Proverbs 13:4

13:4 The appetite ¹  of the sluggard ²  craves ³  but gets nothing,

but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied. ⁴ 

Proverbs 21:25

21:25 What the sluggard desires ⁵  will kill him, ⁶ 

for his hands ⁷  refuse to work.

Luke 13:24

13:24 “Exert every effort ⁸  to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

Hebrews 4:11

4:11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.

Hebrews 6:11-12

6:11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, 6:12 so that you may not be sluggish, ⁹  but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:2

6:2 teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Hebrews 1:5

The Son Is Superior to Angels

1:5 For to which of the angels did God ¹⁰  ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? ¹¹  And in another place ¹²  he says, ¹³  “I will be his father and he will be my son.” ¹⁴ 

Hebrews 1:10

1:10 And,

“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, ¹⁵ 

and the heavens are the works of your hands.

[13:4]  ¹ tn The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally “soul”) has a broad range of meanings, and here denotes “appetite” (e.g., Ps 17:9; Prov 23:3; Eccl 2:24; Isa 5:14; Hab 2:5; BDB 660 s.v. 5.c) or (2) “desire” (e.g., Deut 12:20; Prov 19:8; 21:10; BDB 660 s.v. 6.a).

[13:4]  ² sn The contrast is between the “soul (= appetite) of the sluggard” (נַפְשׁוֹ עָצֵל, nafsho ’atsel) and the “soul (= desire) of the diligent” (נֶפֶשׁ חָרֻצִים, nefesh kharutsim) – what they each long for.

[13:4]  ³ tn The Hitpael verb means “to lust after; to crave.” A related verb is used in the Decalogue’s prohibition against coveting (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21).

[13:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “will be made fat” (cf. KJV, NASB); NRSV “is richly supplied.”

[21:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “the desire of the sluggard” (so ASV, NASB). This phrase features a subject genitive: “what the sluggard desires.” The term תַּאֲוַת (ta’avat, “desire; craving”) is a metonymy of cause. The craving itself will not destroy the sluggard, but what will destroy him is what the craving causes him to do or not to do. The lazy come to ruin because they desire the easy way out.

[21:25]  ⁶ tn The verb תְּמִיתֶנּוּ (tÿmitennu) is the Hiphil imperfect with a suffix: “will kill him.” It is probably used hyperbolically here for coming to ruin (cf. NLT), although it could include physical death.

[21:25]  ⁷ sn “Hands” is figurative for the whole person; but “hands” is retained in the translation because it is often the symbol to express one’s ability of action.

[13:24]  ⁸ tn Or “Make every effort” (L&N 68.74; cf. NIV); “Do your best” (TEV); “Work hard” (NLT); Grk “Struggle.” The idea is to exert one’s maximum effort (cf. BDAG 17 s.v. ἀγωνίζομαι 2.b, “strain every nerve to enter”) because of the supreme importance of attaining entry into the kingdom of God.

[6:12]  ⁹ tn Or “dull.”

[1:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:5]  ¹¹ tn Grk “I have begotten you.”

[1:5]  ¹² tn Grk “And again,” quoting another OT passage.

[1:5]  ¹³ tn The words “he says” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to make a complete English sentence. In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but English does not normally employ such long and complex sentences.

[1:5]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me.”

[1:10]  ¹⁵ sn You founded the earth…your years will never run out. In its original setting Ps 102:25-27 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son.