What is a sluggard?

Answer

A sluggard is someone who is habitually lazy or inactive. Such an individual does not take personal responsibility for their own life. The term sluggard appears 14 times in the book of Proverbs. In each instance, the Bible denounces laziness and cautions about the outcomes of being a sluggard.

Proverbs 6:9 poses two rhetorical questions, emphasizing a key characteristic of a sluggard: “How long will you lie there, you sluggard? / When will you get up from your sleep?” Verse 6 advises the sluggard to learn from a hardworking insect: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; / consider its ways and be wise!”

Proverbs 10:26 declares, “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, / so are sluggards to those who send them.” A sluggard is as bothersome as an employee; no employer desires an inefficient sluggard on their team.

Proverbs 13:4 proclaims, “The sluggard’s appetite is never satisfied, / but the diligent gain fully.” This contrasting proverb pits the sluggard against the diligent. The idle individual has unfulfilled desires because of their inaction.

Proverbs 19:24 employs humor to illustrate laziness: “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; / he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth!” Being too slothful to lift a fork to one’s mouth—that is genuine laziness!

Proverbs 20:4 states, “The sluggard does not plow in the planting season; / at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.” Due to the sluggard’s lack of effort and foresight, they lack the essentials for life. Sluggards appear oblivious to the principle of sowing and reaping, expecting rewards without putting in the work.

Proverbs 21:25 reiterates the idea of laziness leading to scarcity: “The craving of the sluggard will be the death of him, / because his hands refuse to work.”

Proverbs 22:13 humorously portrays a sluggard’s excuse-making: “The sluggard says, ‘The

There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!’” This extreme excuse would be like a person today saying, “There could be a wild bear loose on the highway, so I had better not go to work.” For most people, the possibility of a rampaging bear is so remote as to be laughable— and it’s certainly no reason to skip work.

Proverbs 26:14 uses emblematic parallelism to again mock the sluggard’s love of sleep: “As the door turns on its hinges, / So does the sluggard on his bed.” The next two verses complete the picture of the slothful person: “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; / He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again. / The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes / Than seven men who can give a discreet answer.” Of note is the sluggard’s high opinion of himself: he thinks he is smart not to work; it doesn’t matter how many reasonable arguments are brought against him, he persists in his conceit that he is a wise man.

A sluggard is a person who has the ability to work but refuses to. He lacks the drive, personal responsibility, and common sense to provide for his needs. He likes sleep and dislikes work. Sluggards are called to action, to work hard to honor God with their lives. “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” «For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. », (2 Thessalonians 3:10).