Proverbs 24:34

34 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:34 in Other Translations

KJV
34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
ESV
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
NLT
34 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
MSG
34 Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, with poverty as your permanent houseguest!"
CSB
34 and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit.

Proverbs 24:34 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 24:34

So shall thy poverty come [as] one that travelleth
Swiftly and suddenly, both in a temporal and spiritual sense; (See Gill on Proverbs 6:11); and thy want as an armed man;
irresistibly. Here ends according to some the "second", according to others the "third" part of this book of Proverbs, another beginning with the following chapter.

Proverbs 24:34 In-Context

32 I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Cross References 1

  • 1. S Proverbs 10:4; Ecclesiastes 10:18
Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.