What is the meaning of “go to the ants you sluggard” in Proverbs 6:6?

Answer

Many sayings draw moral lessons from the natural world. Proverbs 6:6 provides an instance: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” Here, King Solomon urges a lazy individual to observe ants, creatures that embody diligence, discipline, and foresight.

The Hebrew term for “sluggard” is found fourteen times in Proverbs but nowhere else in the Old Testament. In this context, sluggard refers to someone averse to work or effort. Synonyms like slacker and lazybones are fitting. According to Proverbs 21:25, the sluggard’s “hands refuse to work.” A sluggard even invents excuses to stay in bed (Proverbs 26:13-14).

Instead of “Go to the ant, you sluggard,” the New Living Translation reads, “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!” «Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise: », (Proverbs 6:6). The core message Solomon conveys through the ants’ industriousness is that laziness and irresponsibility can lead to financial ruin. He highlights that ants, “Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter” (Proverbs 6:7-8;NLT).

Solomon commends the ants for their drive and diligence. He observes that despite lacking a supervisor, they toil more diligently than some individuals who require oversight.

“Go to the ant, you sluggard” is Solomon’s way of urging the idle person to reflect on the virtues exhibited by the ant community. Ants possess innate motivation and discipline that we can cultivate through wisdom.They do not labor merely to keep busy; they have a wise foresight of future necessities. In another place, Solomon notes that ants, though small and delicate, are indeed intelligent beings: “Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer” «The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their meat in the summer; », (Proverbs 30:25, NLT). During the abundant summer months, they collect and hoard food to sustain themselves during the meager winter months. “Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest,” explains Proverbs 20:4 (NLT). Solomon believes that genuine wisdom is a combination of hard work, self-control, and foresight.

Through two rhetorical questions, Solomon urges the lazy person to cease sleeping and begin working: “But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber” (Proverbs 6:9-11;NLT). “A little extra sleep, a little more slumber” depicts laziness sarcastically according to Solomon. “Folding of the hands to rest” symbolizes idleness. These deficiencies will deplete all resources until nothing remains.

By stating, “Go to the ant, you sluggard,” Solomon reinforces his message with a natural example. A discerning individual will recognize that ants exemplify hard work leading to abundance, while laziness results in poverty. Proverbs 10:4 concurs, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (ESV). The Proverbs repeatedly caution the lazy: “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied” «The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath noth

Being diligent: But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. «(Proverbs 13:4, ESV). Like the fool, the sluggard thinks he is wise in his own eyes «The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit Than seven men that can render a reason. », (Proverbs 26:16), but his laziness “will be the death of him” «The desire of the slothful killeth him; For his hands refuse to labour. », (Proverbs 21:25).

The apostle Paul echoes Solomon in the New Testament, entreating Christians “to warn those who are lazy” «Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. », (1 Thessalonians 5:14). He teaches that sluggards should not be allowed to freeload, explaining, “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12).

God calls us to be hardworking and diligent and to give ourselves wholly to matters of faith: “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:5-10; see also 2 Peter 3:14; 1 Timothy 4:14-15).