Zhēnyán 19:24

24 Lǎnduò rén fàng shǒu zaì pánzi lǐ . jiù shì xiàng kǒu chè huí , tā yĕ bù kĕn .

Zhēnyán 19:24 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 19:24

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" ^F21; 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 ^F23 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.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F21 (txlub) "in patinam", Tigurine version; "in lebete", Mercerus, Michaelis; "in patinia", Cocceius; "in paropsidem", Schultens.
F23 Ebr. Comment. p. 715.

Zhēnyán 19:24 In-Context

22 Shīxíng réncí de , líng rén aì mù . qióngrén jiàng rú shuōhuǎng yán de .

23 Jìngwèi Yēhéhuá de , dé zhe shēngmìng . tā bì héng jiǔ zhīzú , bú zāo huòhuàn .

24 Lǎnduò rén fàng shǒu zaì pánzi lǐ . jiù shì xiàng kǒu chè huí , tā yĕ bù kĕn .

25 Biāndǎ xiè màn rén , yú méng rén bì zhǎng jiànshi . zébeì míng zhé rén , tā jiù míngbai zhīshi .

26 Nuè dāi fùqin , niǎn chū mǔqin de , shì yí xiū zhì rǔ zhī zǐ .