Proverbs 24:30

30 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;

Proverbs 24:30 in Other Translations

30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

30 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,

30 I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense.

30 One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones, and then passed the vineyard of a lout;

30 I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense.

Proverbs 24:30 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 24:30

I went by the field of the slothful
This very probably was a real matter of fact; King Solomon's way lay at a certain time by the field of a slothful man, who never went into it himself, there being a lion in the way; and which he took no care of to manure and till, to plough and sow, but let it lie waste and uncultivated; an emblem of a carnal and worldly professor, and especially an unregenerate man, neglecting the affairs of his soul, his heart remaining like the fallow field unopened and unbroken, hard, obdurate, and impenitent; nothing sown in it, no seed of grace; nor has the seed of the word any place in it, but falling on it lies like seed by the wayside, caught up by every bird; and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
as the slothful man is, that takes no care to plant and dress it, that it may bring forth fruit to his own profit and advantage; and as every unregenerate man is, who is unconcerned about his soul, and the welfare of it; whatever understanding he may have of things natural and civil, he has no knowledge of spiritual things, of God in Christ, of himself, his state and condition; of Christ, and the way of peace, life, and salvation by him; of the Spirit, and his work of grace upon the heart; and of the Gospel, and the mysteries of it; and so has no regard to the vineyard of his soul, and the plantation and fruitfulness of it; see ( Song of Solomon 1:6 ) .

Proverbs 24:30 In-Context

28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— would you use your lips to mislead?

29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”

30 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;

31 thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.

32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:

Cross References

• 1. Proverbs 6:6-11; Proverbs 26:13-16