Proverbs 16:26

A laborer’s ¹  appetite ²  works on his behalf, ³  for his hunger ⁴  urges him to work. ⁵ 

The labourer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.

A worker’s appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on.

It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on.

Appetite is an incentive to work; hunger makes you work all the harder.

The desire of the working man is working for him, for his need of food is driving him on.

The appetite of workers works for them; their hunger urges them on.

The person who labors, labors for himself, For his hungry mouth drives him on .

A laborer’s ¹  appetite ²  works on his behalf, ³  for his hunger ⁴  urges him to work. ⁵ 

¹ sn The word for “laborer” and “labors” emphasizes the drudgery and the agony of work (עָמַל, ’amal). For such boring drudgery motivations are necessary for its continuance, and hunger is the most effective. The line is saying that the appetites are working as hard as the laborer.

² tn Heb “soul.” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here means “appetite,” functioning as a metonymy; the “inner soul” of a person representing his appetite (BDB 660 s.v. 5a; see, e.g., Pss 63:6; 107:9; Prov 13:25; 16:24; 27:7; Isa 56:11; 58:10; Jer 50:19; Ezek 7:19). This is suggested by the parallelism with “hunger.”

³ tn Heb “labors for him” (so NAB).

⁴ tn Heb “his mouth” (so KJV, NAB). The term “mouth” is a metonymy for hunger or eating. The idea of the proverb is clear – the need to eat drives people to work.

⁵ tc The LXX has apparently misread פִּיהוּ (pihu) and inserted the idea of “ruin” for the laborer: “he drives away ruin.” This influenced the Syriac to some degree; however, its first clause understood “suffering” instead of “labor”: “the person who causes suffering suffers.”

sn This theme is taught elsewhere (e.g., Eccl 6:7; Eph 4:28; 6:7; 2 Thess 3:10-12).