Proverbs 10:4

10:4 The one who is lazy ¹  becomes poor, ² 

but the one who works diligently ³  becomes wealthy. ⁴ 

Proverbs 12:24

12:24 The diligent ⁵  person ⁶  will rule,

but the slothful ⁷  will become a slave. ⁸ 

Proverbs 12:1

12:1 The one who loves discipline loves knowledge, ⁹ 

but the one who hates reproof is stupid. ¹⁰ 

Proverbs 11:28

11:28 The one who trusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous ¹¹  will flourish like a green leaf. ¹² 

Ecclesiastes 9:10

9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, ¹³ 

do it with all your might,

because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, ¹⁴ 

the place where you will eventually go. ¹⁵ 

Matthew 25:21

25:21 His master answered, ¹⁶  ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Matthew 25:23

25:23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Romans 12:11

12:11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ¹⁷  to this present world, ¹⁸  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ¹⁹  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Romans 4:2

4:2 For if Abraham was declared righteous ²⁰  by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God.

[10:4]  ¹ tn Heb “a palm of slackness.” The genitive noun רְמִיָּה (remiyyah, “slackness”) functions as an attributive adjective: “a slack palm” (BDB 941 s.v.). The term כַף (khaf, “palm”) is a synecdoche of part (= palm) for the whole person (= one who works with his hands). The hand is emphasized because it is the instrument of physical labor. The “slack hand” is contrasted with the “diligent hand.” A slack hand refers to a lazy worker or careless work that such hands produce. See N. C. Habel, “Wisdom, Wealth, and Poverty Paradigms in the Book of Proverbs,” BiBh 14 (1988): 28-49.

[10:4]  ² tc The MT reads רָאשׁ (ra’sh, “poor”) which is the plene spelling of רָשׁ (rash, “poor [person]”; HALOT 1229-30 s.v. רֵישׁ). Both Tg. Prov 10:4 and LXX reflect an alternate vocalization רִישׁ (rish, “poverty”) which is from the same root, and essentially means the same thing.

[10:4]  ³ tn Heb “but the hand of the diligent” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV). The genitive noun חָרוּצִים (kharutsim, “diligence”) functions as an attributive adjective: “a diligent hand.” The noun חָרוּצִים (kharutsim) uses the plural form because the plural is often used for abstract moral qualities. The term יָד (yad, “hand”) is a synecdoche of part (= “hand”) for the whole person (= “the one who works with his hands”). The hand is emphasized because it is the instrument of physical labor.

[10:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “makes rich” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hiphil verb is used in a causative sense; literally, “the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

[12:24]  ⁵ tn The term חָרַץ (kharats, “diligent”) means (1) literally: “to cut; to sharpen,” (2) figurative: “to decide” and “to be diligent. It is used figuratively in Proverbs for diligence. The semantic development of the figure may be understood thus: “cut, sharpen” leads to “act decisively” which leads to “be diligent.” By their diligent work they succeed to management. The diligent rise to the top, while the lazy sink to the bottom.

[12:24]  ⁶ tn Heb “the hand of the diligent.” The term “hand” is a synecdoche of part (= hand) for the whole (= person): diligent person. The hand is emphasized because it is the instrument of physical labor; it signifies the actions and the industry of a diligent person – what his hand does.

[12:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “deceitful.” The term refers to one who is not diligent; this person tries to deceive his master about his work, which he has neglected.

[12:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “will be for slave labor.” The term מַס (mas, “slave labor”) refers to a person forced into labor from slavery.

[12:1]  ⁹ sn Those who wish to improve themselves must learn to accept correction; the fool hates/rejects any correction.

[12:1]  ¹⁰ sn The word בָּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish; stupid”) normally describes dumb animals that lack intellectual sense. Here, it describes the moral fool who is not willing to learn from correction. He is like a dumb animal (so the term here functions as a hypocatastasis: implied comparison).

[11:28]  ¹¹ sn The implication from the parallelism is that the righteous do not trust in their own riches, but in the Lord.

[11:28]  ¹² tn Heb “leafage” or “leaf” (cf. KJV “as a branch”); TEV “leaves of summer”; NLT “leaves in spring.” The simile of a leaf is a figure of prosperity and fertility throughout the ancient Near East.

[9:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “Whatever your hand finds to do.”

[9:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Sheol.”

[9:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “where you are about to go.”

[25:21]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “His master said to him.”

[12:2]  ¹⁷ tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

[12:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “to this age.”

[12:2]  ¹⁹ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

[4:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “was justified.”