6 Go to the ant , O sluggard , Observe her ways and be wise , 7 Which , having no chief , Officer or ruler , 8 Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest . 9 How long will you lie down , O sluggard ? When will you arise from your sleep ? 10 " A little sleep , a little slumber , A little folding of the hands to rest "- 11 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man .
12 A worthless person , a wicked man , Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth , 13 Who winks with his eyes , who signals with his feet , Who points with his fingers ; 14 Who with perversity in his heart continually e devises evil , Who spreads strife . 15 Therefore e his calamity will come suddenly ; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing . 16 There are six things which the Lord hates , Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes , a lying tongue , And hands that shed innocent blood , 18 A heart that devises wicked plans , Feet that run rapidly to evil , 19 A false witness who utters lies , And one who spreads strife among brothers .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Proverbs 6:6-19
Commentary on Proverbs 6:6-11
(Read Proverbs 6:6-11)
Diligence in business is every man's wisdom and duty; not so much that he may attain worldly wealth, as that he may not be a burden to others, or a scandal to the church. The ants are more diligent than slothful men. We may learn wisdom from the meanest insects, and be shamed by them. Habits of indolence and indulgence grow upon people. Thus life runs to waste; and poverty, though at first at a distance, gradually draws near, like a traveller; and when it arrives, is like an armed man, too strong to be resisted. All this may be applied to the concerns of our souls. How many love their sleep of sin, and their dreams of worldly happiness! Shall we not seek to awaken such? Shall we not give diligence to secure our own salvation?
Commentary on Proverbs 6:12-19
(Read Proverbs 6:12-19)
If the slothful are to be condemned, who do nothing, much more those that do all the ill they can. Observe how such a man is described. He says and does every thing artfully, and with design. His ruin shall come without warning, and without relief. Here is a list of things hateful to God. Those sins are in a special manner provoking to God, which are hurtful to the comfort of human life. These things which God hates, we must hate in ourselves; it is nothing to hate them in others. Let us shun all such practices, and watch and pray against them; and avoid, with marked disapproval, all who are guilty of them, whatever may be their rank.