The Meaning of Proverbs 13:4 Explained

Proverbs 13:4

KJV: The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

YLT: The soul of the slothful is desiring, and hath not. And the soul of the diligent is made fat.

Darby: A sluggard's soul desireth and hath nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

ASV: The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The soul  of the sluggard  desireth,  and [hath] nothing: but the soul  of the diligent  shall be made fat. 

What does Proverbs 13:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The "soul" stands for the whole person (cf. Matthew 16:24-27; Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9; Luke 9:56; Romans 13:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; James 1:21; James 5:20).
"The slothful wishes and dreams of prosperity and abundance ... but his desire remains unsatisfied, since the object is not gained but only lost by doing nothing; the industrious gain, and that richly, what the slothful wishes for, but in vain." [1]
". . . fatness, originally the sign of animal and vegetable health and vigor, is used as general symbol of prosperity." [2]

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 13

1  a scoffer does not listen to rebuke

What do the individual words in Proverbs 13:4 mean?

Desires and [has] nothing the soul of a lazy [man] but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich
מִתְאַוָּ֣ה וָ֭אַיִן נַפְשׁ֣וֹ עָצֵ֑ל וְנֶ֖פֶשׁ חָרֻצִ֣ים תְּדֻשָּֽׁן

מִתְאַוָּ֣ה  Desires 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָוָה  
Sense: desire, incline, covet, wait longingly, wish, sigh, want, be greedy, prefer.
וָ֭אַיִן  and  [has]  nothing 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
נַפְשׁ֣וֹ  the  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
עָצֵ֑ל  of  a  lazy  [man] 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָצֵל  
Sense: sluggish, lazy.
וְנֶ֖פֶשׁ  but  the  soul 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
חָרֻצִ֣ים  of  the  diligent 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: חָרוּץ 
Sense: sharp-pointed, sharp, diligent.
תְּדֻשָּֽׁן  shall  be  made  rich 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּשֵׁן  
Sense: to be fat, grow fat, become fat, become prosperous, anoint.