PRO 26

Proverbs 26:13

WEB

The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!”

BSB

The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”

KJV

The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

Matthew Henry

Verse 13

Proverbs 26:13

When a man talks foolishly we say, He talks idly; for none betray their folly more than those who are idle and go about to excuse themselves in their idleness. As men's folly makes them slothful, so their slothfulness makes them foolish. Observe, 1. What the slothful man really dreads. He dreads the way, the streets, the place where work is to be done and a journey to be gone; he hates business, hates every thing that requires care and labour. 2. What he dreams of, and pretends to dread - a lion in the way. When he is pressed to be diligent, either in his worldly affairs or in the business of religion, this is his excuse (and a sorry excuse it is, as bad as none), There is a lion in the way, some insuperable difficulty or danger which he cannot pretend to grapple with. Lions frequent woods and deserts; and, in the day-time, when man has business to do, they are in their dens, Psa 104:22, Psa 104:23. But the sluggard fancies, or rather pretends to fancy, a lion in the streets, whereas the lion is only in his own fancy, nor is he so fierce as he is painted. Note, It is a foolish thing to frighten ourselves from real duties by fancied difficulties, Ecc 11:4.

Cross-references: Ps 104:22 · Ps 104:23 · Eccl 11:4

Hebrew interlinear

H559

אָמַרʼâmar/aw-mar'/

v — say

Derivation: a primitive root;

to say (used with great latitude)

KJV: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.

אָמַר

vb — utter

אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say

Qal

1. Say

2. Say in the heart (= think)

3. Promise

4. Command (esp. late)

Niph. be said, told

Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

Hithp. act proudly, boast

H6102

עָצֵלʻâtsêl/aw-tsale'/

a — indolent

Derivation: from 6101;

indolent

KJV: slothful, sluggard.

עָצֵל

adj — sluggish

עָצֵל 14 adj. sluggish, lazy

H7826

שַׁחַלshachal/shakh'-al/

n-m — lion

Derivation: from an unused root probably meaning to roar;

a lion (from his characteristic roar)

KJV: (fierce) lion.

שַׁ֫חַל

n.m — lion

שַׁ֫חַל n.m. lion (poet.)

H1870

דֶּרֶךְderek/deh'-rek/

n-m — road, trodden, course, mode

Derivation: from 1869;

a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb

KJV: along, away, because of, by, conversation, custom, (east-) ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, (high-) (path-) way(-side), whither(-soever).

דֶּ֫רֶךְ

n.m — way

דֶּ֫רֶךְ 715 n.m. way, road, distance, journey, manner

1. way, road, path

2. journey

3. of direction, almost or quite = toward

4. way, manner

5. fig. of course of life, or action, undertakings

6.

a. of moral action and character

b. of duty

c. specif.: in good sense

d. oftener in bad sense

e. way of י׳

H738

אֲרִיʼărîy/ar-ee'/

n-m — lion

Derivation: or (prolonged) אַרְיֵה; from 717 (in the sense of violence);

a lion

KJV: (young) lion, pierce (from the margin).

אֲרִי

n.m — lion

אֲרִי n.m. lion

אַרְיֵה

n.m — lion

אַרְיֵה n.m. lion

H996

בֵּיןbêyn/bane/

prep — between, either, or

Derivation: (sometimes in the plural masculine or feminine); properly, the constructive form of an otherwise unused noun from 995; a distinction; but used only as a preposition,

between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles); also as a conjunction, either...or

KJV: among, asunder, at, between (-twixt...and), + from (the widest), × in, out of, whether (it be...or), within.

בַּ֫יִן

subst — interval

בַּ֫יִן subst. prop. interval, space between

1. always (exc. dual) as prep. in the interval of, between

2. Dual בֵּנַ֫יִם space between two armies

H7339

רְחֹבrᵉchôb/rekh-obe'/

n-f — width, avenue, area

Derivation: or רְחוֹב; from 7337;

a width, i.e. (concretely) avenue or area

KJV: broad place (way), street. See also 1050.

רְחוֹב

n.f — broad open place

רְחוֹב n.f. broad open place, plaza

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