SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:27
¶ El engañoso ni aun asará su caza; mas el haber del hombre diligente es precioso.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Proverbs 12:27
Verse 27. The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting ] Because he is a slothful man, he does not hunt for prey; therefore gets none, and cannot roast, that he may eat. There is some obscurity in the original on which the versions cast little light. Coverdale translates the whole verse thus: "A discreatfull man schal fynde no vauntage: but he that is content with what he hath, is more worth than golde." My old MS. Bible: "The gylful man schal not fynd wynnynge: and the substance of a man schal ben the pris of gold.
By translating hymr remiyah the deceitful, instead of the slothful man, which appears to be the genuine meaning of the word, we may obtain a good sense, as the Vulgate has done: "The deceitful man shall not find gain; but the substance of a (just) man shall be the price of gold." But our common version, allowing hymr remiyah to be translated fraudulent, which is its proper meaning, gives the best sense: "The fraudulent man roasteth not that which he took in hunting," the justice of God snatching from his mouth what he had acquired unrighteously.
But the substance of a diligent man ] One who by honest industry acquires all his property-is precious, because it has the blessing of God in it.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 27. The slothful [man] roasteth not that which he took in hunting , etc.] Because he takes none. The slothful man takes no pains to get anything for a livelihood, by hunting or otherwise; and though he loves to live well, and eat roast meat, yet what he roasts is not what he has got himself, but what another has laboured for. It is observed that fowlers burn the wings of birds taken by them, that they may not fly away; to which the allusion may be. Or, “the deceitful” man, as it may be rendered; though he may get much in a fraudulent way, yet it does not prosper with him, he does not enjoy it; it is taken away from him before he can partake of it, or receive any comfort from it, or advantage by it; just as a man that has took anything in hunting, he cannot keep it; it is taken away from him, perhaps by a dog or some man, before he can roast it, and make it fit for eating. Ben Melech, from Joseph Kimchi, observes, that fowlers, when they catch fowls, burn the top of their wings, that they may not fly away at once; and they do not cut their wings off, that they may be left, and appear beautiful to them that buy them: but the slothful or deceitful man does not let the fowl remain in his hands till he burns it; for before that it flies out of his hands, and it is lost to him; which is figuratively to be understood of riches and wealth, gathered by violence and deceit, and lost suddenly. What is ill gotten does not spend well; it does not last long, it is presently gone; there is no true enjoyment of it. Or he will not shut it up within lattices and reserve it, but spend it directly; (see Song of Solomon 2:9); but the substance of a diligent man [is] precious ; what is gotten by industry and diligence, and in an honest way, is valuable; it comes with a blessing; there is comfort in the enjoyment of it, and it continues. Some render it, “the substance of a precious man [is] gold” f354 ; so the Targum, “the substance of a man is precious gold;” and to the same purpose the Vulgate Latin version: a diligent man grows rich; and what he gets spends well, and his substance is daily increasing.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 27 - The slothful man makes no good use of the advantages Providence puts in his way, and has no comfort in them. The substance of a diligent man though not great, does good to him and his family. He sees that God gives it to him in answer to prayer.
Original Hebrew
לא 3808 יחרך 2760 רמיה 7423 צידו 6718 והון 1952 אדם 120 יקר 3368 חרוץ׃ 2742
