Discovery BoxProverbs 6:10 
Context6:10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to relax, 1
Proverbs 10:26
Context10:26 Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, 2
so is the sluggard to those 3 who send him.
Proverbs 28:19
Context28:19 The one who works his land will be satisfied with food, 4
but whoever chases daydreams 5 will have his fill 6 of poverty.
1 sn The writer might in this verse be imitating the words of the sluggard who just wants to take “a little nap.” The use is ironic, for by indulging in this little rest the lazy one comes to ruin.
2 sn Two similes are used to portray the aggravation in sending a lazy person to accomplish a task. Vinegar to the teeth is an unpleasant, irritating experience; and smoke to the eyes is an unpleasant experience that hinders progress.
3 tn The participle is plural, and so probably should be taken in a distributive sense: “to each one who sends him.”
4 tn Or “will have plenty of food” (Heb “bread”); so NAB, NASB, NCV.
5 tn Heb “empty things” or “vain things”; NRSV “follows worthless pursuits.”
sn Prosperity depends on diligent work and not on chasing empty dreams. The proverb is essentially the same as Prov 12:11 except for the last expression.
6 tn The repetition of the verb strengthens the contrast. Both halves of the verse use the verb יִשְׂבַּע (yisba’, “will be satisfied; will be filled with; will have enough”). It is positive in the first colon, but negative in the second – with an ironic twist to say one is “satisfied” with poverty.
