lazy person

The Hebrew that is translated as “lazy person” or “sluggard” or similar in English is translated in Low German as Fuulpelz, an idiomatic term that literally means “someone who wants to rest on an animal hide” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1937, republ. 2006).

See also lazy.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 21:25

This is another saying about what will happen to a person who is lazy and refuses to work. The verse is a single sentence.

“The desire of the sluggard kills him”: The “desire” of the “sluggard” or lazy person may be a craving for food; “craving” is the rendering of New International Version and New Jewish Publication Society Version. This desire “kills him” in the sense that he is not able to earn the money to pay for what he eats. Another way of taking this is that “the lazy person dies of hunger.” In a broader sense the “desire” may be for all sorts of things, as reflected in Contemporary English Version “want too much.” A different interpretation of “desire” is that what the lazy person desires is sleep or just doing nothing, and this kills him because then he can’t afford to eat, as explained in the next line.

“Because his hands refuse to work”: “Because” introduces this line as the explanation for what is stated in the previous line. There is a figure of speech in this line, since it is people who refuse to work, not their hands. Good News Translation adjusts this line to say “. . . who refuse to work.”

The verse is restructured in Contemporary English Version to say “If you want too much and are too lazy to work, it could be fatal.” This may be a useful model for translators in some other languages.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

complete verse (Proverbs 21:25)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 21:25:

  • Kupsabiny: “The desire of the lazy person kills him,
    because he does not like to work.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The desires of the lazy ones
    will be the reason for their end.
    for their hands don’t do any work.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If you (sing.) have many desires but you (sing.) are lazy to work, that can-destroy you (sing.).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The lazy-one who doesn’t-like to work, he kills his own self (lit. his body just the same).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Lazy people, who refuse to work, will die of hunger
    because they do not earn money to buy food.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 21:25

21:25

The ultimate reason for the lazy person’s death is his refusal to work. Without working, he cannot get food and other things that he needs to stay alive.

25a The craving of the slacker kills him,

25b because his hands refuse to work.

21:25a

The craving of the slacker: The word craving refers here to any desire or longing. It is not limited to a desire for food. For example:

The idler’s desires (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
The desire of a lazy person (God’s Word)

This proverb does not make the object of the sluggard’s desire or longing explicit. Some scholars think that it refers to an unsatisfied desire (hunger) for food. Other scholars think that it refers to a lazy person’s desire for sleep. If you need to specify what the lazy person desires, it is recommended that you make “sleep” explicit. For example:

Lazy people’s desire for sleep (New Century Version)

Several other verses in Proverbs state or imply the sluggard’s tendency to do nothing but rest or sleep.

kills him: The lazy person’s desire to take life easy will eventually result in his early death. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

will lead to his death
-or-
will cause him to die ⌊early⌋

21:25b

because his hands refuse to work: In this context, the phrase his hands is a figure of speech (synecdoche). The hands represent the entire person. In some languages, it may be natural to say that someone’s hands refuse to work. In other languages, it will be better to speak of the person. For example:

because they refuse to work (New Century Version)

General Comment on 21:25a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to put the result after the reason. See 21:25a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

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