Christianity
Proverbs 6The Ant and Seven Abominations
Summary
Proverbs 6 gathers several short warnings. First, if you have guaranteed a neighbor's debt, humble yourself and get free quickly. Second, the sluggard should study the ant, which gathers food in summer without a ruler forcing it. Third comes a portrait of a worthless troublemaker. Then a numbered list names seven things the LORD hates, from a proud look to one who sows discord among brothers. The chapter returns to adultery, warning that no one can carry fire in his bosom and not be burned.
Key verse
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:”
Proverbs 6:6
Themes
- Diligence
- Financial Prudence
- Things God Hates
- Consequences of Adultery
Text
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.
Across traditions
Buddhism
Dhammapada 21 to 32: HeedfulnessThe Dhammapada's chapter on heedfulness praises the earnest and vigilant and warns that the heedless are as if already dead. It shares Proverbs' esteem for diligence, though its aim is liberation rather than prosperity.
Christianity
2 Thessalonians 3: If Any Would Not WorkPaul tells idle believers to work quietly and earn their own bread, saying that if anyone would not work, neither should he eat (3:10), a New Testament echo of the warnings to the sluggard.
Questions about Proverbs 6
What are the seven things God hates in Proverbs 6?
Proverbs 6:16 to 19 lists a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet swift to mischief, a false witness, and one who sows discord among brothers.
What can we learn from the ant in Proverbs 6?
Proverbs 6:6 to 8 notes that the ant has no guide, overseer or ruler, yet stores food in summer and gathers it at harvest. It is held up as a model of self-motivated work and foresight.