he is as lazy as he can get. Yet, all of life becomes a burden to the ambitionless person, the person with no purpose, no motivation. Arabic proverb: He dies of hunger under the date tree.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Pro 19:15, Pro 6:9, Pro 6:10, Pro 12:27, Pro 15:19, Pro 24:30-34, Pro 26:13-16, Psa 74:11
Reciprocal: Pro 6:6 – thou Pro 10:4 – becometh Pro 20:4 – sluggard Pro 21:25 – General Pro 26:15 – slothful
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 19:24. A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom Either to keep it warm in cold weather, or to give it rest, being unwilling to fatigue it with the labour of any action; and will not bring it to his mouth again Namely, to feed himself; as if he expected that the meat should drop into his mouth. It is a most elegant, but hyperbolical, description of a man who hath given himself up to sloth; who refuses to do things as easy as pulling his hand out of his bosom, and as necessary as eating and drinking.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
This humorous picture is of a person so lazy that he cannot even lift his food from his plate to his mouth (cf. Pro 26:15). The point is that a lazy person will bear the consequences of his own laziness. This warning is applicable to those who are too lazy to finish the projects they begin. [Note: Whybray, The Book . . ., p. 111.]