Proverbs 21:25

What the sluggard desires ¹  will kill him, ²  for his hands ³  refuse to work.

The sluggard’s craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, For his hands refuse to work;

The desires of lazy people will be their ruin, for their hands refuse to work.

Lazy people finally die of hunger because they won't get up and go to work.

The desire of the hater of work is death to him, for his hands will do no work.

The craving of the lazy person is fatal, for lazy hands refuse to labor.

The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.

What the sluggard desires ¹  will kill him, ²  for his hands ³  refuse to work.

¹ 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.

² 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.

³ 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.