The slothful [man] saith, [there is] a lion without,.... Or, "in the street". This he says within himself; or to those who call out to him, and put him on doing the business of his proper calling, whether in the field or elsewhere, which, through his slothfulness, he has a disinclination to; and therefore frames excuses, and suggests this and that difficulty or danger in the way, expressed by a "lion without"; and which shows the folly and weakness of his excuses, since lions do not usually walk in cities, towns, and villages, and in the streets of them, but in woods and mountains;I shall be slain in the streets; by the lion there; or I shall never be able to get over the difficulties, and through the dangers, which attending to business will expose me to.
Bible Commentary
Proverbs 22:13
Proverbs 22:13
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain
Recommended reading
More for Proverbs 22:13
Continue with other commentaries and DiscipleDeck content connected to this verse, chapter, or topic.
Other commentaries
Proverbs 22 — OverviewProverbs 22 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleMiscellaneous Maxims.Proverbs 22 — OverviewProverbs 22 · Little Bible — for children and parentsProverbs 22 opens with two of the most important statements in wisdom literature: that a good name is worth more than riches, and that God made both the rich and the poor. It then moves through a rich sweep of themes —…Proverbs 22:1-16Proverbs 22:1-16 · The Pulpit CommentaryThe theme of the earlier part of the chapter may be said to be the good name: the blessings in the possession of it, and the conditions for the acquirement of it—partly negatively, partly positively, described.Proverbs 22:1-29Proverbs 22:1-29 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITIONProverbs 22:13Proverbs 22:13 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleNote, 1. Those that have no love for their business will never want
excuses to shake it off. Multitudes are ruined, both for soul and body,
by their slothfulness, and yet still they have something or other to…Proverbs 22:13Proverbs 22:13 · The Pulpit CommentaryThe slothful man saith, There is a lion without (Proverbs 26:13). The absurd nature of the sluggard's excuse is hardly understood by the casual reader. The supposed lion is without, in the open country, and yet he…